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According to an old story, the forest that surrounds Piltover is inhabited by monsters. They hide during the day, silently observing their human prey from afar. Their eyes glow golden, but they hold no warmth, shining ever brighter as they scheme. If you were to see them, watching you from the forest when you’re alone, it would already be too late. Only a handful of people have witnessed this sight and lived to tell the tale. They spoke of horrifying creatures that stalked them, hunted them. Tall, lanky beings made of metal and bone with no heart left to beat in their hollow chests. These monsters have been terrorizing Piltover for many years.
However, it is said that they are bound to the trees and the dirt, unable to tear themselves free and invade the security of the village’s sturdy stone. After many years and many failed attempts to enter Piltover, the monsters have learned that they cannot enter uninvited.
Piltover’s ancestor mages have cast spells to protect the people. Only they were able to properly repel the rotten creatures and chain them to the trees. For as long as there is a clear border separating the town from the forest, the magic will continue to keep everyone safe. And thus, solid stone walls were built around the village to contain the magic, to let it cover them like a gentle veil, keeping the sinister beings of the forest out.
The mages’ ancient spells have saved many and kept the people’s lives peaceful, but the monsters are cunning.
After all, Piltover can never be fully separated from the outside world. Merchants and traders need to travel, and some of the people of Piltover have dreams to eventually follow their own hearts elsewhere. There exists a designated path which connects Piltover to other nations. This path has been deemed the safest one to follow outside of the village, splitting the endless sea of trees and foliage that the monsters hide in. For some time, the path was used freely and without worry as the villagers forgot their fear under the protection of the spells. The monsters observed patiently, learning and adapting to when the humans would leave the safety of the village to travel. Until one fateful visit from a group of merchants from a few towns over.
They arrived later in the day than expected due to a raging storm that violently shook the trees and the carriages. The storm let up hours later and the villagers urged them to spend the night within the wall’s safety, but the merchants’ schedules would not allow it and they insisted on departing shortly after sundown.
To the people’s horror, every last one of the merchants disappeared without a trace, never to be seen again. It is said that the monsters dared to take their first steps onto the path and snatched up all the humans before swallowing them whole.
It was that night that the villagers learned that the monsters are strongest after sundown, even capable of stepping out of the forest and onto the path to grab whoever is foolish enough to be out by themselves. For that reason, a curfew was established. No one may set foot outside the village after nightfall and the gate is to be guarded at all times.
The evening breeze is gentle and cool where it caresses the skin of Jayce’s face. It’s been a long day and he can feel the exhaustion weighing his body down, muscles tired and aching from relentless overuse at the forge. There is a stinging pain in his back that has been a little too persistent, too stiff for comfort. He will have to keep an eye on that. It would be no good to permanently damage his body, especially when he’s still so young. He rolls his head as he makes his way through the village, a half-hearted attempt to work against the discomfort.
A child rushes past him, nearly tripping over Jayce’s feet in her hurry. He instinctively reaches out to help her, but she’s already caught herself, turning back to look at him.
“Sorry!” she calls with gaps in her grin. Jayce barely has time to respond before she’s facing the other way and running off again. The corners of his mouth curl up as watches her disappear behind the next building. He hopes she will be more careful. With a shake of his head and a fond smile, he continues his walk through the village.
More people are getting off work now and the streets are slowly getting crowded. Tired faces are surely making their way back home to rest while some more carefree ones may just be starting their evening plans. The further Jayce goes, the quieter his surroundings become as he leaves the people of Piltover behind himself to make his way toward the village gates.
As usual, he is the only one going this way. But he likes it that way. Over the past few years, going on short walks after work has become a part of Jayce’s everyday routine. He enjoys the peacefulness and vastness of the woods outside, loves how much lighter his body is when it’s not confined within the walls and the expectations of the village. Being out by himself for a while, away from people and crowds, is just what he needs after long days of tireless physical labor. It makes it all the more rewarding to run a hot bath and wash the sweat and grime off of his skin when he gets home.
His steps feel lighter in anticipation.
As he’s approaching the large wooden gate, Jayce’s gaze falls to the guard beside it. Marcus usually works the last shift at the gate and has thus become familiar with Jayce’s evening plans. Their eyes meet.
“Out worrying your mother again, Talis?” Marcus calls out. He often nags and complains about the walks so close to curfew, but since Jayce always makes it back in time there is nothing Marcus can do about it.
They aren’t exactly on friendly terms, but Jayce does his best to be civil. He flashes a grin that has charmed kind old ladies into gifting him fresh fruit on the market before. “Same as always, Marcus! I’ll be back in a bit.” Jayce pointedly ignores the guard’s frown as he passes the gate and takes his first few steps outside.
He’s well aware that his walks are not well-received. Not by Marcus, not by his mother and not by the other people from the village. The curfew, the tall walls surrounding all of Piltover and the gate that tightly seals it for the night; they all exist for a reason, after all.
The story behind them is told to children from a very young age. Jayce’s own mother has told it to him many times in the past, over and over until he knew it by heart. It’s the typical childhood horror story, shared with every family member, every neighbor, every friend. It exists not just to scare the children of the village, but more so to warn them of the dangers that lurk in the forest after sundown. Fear is bound to keep them safe, after all.
Jayce lifts his gaze to the sky as he strolls further away from Piltover. It isn’t that he doesn’t believe in the story, more so that a sense of intrigue stirs within him at the thought of monsters existing so close to his home. He has always been fascinated with the magic that surrounds Piltover, with the spells that have been cast long ago and still last until this very day. With the unwavering protection they grant. It’s only natural that other things affected by that same magic would also catch his interest.
However, Jayce is no fool. His fascination with the monsters has never overpowered his sense of safety. As much as he would like to catch a glimpse of the creatures of the forest with his own eyes, he doesn’t dare disregard the safety measures. He never strays from the main path, stays attentive on his walks and makes sure to always return before the gates are closed for the night.
It’s something he learned when he was still a child. He would often try to get the other children to play outside of the gates with him during the day, but they were scared off by the stories and the warnings. When Jayce told his mother about it, disappointed that nobody wanted to explore with him, even in the safety of magic and daylight, she scolded him sternly and forbade him from playing outside for weeks. Of course he was upset about it, but even back then Jayce could see a layer of fear shining in his mother’s gaze as she looked at him. Her words were firm but there was a desperation in them that he hadn’t known from her before.
Ever since that day, even when he feels confident that he is safe, he never blames her for worrying when the forest is involved.
It was only when Jayce turned eighteen that he was able to convince Ximena to let him go on walks outside the gate in the evening. It took long conversations about safety and paying attention to his surroundings, and he promised her to always stay close enough to the village to alert a guard in case anything happens. He also reminded her that no one has been hurt by the monsters in a very long time, not even those who travelled further along the path. With this, she finally gave in. But Jayce knows that she is still afraid to lose him to the forest, so he makes sure to always stick to what he promised her back then.
Besides, it’s not just his interest in the creatures that keeps him coming back every evening. The fresh air, the gentle sound of leaves swaying in the breeze and the distant chirps of birds before their bedtime are just what he needs after long days. The forest calms him down.
It’s only when Jayce leaves Piltover for a moment and embraces the stillness of nature that he notices just how much noise he’s been surrounded with all day. Some evenings, the contrast is so stark that it feels like he’s finally able to take his first deep breaths of the day on his walk. Like it’s the first time his mind is not buzzing with sound and pressure and stress.
Jayce has always felt a deeper connection with the forest.
As he’s walking further along the path and away from the village gate, he tilts his head back and takes a deep breath. The air is much fresher here already, even when he’s still so close to Piltover. He lets his eyes slip shut as he walks, just for a few brief moments, allowing himself to feel the energy of the forest around him. His shoulders fall and he relaxes almost instantly.
This is the feeling he comes back for every day. He’s wondered before if it could have something to do with the magic that lingers, but then wouldn’t he feel just as calm within the walls? In the village that is equally brimming with magic?
Jayce opens his eyes and continues his way along the path. He watches the trees as he passes by them, letting his mind wander. Soon he will have to let go of this routine, of his life in Piltover and seeing his mother’s face every day. Of the evening walks and the magic and the forest. He’ll miss it, but he knows it will all be worth it in the end. Studying in Zaun is something he’s been wanting to do for a long time. Another step on his journey toward understanding magic, and perhaps one day even wielding it himself.
Natural mages are rare these days and the devices that non-natural mages use are intricate and difficult to use, which is why mages are in high demand and difficult to get a hold of. Although Jayce himself does not possess any natural magic, he has always had an interest in technology and plans to learn how to properly use these devices. However, they are rare and don’t work reliably yet, as research is still in the early stages. Only a select few schools have access to the resources necessary to make significant progress in these studies. Zaun, due to its unique location and history of powerful mages, is one of them.
From what Jayce has heard from travelers that have been to Zaun before, the very ground that the village is built on is full of energy. There, it flows freely and naturally, nurturing the village like the roots of a tree.
Jayce chose to apply to Zaun’s academy specifically because of its department centered around magic and healing. It’s exactly what he finds so captivating about magic. It can be used for good, to heal and to protect. Many Piltovians have regularly suffered from illness and disease for as long as Jayce can remember. Some people deal with symptoms for most of their lives, others are never affected at all. Even after researching and running tests for many years, no one has been able to figure out the source of the illness or the reason why specific individuals are spared. Doctors are at a loss and generations of children have sworn to grow up to find a cure, but Piltover is no closer to finding the answers. Jayce’s idea, now more achievable thanks to him being accepted into Zaun’s academy, is to approach the issue not with medicine but with magic.
He knows that to most people in the village, he is just another young adult too optimistic to let go of an impossible childhood dream. He knows that his own mother, supportive as she tries to be, doubts that he can truly cure the illness. Part of him doesn’t blame them. Even after all this time, after all this suffering, nobody has ever even brought them a single step closer to the answer. They have no reason to believe that Jayce of all people, just another one of many with the same goal, will be the one to do it.
And yet, another part of him feels alone in his pursuit. No one is truly in his corner and people expect him to fail from the beginning without ever giving him a real chance. As much as he understands them, walking this path by himself makes it all the harder.
At the very least, the village has never once lost its light. He thinks back to the child that ran into him earlier and smiles. The people of Piltover can still laugh and enjoy their lives and for that, he is grateful.
Jayce stops walking abruptly, smile still frozen on his face. His body tenses up and he can’t quite pinpoint why. Something feels wrong. His smile begins to fall.
He’s quite far from the village gate now, but not far enough to be too worried. He’s been this far out before and knows he can make it back fast if he needs to. He listens, thoughts completely silent now, his senses focused only on his surroundings.
Nothing but silence meets him in return. The rustling of leaves in the wind has completely stopped. Now that he’s paying attention, the silence is eerily pressing and something feels terribly off. It takes him a moment to realize that it’s because he can no longer hear the animals from the forest either. Even the birds have completely ceased their singing. Whatever is causing the sudden shift of atmosphere, it’s close.
Jayce can feel a bead of cold sweat rolling down the side of his face. He stays as still as he can and continues to listen. Then he hears it. The bushes to his right shift noticeably. The movement startles him so much that he can’t help but spin to look. Surely enough, one plant is still swaying, its movements now slowing down like whatever made the sound has also frozen up when Jayce turned to face it. Moments go by, nothing moves. The plant eventually stills.
He keeps his eyes there, thinks that with how hard he’s staring, his brain might convince him that there’s a shape in the foliage despite there being none.
Another sound makes him jump. The snap of a twig, now further away in the same direction. Without thinking, Jayce takes a step forward, closer to the forest. Whatever was just right in front of him is now backing off.
Another step. The bush that moves earlier sways again, this time disturbed by Jayce’s own legs. Maybe an animal made that noise? No, Jayce’s gut tells him that this was no animal. He takes one more step, now squinting his eyes and focusing his gaze on the spot where he saw the last movement. He holds his breath in anticipation, scanning the surrounding trees as far as he can see. He leans forward, trying to get even closer. His body is screaming at him to take another step. Then another.
The village gate’s bell rings through the silence, once again making Jayce jump. The sound signals that it’s almost sundown and the gate will be closed soon. When did it get so late?
He looks around himself, down to his feet, surrounded by leaves. Why did he get so close to the forest? The birds chirp softly around him. Somehow he can tell that the presence that was just here is now gone.
Jayce shakes his head and spins back around, hurrying back onto the path and toward the village. He can still make it back in time if he runs. He’s still so out of it, he barely registers getting back to Piltover or Marcus shooting him yet another disapproving stare as Jayce reenters the village and the gate is closed behind him.
It’s only about an hour later at the dinner table that he looks into his mother’s eyes and somehow finds the strength to pretend he isn’t freaking out internally. Knowing how she would react if she found out about today’s walk is motivation enough for him to keep it a secret. It would be his last walk for sure. He’d never hear the end of it.
As it turns out, a mother’s intuition isn’t easily fooled. Jayce carries the full plates to the table, his mother following behind him. He can feel the sting of her gaze at the back of his head. She knows something is up. She kindly lets him set the plates down and sit down, gives him just a moment to relax before her expression changes. She’s frowning at him.
“Do you want me to ask or will you tell me yourself?” she starts, and Jayce has to think fast. He takes the end of his fork between two fingers and brushes over the metal, biting his lip and avoiding her insistent stare.
“It’s…” he cuts himself off, thinking about what to say. Ximena stays silent, patiently waiting for him to continue. Jayce sighs. “It’s nothing serious just… Earlier I was thinking about how I’m leaving soon.” Technically not a lie. He doesn’t want to lie to his mother. Jayce doesn’t look up yet, it would give him away for sure. From the corner of his eye he can just barely make out his mother’s face, her eyebrows still drawn together as she watches him. She’s not saying anything yet, so he continues.
“On my walk. I was looking at the trees and at Piltover and the gate, and then I was thinking, you know… That I won’t get to see it anymore soon. And I—” He bites his lip. He looks up now, sees Ximena’s eyes soften at his words. He feels a little bad and has to remind himself that he still isn’t really lying.
She reaches out a hand and Jayce, without even thinking about it, does the same. His mother’s hand is warm and comforting as it covers his own and her lips curl up in a sad smile. Jayce lightly squeezes her hand to reassure her.
“It’s not that I changed my mind. I know I’m doing the right thing. This is what I want to do. I’m happy that I’m doing this, it’s just…” Jayce shakes his head, looks down at their hands. “I’ll still miss you” He feels his mother squeezing his hand back. His throat feels a little tight.
“Oh, Jayce. Being so far from home will be difficult, I know. It can be scary at first and you may get lonely, but I want you to always remember that I will be waiting here in Piltover for your return. You can come back whenever you need, with or without telling me first.” The corner of her mouth quirks up into a half smirk and her eyes sparkle with emotion. “I hope you didn’t think I would simply let you disappear with no contact. I expect a detailed letter as soon as you’ve settled in. You wouldn’t want to worry your poor mother, would you?”
Jayce chuckles. Ximena has always been good at cheering him up, lightening the mood at just the right time. And there is something about her smile that makes it hard to resist returning it. She lifts her other hand and rests it atop his head, tousling his hair a little.
Jayce really will miss her. He’s been trying to keep his mind off of it until now, fully aware that the more he allows himself to think about her, the harder it will be to leave. He also knows that it must be just as difficult for her, watching her only son grow up and leave her behind to pursue his studies. But even now, she holds his hand and lets her smile cheer him up, not letting him see just how bittersweet it is for her. Jayce is lucky to have a mother like her. He playfully ducks away from under her palm, shaking his head.
“I wouldn’t think of it. You might just show up in Zaun to check on me yourself otherwise,” Jayce jokes and Ximena’s grin widens. She leans back in her chair and puts her hands on her hips, nodding.
“That’s right. And now that I think about it, I may just do that anyway. I’m sure you’ll make lots of new friends in no time, can’t have you forgetting all about me then.” She relaxes her shoulders and her smile softens, then she shifts closer to the table and takes her fork into her hand. “Now, eat up before it gets cold.” Jayce nods and picks up his own fork, taking in the scent of his mother’s homemade cooking. He’ll savor every meal she makes for him until he leaves.
As he spends the evening with Ximena, the topic of what happened on his walk earlier is completely forgotten and he doesn’t think about it again until it catches up to him in his dreams that night. It’s a jumbled mess of the evening’s events and what could have been behind it. All it leaves him with is the strong urge to investigate further.
Naturally, curiosity claws at Jayce all day at work the next day. It holds his attention so much that his boss has to snap him out of his thoughts several times, just barely keeping Jayce from accidentally slamming his tools down onto his hand or getting too close to the open fire of the forge and burning himself. After the third time Jayce can tell his boss is getting annoyed. He does his best to focus from then on, but it doesn’t take long for his mind to drift again, replaying the swaying of the bushes from the previous evening, the quiet rustle of movement.
As the hours pass, today’s evening walk approaching steadily, Jayce finds himself getting progressively more restless. He pictures himself being back at the spot where he heard the sounds and the thought alone speeds his heartbeat up. He knows it’s silly, but it feels like every moment he’s not there, he could be missing something important. Another encounter with the monster waiting to happen. A chance lost because he’s within the protection of the walls instead.
He reminds himself that the monster has not been seen during the day in a long time and is assumed to be nocturnal. It wouldn’t be wandering around the forest now anyway. It does nothing to calm him and Jayce’s hands remain clammy with nerves.
There is still about an hour left until he gets off work, but his boss must be taking pity on him. He pats Jayce on the shoulder with a heavy hand, tells him to go home early and get some rest, then sends him on his way. Jayce feels a little bad about it. It must have seemed like he wasn’t feeling well. Keeping the real reason for his anxiety a secret feels like he’s lying. However, with the alternative being telling people about his encounter, Jayce still much prefers keeping his secret, even if it means letting someone worry about him. He doesn’t want to imagine the reaction if he were to tell the truth. It wouldn’t take long for his mother to hear about it, and his routine evening walks would quickly become a thing of the past.
The atmosphere in the village is different today. He looks around as he makes his way down to the gate. The streets are as full as they would usually be at this time of day, children laughing and playing, adults bringing groceries back home from the market, groups of friends sitting outside cafés and talking. Jayce thinks that maybe it’s him that’s different. The sky seems a little darker, even with the sun shining bright, free of any clouds. It feels somber somehow. Jayce wonders if it’s the anticipation, but he’s never felt it like this before.
He frowns and reminds himself to relax. There is no guarantee that he will actually see the monster again today, so maybe he’s being nervous for nothing.
Jayce continues to walk past the villagers, none of them paying him any mind as he leaves them behind once more to wander on the other side of the walls. He sees Marcus in the distance, already looking annoyed at the sight of him. The corner of Jayce’s mouth twitches upward in amusement. Even though he’s not exactly fond of the guard there is something comforting about their short interactions. In any other setting, Jayce is sure this kind of reaction would bother him more, but when he’s on his way to his walk he can’t find it in himself to care. By the time he makes it to the gate he is usually already so relaxed that nobody would be able to pick a fight with him.
As he passes Marcus he can hear him saying something, undoubtedly the usual words of disapproval, but today Jayce’s mind has already drifted back to yesterday’s strange encounter. He absentmindedly raises a hand that serves as both a greeting and a vague gesture of don’t worry in the guard’s direction. He hears Marcus click his tongue but neither of them speaks again.
The moment Jayce makes it through the village gate he can feel a wave of excitement rushing through him, tingling in his chest and all the way down to his legs. It takes everything in his power not to start running to get back to yesterday’s spot faster. If there is still a monster near the path, he reasons, running at it might just scare it away like before. It’s strange to think about the creatures this way. Like Jayce is the one posing a threat to them. Like they’re the ones who should be afraid of him. It makes them seem a lot less dangerous and he wonders if it’s a good idea to let himself think that way.
When Jayce finally spots the bush from yesterday, he speeds up a little, making sure his steps are light and quiet. He approaches the spot and comes to a halt, then stays as still as he can, taking in the silence. The leaves rustle softly in the wind, birds chirping in the distance. There is nothing there.
Jayce focuses his eyes on the bush, thinking back to how it swayed unnaturally, disturbed by someone else’s movement. He holds his breath and stares like the mere memory of the monster could make it reappear. Nothing. He exhales.
Minutes go by with no sign of anything strange, just the sounds of nature and a pleasant breeze. The more time passes, the heavier the disappointment that weighs down on Jayce’s shoulders. Realistically, it should have been obvious that he wouldn’t encounter any of the creatures like this again. After the many walks he’s been on out here, the fact that he only got this close to seeing something one time should have been reason enough for him to not get his hopes up. Jayce feels a little foolish for getting ahead of himself.
Now that he thinks about it, he’s come dreadfully unprepared. Even if he did see the monster again, what would he have done? Would he have tried talking to it? And if that would have scared it away again, would he have pursued it? If it had come to that, surely that would have been the last time he ever saw one of the monsters. The one from before didn’t seem interested in hurting him, so if he chased it through the forest he might have made himself out to be a danger to them.
And why did the monster run in the first place? It should have attacked him the moment it noticed he was there, far enough away from the village to kill him before anyone could intervene. This single unforeseen action was enough to send Jayce’s mind spiraling, like nothing he learned about the forest and its monsters growing up is true.
Thinking about it this way, this could be an opportunity. If it indeed turns out that the monsters aren’t all dangerous, maybe the people of Piltover won’t need to be so afraid anymore. Maybe this will allow them to learn more about magic, since the monsters are so closely tied to it. If there is a chance that humans and monsters can get along, maybe they can learn from each other. The possibilities are vast and intriguing.
Filled with a new sense of determination, Jayce takes the first step off the path, toward where the creature last disappeared to. He’s not sure how he’ll find it again but he chooses to trust fate to bring them back together. With how connected the creatures are with the forest, there is a chance they can feel his presence. Maybe if he strays far enough off the path they will approach him to see what his intentions are. If he does meet one that means him harm he can figure it out when he gets there.
As he makes his way past the first line of trees that were previously blocking his vision, the forest opens up properly. He can see much further now, with trees and bushes spaced out enough to be able to move faster. It’s a bit darker here, the crowns of the old, tall trees laid high above him like a protective blanket. In the distance, Jayce can make out a row of thicker bushes with one opening that looks like a path leading deeper into the forest. Keeping his eyes on the spot, he picks up his pace to reach it faster. Maybe this is where the monster came from yesterday.
Jayce rushes past the thick tree trunks, not paying attention to anything but the obstacles and the opening in front of him. Something throbs inside his chest, telling him he’s on the right track. This must be it.
He ducks into where the bushes open up. This is it. This has to be it. Jayce sprints through the foliage, batting away the branches that stick out too far. They scratch at his arms as he passes them, but he pays them no mind. Not much further now, he can feel it. He must be almost there. A thorny branch smacks at his forehead and his eyes close instinctively, hands batting at anything else that gets in his way. He glances ahead through squinted eyes, sees light shining through the leaves in front of him and runs faster toward it. Finally, he makes it out of the tight space, taking a leap into the open space.
He only has a split moment to register his surroundings before his foot lands on a loose rock and the world begins to tilt. Oh shit is the last thing he finds himself thinking before he hits the ground hard and slides down a mound of dirt alongside a carpet of fallen leaves.
He feels his cheek hit another rock as the ground underneath him gets steeper and his fall gets faster. At this rate he’ll get seriously injured. The soft dirt gives way to uneven stone and the pointy ends that are sticking out tear through the protective layer of Jayce’s clothes, cutting into his skin. He tries to get a better look at his surroundings and it’s only now that he realizes he is falling down a ravine.
Jayce twists his body in a desperate attempt to regain control of his fall and blindly grabs at the sharp rocks to hold onto them. His fingertips grow hot from the friction and he struggles to catch himself as his own blood coats his hands, wet and slippery. Something slices at his back and it feels cold more than it hurts. Is this how I die?
As he continues to frantically grab at the rocks, the ground suddenly disappears from underneath him and his body is flung the rest of the way down. The last thing Jayce hears before he passes out is the sickening crunch of a bone being broken, and then nothing.
When he comes to, his head is spinning and his whole body is throbbing in pain. Jayce keeps his eyes shut, too weak to force them open. His ears are ringing and he can hear his own muffled groan as he sets one palm on the ground to steady himself.
With clenched teeth Jayce tries to roll himself onto his side and it’s then that a sharp pain shoots through his leg, instantly stopping him in his tracks. The freshly disturbed limb throbs in protest. The pain is so intense that it feels like the movement of his own labored breaths is enough to shift his bones from where they should be.
His mind goes blank for a moment, only able to focus on the sensations shooting through his injured body. Blood seeping through the fabric of his clothes, the burning ache of the cuts underneath, feeling like they’re being ripped open further every time his muscles tense. Skin sticking together on more shallow wounds where the blood has already started to dry. Jayce thinks he can feel his pulse in the consistent throbbing at the back of his head. It feels like it presses directly against his brain with every beat. The pain is bearable but he has to force himself not to imagine his brain being squeezed the way it feels like it is.
Jayce’s arms are shaking under the weight of his upper body, still frozen from the pain in his leg. He tries to keep himself in that position for another moment, not ready to try moving again. Not ready for that intense pain again.
It doesn’t take long for his arms to give out. They quiver weakly and Jayce carefully sets himself back down, luckily managing to prevent any sudden drop that would have hurt much more. He brings one arm up to his face and rests his forehead against it, fingers clenching around the dirt underneath him. He closes his eyes and focuses on calming his breathing. It’s okay. It’s alright, you’re alive, so you can work with that. Pull yourself together, Talis.
Moments go by. The forest seems quieter now that his own panicked breaths and the thumping of his terrified heart isn’t the only thing he can hear anymore. The distant singing of birds is calming. They continue their peaceful lives like nothing ever happened, like everything is fine. If Jayce focuses on it enough, maybe he can convince himself that nothing did happen and that everything really will be fine.
His breathing has returned to something close enough to normal and the pain all throughout his body has become a bit less overwhelming. Jayce relaxes his hand, letting the dirt trickle from his grip with a long sigh. He gives himself another moment, then opens his eyes and lifts his head from where it was resting on his arm.
From where he is, he can see nothing but dirt and rocks around him, and some more trees in the distance. He’s still in the forest, just in a rocky clearing. He’ll need to sit up some more to get a better view of his surroundings. Of where he fell from.
Jayce braces himself for more pain and quickly sets his palms flat on the ground again, not giving his body any time to protest. He pushes against the dirt, successfully managing to roll himself onto his side this time.
The pain catches up to him as soon as he’s steady, drops of sweat rolling down the side of his face. Jayce is looking in the direction of where he came from, but he can’t see through the tears that are clouding his vision. The movement has agitated some of his wounds and cuts, serving as a swift reminder of where they all are. He can feel them throbbing slowly and hopes that the heat around some of them is not an infection waiting to happen. Although without proper medical care the likelihood of them getting infected is… Jayce would rather not think about that right now. He’ll deal with that when the time comes.
Blinking away the tears, Jayce focuses his gaze on the top of the ravine, follows it down all the way to where he is. He finds himself wondering how he survived that fall. It’s incredibly steep, with large, sharp rocks and broken off branches littered all over. He can see exactly where he fell, piles of leaves further up disturbed and pushed aside by his body. He wonders how much of his blood is left behind on stray rocks and sticks, can’t help but picture bloody handprints and fingernail marks where he tried to catch himself.
The thought is a bit morbid, but he can’t find it in himself to feel horrified. Then again, he must not be in his right mind at the moment. Maybe he’s concussed.
Jayce’s eyes trail to his own feet, then flicker back up to the top of the slope, before finally settling on his leg again. He shifts subconsciously, like he’s testing out the limb. Another wave of pain cuts his attempt short, warning him to not even try. The reality of his situation is beginning to set in now. There’s absolutely no way Jayce will make it back up there with the current state of his leg.
His thoughts drift to his mother. He thinks about how her son will never come home again. How she will never know the truth of what happened to him.
Jayce clenches his teeth and forces the thought out of his head. If anything, it should give him the strength not to give up now. His mother won’t have to mourn her only son if he keeps going. Jayce is not dead yet.
He brings an arm up to his face again and wipes tears and sweat away. He’s never been one to give up and he certainly can’t start now. With newfound strength, Jayce scans the area again. There are enough ways he can go from here. Luckily, he didn’t fall into a hole with no way out. He can try making his way around the ravine somehow, but he doesn’t exactly know what direction he would have to go. If he chooses wrong, he might just go further into the forest, further away from home, and get even more lost than he already is.
If only the area were more explored. The people in Piltover know next to nothing about navigation in the forest, since nobody was ever brave enough to go in and make a proper map. All people know about are the horror stories, leaving the rest completely undiscovered. Now Jayce has to pay the price for years of collective fear.
He chews on his lip as he thinks. He’ll have to get moving sooner or later. He didn’t exactly come prepared for an overnight camping trip. With no food or water, he’ll only last a few more days if he’s lucky. Food can wait a bit longer, but he will need to at least find water soon. With the condition his body is in and with how much he’s been sweating, he doesn’t have much time. He pauses the movement of his jaw and listens to the quiet of the forest once more, hoping that maybe, if he listens hard enough, he’ll hear the sound of water flowing somewhere nearby. That will at least give him a starting point, a direction to move in.
All he hears are the wind and the birds, more quiet now as night approaches. Must be nice, peacefully getting ready to go to sleep.
With no water to be heard anywhere close to him, Jayce deflates. There goes that idea. Staring off into the distant trees, he realizes that he is so out of his element. A thousand ideas of what to do next are at the back of his mind, but he finds himself unable to make any decision. He needs to plan his time wisely and get the most out of every move he makes. Wasting time and energy could cost him his life.
Should he try gathering some wood and dry leaves to make a fire so he won’t be cold during the night? He’s never had to make a fire without proper tools before, so he’s not quite sure how to approach the task. Or should he make use of the last bit of sunlight he has left and start picking a direction to go in already? Any time he wastes now is time that could have been spent looking for water or a way back to Piltover. It’s also a matter of time before his wounds will become a bigger problem. Wouldn’t it be best for him to make as much progress as possible as long as he can still handle the pain without infection? The injuries will tire his body out fast and moving will become more difficult. Then again, he won’t make it far with his leg the way it is.
As much as Jayce refuses to just give up, the situation seems more hopeless the more he thinks about it. Is this the end of him after all? Is he really as good as dead already? With a shaky sigh, Jayce lowers his head. This can’t be it.
A twig snaps nearby, startling him out of his thoughts. That sounded close. Another snap quickly follows and now that Jayce is paying attention, he can make out the rhythmic sounds of footsteps, slow but with purpose. Something is approaching and it doesn’t sound like it’s an animal.
Leaves rustle under the weight of whatever is coming toward him, soon replaced by the soft thud of feet hitting the dirt instead. Jayce holds his breath. It’s almost here. He keeps his eyes down but he can see a figure out of the corner of his vision. A few more steps, then it comes to a stop.
Jayce can hear it breathing, can feel the pressure of its gaze burning on his skin. He feels it take in every tear in his clothes, every cut on his body, every proof of his weakness, his mortality. If this is how he dies, he thinks, at least it will be faster than succumbing to his wounds like he thought he would. Maybe he can consider this a small mercy.
The thought does nothing to calm his fear. Whatever is watching him remains silent as it takes in the sight of him.
There is a sound then, like dry bones cracking. Or old tree roots being stretched beyond their limit. A series of low clicks and pops come from right beside him. The thing doesn’t move. Jayce keeps his eyes fixed to the ground, but makes sure not to lose sight of what he assumes must be its feet from the corner of his vision. The sound continues for a bit, then stops, and it’s silent again. What’s it doing? He doesn’t dare look up, but curiosity is tingling at the back of his neck. Or maybe that’s the thing’s eyes on him. Maybe it hasn’t decided what to do with him just yet.
So he waits, trying his best not to make any sound that could startle the creature. A drop of sweat rolls down the side of Jayce’s face and falls from his chin. There’s no way the sound of it hitting the ground is actually as loud as he perceives it. The silence stretches, and the thing makes no other moves. Like it’s waiting for Jayce to do something first.
He can feel his chest tightening with every passing second, breaths coming shorter and shorter. The thing isn’t leaving, but it also isn’t tearing his head off of his body and swallowing it whole, so he considers this a win.
Feeling safe enough, he allows curiosity to get the better of him and slowly lifts his head, just enough to see two large gray feet and long, skinny legs. They look dry and hard and have a purple tint to them. Can this be considered skin?
Jayce keeps his eyes on the thing’s legs, giving it time to react to his movement. To protest. But it doesn’t. The thing stays perfectly still like it’s blending in with the surrounding woods, gentle and silent, but mysterious and deadly. So Jayce takes it as a sign that he is allowed to look.
He can feel his heart racing in his chest, sending dull throbs to his wounds with every beat. The sweat on his face continues to cool and the hair at the back of his neck is standing up. His mouth feels dry. This is the moment he’s been waiting for. This may be the first time he gets to make proper contact with one of the forest’s monsters and so far it hasn’t shown any hostility. Just like last time. Maybe Jayce was right about them. Maybe they can coexist peacefully. Maybe—
Jayce looks up at the monster and freezes. It towers over him, caging him in with its eyes. A cold sense of dread overcomes him, sits heavy at the bottom of his stomach as he takes in the sight in front of him.
The gray skin of the monster’s legs covers its entire body, twisting around its limbs and its torso like it’s too tight, too dry to fit it comfortably. Bits of it look like rusty metal, worn down over many years. Its fingers are long and slender, hands big enough for it to easily wrap them around Jayce’s throat if it wanted to. It carries a long wooden staff, curled into an intricate shape at the top and covered in plants just like the monster itself. It wears nothing but a dark blue cloak that is wrapped around its shoulders and hangs long down its back. Golden details shine like armor in the last bit of daylight that reaches them, sitting securely around the thing’s thin ankles and going all the way up its legs. There is more gold around its chest, forming a sturdy case around its ribcage like it’s holding the bones together.
Its face resembles a wooden mask, empty and inscrutable. If he looks closer, the thing’s face appears to have been split in two and peeled open to reveal another face underneath, this one much less gentle than the other. On the monster’s head is more gold, rising upward like a crown of hardened flames. Soft locks of brown hair fall messy from behind the mask-like face, curling around its long neck. There are small vines and bits of moss growing all over its body, like a blank canvas decorated by the forest itself.
But what stands out the most are the monster's eyes. They shine golden through the expressionless mask, bright and piercing. Jayce can feel them burning into him and he finds himself unable to look away. The monster tilts its head, slow and deliberate, watching him. It looks like a dead tree taking the shape of a humanoid figure, with bits of rusty metal that seem out of place but are undoubtedly a part of its body. It’s terrifying. It’s beautiful.
They stare at each other, unblinking, neither of them making a move to hurt the other. Jayce wonders what it’s thinking about him. Maybe it’s unsure as well, waiting once again for him to make the first move. Jayce shifts, trying to sit up so he can properly greet the creature. The excitement must have numbed his senses because as soon as he jostles his broken leg it sends him a painful reminder of how he got into this situation in the first place. Just moments ago he was so sure he would be killed that his brain must have decided to focus on that instead and get back to his injuries afterward. Jayce flinches at the wave of agony seeping from his leg, hissing a pained sound through gritted teeth. It’s so intense that fresh tears gather at the corners of his eyes, threatening to fall.
The sudden noise must have surprised the monster as it snaps out of its stillness and takes an unsteady step back. Jayce watches through wet lashes as golden eyes trail down his body and land on his leg where they remain. He wonders if the monster understands that he’s hurt himself.
He doesn’t get an answer. Instead, the monster slowly moves back, straightening its upper body with low creaks and pops. Its eyes find Jayce’s once more and there is a spark there that he can’t interpret. Then the monster turns its back to him and starts walking back into the forest, leaning heavily on its staff.
Watching the retreating back of the monster, Jayce wants to call out to it, to keep it from leaving. Not yet, he thinks, I only just found you. But the words are stuck in his throat and all he can do is watch as this opportunity slips through his bloodied fingers.
He’s alone again, left to die even by one of the monsters that are known for their bloodlust. This one didn’t act very evil, but Jayce thinks he can allow himself the dramatics of self-pity. He’s earned it for himself.
With the monster gone, this really is starting to feel like the end. No one will ever know what happened to him. Being so close to the village makes it all the more frustrating. While his brain is telling him he can make it back on foot, his body has reached its limit and cannot carry him home anymore.
The sky darkens further and the air begins to cool with night’s arrival. There is nothing Jayce can do but relax his sore muscles and set his head back down. In the end, after meeting the monster, he was unable to get anything done. He has no food or water, no shelter, no fire to warm him, and he is no closer to getting back. He wonders if attempting to crawl to the nearby bushes is worth it so he can at least hide himself from potential danger as he sleeps, but he can’t move that far even if he wants to. He’ll have to stay here, out in the open and vulnerable. How he’ll feel when he wakes up will be a gamble, he just hopes that infection doesn’t claim him too fast. There is also a chance he won’t wake up at all if his injuries are worse than he thinks. Especially if he really does have a concussion.
His eyes slip shut all on their own and that’s when Jayce realizes just how exhausted he is. The adrenaline must be wearing off because pain is beginning to sneak up on him, much worse than before. He keeps his eyes closed and hopes he can fall asleep before it becomes so unbearable that it will keep him awake all night, forcing him to experience it.
The distance between Jayce and the throbbing of his injuries grows and one last thought crosses his hazy mind. I hope I wake up again.
Consciousness grabs him by the leg and squeezes at it ruthlessly. He doesn’t know he’s awake right away. His head feels light, and he can’t think properly. The world around him is spinning even with his eyes shut. Everything is sort of hazy like he’s in an uncomfortably realistic dream, the kind you wake up from thankful that it wasn’t real after all. Except this time it is, and he knows this because his entire body is in agony. His head is pounding so hard it feels like his brain is being tossed around inside his skull. Patches of skin all over his body feel too warm and swollen and whatever healing process his body has started, it’s exhausting.
Jayce is only just waking up and he’s already tired enough to fall back asleep again. His limbs feel heavy. Worst of all is his left leg, giving off a persistent dull ache with the occasional sharp sting.
After the realization that he is in fact awake comes the feeling that something is different. He can’t quite place it yet, still confused as his brain tries to catch up. Jayce makes a weak attempt to open his eyes. He manages just enough for a bright white shine of light to blind him momentarily, forcing him to let his heavy eyelids drop again. Was the sun always this bright in the mornings?
Jayce shifts, trying to change the position of his aching leg to a more comfortable one, but it feels a bit off. Something seems to be wrapped around the broken limb, holding it steady. Confused, he opens his eyes again, just enough to look down and see a strange wooden contraption on his leg. It doesn’t hurt, on the contrary. It takes a bit of the strain off of the bone. His eyes slip shut again. Now that he’s opened them, he notices just how heavy his eyelids are and how nice it feels to just keep them closed. He’s almost tempted to let himself doze off again, but the sound of irregular thuds coming from not too far away keeps him awake. He thinks it might be his own head pounding at first, but then the rustling of leaves makes it clear that someone is approaching him.
Now at full attention, Jayce gives opening his eyes another go. He succeeds, but the light still hurts his head. He’s almost certain that he’s concussed now. Luckily sleeping doesn’t seem to have caused him any more issues, but he makes a mental note to keep an eye on the symptoms and his overall constitution.
The crunching and rustling gets louder and Jayce lifts his head so fast he instantly regrets it, pain and dizziness forcing his head back onto the soft leaves underneath him. He could swear those weren’t there when he passed out the night before.
Although it costs him a lot of strength and willpower, Jayce’s eyes remain open and a tall, lanky form enters his spinning vision. Memories of last night’s encounter with the monster come rushing back and the first instinct his confused mind can come up with is to get up and run. Not that he can. His body remains limp on the pile of leaves that he’s becoming more sure by the second wasn’t there before, and he reminds himself that the monster means him no harm and if it wanted him dead it would have killed him long before he even lost consciousness in the first place.
They stare at each other as the creature approaches, once again leaning heavily on its staff. Its other hand is up against its chest where it holds its own cape bundled up into a ball like it’s carrying something inside. The monster stops in front of him, looking a bit unsure of itself, but Jayce is too busy glancing at the cape to pay it any mind. The monster must have noticed Jayce’s curiosity as it visibly relaxes and carefully lowers itself onto the ground next to him. It sets its staff aside to cup its balled up cape with both hands, lowering it down between the two of them. It sets the end of its cape down carefully and the soft blue fabric falls open, revealing a variety of berries and mushrooms.
Jayce stares at them blankly. He looks up at the monster, then back down to the food, and then back up again. The mask of wood and iron is impossible to read and gives nothing away. Neither of them makes a sound, they both just stare. It takes Jayce an embarrassingly long time to understand the situation.
The monster brought food and is now presenting it to him. He gulps.
Thoughts begin to race through his mind. Is this edible for humans? What if some of it is poisonous to him? Wait, what if the monster isn’t giving it to him in the first place? He might be misunderstanding, so what if he takes the food and the monster gets mad? His head pounds a bit harder with every new question that pops up.
His confusion must have shown on his face, because the monster shifts back and sits down properly. The bit of distance is enough for it to appear less threatening and Jayce is almost sure that this is intentional. The monster is actively trying not to intimidate him. When Jayce still doesn’t make a move, the monster looks down at the food, then back at Jayce and gives him a small nod. The gesture sends a rush of excitement through Jayce’s body and he feels his heart flutter.
All at once, the dots connect and it occurs to Jayce that the monster is smart, and actively trying to help him. The wooden object around his leg, a makeshift splint to support his broken bone and stabilize it, so the injury doesn’t get worse. The pile of leaves underneath him, meant to be a bed to keep Jayce warmer than he would have been if he had slept directly on the cool dirt floor all night. Now, the berries and mushrooms that the monster has gathered and given to him, reassuring him that he can take what he needs in order to fill his stomach. Not only is the monster intelligent enough to communicate with small gestures that a human would use, it has also saved Jayce’s life and is trying not to scare him, bringing as much comfort as possible.
The monster is not just intelligent, it’s also kind.
The revelation clears the fog in his mind. This is what he’s always hoped for. This is the very reason he came back to seek out the monster again after the first encounter. The relationship between the monsters and the people of Piltover is not beyond repair, and if Jayce can befriend this creature, it will make for a perfect first step in the direction of coexistence.
He gets so lost in his thoughts, he forgets to accept the food he’s being offered. The monster’s blank golden eyes are what snap him out of his thoughts. Jayce still can’t figure out what exactly the monster might be thinking, its face giving away nothing. But right now what does translate without words or expressions is the impatient Well? Are you going to eat this? He’d rather not make the creature wait after it has shown him kindness and has put in effort to keep Jayce alive. He decides he’ll have enough time to think about how to go about this when his stomach isn’t eating itself from the inside out anymore.
Jayce gives a nod and tries his best to smile, looking down at what the monster gathered for him. He recognizes a lot of it from what merchants have brought to Piltover over the years and therefore knows it’s safe to eat.
He reaches out to take a berry he remembers from his childhood and makes note of how the monster’s shoulders visibly relax as soon as he pops it into his mouth and begins to chew. The sweet taste that fills his mouth is one of nostalgia and comfort. It’s a little different from what he remembers, but not in a bad way. The last of the tension in his body leaves him as he takes another berry, then a mushroom, and then another. Now that he’s eating, Jayce realizes just how hungry he is, stuffing more of the gathered food into his mouth.
When he finally manages to slow down and regain some control of himself, there is only about half of the pile left. In his hunger, he must have forgotten his manners. Jayce lifts his gaze to meet the monster’s once more. It must have been watching him eat this whole time. He has half a mind to be embarrassed. Picking up another one of the sweet red berries, he holds it out to the monster. It tilts its head at the gesture, clearly not understanding. Jayce clears his throat.
“I’m sorry. You gathered all this. I shouldn’t be eating it all by myself. Let’s share?” He’s aware his voice sounds a bit shaky and unsure. Do monsters eat berries? He can’t even see a proper mouth on the mask. The monster stares at the berry silently but makes no move to take it. The moment stretches long enough for Jayce to start feeling self-conscious of what he said. Why would he offer the food to the one that gathered it? It’s not like the creature needs his permission to take some. He might have offended it.
He’s about to put the berry down and apologize again when a large gray hand approaches his own. With their hands so close together Jayce can properly see just how much bigger the monster is. The hairs on his arms stand up, but he’s not afraid.
The monster folds three of its fingers away, reaching out with only its thumb and index finger to carefully take the berry from Jayce’s hand. Even though it tries its best not to touch Jayce, their fingers brush briefly, leaving behind a tingle on Jayce’s skin. Drawn in by the thrill, he finds himself wanting more of it.
The thought is cut short when the monster tilts its head back and the corners of its mask begin to open up with a long, low creak of wood. It’s as chilling as it’s fascinating and Jayce watches, mesmerized, as the large mouth falls wide open, revealing rows of sharp teeth. The image of a wolf comes to mind.
At this angle, the monster can only keep one glowing eye on Jayce, never breaking eye contact as it drops the single red berry into its mouth before closing it and slowly chewing. It occurs to him then that this is a test. What kind of test, he’s not sure. But the monster is trying to see if this will scare Jayce away. And not too long ago it might have, but now Jayce has had enough time to accept the situation, as well as the fact that everything he thought he knew about the forest and its inhabitants is wrong. This won’t scare him away.
Seemingly pleased with Jayce’s reaction, the monster once again relaxes, breaking eye contact to pick up a mushroom and eat it, this time not bothering with a show.
When the last of the supplies are gone, Jayce is pleasantly full and concludes that the juicy berries must have hydrated him at least a little bit. The meal has given him back enough strength to consider searching for a proper source of water. Just berries won’t be enough in the long run.
The monster seems to agree with his idea when he proposes it, picking its staff back up and shifting its weight as it struggles its way back to its feet. Jayce watches as the creature straightens all the way, leaning back into a stretch. Its back gives off a loud pop, then the monster relaxes. It looks down at Jayce without offering to help him up. Maybe it wants him to try moving on his own first.
He does try. And fail. Miserably. With nothing to hold on to, Jayce would have to put too much pressure on his broken leg to balance himself, so he lets himself fall back instead.
He’s about to go for a second attempt when a large hand reaches out to him, stopping short of touching him. Jayce blinks, then slowly sets his own hand down in the monster’s palm, unsure if he read the gesture correctly. He lets himself be pulled up with an embarrassing yelp and finds himself wrapped in two slender arms that keep him steady. His cheeks tingle with warmth.
Jayce takes a shaky step out of the monster’s hold, only grabbing onto its hand, allowing it to support him as he walks. It seems to have a location in mind. So there is a water source in the area. Jayce’s luck has begun to turn, and it's slowly but surely looking less and less like his last day alive. He lets the monster lead the way.
The walk is pleasant and calm. Now that Jayce is moving he can really feel just how bad the pain in his broken leg is. He tries to put more weight on it a few times, just to test out how much he can take, but quickly gives up when it hurts so much that he begins to feel a bit light-headed. The monster has one long arm wrapped around Jayce’s shoulders now, still securely holding onto his hand with the other. When it notices his steps getting less coordinated and his face turning pale, it slows down and stares at him intently. It doesn’t make a noise, but Jayce feels like he’s being scolded nonetheless.
They continue without incident after that.
Jayce allows his thoughts to quiet, just taking in the calm atmosphere of the forest. He watches birds fly by overhead, watches the gentle sway of leaves in the breeze and small critters pausing their everyday activities to observe him from a distance.
He’s so relaxed that he almost jumps a little when the monster suddenly slows down in front of a thicker layer of plants that cover their view. He then watches as the monster’s hand reaches out to brush away the foliage, revealing an open area with a small pond ahead. As they step through the last of the bushes and into the rocky clearing, Jayce is reminded of paintings that merchants brought to Piltover from outside. Paintings that always seemed too beautiful, too perfect to be real. Like something out of a fairytale.
When they get closer, Jayce sees how clear the water is, the rocky surface surrounding it protecting it from the dirt and mud from the forest. A bit further away is a stream that flows gently into the pond. Following Jayce’s wide-eyed gaze, the monster begins to lead him there.
Jayce drops so fast by the water that the monster fumbles to catch him just in time before he lands on his broken leg. Before Jayce can process it, he’s already cupping water into his hands and drinking it eagerly and ohh. He’s pretty sure he hears himself moan as the first gulp soothes his dry throat. The first handful is gone too soon, and he quickly scoops up another, downing it just as fast. The more he drinks, the more he realizes just how thirsty he is, and he comes to the conclusion that his hands are only slowing him down. He leans forward to drink directly from the stream instead.
Jayce never knew that water could be this delicious. He takes several more mouthfuls, savoring every bit of it before he finally straightens up and sighs, content
It’s only now that he’s out of his trance that he notices the monster watching him from the corner of his eye. He turns his head to meet its gaze and if he didn’t know better he would think its bright golden eyes are sparkling with—
Jayce’s cheeks and the tips of his ears begin to tingle with warmth. He breaks eye contact first, which seemingly snaps the monster out of it too as it looks off to the side hastily. How curious.
Eager to break the strange mood, Jayce turns his attention back to the water, rolling up his tattered sleeves as far as they allow and carefully washing around the various cuts and bruises. He tries his best to be gentle, but it stings nonetheless. As more and more of the dirt and grime is washed off, he can see the damage a bit better. Some of the wounds are bright red and a little swollen, others luckily not as bad as he imagined. The infected cuts hurt a bit more, but they’re not leaking fluids, easing his worry a bit. If he’s lucky they’ll heal on their own.
Jayce can feel the sticky skin around the wounds on his upper body being stretched with every move he makes. He does his best to put up with it for a bit, but it doesn’t take long for it to slowly but surely become unbearable. Deciding that there are more important things than decency right now, Jayce pulls his shirt up and over his head in one quick move. He pointedly does not turn his head, so if the monster is watching him, he won’t notice it. He stores shame right next to decency and focuses on scrubbing dirt off of himself.
The relief is so strong that he has no trouble forgetting about his surroundings and even considers just taking off his pants as well and fully submerging himself in the water. Jayce shifts a little where he sits and quickly dismisses the idea when another bolt of pain shoots through his leg. He could make it out of one pant leg, but getting out of the other one would be impossible without disturbing the wound so much that he might make it worse.
Jayce continues cleaning himself off, inspecting the wounds now that he can get a better look at them. There is one gash that looks to be fairly deep just below his right shoulder, but it has closed up nicely for now. He’ll have to keep an eye on it. His back has also started to hurt the more he strained it, and he suspects there might be a worse injury there. This one feels noticeably warm. He hopes he can make it back home before it becomes a bigger problem.
Looking down at his reflection in the water’s ripples, he sees the monster standing right behind him. Jayce’s head snaps up and he quickly turns to face it.
It’s looking at his back silently, one hand lifted just a bit like it intended to reach out, but thought better of just touching him without a warning. Jayce appreciates it, but seeing the monster so close to him did startle him nonetheless. It continues to stare at his wound, then glances up at his face, its hand still hovering over his back. Is it asking for permission?
“Would you… help me clean the wound?” Jayce tries, hoping that he didn’t misunderstand. The monster gives a small nod, then reaches past Jayce to dip its large hands in the water, cupping it. Jayce shifts a little, leaning closer to the pond to grant easier access. He flinches as the monster’s cold hands touch his skin and it pauses its movement to let him adjust. When he nods again, it pours the water over the wound and carefully wipes the area around it.
It hurts more than expected, but Jayce can tell the monster is doing its best to be gentle, so he tries not to let it show too much. He bites his lower lip and focuses on the flow of the water in the pond as the monster’s long fingers continue to wipe at the dried blood and dirt.
The monster finishes quickly, scooting backwards and lowering its head a little as if to apologize for the pain. Jayce gives a smile, then moves a bit closer to the edge of the rock he’s sitting on. He lets his feet rest in the pleasantly cool water, careful not to get the splint around his broken leg too wet.
“Thank you. I couldn’t have reached that by myself. And trying would have hurt a whole lot more,” he says, but he gets no answer. Not that he expected one.
Now that he’s had something to drink and is no longer filthy, he feels a lot lighter and allows himself to properly relax. He puts his hands flat on the rock and leans back, letting the midday sun warm his face. In that moment, Jayce is so content that he almost manages to forget the reality of the situation. He lets out a long, satisfied sigh and closes his eyes for a moment.
“I feel much better already. I might just be able to convince myself that this counts as a vacation,” he jokes, mostly to himself. Jayce stays like this until he feels a tingle at the back of his neck, causing him to open his eyes again to meet the gaze of the monster. It seems just as surprised as Jayce, averting its eyes instantly like it got caught doing something it shouldn’t have been doing. Jayce blinks and quickly looks away as well and the two of them sit in flustered silence once more.
The monster is the one to break the moment this time, stepping closer to the pond and lowering itself to its knees before cupping its hands again and bringing a bit of water up to its mask. Rather than drinking, it uses the water to wash its mask instead. And now that Jayce thinks about it, while parts of the monster seem to be organic, there is also quite a bit of metal. Maybe the assumption that it would need to eat and drink was wrong to begin with. It did have some berries and mushrooms before, but that doesn’t mean it’s necessary for its survival. He’ll have to test it some more.
They continue to rest for a little longer before deciding to make the most of the daylight and beginning their journey back to the village. Jayce would have liked to bring some water back with him, but it’s not like he came prepared to stay in the forest for a few days, and the monster doesn’t seem to be carrying anything to hold the water either. Jayce hopes there is another miracle pond here somewhere, but he keeps his expectations low.
They must have been walking for hours if the sun’s position in the sky is any indication. Jayce catches glimpses of it through the dense treetops every now and then. Even with the monster supporting his weight as they walk, Jayce is really starting to feel the pain of overuse now. He stumbles more often, his foot catches on fallen sticks or dents in the ground and the amount of short breaks they’ve had to take has increased significantly, to the point where the time spent resting is about as much as the time spent walking in between breaks. If the monster is annoyed by Jayce slowing them down it doesn’t show it, its mask as empty of an expression as ever. Still, Jayce can’t help but feel guilty. The monster has been going through all this effort, guiding him back home after he put himself in this situation, and now he makes the job even harder.
He tries his best to keep walking, to lift his feet properly, but it’s not like he can put his weight on the broken leg, and so it doesn’t take long for him to stumble again, almost falling this time. The monster catches him. Again. Jayce wants to sink into the ground and just stay there forever. It regards him for a moment, and Jayce begins walking again, but the monster stays where it is. He stops and looks up at it, tilting his head in question.
“Another break?” he asks, cringing inwardly at the idea. It’ll take them weeks to get back if they keep this up, and that’s assuming Jayce’s condition doesn’t worsen. The monster shakes its head with a quiet pop of its neck, then turns to face a different direction and urges Jayce to follow.
After a short walk in that direction, a large formation of logs and tree stumps comes into view and they continue to head toward it. The monster stops and carefully helps Jayce lower himself onto one of the logs. Judging by how confidently it led them here, the monster must know exactly where they are in the forest. It seems that he underestimated just how good the creature is at navigating this place. Then again, it has likely lived here for a long time, enough to familiarize itself with its surroundings.
As the monster sits on one of the other logs facing him, Jayce deflates. It’s unlikely that they’ll continue to move today.
“I’m sorry,” he mumbles, and he knows he has the monster’s attention. “I’ve slowed us down significantly. If I didn’t need so many breaks, we’d—” He sighs, shaking his head. The monster, predictably, says nothing. It silently glances at his broken leg as if to say that it doesn’t blame him. The monster’s own leg shifts, its thumb digging into its wooden staff.
“I know, I know. But it’s still a fact that we’d have made it much further by now if I wasn’t like this. I…” Jayce trails off. Two glowing eyes rise back to his face, lingering with disapproval. Jayce gives up, not wanting to upset the one that helped him so much already. It looks back down to his leg, gaze somehow softer than before. Then, like a new decision has been made, it straightens its staff. The bottom of it digs into the dirt under the weight of the monster pulling itself upright again. Jayce moves to get up, but the monster holds out one hand to stop him. He relaxes, but frowns as the creature limps further away, disappearing behind thick tree trunks. Whatever it is planning, Jayce hopes it doesn’t take too long. The forest, calm as it is, feels a bit more eerie when he isn’t with a guide than can protect him.
The day is slowly coming to an end, the sun now much lower and dimmer in the sky. He thinks about his home, his comfortable bed and how he wishes he could sleep there tonight. He sighs. Hopefully he’ll make it back soon.
He’s by himself for a little longer, but before he can start to worry about the night’s steady approach, the monster returns with berries and leaves wrapped in its cloak. So it disappeared to get Jayce dinner again.
It approaches him, this time sitting on the same log as Jayce. It sets the berries aside and places a flat stone in between them, putting some of the leaves on it. Jayce tilts his head as he watches, curious to learn. Is this something to eat? Or medicine? He watches as the monster picks up a rock and carefully dusts it off before using it to crush the leaves. Jayce doesn’t recognize the herbs, but the technique the monster uses is familiar to him. Many of the healers in the village make medicine this way.
Once the herbs are sufficiently crushed, the monster reaches for some of the berries. Not all of them look the same as the ones it brought him before and it occurs to Jayce that these ones may not be for him to eat. The monster presses the berries into the herbs and repeats the process of squishing them under the rock, then meticulously stirring the mixture together until it becomes a liquidy paste.
Jayce watches in awe as the monster makes short work of removing the makeshift splint before tugging carefully at the pant leg of his broken leg, studying Jayce’s reactions closely to make sure it isn’t hurting him. It does hurt, of course, but Jayce does his best not to let it show. With an injury like this, pain can’t be fully avoided. Besides, the monster does a good enough job, only slightly ripping up Jayce’s pant leg in the process for easier access.
Now with the injury exposed, Jayce gets his first proper look at the damage. He’s been avoiding it until now, hoping that if he doesn’t see it, he can trick his brain just a little longer into not fully processing how bad it really is. Of course, part of him knew it wouldn’t work, but staring at his leg now is still a bit shocking. It’s worse than he imagined, the flesh a lot more swollen than Jayce expected and dark, angry bruises dyeing his skin red, blue and purple. Jayce has never broken his leg before and has only ever heard about what it looks and feels like as a child from friends who have experienced it. Seeing his own limb like this makes him a bit nauseous. If only he tried harder to keep walking, he can’t afford to wait too long to get this treated properly.
The monster finishes applying the medicine to his leg and sets the flat stone back down. Instead of moving away from him, it lifts a hand to tap at Jayce’s back where the deeper cut is hidden underneath his shirt. He hesitantly moves his own hands to the hem of his shirt, quickly removing it when the monster only gives a nod of encouragement.
It gets back to work immediately, tenderly dapping more of the medicine onto any cuts it can find on him. Its hands don’t linger, and it’s careful not to hurt him still, but Jayce can feel his face warming under the attentive gaze. It’s not exactly uncomfortable, but the thought of being so closely watched and tended to by one of the forest’s monsters is exciting to say the least. The feeling of a large hand roaming over his upper body, touching him ever so carefully…
Jayce averts his eyes and only hopes that his chest isn’t also flushed by now. If it is, the monster doesn’t pay it any mind, silently continuing to take care of his wounds.
When it finishes, it finally retreats to one of the logs that are far enough away for Jayce to feel able to breathe properly again. The tint on his cheeks must be harder to spot from this distance. He quickly puts his shirt back on, making a face at the slimy feeling of the medicine sticking to the fabric.
The monster gestures to the berries that haven’t been used. These ones look more familiar. “These are good to eat?” he asks, just to make sure. Receiving a nod in return, Jayce picks up the berries and pops a few in his mouth. The sweetness tingles pleasantly on his tongue.
“Um,” Jayce begins around a mouthful of berries, “thank you for the treatment. And the food. Again.” He stuffs another handful of berries in his mouth sheepishly. The monster nods in acknowledgement, picking up a few berries as well and poking at them with its finger. Jayce follows the movement.
“S-so, uh…” The moment feels kind of awkward now. “I think I haven’t even, you know… told you my name. I’m Jayce. Talis. But just Jayce is fine.” he squeezes his eyes shut and inwardly curses himself. Way to make it worse.
A low, metallic hiss with a strange echo rings out. It’s foreign, inhuman, but somewhat soft. “Viktor,” it chimes, and Jayce’s eyes fly open, head snapping up to face the monster. His mouth falls open as he stares.
The monster looks so casual, so neutral that Jayce almost thinks he imagined the sound. Or that it came from somewhere else.
“Huh?” he asks intelligently. He must be mistaken.
But no. “Viktor,” the monster repeats, mask unmoving like the words were not its own. “My name,” it clarifies, and Jayce’s brain trips over itself. He needs a moment to piece together what he wants to say to avoid spewing nonsense.
“You… can talk?” he finally chokes out. After everything he’s learned about the forest and its inhabitants he figures he shouldn’t be so surprised but somehow this is the thing that finally renders him speechless. The monster at least has the decency to look guilty.
“I can,” it simply says. A berry pops between its index finger and its thumb, seemingly startling it into dropping what is left of the poor fruit. Neither of them looks down to where it fell. They stare at each other for a long moment.
Jayce’s brain is slowly beginning to catch up and he finds himself nodding at the new information. The mon— Viktor. Can talk. Alright, sure.
“Why didn’t you? Until now, I mean.”
The— Viktor does look down now, staring at nothing in particular. “I’m… not used to speaking to other people anymore. It has been a while since anyone has been willing to hear me out.” Jayce’s brain is stuck on the implication of ‘other people’ as Viktor continues. “Ah, please don’t misunderstand. I was not hiding it from you intentionally. I simply… could not find the right moment. And the longer it dragged on, the more difficult it became. I did not want to scare you. I apologize."
Jayce nods. That makes sense. Probably. He still hasn’t fully moved on from ‘other people’, but he isn’t sure how to ask. Maybe he should hold off on that for now.
“Alright. Alright, yeah, I understand that. It’s okay, no harm done.” Viktor nods, his shoulders relaxing a bit. Jayce continues. “So, the medicine you made. I’ve never seen those herbs before. Where did you learn to do that?”
Viktor rolls another berry between his fingers. “I learned it a long time ago. It is a useful skill to have, and I wanted to use it to help people. I always believed knowledge on local medicinal herbs is something everyone should have, but back then… there were not many sources available for the common people. I… wanted to teach them.” Viktor tilts his head back, looking up into the distance. There is an air of sadness surrounding him now and Jayce thinks that maybe now is not the time for a heavy conversation like this. They’ve only just started talking to each other properly.
He decides to change the subject for now.
“The splint too, it’s so well made with just sticks and vines. That’s really impressive,” he tries.
“I have experience with it. As you may have noticed, I rely heavily on my staff to walk. I no longer use a brace, but I used to when I was younger.” The mention of Viktor’s past makes Jayce curious, but he doesn’t want to ask too many personal questions yet. The conversation dies down for a bit, the two of them sitting silently across from each other and resuming their ‘dinner’. The berries are delicious and they quiet Jayce’s wailing stomach for the time being, but they won’t be enough to keep him fed long-term. The importance of making it home soon once again sits heavy in his mind.
By the time they finish their food, the sun is low in the sky, no longer visible through the treetops. The air has cooled and night is steadily approaching once more. At some point Viktor gets up and silently wanders off again, this time not too far from Jayce’s sight. He seems to be picking something up from the ground, occasionally taking a hold of a stick, then dropping it in favor of a different one. Jayce tries to get up one time, wanting to make himself useful, but Viktor quickly notices and holds out one hand to stop him in his tracks with a warning look. Jayce sits back down, huffing out a laugh. Strangely, he seems to be getting better at reading Viktor’s expressionless mask. Something behind the weight of his gaze gives away more than Jayce realized before.
After a while, Viktor straightens back up, seemingly satisfied with what he gathered, and trots back over to their little campsite. As he gets closer, Jayce can make out an assortment of different pieces of wood and different sized rocks. He begins setting the rocks up in a circle and Jayce realizes that he plans to make a fire. He scoots closer, careful not to disturb his leg, and picks up some of the rocks, copying what Viktor is doing. He doesn’t get scolded this time, and they finish setting up their fireplace.
Jayce is about to ask if Viktor knows how to start a fire when a bright flash lights up the space between them, and by the time his eyes find the source, a fire is already crackling away. Jayce blinks, taken aback, then looks back up at Viktor, who is holding onto his staff, looking satisfied with himself.
“How’d you do that?” Jayce asks, staring at the tip of the staff. It gives nothing away.
Viktor readjusts the staff, then raises his free hand and wiggles his long fingers. “Magic,” he says flatly. Jayce doesn’t laugh, but when Viktor’s hand stills and slowly lowers, he feels like maybe he should have.
“Can you show me again?” He’s never seen magic done so casually, so effortlessly. This is the perfect chance to get a good view of it. Viktor nods and raises his staff back up. The tip lights up, spitting small, radiant flames up into the air where they swiftly fade away. With one quick flick of the staff, a small ball of light shoots from the tip down at the fireplace and the fire grows by just a bit. Jayce follows its movement, eyes wide in amazement.
“That was… beautiful,” he breathes. Viktor’s thumbs tap against the wood of his staff. He seems a bit shy, but there is also a spark of pride in that golden glow of his gaze. He nods.
“Magic does tend to be. A power, a light, that never dims.” Jayce couldn’t agree more. He takes in Viktor’s form again, the staff, the mask, the dark blue cloak that falls gently over his shoulders and down his back, the wondrous traces of magic that linger around his very being. It occurs to him then that Viktor, too, is absolutely and breathtakingly beautiful.
Jayce sits with the realization for a while, keeping his eyes on the being in front of him. He can’t tell if it’s just the fire, but his body feels a lot warmer now.
When they go to sleep that night, there is quite a bit of distance between them. The fire continues to burn, keeping them sufficiently warm. And if Jayce wakes up the next morning closer to Viktor than he was when he fell asleep, neither of them brings it up.
They start their morning looking for breakfast together. Viktor was hesitant to let Jayce move around too much with his injuries, but Jayce insisted it would be beneficial for him to learn about what mushrooms he can eat and where to find them. He also asked about yesterday’s herbs and berries. Convincing Viktor was a bit easier when he brought up the medicine, likely because he himself mentioned wanting to teach the skill to more people.
So they scout the area for bushes with prickly leaves and small white berries, as well as two different types of herbs. As they gather them, Viktor talks about their antiseptic nature and how the berries can give a numbing effect to the area their juice is applied to. One of the two types of herbs also helps bring down swelling. As they go, they occasionally find thin brown mushrooms that Viktor encourages Jayce to pick up, explaining that they are not only edible, but also some of the most flavorful ones the forest has to offer. Jayce does his best to store as much of the information as he can in his brain, wishing he had a notebook on him to write it all down and make proper sketches of the fauna.
Once they’ve finished collecting, Viktor makes more of the medicine and repeats the previous night’s process of applying it to Jayce’s wounds, which look notably better than the last time he saw them. Jayce makes a mental note of just how well the herbs and berries work. They could give some of Piltover’s physicians a run for their money.
With a swing of his staff, Viktor makes another fire to cook the mushrooms and the pair quickly have their breakfast, hoping to make as much of this day as they can. Before they set off, Viktor hands Jayce a few more of the medicinal herbs.
“There will be no more of them along the way. This should be enough for two more, maybe three more applications. I don’t have any way to store them, so it’s best if you bring them with you,” he says, looking off into the direction they’ll need to go. Jayce nods and stuffs the herbs into the pockets of his torn up pants, hoping that there aren’t any holes he hasn’t found that they could fall through. It’s not great for storage, but it’s the best they have right now.
“And the berries?” Jayce asks. He’s not sure he can squish those into his pants. But Viktor shakes his head.
“No need. They grow everywhere in this forest. It is only the herbs we need to bring.”
And with that, Viktor extinguishes the fire and takes his position beside Jayce again, supporting him with one arm and holding onto his staff with the other. They continue their way back to Piltover, leaving their campsite behind.
It doesn’t take long for Jayce to notice just how much better he feels compared to yesterday. His leg is still giving him trouble, of course, but he feels a lot more energized, having slept much better and his wounds beginning to heal. Thinking back to when he first woke up after his fall, how completely and utterly defeated he felt, and how he was so sure he wouldn’t live to see another sunrise, Jayce is grateful that Viktor found him. That both of them gave each other a chance and were able to properly meet.
He is once again reminded of just how wrong everyone back at the village was all this time. How could they have misjudged the creatures of the forest so significantly? Where did the misunderstanding of so many decades originate?
Jayce glances at Viktor as they walk. There are still so many things he wants to ask him, he doesn’t know where to start. He’s sure if he just starts interrogating him, he won’t be able to stop until he has all the answers, and that will definitely make Viktor uncomfortable. He looks at the other again.
“Is there something you wish to ask?” comes Viktor’s distorted voice and Jayce jumps a bit, feeling caught. With no time to prepare a question, Jayce blurts out the first thing he can think of.
“Why did you make the medicine yourself? Wouldn’t it be easier to just use magic?” He hopes the way he phrased the question wasn’t too rude, but Viktor shows no sign of being offended. He just looks off into the distance, hard to read as always.
“Healing magic does exist, but it is… dangerous. In order to heal someone with magic, one needs to have the right mindset, a proper goal. It’s— It is a bit hard to explain.” Viktor seems conflicted. “This type of magic can only succeed if the one casting it can perfectly regulate their emotions, as well as their intent. It may sound easy on the surface, but if even the smallest little detail does not align with the rest…” he trails off. The topic seems to be difficult for him to talk about. Leave it to Jayce to ask just the right question.
“We don’t have to keep talking about this. I’m sorry, I was just curious about the different types of magic,” Jayce says, hoping to lighten the mood by giving Viktor an out. The other shakes his head.
“No need to apologize. It is indeed a difficult thing for me to think about, but it is also something you should know. A reality that anyone who is interested in healing magic should know.” Viktor pauses, searching for the words to continue. “I have… attempted to heal people with magic before. Many years ago, when I was still… Back then, I believed that having the right intention simply meant wishing to help people. I wanted to heal injuries, to cure illness and disease. I didn’t need praise or reward and I thought that would be enough.”
Viktor’s hand clenches around his staff. The mask’s expression remains unmoving, but Jayce thinks he sees the glow of Viktor’s eyes flicker and dim for just a moment. “What happened?” Jayce asks cautiously, voice soft and free of judgement. Viktor’s eyes are bright again and he turns back to meet Jayce’s gaze. He looks a bit taken aback, like his thoughts were so heavy that he sunk under their weight until Jayce’s voice pulled him back up.
Viktor looks down, focusing on the path again. “I healed them. But I also… took something from them. My intention was too vague, my emotions too tumultuous. I realize now that I was too angry. I could not stand the injustice that led to those people’s suffering. It was all so avoidable.” He shakes his head, deflating a little. “My anger stained the magic. I took the people’s pain away, but I also took much more. Human nature… is paradoxical. Tell me, Jayce, if taking away a person’s feelings, everything that makes them human, could free them of their suffering… would you consider it a worthy sacrifice?” Viktor stops walking, meeting his eyes again. Jayce shakes his head without hesitation.
“No, never. Pain and suffering… I think it’s all a part of being human.” Viktor nods, seemingly satisfied with his answer.
“I agree. But back then, I thought if I had the power to end all suffering, it would only be right if I did. If we are given the power to take away people’s pain entirely, but doing so is considered cruel… then what is the purpose of magic? Where do we draw the line of what pain we can take away with it? That’s what I believed, at least.” Viktor resumes walking. A ray of morning light falls through the treetops above and catches the metal of his mask, making it shine in perfect gold. “But the people I thought I was helping became empty shells of their former selves. They no longer smiled when their injuries were healed, because without pain there is no relief. I finally began to understand the reality of what I’d done…”
Silence settles between them, only interrupted by the irregular sound of their footsteps among the fallen leaves. It’s somber, but not uncomfortable. After a while, Jayce speaks up again, his voice gentle and quiet.
“I think I understand. All you wanted was to help people. I won’t say what you did was right, but I do want you to know that I won’t judge you for it. Things back in Piltover are rough right now and I’ve wanted to learn more about magic ever since I was a child. Healing magic in particular has always been a goal of mine.” Viktor tenses up at his words, but Jayce gives the arm that is supporting him a reassuring squeeze.
“Thank you for telling me this. I think the way I viewed magic was too naive. I thought it could just solve all our problems and that’s all there is to it. Seeing the people of my hometown suffer still keeps me determined, and I still want to pursue healing magic, but I will always keep your warning in mind. I won’t handle it lightly.”
Viktor seems to feel the weight of Jayce’s promise. He gives a gentle squeeze back and they quietly continue their walk.
The conversation was heavy and difficult, but Jayce feels that Viktor has opened up a little, and something between them has changed. Jayce feels a lot lighter and Viktor’s presence feels less like that of a stranger. He presses his lips together to stop himself from smiling.
They spend the rest of the day making up for the distance they couldn’t walk yesterday. Jayce’s leg holds up well and he can count the amount of breaks he needs on one hand. He’s proud of himself for improving so much in just one day and once again thinks about just how well the medicine has helped him.
For a little while Viktor tells him more about the forest, teaches him things that are good to remember for the future. Jayce pays close attention, taking in as much as he can. It will surely prove to be useful when the people of Piltover traverse the forest for the first time. While he’s learning all these new things, the reality of change slowly hits him. His dream of peace and coexistence and magic is closer to becoming reality than ever before.
When the day comes to an end they repeat the process of collecting food, once again consisting of mostly berries and some mushrooms. Jayce has an easier time helping this time, now knowing what to look for. They gather as much as they can find and finally decide to set up near a group of smaller trees for the night. Viktor collects rocks and sticks for another fire, telling Jayce to wait and separate the berries that are meant to be made into more medicine from the ones to eat. Jayce suspects this is so he will rest his leg without complaint, but he does feel a bit tired now and decides to let it go just this once.
Dinner is nothing special, just the same as all their meals so far, and Jayce finds himself wishing for a loaf of bread or some meat. Berries and mushrooms are enough to stop his stomach from eating itself for a while, but after a few days of having nothing else he can’t help but wish for a different flavor. He realizes that right now, baked goods are a luxury, but he knows there are animals in the forest. Meat seems within reach.
As they finish their last berries and begin to apply more medicine to Jayce’s leg, he asks if Viktor can hunt. Jayce naturally assumed he could, being a monster and all. Then again, he should know better than to judge based on that by now.
“I have never hunted before,” Viktor tells him as he carefully dabs the leftover herbal cream onto the cut on Jayce’s back. “I never had the need to. Living in the forest for so long has taught me that there are plenty of things nature gives away freely. There is no need to take a life.” He presses two fingers tenderly to the wound, then pulls back and gestures for Jayce to put his shirt back on.
Jayce thumbs the fabric of his torn shirt and nods. He hasn’t really thought about it like that, but he does understand where Viktor is coming from. He is once again reminded of how peaceful the ‘monster’ is.
“You’re really not at all like what I’ve heard,” Jayce muses and by the time he realizes what he’s just said it’s already too late to take it back. “I mean—” Viktor shakes his head, stopping him.
“It’s alright, I know people are scared of me. Although I can’t say I’ve had the chance to hear details.” The tension breaks under the gentle glow of Viktor’s eyes. There is a hint of amusement in his voice, reassuring Jayce that he is not offended or hurt. Encouragement to continue.
“Well, of course not. If you got close enough to hear the stories, there wouldn’t be anyone left to tell them,” Jayce jokes. There is a melodic sound, like the soft ring of a bell with a quiet echo. It takes a moment for him to realize that Viktor is laughing. His expression gives nothing away, but the way his shoulders shake and his eyes shine brighter is unmistakeable. Jayce’s chest tightens in response and he wishes he could save the sound and replay it. Hoping that Viktor doesn’t stop, he continues.
“You’re a real childhood legend, you know. People are taught to be scared, but parents are secretly grateful that you keep their children in line by simply existing.” That earns him another hearty laugh, this time making Viktor lean forward with one hand on his stomach. Golden lights are more narrow than before, like he’s squinting under the force of his amusement. Jayce feels oddly proud to have made Viktor look like this.
“Oh, I’m sure. I believe this makes me a prominent figure, yes?” Viktor says and that definitely sounded like a giggle just now.
“Very. There is no one who hasn’t heard of you before.” They joke some more, shifting closer to each other as they laugh. Looking back at all the things people told Jayce about monsters like Viktor, it does all seem absurd. He wonders where all those ideas came from and how they escalated so enormously over time, resulting in fear and judgement for seemingly no good reason. Once they’ve calmed down a bit, Jayce asks Viktor about it.
“Now that I’ve had the chance to see more of what you’re really like, I just can’t imagine you as one of the monsters from those stories. Are you really that different from the other monsters or are they also like you?” Viktor’s head snaps in his direction, seeming taken aback by his question.
“What do you mean, the other monsters?” he asks and Jayce frowns, feeling just as confused as Viktor sounds.
“You know, others like you. The creatures of the forest that humans are taught to fear.” Jayce wonders if he’s said something wrong. Viktor just stares. There seems to have been a misunderstanding, but Jayce doesn’t know what part of what he said was wrong.
A long moment passes before Viktor speaks again, his voice quiet.
“There are no others. I’m the only one who is… like this.”
And surely that just can’t be true. There were definitely stories about merchants being killed on the road, people disappearing if they walked on the trail by the forest after sundown. Jayce knows that Viktor can’t have been the one who did that, but he’s never thought to doubt the stories. After all, those merchants never did return to Piltover, and those people really were never seen again. How can those stories be lies? And what about the magic barrier around the village? If its purpose is not protecting the people from the monsters that live in the forest, what else could it be for?
Viktor looks serious now, no trace of amusement left in his eyes. Jayce picks at the corner of his fingernail absentmindedly as he tries to make sense of things.
“It seems you were lied to about a lot more than you realized. I can’t say I’m particularly surprised. It was no accident that I ended up like this, after all…” Viktor trails off and Jayce is once again left with more questions than answers.
“Will you tell me what happened?” he tries, but Viktor shakes his head, seemingly done with this conversation.
“Not tonight. I need some time to sort my thoughts. I don’t want to cause more misunderstandings. I will tell you what really happened another time,” Viktor promises. Jayce wants to protest, but he knows there is no point in pushing it now if Viktor isn’t comfortable. He makes a mental note to ask again tomorrow, but there is one more thing he needs to know.
“Alright, but I do want to ask, not because I doubt you, but because I just want to make sure... Did you ever… hurt anyone? On purpose?” Viktor recoils at the words like they physically hurt and Jayce almost feels bad, but he needs to know. He doesn’t want there to be any room left for suspicion.
“Never,” Viktor says with a firm shake of his head, and Jayce can tell from the sound of his voice that it’s the truth. “The encounters I’ve had with humans while in this form were very limited, and they always ran as soon as they spotted me. I never approached anyone with ill intent, nor did I do anything to harm them.” And that’s enough for Jayce.
“I believe you,” he says, then drops it entirely. Viktor looks grateful he realizes the conversation is over, relaxing visibly before reaching for his staff again and standing up.
“There is a small stream near here. You should drink something, it has already been too long.” The mood instantly feels a bit lighter. Jayce nods and moves to stand up as well when Viktor holds out his free hand to help him up. He lets himself be pulled to his feet.
“Is it far from here?” he asks, not sure how much more he can walk on his leg, even with Viktor’s support.
“It’s very close. We will easily make it back before the sun fully sets. There will be no other opportunity to get water on our way back, so we will go again in the morning. We can make it back to Piltover within the next two days if everything goes well.” Jayce gives another nod and lets Viktor lead him to the stream.
He wasn’t lying. It’s barely a five minute walk until Jayce can hear the gentle flow of water nearby. This stream is much smaller than the one by the pond they visited last time, but just big enough to drink from. Jayce has as much as he can without feeling sick and then gathers water in his hands to wash himself. He’s not nearly as dirty as he was last time he got the chance to clean up, but the cool water on his face is refreshing and makes him feel better still.
When Jayce finishes washing up, Viktor lowers himself down so he can reach the stream as well. He takes a handful of water and pours it over his mask, letting it drip down his chin and onto his chest.
“I’ve wondered this before, but do you actually need to eat and drink to survive? You never really seem like you get hungry or thirsty,” Jayce says, watching a particularly large drop of water run down Viktor’s ribs. The other pauses his movement and looks at Jayce.
“I don’t need to, no. I do tend to feel better when I do, but I could also go without it if I chose to,” Viktor explains, wiping at his chin with the back of his hand. Jayce looks back up to meet his eyes again and frowns.
“How’d you find that out?”
“Back when I didn’t know this forest well, I couldn’t find any source of freshwater and went days without drinking anything. By the time I did find a stream, I should have already been severely dehydrated, but I felt fine. I was curious and started experimenting with it, you know, to make sure it wasn’t just, eh… a fluke. I went two days without it, then three, then five and eventually worked myself up to a few months. I also did the same with food.”
The thought of Viktor starving and dehydrating himself for months is upsetting, but admittedly, Jayce would likely have done the same thing if his body worked like Viktor’s and he had reason to test the hypothesis. Then again, Jayce is human. If he were to survive several days without any food or water, let alone months, his condition would be highly out of the ordinary. Viktor wasn’t human to begin with, and it seems a bit strange that he only found out about his own condition when he came to the forest.
Jayce is once again left wondering about Viktor’s past. “You make it sound like your body just suddenly changed one day,” he says as he thinks about it. He gets no reply and doesn’t see Viktor silently staring at him either.
The conversation dies back down after that, leaving them in comfortable silence for the walk back to tonight’s campsite.
When they get back, Viktor yet again lights a fire and Jayce realizes just how cold he has been. The water that spilled onto his shirt, now cool from the night air, definitely isn’t helping either. As the two of them get ready to sleep, even the fire isn’t enough to warm Jayce. If the temperature were to drop just a little more he would surely start shivering.
He thinks he’s doing a good enough job hiding it, but Viktor somehow notices anyway. He lifts his long cloak with one arm like an offer, looking at Jayce expectantly. And, well, who is Jayce to turn down a kind offer like this when he didn’t even have to ask for it himself.
He shuffles closer to Viktor and the cloak is draped over his upper body. Viktor carefully wraps his arm around Jayce, giving him enough time to protest. When he doesn’t, Viktor curls a little closer to him. The warmth is pleasant, comforting. Jayce sighs happily as he relaxes into the embrace, letting his eyes fall shut now that the day’s exhaustion is catching up to him. Something stirs in his chest again, something he’s been feeling a lot more often since him and Viktor started talking. If things could really stay like this when they make it back to Piltover, Jayce would be so happy.
“Good night, V,” he mumbles, already half-asleep. A beat of silence, then:
“Good night, Jayce.”
The moment Jayce wakes up the next morning, he knows something is wrong. It’s still early and the sun is only just rising. Viktor is still next to him, seemingly asleep. He still has one arm and his cloak wrapped around Jayce, but Jayce feels unusually hot and his head is spinning. Nothing else seems to be out of place and he doesn’t think any of his wounds are infected, but maybe he should check anyway. He’d rather not wake Viktor though. If there is a small chance he would suggest resting for the day and delaying their arrival in Piltover further… Jayce can fight through it. It can’t be much longer now until he can be properly treated by a doctor.
He carefully pats himself down, poking at some of the bigger wounds. None of them feel particularly warm or worse than before. He tries to get to his broken leg, but doesn't quite reach. With Viktor’s arm around him like this he would definitely wake up if Jayce were to make any big movements. He’ll have to check later when Viktor isn’t looking.
Seeing as neither of them seems to be ready to start the day just yet, Jayce sets his head back down and closes his eyes again. Maybe if he can get a little more sleep this will go away on its own.
He doesn’t remember falling asleep, but the next time he opens his eyes Viktor is just returning with his cupped hands full of berries. He is missing his cape and when Jayce shifts he feels the dark blue fabric covering him, keeping him warm.
“Good morning. I hope you don’t mind that I let you sleep a little longer. You seemed to need it,” Viktor says when he notices Jayce is awake.
“Mmh morning. ‘s okay.” Jayce rubs at his eyes and yawns. He could do with more sleep, but it’s about time they get moving again. Viktor sits next to him and places a large leaf on the ground, dropping the berries on top of it. Jayce sits up slowly, fighting to keep his eyes open. He still feels a bit out of it, but the sleep did help and he is no longer dizzy. Viktor studies him for a moment.
“Is everything alright, Jayce? Would you like to rest a little longer?” he asks, because of course he noticed something was off this quick. Jayce shakes his head, suppressing another yawn.
“No, no need. It’s just everything finally catching up to me, I think.” He picks up a few of the berries and starts eating slowly. “We can set off after breakfast,” he adds after swallowing the first mouthful. Viktor doesn’t look convinced, but drops it anyway. Jayce is grateful.
They finish the berries in silence and by the end of the meal Jayce already feels much better. He reminds himself that they’ve almost made it back, that he’s almost home. He can get proper rest there, so he shouldn’t let himself fall now, so close to their destination.
When Viktor goes to remove the splint around Jayce’s leg, the wave of pain that shoots up the limb is so strong that Jayce jumps a little. Viktor stops immediately, drawing his hands back and looking up to see what’s wrong. Jayce blinks, wide-eyed.
“Oh, uh… Sorry. Keep going, I just wasn’t paying attention and didn’t expect it,” he says hurriedly. Viktor’s eyes linger on him for another moment before he goes back to tending to the injury.
Looking down at his own leg, Jayce is relieved to see that it doesn’t look any worse than before. The swelling went down further, but the bruising is just as vibrant as it was before. It does feel more tender than it did yesterday, but not so painful that he can’t handle the pressure of Viktor gently dabbing the medicine on it.
When they finish, Viktor carefully helps Jayce put the splint back on. “I know this is not the best treatment. Medicine from the forest unfortunately has its limits,” Viktor says as he pulls himself back to his feet with his staff. “We should make it to the village by tomorrow. A proper doctor will be able to help you much more than I can.” His expression doesn’t give it away, but Viktor’s shoulders fall and he clenches his hand tighter around his staff like he’s frustrated he can’t do anything else to help. Jayce gives a reassuring smile and reaches his hand out to let himself be pulled up.
“Thank you, Viktor. You’ve already done so much for me. If it wasn’t for you, I would have never even made it ten steps from where I fell. I can hold out until tomorrow. I’ve made it this far, after all.” The fingers around the staff loosen and Viktor nods, helping Jayce to his feet.
Before they continue their journey, they stop by the stream one more time, like Viktor suggested. This will be the last chance to drink water while they’re still out here. Viktor waits a few steps behind him as Jayce drinks, watching birds fly by and leaves swaying gently in the breeze. With the sun higher in the sky, the air is pleasantly warm. A perfect day to travel.
They leave as soon as Jayce finishes washing up, both of them feeling energized by the good weather. Now that he’s had his fill of water and started moving around more, Jayce feels a lot better than he did earlier this morning. He clears his throat.
“I’ve been wondering. That day… The day before I fell down the ravine. That was you hiding in the bushes, right?” For a moment Viktor doesn’t say anything, and Jayce starts to wonder if maybe it wasn’t Viktor after all, and the reason they really met was just Jayce following some random squirrel into the forest, thinking it was a monster. It would definitely add a layer of humor to the situation.
“Yes. I’m sorry,” Viktor says in a quiet voice. Jayce frowns, not understanding.
“Sorry for what?”
Viktor glances at him as they walk. “If you hadn’t noticed me, you wouldn’t have tried to find me. I should have hidden myself better. I don’t usually get so close.” It takes a moment for the implication behind the words to reach Jayce. When it does, his eyes widen.
“You’ve been watching me?” he blurts out, and it seems like Viktor only now realizes what he said. He hesitates, maybe debating if he can still get away with lying, but ultimately decides to just tell the truth.
“It… wasn’t the first time.”
Jayce can’t hold back the grin that spreads on his face and it does nothing to lessen Viktor’s embarrassment. The thought of the ‘monster’ he’s been so interested in watching him from the forest, just as interested…
“I wasn’t spying on you or anything. The first time was a coincidence, really. Then it happened a second time… And a third… And then I started coming around the same time. I’m sorry. You were just…” He trails off. The more he tries to explain himself, the more flustered Viktor looks. He’s turned away, avoiding Jayce’s eyes.
“Just?” Jayce digs a little more. He’s not even teasing, he just really wants to know what Viktor might have been thinking about him all this time, watching from a distance as Jayce enjoyed his evening walks.
“Beautiful,” Viktor finally admits, voice so quiet that Jayce almost thinks he imagined it. But the way Viktor’s movements become stiffer tells him that he heard right. If Viktor was human, Jayce thinks, he would surely be blushing right now. He can feel his own cheeks tingle pleasantly with warmth. He learns a little closer to Viktor as they walk, catching his surprised gaze with a smile.
“Then we can just call our encounter fate. Personally, I’ve never seen anyone as beautiful as you.” Saying it out loud is a lot easier than Jayce expected, and the surprised flicker of brightness in Viktor’s golden eyes is worth it. He looks like he wants to protest, but no words come out. Instead, he pulls Jayce a little closer and continues on their path.
After walking for a few more hours, they take a short break to rest their legs. Viktor turns to him as they sit, pointing in the direction they need to go.
“A little further ahead from here is a clearing with a big field. No one has come here to take care of it for as long as I’ve been here, so the grass is overgrown and dense, which will make it difficult for us to traverse it with bad legs.” Viktor taps his own leg, stretching it out a little. “Unfortunately for us, the field is also big enough to slow us down significantly if we go around it. I would suggest we go through, but I want to make sure you will be alright.” Jayce considers this. Either option would put a strain on his injury.
“How much later do you think we’d arrive if we went around?” he asks. Viktor hums as he thinks.
“If we walk through, we should make it to the village a little past noon tomorrow. Going around might mean getting there at night instead.” Jayce frowns. It’s not really much of a decision then. If they arrive in the middle of the night, not only will they have to wait until morning for the gate to open, they also run the risk of being seen by guards if they get too close. Showing up to the village gate at night with one of the ‘dangerous monsters’ might not be the smartest thing to do.
“Then I agree, we should go straight through,” Jayce says, and Viktor nods, looking ahead again.
“Then let us get going. We are making good time. After getting through the field, the rest should be easy.” They get back up and head in the direction that Viktor was pointing to, filled with new energy to make it past the field quickly. They don’t have to walk long until they see the first rays of light peeking out from between the trees up ahead.
As they get closer, Jayce can make out the greens and yellows of the tall, partially dried out grass. They stop in front of the field, looking in the direction they’re headed. It’s quite a bit of distance and at first glance there doesn’t seem to be a suitable spot to take another break if either of them needs it. Jayce turns his head to look up at Viktor, finding the other’s eyes already on him.
“If you need to slow down or stop walking at any point, make sure you tell me. Sitting down might not be preferable, but it is just grass. We can afford breaks without arriving too late tomorrow,” Viktor assures him, readjusting his hold on his staff. Jayce nods and tightens his grip on Viktor’s arm around him, ready to keep going.
The change of terrain takes a moment to get used to, tall grass parting around them and partially bending under the weight of their steps. The ground seems to be uneven here and Jayce has to slow down several times to regain his balance. Doing this with two perfectly fine legs would be difficult already, doing it with one broken one proves to be even more of a challenge. It seems like Viktor is having similar issues, taking unsteady steps and flinching when the foot of his bad leg touches the ground sooner than expected where grass is bundled up.
Even as they struggle, neither of them complains, pushing themselves so they can get to the other side of the field faster. It’s only when Viktor slows his pace even more, leaning heavily on his staff as he struggles to support Jayce’s weight on top of his own, that Jayce comes to a stop and pulls Viktor back to do the same.
“What you said earlier applies to you too, you know,” Jayce scolds, glancing at Viktor's leg and then back up at his mask. “We can take a break if either of us needs one. I don’t want you to be in pain either, especially when it’s so avoidable.” Viktor blinks, looking down at the patch of grass he’s standing on.
“This is nothing. Such long walks are just bound to make my leg and my back act up,” Viktor tries to wave him off. If anything, it makes Jayce feel more guilty for relying so heavily on the other to hold him upright and help him walk for days. Of course he noticed that Viktor was in pain too, but he never said a word about it, never complained or even made any noise that would have given away how bad it really was. Jayce should have brought it up sooner. Viktor, ever so observant, must see the guilt on his face.
“Really, I will be fine. We can stop walking a little earlier today. It shouldn’t cost us too much time and I think we both would appreciate the rest. Tomorrow will be a big day, after all.” He’s right, plus it’s not like Jayce can just tell Viktor he’ll be fine on his own for the rest of the way. He’ll have to make it up to him when they get back to Piltover. Once the relationship between humans and the forest is restored, Jayce will have plenty of time to spoil Viktor.
They start walking again, a little slower this time to avoid unnecessary strain, but Jayce isn’t fully paying attention. He’s lost in thought, imagining all the things Viktor and him can do together after this. Giving Viktor a tour of the village, taking him to all of Jayce’s favorite spots and buying him coffee, learning more about Viktor’s own past in turn, about his family and his home, about magic and the forest. Taking Viktor to see his mom…
Jayce swallows and chews on his bottom lip. His face is a little warm. It comes with that familiar sensation of something tingling in his chest, something he’s started to feel more often over the past few days. He wants Viktor to come home with him and meet his mom.
He’s snapped out of his thoughts when he nearly trips over a large branch that was hidden in the grass, startling both Viktor and himself. They manage to catch themselves without falling or hurting themselves, but Jayce is embarrassed nonetheless.
“Are you okay?” Viktor asks. “Would you like to take a break after all?” Jayce suppresses the urge to slap a hand over his face so he can hide himself. This isn’t like him at all.
“No, I’m— I just wasn’t paying attention. Sorry, I’ll focus.” He hopes desperately that that’ll be enough for Viktor to drop it. He’s really not ready to unpack that right now.
Luckily, Viktor seems to have mercy on him and lets it go without a fight. Jayce’s eyes wander to Viktor’s staff again, lingering on the way his fingers rest against the wood and metal. He’s used to the pain, he said. Curiosity rises back up and lingers. It doesn’t seem like Viktor is hiding his past intentionally, he’s already told Jayce things about himself that must have been quite difficult to talk about, after all. Yet somehow there is still so little he’s actually shared and he mostly remains a mystery.
Maybe Jayce should just try asking about him. It might also help him keep his thoughts from drifting off again and bringing him some overwhelming feelings. He clears his throat.
“Viktor, what were you like as a child?” The other glances at him briefly, surprised by the sudden question. “It’s just, I’ve been thinking about this, but I really can’t imagine what your past might have been like. We don’t have to talk about it if you don’t want to, I just got curious.” Viktor tilts his head back a little and looks up, trying to recall the memories. He hums, considering it.
“Nothing special, I’d say.” Jayce highly doubts that. “I only had a few friends and was by myself a lot. People often thought I was shy, but I just wasn’t really interested in what others my age liked. The other kids often played loud and rough when doing so. I preferred being by myself and building things.” That catches Jayce’s attention.
“Building things?”
“Toys, mostly. Small boats, little wind-up animals. I even made a music box once. Or, well, I suppose it was just a regular box, the music mechanism didn’t work.” Viktor chuckles under his breath and the sound makes Jayce’s heart jump again. He hooks one hand in the fabric of his shirt near his chest and smiles.
“Sounds exactly like me! My mother always told me to spend more time with the other kids, running and playing outside. So one time I finally did, but just ended up by myself and doing what I usually did. She only came around when our clock broke and she saw how happy I was when I managed to repair it by myself.” Jayce grins at the memory. His mother just wanted him to make more friends and be happy. She always supported him when she realized what he really wanted to do.
Viktor looks at him, eyes glowing bright with surprise.
“I would not have guessed. Oh, no offense. I believed you were the social type.” Jayce almost chokes on a laugh. If his mother heard that she would think Viktor was talking about someone else. Viktor looks sheepish at his reaction.
“Oh, no, I wasn’t laughing at you. Sorry, I just couldn’t imagine myself as an extrovert. I can get along with people fine, and I don’t exactly hate it either, but it can get pretty… draining,” Jayce clarifies. Viktor hums in agreement.
“An understatement. I do hope being in my company is not quite as draining, though.” The light-heartedness is audible in Viktor’s voice but there is an underlying sincerity in the words. Jayce’s smile softens, his hand giving Viktor’s arm a gentle squeeze.
“Not at all. With you it’s… different. You’re special,” he says. His tone is light enough not to make a big deal out of it, but he means it. He looks back down at the grass, dodging a hole in the overgrown soil. Viktor says nothing for a while, leaving them with the sound of plants rustling as they step over them and birds singing above. The moment passes and Jayce speaks up again.
“How about pets? Did you have any growing up?” Viktor seems to be particularly gentle when talking about animals and Jayce has been wondering if he was like that before or if it started when he came to the forest, where he was around them more.
“I didn’t, but I would have liked to have a cat. My mother was allergic to cat fur, though. And my father always said he didn’t want any animals. I got really close to convincing them a few times, but it was never quite enough.” Somehow the thought of Viktor with a cat makes sense. Jayce can picture it easily. “Oh, but my neighbor had one. A cat. Rio was her name. I ended up visiting quite often, mostly to see Rio. But also because he was a doctor. He was the one who taught me the basics of natural medicine. I learned a lot from him…” Viktor trails off, deflating a little. “But we did not part on good terms.”
“What happened?” Jayce asks carefully.
“I found out that the way he tested medicine was… unethical. And cruel.” Viktor shakes his head like he’s trying to push back the memory. “It’s not something I like to remember.” Jayce nods and changes the topic.
“What’s your favorite food? I know you said you technically don’t need to eat, but surely there is something you enjoy, right?” Viktor brightens instantly.
“I like sweet things. It has been a long time since I got the chance to have homemade pie, but I always loved it. Topped with strawberries, or apples, or honey, I like all of it.” He straightens up, lifting his shoulders and gazing off into the distance. Jayce swears his eyes look a little brighter. “And sweet milk! Oh, it’s been ages since I got to have some. If I could go back and have any one thing from back then again, it would surely be sweet milk.”
Jayce makes a quick mental note to ask his mother to teach him how to bake. In his head, he goes through the menus of all the cafés he’s been to, trying to remember if any of them offer sweet milk. He doesn’t remember seeing it there.
“Milk with honey?” he asks, but Viktor shakes his head.
“No, no, you make it with anise powder. It’s creamy and sweet and you warm it up and—” he trails off, looking a little sad. “It has been so long. If I could just get my hands on the ingredients… If I was still human… had I not turned into… this.” He shakes his head again.
Jayce freezes and he swears he can feel his heart skip a beat. He turns to Viktor, eyes wide with shock.
“You weren’t… always like this?” Viktor’s head snaps toward him, looking just as surprised.
“Of course not. I have never seen another creature that looks like what I was turned into. I’m not sure they even exist naturally.” They stop walking. Jayce feels like the ground has been torn away from under his feet and if he keeps walking he’ll just fall. Viktor used to be human.
“B-but then… How did you— What happened?” Jayce stammers. How could a person turn into a monster?
Viktor considers him for a moment like he’s looking for something in Jayce’s expression. There isn’t much to find except for complete and utter shock.
“You really don’t know?” Viktor asks, just to be sure. Jayce shakes his head, seeming out of it. Viktor sighs. “I suppose that makes sense, considering the kinds of stories the people in your village made up about me.”
Viktor readjusts his staff in his hand and carefully turns to face Jayce properly. He keeps one arm at Jayce’s side to help him keep his balance without putting pressure on his leg.
“I lived as a regular human in Zaun until I was a young adult. I learned very early on that the way things worked in the cities was… unjust. People were poor and sick, and others were profiting off of that suffering. After all, having money, good health and freedom is nothing special when everyone has it. People were kept weak on purpose. Zaun’s air was poisoned and it made us sick. For my first attempts to help I used natural medicine, like what I learned from that neighbor of mine. It worked, but it only got me so far against the effects of the gas. There were limits. So I turned to healing magic.” Viktor looks away, turning his head like he can’t bear to look Jayce in the eye while talking about what he did using magic. Jayce taps Viktor’s hand and rubs small circles into it, giving him the comfort to continue when he’s ready.
Viktor takes a deep breath, exhaling shakily. “I was able to hide the outcome of healing magic from the public, but somehow it did catch the attention of, eh, some powerful people from a few towns over. I stopped using magic on people, so maybe that is the reason they let me be at first… I returned to natural medicine and learned to build prosthetics, but I also attempted to unite the people. I wanted medicine and education to become available to everyone. A lot of people in Zaun began to fight against those that kept them small. Kept them sick. After the first signs of success, I began to travel to neighboring towns to provide medical aid there too. I know now that this was the correct path, because once I began to talk to the people in Piltover…” He gestures to his own body. “a spell was cast on me, turning me into this. Someone intervened.”
Jayce releases a shallow breath and silently takes in all of what Viktor just revealed to him. He knows how the elite used to rule, how they held their power for so long. When those in charge are smaller in number, the best strategy to remain in control is to separate the majority. When parents have to work long hours to earn money, they can no longer spend time with their families. When there is a shortage of supplies, neighbors will turn on each other, stealing necessities to keep themselves afloat for just one more day. When everyone is busy fighting each other, they lack the trust to unite and fight back against those who are keeping them where they are.
To think that it was likely someone in Piltover that did this to him, causing him years of rejection and loneliness. Forcing him to live in the forest all alone while people made up horror stories about him to keep him out of the village.
Thinking back to his school’s history lessons, Jayce does remember being told about Piltover’s ruling families, and how the common people all over the country suffered under them. They talked briefly about Zaun’s long fight for independence, and how Piltover drew the natural magic out of Zaun’s soil for their own gain, and poisoned the air to suppress the people’s own magic. Several towns ended up supporting Zaun and the growing pressure eventually overwhelmed Piltover’s ruling family. After that, it was only a matter of time until their rule completely faded out and Zaun became fully independent. Only the legend of the forest monsters survived. All of it happened a long time ago. To think that Viktor has been trapped like this all by himself…
“Who was it?” Jayce finally manages to ask. “The one who did this to you. Who was it?” He doesn’t know what he wants to do, what use this information would be to him now, but he... Viktor shakes his head.
“I don’t remember. The order must have been given from high up, but…” he sighs. “Either way, knowing who cast the spell does not change anything. It cannot be undone. I was cursed to live in this body until the day I die, and I’m not even sure if I can.” There is no sadness in Viktor’s voice now. He sounds defeated, like he’s already accepted his fate. Like he’s long since given up on ever breaking the curse. Jayce refuses to do the same.
“I will find a way to break the curse. Whatever it takes, I will make it happen. Zaun has won the fight for independence a long time ago and has become the center for magic studies. I’m going to the academy there soon. There is bound to be information.” He means every word of it, filled with a new sense of determination now that he knows what happened to Viktor. What was done to him.
Viktor says nothing, only avoids his gaze. It’s obvious he doesn’t believe there is a way to turn him back. Maybe he just doesn’t want to get his hopes up only to be disappointed in the end. Jayce understands, but he wants Viktor to know that he will not let this go. He shifts his weight to his good leg and lets go of Viktor’s hand, bringing his own up to rest against the cool metal of the stone-faced mask. Viktor’s eyes snap back to him, glowing bright gold, mesmerized.
“I will break your curse, Viktor. I swear it.” And Jayce seals his vow with the tender brush of his thumb against the side of Viktor’s face, where a closed eye is just barely visible, carved into wood and metal. They’re standing close together now, looking into each other’s eyes.
The moment fades as suddenly as it started, and Jayce lets his hand fall slowly, taking a step back. The movement brings Viktor back to himself too. Neither of them mentions the curse again, but something has changed between them again. The weight of it is comforting and carries a hint of hope that wasn’t allowed to blossom before. Viktor puts his arm back around Jayce and tightens his hold on his staff.
“Somehow whenever my past comes up the conversation turns gloomy. I ought to share some positives with you. I hate being pitied, I’ll have you know,” Viktor says, and the mood lightens. A smile finds Jayce’s lips again as they resume their journey.
“I’m glad you’re offering, I’ve been wondering how to ask about it.” They glance at each other as they walk, both more relaxed now.
“Oh? Curious about me, are you?” Viktor teases and Jayce chuckles.
“How can I not be? You are unlike anyone I’ve ever met before.” You’re special. Jayce feels a tingle of warmth in the tips of his ears as he admits it to himself.
“Well then, what would you like to know?”
They traverse the rest of the field comfortably, securely leaning into each other, grip never faltering. Jayce learns about what life in Zaun used to be like, how despite the hardships it was Viktor’s home and he loved it there. He learns about Viktor’s studies, how he was always on top of his classes, about the spots he liked to visit when he needed to get away from people. About how when others tried to put Viktor down he would often build things out of spite, doing his best not to let any of them get to him. Jayce finds himself relating to a lot of what Viktor is telling him. The conversation flows naturally and pleasantly as they trudge through the tall grass.
Leaving the field behind comes with a strong sense of pride and the feeling that they emerged victorious after a long, taxing battle. They walk for a little longer until their exhaustion finally catches up to them and they agree to stop for the day. They’re so close to Piltover now that they could make it there tonight if they walked for another few hours. Resting now, they will likely arrive somewhere around noon tomorrow instead, just like Viktor said.
On their way to find a suitable spot to sleep for the night, they pass rows of bushes with edible berries. They collect as many of them as they can carry before finally coming to a stop by a tall rock wall that shields them from the cold breeze. They lay out the berries and Viktor gets up again to gather a few of the ones he’s been using to make Jayce’s medicine. There are no leaves covering the ground here, so Jayce takes it upon himself to collect some from nearby and shape them into one large makeshift bed. If Viktor asks about it, he can just say that he gets cold at night and the shared body heat from the night before helped a lot.
Viktor gets a fire going and they have dinner together. Sitting here now, finally relaxing their muscles and stretching out their legs, Jayce enjoys the peacefulness of the early evening. His leg is throbbing and his feet hurt after days of walking with minimal breaks. He watches Viktor mix the last of the crushed herbs they brought into a paste with the juice of the berries. He’s tired and glad that he’ll be back home tomorrow, but he knows he’ll miss these nights alone in the forest with Viktor like this. This will be the last time they get to do this. Maybe in a few months they can come back out here to camp for a weekend. They can bring food from home. His mother’s pie.
Viktor scoots closer and dips two fingers in the medicine, and Jayce holds his pant leg up enough to expose the dark bruise. The mood is different tonight, but Jayce can’t quite place in what way. Neither of them speaks when Viktor’s cool fingertips brush over the tender flesh of Jayce’s leg. He circles the wound slowly and gently, making sure not to apply too much pressure. Jayce’s eyes follow the movement, flickering back up to Viktor’s face when he goes to take more of the cream.
When he finishes, Viktor moves up and Jayce is already removing his shirt, granting better access to the cut on his back. It has healed nicely and is probably past the point of needing medicine to prevent infection, but Jayce doesn’t try to stop Viktor when he massages the remaining cream into the skin around the wound. He wonders if the other feels the same as him right now.
Viktor dabs the last of the medicine on and then moves back a little, letting Jayce put his shirt back on. They sit close together, watching the fire crackle softly.
“That was the last of the herbs, so no more tomorrow morning. The next person to treat you will be one of Piltover’s doctors,” Viktor tells him, voice quiet and metallic. Jayce hums and watches embers float up toward the sky, feeling content. All that he’s missing now is some cool water after an exhausting day. He looks at Viktor’s staff, curious.
“How come you can use magic to make fire but not water?” he asks. Viktor follows his gaze to the staff.
“Well, technically I could, but it wouldn’t be satisfying to drink. What I used for the fire was imitation magic to mimic a real fire.” He picks up the staff and waves it to the side. A small flame hovers at the top of it. “This type of magic draws from the natural essence of what it imitates, but it can never perfectly recreate it. This fire is bright and hot and you can use it to cook, but it does not need oxygen to keep burning and does not release carbon dioxide or any other gases into the air either. For fire, you can mimic all the effects that you would need a fire for.” The flame at the tip of the staff goes out without Viktor so much as moving it. He sets the staff back down.
“For water, though, it is a bit different. Magic can mimic its form and its temperature, but it will leave the water without any of the nutritional elements it naturally has. You can drink it, but you’ll still be thirsty and it will deprive your body of the minerals it needs if you don’t also drink real water alongside it.” Jayce nods, making sure to remember this for the future. He sends Viktor a grin.
“You could be teaching this at a school or something. I’m sure there is so much people could learn from you. I certainly am.” Viktor scoffs but sounds amused.
“And willingly put myself in front of a group of people with their attention completely on me? I’ll pass,” he chuckles, shaking his head. Jayce’s smile softens and he moves a little closer to Viktor until their arms touch. Their eyes meet.
“But you could come with me to study magic in Zaun,” Jayce says, voice quiet. Viktor looks away, uncertain.
“I don’t know...”
“Why not? Zaun is your home, right? A lot has changed over time. They’re fully independent now and even have their own academy. Plus, if someone like me, who has never wielded magic before, can get in, you definitely can too.” Viktor continues to avoid his gaze, fingers tapping at a leaf from their ‘bed’.
“It’s not that I don’t want to, it’s—” he sighs, unsure how to voice his worries. Of course Jayce knows what Viktor must be worried about.
“There is still some time until the semester starts. And if we can’t break the curse by then, you can just start next semester. Then I’ll be your senior.” Jayce nudges Viktor with his elbow, smile widening. “They offer courses for healing magic too. I’m also planning on taking some. Wouldn't it be the perfect opportunity to learn it properly in a controlled environment?” That seems to reach Viktor. He looks back to Jayce, pausing the movement of his fingers. He’s interested.
“Anyway, you don’t have to make the decision now. There will be plenty of time. I just think it would be a waste to let healing magic go completely. It holds so much potential to help people.” And Viktor knows this, of course he does. All he needs to do is give himself a chance again. It won’t happen overnight, but the fact that Viktor is considering it is enough for now.
When Jayce receives no more answers, he knows it is time to move on from the topic for now. They continue to sit close together in silence for a while, watching the fire as the moon rises higher in the night sky. Jayce is beginning to feel drowsy when Viktor speaks again.
“I can’t believe this is already the last night,” he says, echoing Jayce’s earlier sentiment. He hums in agreement. “Well, how do you feel knowing you survived the evil forest?” Viktor jokes.
“I learned a lot. So much has changed for me in just a few days… I think meeting you has been one of the best things to ever happen in my life.” Jayce says earnestly. He feels one of Viktor’s fingers twitch beside his own hand on the ground before it continues tapping at the leaves. They’re so close.
“Sure is a good thing I found you after you fell, then. Though I suppose that was technically also my fault. You were looking for me, after all.” Viktor probably didn’t mean for it to sound as serious as it did. Jayce hooks his pinky around Viktor’s, stopping the tapping instantly. They look at each other and oh. When did they get so close?
“I’m glad I fell,” Jayce whispers, meaning it in more than one way. Before he even knows it, his eyes are closed and the cold metal of Viktor’s mask presses against his lips. It’s soft and careful, curious and unfamiliar but pleasant. He can feel Viktor’s finger curling around his own as well, accepting him. Jayce continues to plant small kisses on Viktor’s mask, neither of them willing to let it end just yet.
They only pull back when Viktor’s mask is no longer cold, still leaning against each other comfortably. By the time Viktor suggests they get some rest, Jayce is already struggling to keep his eyes open. They settle into the makeshift bed easily, Viktor’s cloak wrapped securely around them.
“I’m cold,” Jayce lies, and he’s sure Viktor can see right through him, but he plays along anyway and pulls Jayce closer, wrapping an arm around him. They drift off to sleep, ending their last night in the forest together.
Morning is calm and quiet. Jayce wakes up exhausted and a little light-headed, but figures if it’s like before he’ll definitely feel better after eating something. They don’t talk much as they gather their breakfast, but it’s not uncomfortable and they’re both in a good mood. They don’t mention the kiss. They don’t have to. Staying close together and sneaking little touches to confirm that it wasn’t a mistake, that both of them want this, is enough. They lean into each other as they walk, fingers brushing when they bend down and reach for the same mushroom. It’s not much different from the way they acted with each other before, but something did change, and the tingling sensation that has been getting more present in Jayce’s chest has grown stronger than ever before. It feels nice.
Over breakfast, Viktor asks about Jayce’s mother. He talks about her with a fond smile.
“She’s such a gentle person. You know, the soft-voiced type. But then when she gets angry…” He makes a show of pressing his palm dramatically against his chest, leaning backwards. “I’ve only seen her get really angry a handful of times, but that almost made it scarier I think,” Jayce laughs.
“Did you get in trouble often then?” Viktor asks, audibly amused. Jayce’s brows shoot up and he scoffs in mock offense.
“What, me? I would never!” Viktor leans forward and shoots him an unimpressed look, causing Jayce to break character as the corner of his mouth twitches upward. “Fine, maybe a little. But it wasn’t really anything out of the ordinary. For example, when I’m interested in something, I tend to get very absorbed in it, which usually comes at the cost of other things. Like that one time I got in trouble for going outside the gates by myself when I was still pretty young. I wanted to see if I could feel the difference if I went outside the magic shield’s range, and when it didn’t feel any different I thought surely it’s because I’m too close to it still… And it wasn’t just me that got in trouble either. I’ve never seen a grown man get scolded like the guard that let me go out that day.”
“She cares a lot about you,” Viktor says, eyes sparkling a little Jayce leans a little closer to him.
“What about your parents? If you feel comfortable talking about it, of course.” Viktor takes the tip of his cloak in both hands, looking down at it.
“Oh, they were… pretty ordinary. My father was not home much because of work, but he did his best to spend as much time with us as he could. My mother was a cheerful person, despite the circumstances in Zaun back then. She had a few jobs, but they never paid much, and when my illness got worse she chose to stay at home with me more often.” He rolls the dark blue fabric between his fingers. “Both of them wanted to change the world for the better, but they were never given the chance. The only jobs they got required physical labor and nothing else. We never had much, but they still made sure I got to learn how to control my magic. They were going to try sending me off to study at a good university, and I was going to make it, too.”
Jayce nods, shifting his leg to rest against Viktor’s.
“Your parents cared a lot about you too.” Viktor’s hand stills, fingers tightening around the fabric just a little.
“I spent so much time in this form… They must be long gone by now. I wish I knew what happened to them, how the rest of their lives went, how long they lived. If only I could have seen them one more time to tell them I was okay.” Jayce places his hand on top of Viktor’s and long, purple fingers instinctively wrap around his.
“Have you ever tried? To go back, I mean.” Viktor nods and his fingers resume their movement against Jayce’s.
“Once. I walked all the way from here to Zaun. I made it there without issue. Everything was fine at first, but the moment someone saw me… People were afraid of me, ran from me, some even tried to attack me. Nobody gave me a chance to explain myself. I didn’t want to hurt anyone, so I never even made it past the outer district. I think that was when I truly understood what the curse had cost me.”
Jayce rests his head against Vitkor’s arm and closes his eyes, hoping he can give even the smallest bit of comfort.
“I know it’s not the same, and nothing can replace your own parents, but… I know my mother would adore you, and I really want to introduce you to her. Things are going to change from here on out. You won’t have to be alone anymore.” He can feel Viktor shift beside him, but neither of them move away from the other.
“I wouldn’t want to scare her,” Viktor mumbles, voice soft. Jayce smiles and shakes his head.
“You won’t. She might worry at first because of all the stories about you, but once I tell her everything you’ve done for me, how I wouldn’t have come back to her if it weren’t for you, she’ll definitely love you. She’s always been good at adapting. And look how fast you’ve grown on me, too.” And he knows it’s true. He just needs to find a way to calmly explain what happened, then there is no way his mother won’t accept Viktor with open arms.
Viktor gives a low hum, sounding hesitant. After years of being rejected by everyone, completely isolated until there was no hope left at all, it’s only natural for him to doubt that anything could ever change. Admittedly, Jayce doesn’t exactly have a plan either. The villagers have been taught to fear Viktor for generations, and it will be difficult to change their minds just like that. A slow approach seems like the one most likely to succeed. They will just have to wing it from there. Jayce gives Viktor’s hand another reassuring squeeze.
“We can take it slow. I’ve wanted things to change for a long time and I know I can’t be the only one. The thought of never seeing you again after I return to Piltover… I don’t want that. And I don’t want to have to meet up in secret either. You don’t deserve to be seen as a villain.”
“I’m not innocent either. Their fear is not entirely groundless,” Viktor says, and his fingers cease their fidgeting.
“But you are trying to do better. Have you not completely stopped using the magic that caused harm?” The words are not enough to ease Viktor’s guilt. Jayce knows that is something that will stay with him for the rest of his life, and he may never forgive himself for it, but he hopes that Viktor can find comfort in redemption.
He feels the gentle vibration of Viktor’s low hum against his side and with that the conversation ends. They sit in silence for a little while longer, allowing themselves a moment for themselves before their journey officially comes to an end and Jayce returns to Piltover. No matter what happens and how long it takes, things will inevitably change after this. It will be taxing, but Jayce has sworn to do anything within his power to make things better, and he knows it will eventually be worth it.
They listen to the birds’ songs for a while until Viktor shifts and his warmth disappears from Jayce’s side.
“Shall we?” he asks, and when Jayce lets himself be pulled to his feet, and an arm is wrapped around him once more, one chapter comes to a close and another begins.
The rest of the way is no challenge. The terrain is even and only the forest’s plants and animals accompany them. There is a calm, a peacefulness in the air, like the forest itself has chosen to no longer stand in their way or slow them down. They don’t talk much, but they walk closer together, holding onto each other for as long as they still can. Their pace has slowed and neither of them mentions it, enjoying the time they have together.
They’ve grown close over the past few days and Jayce is planning on seeing Viktor regularly, but it somehow still feels like their last walk together. He wants to draw it out.
They reach Piltover all too soon, watching the village gate from between the foliage. They stop, both unsure of what to do and what to say to each other. A moment passes before Viktor turns to him.
“Well, this is it. So, how does it feel to have officially survived the forest?” He tries to sound light-hearted, like he’s not terrified of all the things that could go wrong, but Jayce can feel the same worry in his own heart. He doesn’t respond with words, instead facing Viktor and placing one hand on the side of his mask. He caresses it slowly, recording every cut, every dent under the brush of his fingertips. They look at each other and Jayce’s hand stills against Viktor’s cheek. He brings their faces closer together, feeling the way Viktor leans in too.
The kiss is slow and soft, but there is a sense of longing in it that spreads throughout both of their bodies, connecting them. It holds a promise, reassurance that no matter how uncertain and difficult things get from here, Jayce will not give up. Not on his plan to clear up the lies about the forest, not on the people of the village, not on magic and not on Viktor. For just a moment, Jayce’s conviction shines so bright that Viktor finds himself illuminated, his doubts and fears drowned out. When they part, Viktor brushes a strand of hair from Jayce’s forehead. They look into each other’s eyes.
“I am so grateful to have met you,” Jayce mumbles, feeling Viktor’s fingers twitch against the side of his face at his words. He doesn’t respond, but it’s okay. He doesn’t need to. Jayce can feel the answer in the gentle caress of Viktor’s hand against his skin, can see his feelings being returned in the tender glow of Viktor’s golden eyes. His heart feels full.
He allows himself to linger in the moment for just a little longer, turning his head to press a kiss against Viktor’s wooden skin. After a while they step apart.
“I’ll go first and tell them what happened. Would you wait here for me?” Viktor nods and Jayce reaches out to take a hold of his hand. “I will explain everything properly and try to prepare them. If I don’t come and get you by the gate’s first evening bell, I’ll need a little more time and will meet you tomorrow morning instead.” Viktor interlocks their fingers.
“Don’t make me wait too long or I’ll get bored,” he says, but he wouldn’t mind waiting for Jayce even if it takes longer. Jayce grins, already forming a response when—
“Talis?”
They turn, startled by the interruption. As they come face to face with a small group of guards from the village, their plan crumbles to pieces right in front of them. Jayce takes a cautious step forward, preparing himself to step between the men and Viktor. He straightens up in hopes of getting the guards’ attention, but his limbs grow cold when he sees their panic-stricken eyes, wide and glassy as they focus only on Viktor.
One of the men reaches for the pistol on his belt, slow and quiet like he’s trying not to startle Viktor. A second man begins to do the same and the reality of the situation hits Jayce all at once. One wrong move and Viktor will pay the price for lies and fear that have festered for decades.
“It’s okay. I’m okay,” Jayce says, taking a careful step sideways to further place himself in front of Viktor. He raises his arms slowly. A few of the guards glance at him. “See? He won’t hurt anyone, I promise.” One of the men clears his throat and takes a step forward while another flinches at the movement, hand twitching around his weapon.
“Jayce Talis, yes? We’ve been searching for you for days. Heard you left the village one evening and just didn’t return.” The man who stepped forward glances at Viktor, then back at Jayce. “Thought you were dead.” He tightens his grip against his belt near his gun. Viktor is quiet behind him, but it does nothing to ease the guards’ anxiety. A few more begin to reach for their weapons. This isn’t good.
“That’s right. I went off on my own and fell. Viktor found me. If it weren’t for him, I wouldn’t have made it back.” Jayce gestures in Viktor’s direction but does not move from where he’s standing. The guard’s eyes narrow as his fingers brush over his gun. “He saved me,” Jayce adds, desperate to get them to relax.
“Come here,” the man says, and something in his tone has changed. Jayce’s mouth is dry. He feels like he can’t breathe.
“Please trust me, it’s really okay. There are a lot of misunderstandings about the forest. He really did save me.” The guard draws his gun, keeping it down at his side. Jayce instinctively takes a step back and closer to Viktor, trying to cover more of him with his own body. Viktor doesn’t move. “Please,” Jayce says.
“Talis, get away from it. Now.” The guard’s voice is stern now. A few of the men behind him have taken their guns out of their belts, looking nervous and unsure. Jayce keeps his hands up and takes another step back. He wishes Viktor would duck behind him. If any of the men aim at Viktor’s head, Jayce won’t be tall enough to cover him. But Viktor remains completely still, watching Jayce’s shaking hands as the man attempts to shield him from view. The guards are terrified, and armed men who are terrified are impossible to predict. Both of them are in danger.
“You’ll hurt him if I do. He’s done nothing wrong. There are no monsters in the forest, Viktor was the only one there,” Jayce tries, voice breaking. Based on some of the guards’ expressions he must sound like he’s lost his mind. If only they hadn’t been discovered like this. If only he’d had more time to sort his thoughts and think of how to explain.
The guard in the front says nothing, only tightens his grip on his weapon as he lifts it. He’s not aiming it properly, seemingly not having decided what to do yet.
Jayce hears Viktor shift behind him, leaves rustling under his feet as he readjusts his staff. Two of the guards startle, lifting their guns and aiming them behind Jayce in one swift motion. They fall silent again. He says nothing, hoping the men will settle as they realize Viktor isn’t doing anything else. One of them lowers his arms, but everyone’s eyes stay fixated on Viktor. The moment passes.
“Please let me explain calmly. We’ll go back to the village and he can stay out here in the forest. I just want to tell you what happened.” The man in the front hesitates, glancing back up at Viktor. Jayce holds his breath, feeling his own racing heart thumping in his ears. His forehead is cold with sweat.
Then all at once, the tension breaks. The guard lowers his arm and relaxes his grip on his weapon. He doesn’t put it back in his belt, but it’s good enough for now. The men behind him do the same, cautiously eyeing Viktor as they lower their guns. Jayce exhales shakily in relief. He’s being given a chance.
He turns halfway to face Viktor, keeping the guards in the corner of his vision. Jayce tries his best to hide how nervous he is, but with how closely Viktor is looking at him, there is no way it goes unnoticed. Jayce gives a crooked smile.
“You wait here. I’ll explain everything to them and then I’ll come find you. I’m so, so sorry this is happening,” Jayce says, voice soft and quiet. The fingers of Viktor’s free hand twitch, hovering at his side like he wants to reach out to Jayce one more time, but then he lets the hand fall, giving a quick nod instead. A few of the guards slowly back away and begin to head back toward the village. Jayce flashes another smile, brighter this time. He hopes it’s enough encouragement for the time being, enough to keep Viktor from worrying too much until they meet again.
Then, Jayce turns back to face the guards, beginning to follow them back home. He feels a pair of golden eyes at his back, watching him leave, and it takes everything within his power not to look back. The promise of a swift reunion keeps him moving. As the first few men step out of the bushes and back into the main path, there is a small sound of Viktor turning to make his way back into the forest.
Everything happens so fast, Jayce barely registers it. The snap of a twig under heavy metal feet pierces the silence from behind them. One of the men walking in front of Jayce snaps around, hands held out in front of him. His eyes are wide and glassy, looking behind Jayce and to the spot they were just standing in. A cool gust of air whips past him, making his sleeve flutter with the enormous pressure. It’s immediately followed by a noise so loud, it freezes Jayce’s feet where they stand. The other guards turn as well, guns aimed in his general direction. Jayce’s ears ring painfully and he can’t tell if he’s breathing or not. He distantly registers that the guard that spun around first has his gun clutched tightly in both hands, a small cloud of smoke coming out of it and disappearing into the air. Jayce chokes out a gasp and turns around to follow the gaze of the guards.
Viktor is standing not far from where they left him, turned slightly to the side and facing away from them. He has one hand around his staff and the other at his side, clenching tightly at his own skin. A strangled sound with a metallic echo rings out and Jayce realizes only a moment later that it came from Viktor.
Time slows down as Viktor’s legs buckle under him. His grip around his staff loosens and it falls to the forest floor with a dull thud. Viktor follows soon after, dropping heavily where he stood. Jayce barely registers the pain in his leg as he stumbles to the fallen body. He sinks down beside Viktor, carefully turning him with trembling hands. The glow of golden eyes flickers as Viktor lifts his hand from his side to inspect the damage. Jayce follows the movement.
There is a hole in Viktor’s body. It glows in a dim purple light and bright sparks are flying out of it. Another metallic gasp from Viktor tears painfully at Jayce’s heart. There is no blood coming from the wound, but Jayce presses his hand over it helplessly in an attempt to do something, anything, to prevent what is going to happen. Viktor’s head falls back and hits the soft leaves underneath him. His eyes flicker again.
“It’s okay, V. Stay with me. It’s okay. I’ll get you help, I won’t let you—” Jayce’s throat closes up, unable to say the word. He turns around to face the guards who are watching the scene in shocked silence. “Don’t just stand there, we need help” Jayce shouts, startling the men out of their daze. A few of them look unsure, exchanging hesitant glances, but the man who stepped to the front before clenches his teeth and points toward the village.
“Get a doctor. Now,” he orders in a stern voice. Jayce pays them no more mind, turning his attention back to Viktor as the sound of footsteps grows distant behind him. His head is spinning and his heart is racing. Jayce lifts his other hand and brushes his fingers gently through Viktor’s hair, trying to comfort him.
“Stay awake, Viktor. Help is on the way, you’ll be okay. Please stay awake,” a choked sob cuts him off and his vision blurs with hot tears. This can’t be happening. This can’t be real. A large, cold hand comes to rest lightly on Jayce’s where he’s covering the wound.
“Jayce,” Viktor rasps, sliding his fingers over Jayce’s. “Thank you. For giving me a chance.” The words are tender and sincere, making them hurt all the more. The fingers between his own slacken and the golden glow of Viktor’s eyes dims further until it eventually goes out completely. The pained gasps rocking through his body stop and Viktor’s head rolls to the side. The forest is silent.
“No,” Jayce breathes. “No, no, Viktor. Look at me, please. Please don’t— Please…” He wraps his fingers around the limp metal hand, holding it tight in his trembling grip. Viktor doesn’t move. Jayce’s vision clouds further. He can’t see, can’t hear anything but his own desperate cries and his racing heartbeat in his ear. His head is spinning and he chokes wetly. He can’t breathe.
Jayce barely registers the hand on his shoulder. Someone is saying something, but he can’t make out the words, doesn’t care to listen. The world spins and all he can focus on is the blurry form of Viktor’s body in front of him. There is a ringing in his ears that’s getting louder, completely downing out his own voice. As his head falls on Viktor’s chest there is only darkness creeping at the edge of his vision. And then, nothing.
The first thing Jayce registers when he wakes up is that he’s incredibly comfortable. He keeps his eyes closed. The sounds around him are muted. He’s warm and it feels like his body is floating. Was he ever this comfortable before? A familiar scent is in the air and the next thing he becomes aware of is his stomach. It feels cold and empty, rumbling with every inhale of the nice smell. If only he could get the feeling to fade so he can sink back into perfect comfort.
The longer he remains conscious, the more he focuses on the unpleasant feeling in his stomach that is keeping him awake. Now that Jayce is paying attention to his body, he becomes increasingly aware of the pain in his left leg. It’s not unbearable, but it weighs him down further, keeping him from drifting off again. His back comes next, more of a dull throb. A reminder of damage that was done but has mostly faded.
His head is what bothers him the most. The pain is sharp and fresh, stinging at the back of his eyeballs. There is no way he can fall asleep like this.
The first attempt to open his eyes is slow and taxing. Light blinds him until tears sting at the corners of his eyes. They feel a bit warm and swollen and Jayce can’t help the pathetic whine that escapes him. The sound scratches uncomfortably at his throat.
With all the new unpleasant sensations in his body, the initial moment of comfort is all but forgotten. Now everything hurts. Jayce attempts to recall what happened. He fights his eyes open and stares straight ahead at the ceiling of his childhood bedroom. The smell registers as his mother’s cooking, and his stomach rumbles, urging him to follow it to the source. The thought of moving, let alone getting up, seems impossibly far away.
Jayce remembers the sight of rock and trees, the smell of leaves and mud. The feeling of metal and wood under his fingertips. All at once, Jayce’s heart clenches painfully and he lets out a desperate whine and fresh tears cloud his vision. He remembers the hand he was holding going slack, warm eyes growing dim. An agonizing silence tearing his last bit of hope away. All he can think of is Viktor. Viktor. Viktor.
He can’t hold back the silent sobs that rock his aching body, tears rolling down his temples and hitting the pillow underneath his head. Moments spent together over the past few days swim fresh in his mind, plans for the future and what could have been. A shared future with peace and magic. Viktor’s kindness, the soft expressions of his mask that Jayce learned to read, the tender touch of large cold hands… All of it ripped away in an instant, leaving Jayce empty-handed and unable to move forward. Where does he go from here? Just what is he supposed to do now? All his plans from before he met Viktor are so hazy and far away now, diluted by grief.
Jayce’s head throbs painfully with every sob, but he can’t get himself to stop. He lifts a hand to his mouth to stifle the sounds, even though he’s alone in the room. If he didn’t insist on bringing Viktor so close to the village, would none of this have happened? Would Jayce have been able to convince people to give Viktor a chance? Is it his fault?
His thoughts swirl in agonizing circles, strings of questions he has no answers to. Even if he did, they wouldn’t undo what has already happened. It’s only when he hears a distant voice call out in distress that Jayce is able to quiet his cries, gasping for air as he tries to calm himself.
When he blinks the tears out of his swollen eyes, he sees his mother at his bedside, holding onto the edge of his sleeve helplessly. Worry is evident in her gaze and Jayce does his best to focus on what she is saying.
“It’s okay now, dear. Please breathe for me, Jayce. I’m right here, you’re okay. You need to breathe.” She slides her hand into his, brings it to her chest and holds it there gently. “Here, just like me. In...” They both inhale slowly. “And out.” The air leaves his lungs in a shaky exhale, threatening to turn into another sob, but Jayce tries to mimic what his mother is doing. In and out. Slow and steady.
They continue for a while until Jayce gradually manages to calm down. Ximena is running her hand through his hair the way she used to when she comforted him as a child. It helps a little.
The room is silent, save for their steady breaths. Now that the initial shock is fading, only grief is left and Jayce allows himself to cry freely. He leans closer to his mother and she pulls him in without hesitation, letting his forehead rest on her shoulder. His hands find the fabric of her shirt, holding onto it tightly like she would disappear if he let go. Ximena presses a kiss to her son’s head.
“There you go, dear. It’s okay, let it all out. You did so well. You’ve been so brave.” And once he’s started, he can’t seem to stop. His grip loosens slightly as he melts into his mother’s arms, tears rolling down his cheeks as quiet sobs continue to shake his body. Everything from the past few days hits him at once. He’s been in so much pain, so scared he wouldn’t make it back, so tired from walking for so long and pushing his body past its limits. Now he’s back in his bedroom in the safety of his mother’s embrace, the comforting smell of home surrounding him. He’s only just realized how desperately he needed this and the overwhelming rush of emotion squeezes at his heart, drawing more tears from his eyes.
Jayce doesn’t know how much time passes until his lashes dry and his breaths even out. His head hurts from crying for so long and he’s suddenly so tired. He feels numb.
“He’s dead,” he rasps, voice quiet and empty. “They killed him.” His swollen eyes sting, but he has no more tears left to cry. His mother’s hand stills in his hair and he feels her leaning back to look at him.
“Viktor is alive,” Ximena says, and suddenly nothing makes sense. Hearing Viktor’s name from his mother’s mouth, feeling so empty; it doesn’t feel real. The memory of golden eyes losing their light, large hands falling slack, of Viktor dying in front of him is still fresh in his mind and he knows that it really happened.
“Am I dreaming?” Jayce blurts out, stunning his mother into silence for a moment. He blinks, then holds his hands out in front of him. He remembers hearing that counting your fingers in a dream can help you realize you’re dreaming. He counts ten, starts over and still gets the same result. Jayce frowns, starting over a third time. He’s not even sure if this really works. He’s never had to try before. His mother calls his name, but he barely even hears her. She tries again, louder this time, and Jayce loses count. He starts over, frowning as he tries his best to focus.
He makes it to the third finger this time when a hand covers his, silencing his thoughts. Ximena takes his face into her other hand and tilts it up to meet her gaze. There is a soft smile on her face, but her eyes shine with sadness.
“You’re not dreaming, Jayce. Viktor is okay. He’s in the study. He told me about what happened to you.” Her voice is gentle and calming and it takes Jayce’s brain another moment to catch up to what she just told him. Viktor is here. Viktor is okay.
As his mind is filled with an endless string of how? how? how?, Jayce jolts upright, throwing the blanket off of himself as his mother protests that he needs to rest. He swings his legs off the side of his bed, barely flinching at the pain of the movement when Ximena’s hands land on his shoulders, holding him down. He opens his mouth to object but his mother speaks before he can say anything.
“Slowly. I’ll help you walk, so slow down or you’ll hurt yourself.” She removes her hands carefully, like she’s half expecting him to jump to his feet anyway, and only relaxes when she sees him nod in agreement. Ximena takes a step to the side and reaches for a metal crutch that Jayce only now notices leaning against the wall next to his bed. It sobers him up a bit.
With the help of his mother and the support of the crutch, he makes it to his feet, allowing himself a moment to catch his balance and adjust to the feeling of standing up again. The first few steps are a bit awkward, but he quickly gets used to walking and they make it out the door and into the hallway. Every step feels like it’s taking too long and he has to remind himself not to rush or his mother might stop him. Jayce can feel his heart speeding up with anticipation as they slowly make their way toward the study.
When they finally come to a stop in front of the closed door, Jayce takes a shaky breath. He’s still not entirely convinced this is all real, and the possibility of finding the room empty is terrifying. Ximena seems to notice his hesitation, giving his hand an encouraging squeeze. Their eyes meet and she smiles, tilting her head toward the door to gesture for him to go ahead. Jayce nods and leans heavier onto the crutch, pulling his hand back from hers to place it on the doorknob. And just like that, the suspense becomes too much and Jayce lets the door swing open in one swift motion.
His eyes instantly land on the figure in the room, sitting at the old wooden desk, hunched over a small pile of books. The man has shoulder length chestnut hair with some blond parts in the front. He looks skinny, and maybe the fact that he’s wearing some of Jayce’s clothes contributes to that. He lifts his head to meet Jayce’s gaze and there is a familiar warm gold that squeezes at Jayce’s heart. He doesn’t recognize the man, but he knows him well. A moment passes before the man’s eyes widen.
“Jayce!” he says in a voice so soft and clear, and so human. He reaches for the staff by his side to get up, and Jayce knows that staff, and he knows that voice, and he knows those eyes.
His mother stays back as Jayce takes two more steps into the room. Before he has a chance to speak, the man meets him in the middle, pressing his face against Jayce’s neck and pulling him into an embrace. All at once, relief washes over Jayce so strongly, it brings more tears to his eyes that he didn’t know he still had left. This is real.
“Viktor,” he breathes and he feels the hold around him tighten in response. “Viktor.” Jayce puts his arms around Viktor’s shoulders and holds him close, pressing his lips into soft brown hair. It feels so surreal. Viktor is here, and he’s okay. And he’s human.
“You’re alive,” Jayce says, and he still can’t believe it. Every second that passes makes it feel more real. They stand there for a while, just letting themselves feel the comfort of each other’s presence and erasing the pain of their last time seeing each other. Neither of them thought they would ever get to do this again.
Jayce is the first to pull back, just enough to get a proper look at Viktor. There is a thin white line, a slightly raised scar, running down the middle of his face. A hint of faded purple remains at the edge of his jaw, just barely reaching his cheeks. If he wasn’t so close Jayce might have missed it entirely. Two moles stand out, one under Viktor’s eye, the other just above his lip, fitting his face so perfectly. His eyes are just as striking as Jayce remembers, but they no longer have that unnatural glow. Most of all, the expression that Viktor wears is so warm, so full of adoration, it completely overshadows the blank and unmoving mask Jayce has grown used to. He’s so beautiful.
The warm skin of Viktor’s hand brushes against Jayce’s cheek and he leans into it without thinking about it. He can see his own feelings mirrored on Viktor’s face and the sight almost has him bursting into tears again.
Viktor’s gaze drops to his lips and before Jayce knows it they’re both leaning in, letting their eyes fall shut as their lips touch.
The sensation is unlike anything he’s ever felt before. His senses are filled with Viktor. The image of affectionate golden eyes fresh in his mind, the smell of wood and books and the feeling of soft lips moving tenderly against his own as they continue to hold each other close. Their bodies slot together perfectly, like pieces of a puzzle that is finally completed. Jayce’s own hand raises to brush soft curls from Viktor’s face. They draw back and he opens his eyes to see the look on Viktor’s face, the slight shine of saliva on his bottom lip, lids heavy and a little dazed, basking in each other’s presence. Jayce feels the same.
Viktor’s head falls back against the nape of his neck, lashes brushing against the skin softly. Neither of them is ready to let go just yet.
“Please tell me this really isn’t a dream,” Jayce whispers, only half joking. Viktor huffs a laugh against his neck.
“I was thinking the same thing,” he says, and Jayce could listen to his voice like this forever, so soft and so real. Viktor’s human form is still so new, so unbelievable.
“How did you— What happened?” he manages, and Viktor slowly lifts his head, taking a small step back. His hands keep a gentle hold on Jayce's as he pulls him closer to Ximena’s old couch in the study. They sink down onto the cushions, facing each other.
“I don’t remember much myself, but your mother was there, and she told me what she saw that day. After I… lost consciousness, help from the village arrived. You must have fainted, and one of the doctors from Piltover tended to you as best he could on the spot. Since one of the guards went to get help, the news of your return already started to spread, and your mother rushed over as soon as she heard about it.” Jayce can only imagine how scared she must have been, especially when she found him unconscious and injured next to what she still would have believed to be a monster. He makes a mental note to apologize for putting her through that.
Viktor pauses for a moment, mouth falling open like he’s struggling to find the words to keep going. He shakes his head and frowns. Jayce’s thumb brushes over the back of Viktor’s hand, signaling that he doesn’t need to rush it. Viktor’s shoulders relax at the gesture and his expression softens. He looks at the floor, giving himself some time to piece the information together before continuing.
“Ximena said they were mostly focusing on you. They tried to get you away from me in case I woke up again, but then…” He shakes his head again. “There was… a bright light, she said. And when they turned to look at me, I was turning back into a human.”
“Just like that?” Jayce asks.
“Just like that. I still don’t understand how it happened, or why. The spell just… dissolved. When the people there saw my human form, they considered helping me too. They were unsure at first, but when one of the guards mentioned you trying to protect me, your mother insisted on trusting your judgement.” Jayce hums, digesting the information. The curse disappeared suddenly after so many years. Viktor had already given up hope that he would ever be human again, and in the end it just happened on its own. There has to be something he’s missing.
Jayce thinks back to what Viktor told him, about how he would be under the spell's influence forever. Or… is that what he said?
“When the spell was cast, was the person who did it there?” Viktor tilts his head, then nods. He looks unsure of where Jayce is going with this.
“Yes, but I already told you, I don’t remember who—”
“No, no. That’s not why I’m asking. You briefly mentioned what they told you about the spell. What was the phrasing again?” Viktor’s brows furrow as he tries to recall. After a moment his eyes widen at the memory and his mouth falls open. Jayce leans forward.
“They said I was cursed to… live in this body. Until the day I die.” Jayce’s hand tightens around Viktor’s.
“So if you died that day…”
“But… How can that be? I was sure I couldn’t die. Even after months without food or water, I never—” Viktor shakes his head again, still looking stunned.
“Maybe that’s part of the spell? Is it possible the change to your body rewrote your biology to simply not need sustenance anymore?” Jayce wonders.
“Well… I suppose I never tested if I was really immortal in every sense. Evidently, damaging the cursed body enough did revert it back to my old body. There is no trace of the injury left either. It may be worth looking into the different types of form changing curses. I never got the chance to find the books before, looking the way I did. But now…” There is a spark in Viktor’s eyes, visible excitement in the face of learning something new that Jayce knows all too well when it comes to magic.
“Then let’s figure it out together! I’m pretty sure I’ve seen sections about form changing spells in some books in the library before.” Half of him wants to suggest going there right away, but he knows he won’t get past his mother in his current state, and Viktor probably needs more time to rest and adjust as well.
“Ah, speaking of research…” Viktor gestures toward the open books strewn across the desk he was sitting at earlier. “After getting me past the village gate, a few of the guards were sent here to ask about my curse. People were, understandably, still worried since they saw my other form before. I told them as much as I know, including the fact that I am a mage. I also mentioned that something has been feeling off ever since I entered the village. A strange pressure, an impurity in the air that I did not feel in the forest.”
It’s something many villagers have brought up before, but nobody was ever able to find the source of their discomfort. There have been theories that it may be related to the strange cases of incurable illness, but there was never anything conclusive.
“I may have found the reason for the disturbance. I would like to tell you and Ximena what I found.” Jayce nods eagerly, reaching for his crutch. He gets up and holds out his hand for Viktor to take. Their palms slot together comfortably and Jayce is once again left staring in wonder at the soft of Viktor’s skin on his, warmth spreading where they touch. He looks up to see Viktor already smiling at him, that tenderness once again evident in his eyes.
Hand in hand, they make their way out of the study and into the hallway. Jayce can hear dishes clattering quietly from the kitchen and he turns to follow the sound. When Ximena hears the sound of their footsteps, she turns to see them standing by the kitchen door, shoulder to shoulder. Her gaze drops to where their hands meet and Jayce feels heat rushing to his cheeks. His mother must have already noticed something earlier when she left the two of them to reunite by themselves. He half expects her to say something, but he’s grateful when she doesn’t. Glancing over at Viktor, he sees a similar look of relief.
Viktor clears his throat, taking another step forward. Noticing the shift in mood, Ximena turns her full attention to them.
“I have made progress on the village’s shield,” he tells her, and her eyes widen. She quickly wipes her hands on a towel, then gestures to the kitchen table as she begins to make her way over. They all sit, huddled together like they’re sharing a secret, as Viktor begins to explain.
“The illness you told me about. It is a direct consequence of the magic that surrounds Piltover,” he says. Ximena brings her hand to her mouth, looking horrified as Jayce clenches his hands into fists. A decade long mystery, now potentially close to being solved. Viktor continues.
“It is a type of magic I am somewhat familiar with at its core, but the way it was bent and deformed… I can tell that the initial spell was meant to protect, and I can feel that intent in its energy. But it seems that the technique of whoever used it was, eh… crude. They may have been self-taught, or perhaps held back by lack of skill. What they used is essentially banishing magic, but this particular spell was twisted to act as protection magic instead.”
“Wait, but I read somewhere that combining different kinds of magic is dangerous,” Jayce recalls. He can’t remember the exact explanation, but it had something to do with mixing two different forms of pure energy that can dilute the effects. Viktor nods.
“That’s right. Translating intent into magic can be difficult. In this case, the mage may have intended to protect Piltover by shielding it from potential harm that could come from the outside.” Viktor lifts one hand, using it to represent the first intent. “However, if something were to make it through this protection, it would render that spell useless. So to combat that,” he lifts his other hand, holding it parallel to the first. “they would also need something to purge the village of any intruders.”
“And that’s where the banishing magic comes in,” Jayce mumbles, watching Viktor’s hands.
“Exactly!” Viktor claps his palms together, interlocking his fingers. The two intents melt together. “Banishing magic is more aggressive, and is therefore not compatible with the more gentle protection magic. A skilled mage could modify their spells to make it work, but it would require a calm mind and a lot of practice. Otherwise the magic may attack those it was meant to protect.”
Jayce nods, mesmerized as he continues to stare at Viktor’s hands. A moment of silence passes as they digest the new information.
“But…” Ximena eventually speaks up, tapping her lip as she thinks. They both turn to look at her, and Viktor lowers his hands again. “How come not everyone is affected? If the spell is attacking the people and making them sick, why doesn’t everyone feel it?” Viktor hums.
“The answer to that may be quite boring. It could either be that the mage failed to properly categorize what counts as an unwanted intruder, or it simply boils down to people’s individual constitutions. Not everyone is the same, after all. Some people are more sensitive to magic. It could also be a combination of both. It’s not unlikely that the spell repels only parts of a person. It could be based on looks, personality, behavior… Whatever the mage would have classified as a ‘monster’. After reverting back to my human form, I no longer feel it pushing me out.”
“That would explain why people weren’t killed directly by the illness. It was only harming parts of them,” Jayce concludes. The room goes quiet again, all three of them staring at the table, lost in thought. Now that they know what is causing the issue…
“Is there a way to undo the spell?” Ximena asks, looking at Viktor. He gives her a lopsided grin.
“Luckily for us, shield spells happen to be some of the first I learned, and they can be undone quite easily. I only need to figure out how to remove the banishment spell alongside it.”
“So it’s doable?” Jayce beams, leaning forward in his chair in excitement.
“Very much so. But I’ll need some time.”
“Is there anything we can do to help?” Ximena asks, and Viktor hums as he thinks.
“I’ll need as many books on magic as possible. You’ll also have to tell everyone about this. The people of Piltover probably don’t fully trust me yet, so the idea of me removing what they believe to be their strongest protection might not be to their liking. If you can, please convince them that this is the best course of action.” Jayce and Ximena nod, determined to do their part. They continue to discuss their plan until early evening, when Ximena closes the meeting by declaring that Jayce and Viktor both need to rest as she resumes making them something to eat.
It takes several weeks to get things ready. Jayce and Ximena have both explained the situation to the villagers who, just as expected, were doubtful at first. Some are easier to convince while others remain stubborn and unwilling to give Viktor a chance. As frustrating as it is, Jayce can’t blame them. The idea of willingly letting an outsider dissolve a decade-old spell that they think kept them safe is bound to be unpopular at first. And the fact that Viktor was first seen in the form of a monster that they grew up fearing doesn’t exactly make things easier either.
Still, after reasoning with people and gently nudging them in the right direction, some seem to have changed their minds. The guard that was there the day Jayce and Viktor arrived and called for a doctor also testified that he never saw even a sliver of malice in Viktor’s demeanor. While he didn’t seem too happy about undoing the shield, he at least agreed to give them a chance.
Continued history lessons also help. They serve as solid proof that the corrupt elite did exist, and that they tried everything they could to stay in power. Telling Viktor’s story in relation to past events does result in some people feeling sympathy toward him. And while Jayce would have preferred to keep it private, Viktor believed that sharing his past would be worth it if it meant helping people.
Of course, there are also those who refuse to put too much trust in a stranger, but with Jayce and Ximena’s efforts, they at least agreed to let them test their theory. All in the name of curing the mysterious illness that plagued Piltover for decades, of course. Jayce counts it as a win.
In the meantime Viktor spends most of his time reading, taking notes and coming up with theoretical solutions for the banishment spell. He tends to either go to the library or sit in Jayce’s study, going through the books he borrowed. It’s not uncommon to find the light still on in the middle of the night, hours passing by as Viktor continues to learn what he can. On several occasions Jayce wakes up to get a glass of water, stopping by the door to see the light leaking out from underneath. Those nights, he continues to make his way to the kitchen, prepares tea instead, and takes it to the study, sharing it with Viktor as he joins him for the rest of the night.
They also have their fair share of scoldings from Ximena when she catches them skipping meals and missing out on sleep too often. Other nights, she is the one to bring them the tea as they make considerable progress that they can’t just take a break from.
Finally, one night they find a short paragraph about spells using more than one type of magic. The key, they read, is to slowly undo the spell bit by bit, carefully picking it apart like it might shatter at the slightest misstep. Attempting to undo it all at once may cause one to miss parts of it, and after removing everything else, those parts will be left behind without the rest of the spell to hold them together. Without a proper form, the leftover intent could bind itself to the earth, making it even more difficult to dissolve. Viktor will have to focus on channeling the unknown spell caster’s intent and reverting it slowly without missing any part.
“Can you do it?” Jayce asks him, eyebrows drawn together in worry. Viktor leans back in his chair and looks up from the text.
“I’ll do my best,” he says, and it sounds like a promise.
They go to bed early that night, getting as much sleep as possible so they can go into it with a clear mind. In the morning, Jayce announces that they will be ready to undo the spell the next day. The news spreads fast and the pressure grows as the doubtful gazes of the village turn to Viktor once more. Jayce does his best to distract him from it, getting his mother’s permission to go for a short walk in the forest. She’s hesitant at first, but agrees when Viktor assures her that there are no monsters in the forest anymore, and that they won’t go too far out.
The fresh air helps them both relax. As promised, they stay near Piltover, preferring not to push their luck with Ximena, but it still brings back memories from the days they spent together not long ago. As difficult as it was, part of Jayce does miss it. Being alone like this, the trees acting like a barrier between the two of them and the villages nearby. The peace and quiet.
They stop by a fallen tree, sitting down to rest their legs. Jayce stares at his crutch. His leg is healing nicely, but he isn’t supposed to overexert himself too much and it still hurts. The doctor told him that he will likely have to deal with lasting pain and stiffness for the rest of his life due to delayed treatment. Walking around on the leg, even with Viktor’s support and the makeshift brace, also made matters worse. His gaze shifts over to Viktor’s staff, leaning against the tree right beside his own, then to their legs, stretched out next to each other.
“We match,” he smiles, voice quiet so as to not disturb the birds’ singing. Viktor follows his eyes, frowning as he looks at the cast around Jayce’s leg.
“I wish I could have brought you back here faster.” Jayce glances up at Viktor’s face to see him biting his lower lip. He lifts his hand, resting it gently against Viktor’s cheek, then brushes his thumb against the corner of Viktor’s mouth, causing him to release his lip. Jayce stares at it, red and glistening with slight dents from his teeth.
“It’s okay. Well, it’s not. But I’ll learn to live with it,” Jayce reassures him. Viktor looks like he wants to say more on the matter, but decides against it and drops his head on Jayce’s shoulder instead with a quiet sigh. They stay like this for a while until Viktor speaks up again.
“Back then, I was really worried about you. You were injured and tired and there wasn’t even proper food around to help your body heal. But even so, sitting here together like this… I almost miss the time we spent here. It was… nice. Peaceful. Is that messed up?” Jayce chuckles and shakes his head. A strand of Viktor’s hair tickles the side of his face.
“I get what you mean, I was thinking the same earlier.” He turns his head carefully to look at Viktor. Their eyes meet. “I guess we’ll just have to come back here sometime, make some new memories. And we’re packing real food this time.” That earns him a laugh and the sound goes straight to his heart.
“I guess we’ll have to,” Viktor agrees, eyes sparkling as he looks up at Jayce. And who is he to resist such a sight.
Jayce leans down, pressing their lips together, and Viktor tilts his head to get a better angle as he sighs softly into the kiss. He wraps his hand gently around Jayce’s, bringing it up against his chest for Jayce to feel. Viktor’s heart is racing, matching the rhythm of Jayce’s own. The meaning of it has him pulling back just enough to look into Viktor’s eyes, cheeks flushed. Jayce’s heart feels so full, he could cry.
“Come to Zaun with me,” he breathes, and it sounds like a proposal. Viktor’s eyes widen, recalling the last time the topic came up. So much has changed in such a short amount of time, and now their dreams of a future together are within reach. Viktor closes his eyes and rests his forehead against Jayce’s, smiling wide.
“Okay,” he says, and he feels Jayce’s hand twitch against his own. “Okay. Let’s go to Zaun together.”
They get ready early the next day, anxious to get it over with. Many of the villagers have gathered near the gate, watching as Viktor steps outside and turns to face them. A few look nervous, clearly still unsure if trusting this stranger is a good idea. Ximena reminds everyone that they will need to remain calm and quiet so as to not disturb Viktor’s concentration.
Jayce stays by his mother’s side within the village, watching from afar as Viktor’s eyes slip shut and he holds his staff out in front of him. He stays like that for a while, perfectly silent and unmoving. Eventually, a few people begin to mumble among themselves. Words of doubt, words of dismissal, until Ximena turns to face the crowd and brings her hands up to quiet them.
Finally, Viktor’s lips begin to move, quick and precise, forming words that none of them can hear. The air shifts in an instant. The soft morning light dims considerably, and a few of the people look up. The sun is nowhere to be seen.
The tip of Viktor’s staff glows white, and the villagers watch in stunned silence as bright colors begin to flow from the staff, swirling around Viktor. A dome of faint light pulsates around the village, appearing and disappearing repeatedly, becoming brighter and brighter. This must be the shield.
Jayce looks back to Viktor. He’s still mumbling, eyes closed as the colors around him illuminate his face. He looks beautiful like this. The wind begins to pick up with a low whistle. With every pulse of light, small cracks begin to appear in the shield, spreading farther and farther until it resembles a net draped over the village.
Viktor raises his staff with one hand, holding the other out at his side, palm facing the sky. His lips continue to move as he opens his eyes, now glowing white. Jayce takes an involuntary step back as the colors become brighter and swish around Viktor’s palm, then flow into the village through the open gate. People back away but remain silent, too awestruck to make a sound as color rises up to the inner layer of the shield, where they flow through the cracks like water. The light continues to brighten until it’s almost impossible to see through its shine and then, all at once, it stops.
The air feels lighter. The wind stills. The brightness of the magic disappears from sight and the gentle glow of the morning sun illuminates the village once more.
Viktor lowers his hands, leaning heavily on his staff as he opens his eyes, now back to normal. He looks exhausted and is gasping for air. The villagers watch, all holding their breath. Finally, Viktor gives a weak small smile and nods. The spell is broken.
Jayce hurries over as fast as he can, pulling Viktor into a tight hug. He’s about to speak when the weight of another person leans against his back. He looks up to see Ximena with her arms wrapped around the both of them, looking relieved and proud. This is it. The moment that their hard work has led up to.
Behind them in the village, nobody shares their joy just yet. Jayce could feel that something undoubtedly changed the moment the spell was lifted, making the air lighter and taking pressure off of him that he never noticed before. He knows they all felt it too, but he understands that it will take time to see for certain if the illness really is cured once and for all. And once they do, they will have no more reason to doubt Viktor.
The three of them decide that the occasion calls for a celebration and Ximena promises to go all out on dinner tonight. When they go shopping for ingredients, it’s impossible to miss the smiles and the brighter mood of the other villagers, like they’ve been freed of something heavy. They must feel it themselves, because the looks Viktor receives have already warmed considerably with unspoken acceptance. Piltover is lighter.
Ximena walks them to the gate to see them off, looking like she’s about to tear up again. She looks at Viktor, then at Jayce, and blinks rapidly as she smiles sadly. Jayce feels his own eyes sting and forces himself to look away to avoid it.
“Remember to eat properly,” Ximena reminds them. “Make the meals I taught you and don’t let yourself get too lazy, or else it might become—”
“We won’t let it become a habit, we promise,” Jayce interrupts. She’s been repeating the same instructions for the past few days now, likely hoping to burn them into their memories that way. Jayce can say with certainty that it worked. His mother closes her mouth, eyebrows drawn together in her restlessness.
“And no pulling all-nighters either. Missing out on meals and sleep is bad for your health,” she says, then turns her gaze to Viktor, who has been looking off into the distance and doing his best to appear innocent. “Especially you, young man. I can always tell when you’ve been staying up for too long. And don’t even think about not taking it as seriously when you’re in Zaun. A mother always knows.” Viktor presses his lips together sheepishly and nods.
He’s been staying with Jayce and his mother for the past few months after the barrier was dissolved, taking the time to properly enjoy warm food and a comfortable home. It took a while for Viktor to get used to being human again, and he still forgets that he needs to eat sometimes.
Since that day, there have been no recorded signs of the illness that has plagued Piltover for decades. The people who suffered from it before have slowly started to recover, never relapsing. As a result, they have come to trust Viktor, finally warming up to him properly now.
Viktor also made up his mind about joining Jayce to study at Zaun’s Academy of Magic. With his experience as a mage and pre-existing knowledge and skill, his application was easily accepted.
They’ve been preparing together, excited for the opportunity to learn more. They’ve had many conversations about what types of magic interest them the most. Jayce’s interest has always been in creation magic, as well as healing magic, and he could tell Viktor felt similarly, but was held back by his past and the regret of what he’s done.
Jayce never pushed him, gave him all the space he needed to consider it. One night Viktor woke him up, looking exhausted and defeated as he admitted that he wanted to give healing magic another chance. They promised to learn together, and make sure to never hurt anyone ever again.
Now that some time has passed, Viktor seems more relaxed about it too. Worry is overshadowed by the raw fascination and eagerness to learn, something he’s always carried with him deep down. Something Jayce feels just as strongly. He can tell Viktor still has days where his memories haunt him, but he hopes that by studying it properly together, Viktor can learn to love healing magic without fear again.
Their carriage arrives and Ximena watches it with glassy eyes. She looks ready to cry again. Viktor takes a step closer to her, placing a hand on her shoulder in an attempt to comfort her. She looks up at him, then pulls him into an embrace. Viktor is startled, but quickly relaxes when she sniffles wetly. She really is crying now. He brings his arms around her, returning the hug.
Jayce’s heart feels full at the sight. These past few months, the two of them have also grown close, and Ximena has come to love Viktor as if he were her own son. He’s often watched their interactions, when Ximena taught Viktor how to cook, when he explained spells to her, when they talked about the people in the village and bonded over Jayce’s embarrassing childhood stories. When her expression suddenly became serious one late evening and she asked Viktor to take good care of her son. When the shock faded from Viktor’s face and he smiled gently, promising that he would. To say they have her blessing would be an understatement.
Ximena turns her head to look at Jayce, and before she can speak, he takes both of them into his arms. They stand outside Piltover’s gate, holding onto each other for as long as they can before the coachman of their carriage starts to get impatient. With one final kiss pressed to both of their cheeks, Ximena lets them go and helps them carry their bags over.
“Don’t forget to write,” she tells them. “If I don’t hear from you, I’ll come find you myself.” And Jayce knows she means it. “I love you.”
Jayce blinks tears from his eyes and smiles brightly. “I love you too.”
As the sight of Piltover slowly disappears behind them, Viktor gently wipes a trail of wetness off of Jayce’s cheek. The warmth in his gaze draws Jayce in, and he brings his own hand up to catch Viktor’s. Their fingers intertwine, hands coming to rest on Jayce’s thigh. They shift closer, leaning against each other and finally relaxing as the carriage brings them to their new, bright future together.
Art by ScribbleSpirit