Arcane: TTB: Ch. 140

The airship carrying Jayce finally arrived above The Last Drop in Zaun's heart.

He didn't want to dwell on what had happened during the flight over. Nearly getting vaporized by those laser cannons was bad enough, and learning about a Noxian invasion force was something he could barely process.

Unmanned surveillance drones had approached their airship, demanded identification scans, and only allowed them passage after confirming they posed no threat.

If someone tried to tell him that Heimerdinger hadn't personally programmed those machines to mess with him, he wouldn't believe it even if they beat the explanation into his skull with a hammer.

The most insulting part? Caitlyn had her Hextech rifle strapped openly across her back, yet the drones barely gave her a second glance. Meanwhile, he got scanned multiple times by different sensor arrays.

A completely outrageous insult that had him trembling!

"Jayce, welcome back to Zaun as our guest."

The moment he climbed down the rope ladder and touched solid ground, Heimerdinger appeared at the bar's entrance to greet him personally.

"You definitely set those drones to harass me during the flight over here!"

Though Jayce said that, he didn't look particularly upset.

His temper might flare easily, and throughout his years at Piltover Academy he'd had no real friends besides Viktor to confide in. But beneath all that prickly exterior, he valued friendship deeply.

All these years of separation, he had never stopped missing the way things used to be between them all.

If Viktor and Heimerdinger hadn't reached out to help him during his darkest moments, not only would he have failed to realize his life's greatest ambition of developing Hextech and reaching the peak of his career, he might have been forced to start over from nothing multiple times.

If not for his loyalty to old friendships, he would never have hesitated to authorize full military action against Zaun.

A single phone call with Viktor made him reconsider activating Piltover's defense systems.

He also hadn't deployed the Hextech Dragon, instead allowing Zaun's aerial drones to occupy Piltover's skies without any resistance.

From the perspective of his duties as a Piltover councilor and chief architect of the city's defense systems, these decisions were completely inexplicable and treasonous.

"I didn't do anything suspicious, those were just the AI's own security protocols making independent evaluations," Heimerdinger raised his fuzzy eyebrows.

"Don't play dumb with me, Professor. You were definitely behind this whole setup. Caitlyn walks around with a Hextech rifle and they don't even blink, but me they scan like I'm carrying a bomb."

Jayce clearly wasn't buying it for a second. Interestingly, it never once occurred to him that Caitlyn herself might be working with Zaun, the possibility simply didn't exist in his mental framework.

"Alright, let's not waste time arguing."

Jayce waved his hand dismissively. His expression hardened as he continued, "Professor Heimerdinger, now that I'm actually here, tell me the real reason why you suddenly had to issue that war declaration this morning."

"I'd just finished pulling an all-nighter, and then your announcement nearly made me think I was suffering from sleep-deprivation hallucinations."

Jayce's face carried deep hurt and confusion, like someone who felt deceived and manipulated by his closest friends.

What kind of friendship was worth preserving if it involved this level of betrayal and secrecy?

"Come inside where we can talk privately. There's a lot you need to understand about what's really happening."

Seeing that Caitlyn had finished securing the airship and was walking toward them, Heimerdinger gestured toward the bar's entrance.

The interior of The Last Drop was warmer and more welcoming than Jayce had expected.

"Even though circumstances have brought us to this point, I want you to know I'm glad to see you again after all this time."

Viktor, who had taken operational command while Heimerdinger handled diplomacy, spoke as he studied his old friend's face.

The two brilliant scientists had originally been brought together through their passion for Hextech development. In the original timeline, they had ultimately been driven apart by that same technology, eventually becoming bitter enemies.

But no matter what, their friendship had never truly changed or diminished.

When faced with the choice between personal gain and brotherhood loyalty, both had consistently chosen to protect their friendship.

Even in this altered world, without Heimerdinger's interference in their partnership, they probably wouldn't have separated over Hextech itself. Yet because of their different visions for progress, they still found themselves on opposite sides.

After so many years, meeting again as enemies was deeply uncomfortable for both of them.

"Viktor..."

Staring at his closest friend, who now bore obvious mechanical augmentations throughout his body, Jayce felt his entire world shift beneath his feet.

"What... what happened to you?"

But faced with his friend's concern, Viktor could only sink deeper into silence. He didn't know how to explain his situation without causing even more pain.

"Professor, what exactly happened to him? Please, I need to know."

Since Viktor remained stubbornly silent, Jayce turned toward Heimerdinger.

"In my life, I've taught many brilliant students. Sadly, the brighter their fire burns, the more easily their life force gets consumed in the process. Viktor, he..."

Heimerdinger's mood darkened as he spoke. Holding his teacup with his head bowed low, he seemed unable to find the right words to continue.

"This can't be happening..."

Jayce's eyes widened as he looked at Viktor. He had clearly misunderstood the situation completely, jumping to the conclusion that Viktor was dying from some terrible disease.

"Come back with me right now, back to Piltover Academy where we belong."

"We'll research a treatment together, just like old times. We can definitely figure this out working as a team. Hextech technology can heal you, it has to be able to!"

Jayce stepped directly in front of Viktor.

"Jayce, please sit down first. You're getting ahead of yourself."

Heimerdinger quickly poured a fresh pot of tea and filled a cup for him.

"Thanks, but I can't drink anything right now."

Jayce rejected Heimerdinger's gesture with a sharp shake of his head. His thoughts were spinning in chaotic circles, leaving him unable to focus on anything except Viktor's condition.

As a councilor, his sworn duty was to protect Piltover and its citizens from any threat, internal or external.

But as a friend, was he really supposed to just stand by helplessly and watch Viktor die from some illness?

Absolutely not.

Never.

For years, I've given everything I had to Piltover. I've sacrificed my happiness, my research time, my relationships... all for that city's benefit. I can't and won't prioritize Piltover over Viktor's life. Nothing else matters except saving him.

He clenched his jaw. He reached out toward Viktor.

"Back when we first met, you reached out and saved. Now it's my turn to reach out and save you!"

"Viktor, I'll resign from my council position immediately if that's what it takes. Let's work together on this, just like when we worked side by side on the Hexgate."

Looking into Jayce's eyes, Viktor suddenly felt at ease.

Before this moment, he had harbored resentment about Jayce's stubborn refusal to embrace the path of Glorious Evolution.

But seeing his old friend willing to throw away his position as a Piltover councilor just to help save him... he found himself moved by it. All that bitterness and disappointment in his heart simply melted away.

Yet how could he possibly explain the real situation to Jayce now? That there wasn't anything seriously wrong with his health, that his previous illness was already under control?

That his current treatment plan was already perfected and working flawlessly, meaning he didn't actually need Jayce's help?

A comfortable lie would cause less pain. The brutal truth would crush Jayce's heart.

If he revealed the reality, Jayce would be devastated by the realization that his offer of sacrifice had been based on a misunderstanding. He couldn't bring himself to inflict that kind of damage on someone he cared about.

So, faced with Jayce's earnest, hopeful gaze, he simply turned his head away.

Heimerdinger, observing from the side, opened his mouth as if to speak but then closed it again, suddenly realizing that his own poorly chosen words might have led Jayce to this misunderstanding in the first place.

But how could he possibly explain the situation now without making everything even worse?

"Jayce, I promise you, things aren't nearly as dire as you're imagining them to be."

He once again offered the cup of tea. "Please, sit down and let me explain what's really happening here."

Jayce looked at Viktor, then shifted his gaze to Heimerdinger. Suddenly, he felt cold.

The world was too cruel, too indifferent to human suffering. Only Mel had ever managed to bring him any trace of real warmth.

"Fine. What is going on that I don't understand?"

Taking the offered cup, he slumped heavily into the nearest chair as if all his energy and fighting spirit had been drained away in a single moment. He ended up sprawled across the wooden table.

"You've misunderstood Viktor's situation. His illness is already under control. The therapeutic plan has been perfected and is working exactly as intended."

Heimerdinger took a sip of his own tea.

The truth stung worse than any lie could have, all that devotion, all that willingness to sacrifice everything, had been nothing more than Jayce being moved by his own misunderstanding.

The clown in this tragic comedy... had been him all along.

He had offered everything, as if it were a gift of light in the dark, only to see it swallowed whole, leaving him with nothing but emptiness.

Jayce collapsed face-first onto the bar table, no longer having the energy or desire to say a single word to anyone.

He felt exhausted. Maybe it would be better if everything just fell apart, this cold, merciless world.