Every single one of Jayce’s days is a long one. Every day he gets up, does paperwork, heads to the council, does paperwork, and then goes to bed. Every night is sleepless or restless and somehow feels longer than the proceeding long day. When he lays down, he thinks about paperwork he hasn’t done, discrepancies he thinks he missed, and gets up to do more work. He thought talking to Mel would clear his mind, help him relax, but her proposal about weaponizing hextech only made his foggy mind even cloudier.


    Earlier that night, Jayce gave Viktor space to sort out whatever he was dealing with regarding the Solver. Now though, Jayce needs Viktor. His partner has always been adamant against the weaponization of hextech, so between the contrasting stances of Mel and Viktor, Jayce finds himself stuck. He himself used to be stalwart against the council’s propositions of weapon manufacturing, but the recent terrorism, murder of enforcers, and theft of a hexgem has put his mind in an adversarial disposition regarding the undercity.


    Jayce barely notices the dark of the academy halls flood with artificial light. The incandescent sconces shouldn’t turn on automatically for another few hours at least: so someone must have turned them on manually. Only a few people would be awake this time of night. A patrolling officer, Skye, and Viktor. He hopes it’s Viktor, since it would suggest his work-absorbed colleague has some free time to talk.


    Though, as Jayce looks up to meet the sound of footsteps, his musing is cut short by the horrific sight sprinting toward him: Viktor, of all people, running almost naked at full speed through the illuminated academy halls. His best friend’s formerly crippled leg seems rotted, with discolored, patchwork skin, poorly connected staples, and long stitches across the whole thing. Beneath the patchwork skin, Jayce sees bits of sharp, rusted metal jutting out, struggling to cover an ever deeper layer of intricately connected wires.


    “Viktor? What happened? How are you–?” Jayce doesn’t see the cane anywhere. It must be the Solver’s work, since Viktor’s condition has been worsening for years. It wasn’t too long ago that his cane had been upgraded to become a crutch in accordance with his body’s failing motor functions. Jayce’s excitement starts to get sapped by Viktor’s panic, though.


    “No time! Jayce, where’s Skye?” Viktor’s eyes glimmer with desperation.


    “What? She was with me not long ago, but she said she wanted to show you something and left hours earlier. Now what happened? Why are you bloody?” Jayce’s mind rapidly forms theories on what Viktor did, his brain power all going toward his friend and the cure to his condition.


    “No… no… Jayce, what have we done…?” Viktor’s voice drops to a whisper, “What about the enforcer on morning duty?” Viktor asks, taking his friend''s lack of immediate response as a sign that Jayce doesn’t know much more than he does. Beckoning Jayce to accompany him, Viktor begins running down the halls as fast as his new leg can take him.


    “Viktor, how can you run? Breath? Are you..?”


    “Yes, Jayce, but that doesn’t matter now! I think I have been reckless and careless in the pursuit…” Viktor shudders as they reach the lab door, having run around the whole academy without even a sniff of a patrolling officer. There should always be one 24/7 guarding the academy halls.


    Viktor glares at the slightly ajar door, his hand reaching out slowly to open it. He stops and pulls back when Jayce launches forward and tightly grasps his wrist.


    “What are you doing?” Jayce questions, still completely confused.


    “I’m going to confront it, I think it killed them…” Viktor hesitates, realizing just how porous his logic is after taking just one step toward executing his plan. But he has to do this, no one else. This was his project.


    “Viktor, if that thing really killed them, what makes you think we can fight it empty-handed? Let’s go get the enforcers, we can tell them an experiment went wrong and we need it dealt–”


    “Jayce! If it really can fight back like that, I can’t risk anyone else. I can’t risk you, either. Stay back here. I can handle it.” Viktor meets Jayce’s eyes, determined to do whatever he can.The story has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.


    “No. I can’t let you. I’m going in with you, or the enforcers go in alone.” Jayce meets his partner’s eyes with matched determination, staring him down.


    Viktor doesn’t like lying. He doesn''t like using people, either. But, he has ambition, and he has responsibility. The Solver’s potential is undeniable, and so is its danger. As a scientist, and as a citizen of Piltover, Viktor is responsible for guiding that dangerous potential to a place where those in need can be helped as much as possible. Right now though, he’s facing a dilemma:


    He could follow ambition: Walk in right now and confront the Solver, probably find a way to spare and imprison it, and keep the path of using it to help others open. Or, he could wait for the enforcers and eliminate the Solver before anyone else can be hurt.


    His morality gives an obvious picture, but Viktor doesn’t know if it can even be destroyed… he doesn’t know if it would be able to retaliate against the enforcers…


    With all that in mind… maybe he could have his cake and eat it too? Viktor could go in right now, confront it, and, depending on its response, simply make his decision then. After all, more information is better.


    “Do it then,” Viktor sits down, his body flopping onto the tile with a thud. “I’ll wait for you here; I''m not exactly presentable right now,” Viktor chuckles lightly, gesturing to his mostly naked, partially nightmarishly transformed figure.


    Once Jayce runs off and the counselor’s footsteps are no longer audible, Viktor knows what to do.


    He stands up and reluctantly opens the door, taking in the familiar sights of his lab. The Solver, ever-creepy, is perched on the desk as usual, the metal of the former Hexcore used like an off-color flower pot for the gory mechanism sprouting from it.


    “Excuse me…”


    “Jumpscare!” In an instant, the device launches toward him, meeting him face-to-face. Viktor still flinches, despite the numerous times the strange creature has done this.


    “Hi-Hello…” Viktor takes a deep breath and approaches. “Did you… see anyone enter the lab earlier?” He asks, keeping his voice low and flat.


    For a man who’s known his death will come for him early, when face-to-face with it he can’t help but retain the temptation to flee.


    “Unsure. I. Was. Very. Focused. During. The. Procedure.” Its eye squints at him, seemingly trying to guess what he’s getting at.


    “You have no idea? What about all that blood? Was that from me, or something else?” Viktor glares, his eyes quickly narrowing in return when he realizes vague probing wouldn’t do him any good.


    “Don’t. Know. Flesh. Is. All. The. Same.” The Solver gives a quick eye roll and backs away, hovering just above the rusty base, which has started shaking.


    “What is wrong with you…” Viktor can tell, easily, at this point; the evasiveness, the excuses, the obvious lies… there’s no way it didn’t kill them, and the Solver’s indifference sickens him more than any crippling disease could ever hope.


    “I know what you’ve done. Listen when I say your only hope now is fully complying with me and Piltover.” Viktor knows its deceitful, monstrous nature, but the devil on his shoulder is whispering. Chains worked before, so maybe it could still be restrained. It hasn’t attacked him yet, and he doesn’t see any potential besides ramming to do physical harm. If he could figure out how to control it, the amount of people that could be saved would be incredible!


    Irrespective of his desires, he knows now his time is up. Down the hall thunderous footsteps resound. Shortly after, the shouting of a half-dozen fully armed enforcers resounds around the room. Jayce stands behind them, unamused and frowning at Viktor.


    “Get back here, Viktor, please.”


    Viktor takes a look at the Solver, who is unfrightened, even a bit entertained, and walks to Jayce’s side.


    Before Viktor can make any requests, multiple gunshots ring through his ears. Opening his eyes, he meets the fading gaze of the camera. The Solver’s cracked lens drops to the counter and fades into gray sludge, steaming then solidifying within seconds.


    “Nightmarish. Laugh—ttttt–eeeer—rrrrr.” Its voice glitches out, deepening and finally stopping after a few seconds.


    Viktor stands there, unmoving, as enforcers sweep the lab. They don’t bother him, and neither does Jayce. The counselor simply shakes his head and walks away, sighing, his original plan of respite having backfired spectacularly.