When Viktor woke up, he was lying on a bed. His brows were tightly knit. Coughing, he pushed himself upright and sat on the edge, scanning his surroundings.
It was a small room—vintage decor, warm and lived-in. The table was piled with odds and ends, but it didn't feel messy. A bunch of clothes hung on a rack in the corner. On the little nightstand by the bed sat a framed photo.
A white-haired boy, and a chubby man.
"Ekko…?" Viktor recognized the boy in the photo—the one who, together with that other black-haired young man, had kidnapped him.
Looking around, Viktor confirmed where he was.
Zaun.
He was back in Zaun.
"You're awake?"
The door pushed open. The white-haired teen walked in with a cup and handed it to Viktor. "Viktor, drink some water first."
Viktor silently took it, glanced at the cup, and drank a couple of sips. Then he looked at Ekko and asked, "You brought me here—what do you want?"
"Relax. We're not going to hurt you." Ekko smiled at him. "As for what we want… you'll have to ask our boss."
Ekko had already learned Viktor was from Zaun, so he didn't hold prejudice against him.
And Viktor going to Piltover…
Honestly, not every Zaunite who went up to Piltover was a traitor. People chasing a better life, heading somewhere with better prospects—there was nothing wrong with that.
What was wrong was turning around and trashing your home afterward.
And Viktor wasn't that kind of person. Ekko had learned about him from Singed—how Viktor had been pushed aside in Piltover, yet still protected Zaunite students' interests at the Academy, still spoke up for Zaun.
Someone like that was worth respecting.
"How long was I out?" Viktor asked.
"A whole night. There was a sedative in the sack—sorry." Ekko clapped his hands once, then stood and looked at him. "Can you stand on your own? I'll take you to see our boss. He's been waiting a long time."
Viktor nodded. He reached for the cane beside the bed and levered his thin body upright.
He followed Ekko out the door—and the instant he saw what lay outside, his eyes went wide.
Because what stood before him wasn't the broken, rotten Zaun he remembered.
The air smelled clean. The streets were wide and spotless. The walls were covered in beautiful graffiti. Children ran and played in the road, shrieking with laughter. Women sold homemade pastries along the street. Men walked in groups wearing different styles of work overalls, smiles bright on their faces.
"This…" Viktor stared, mouth falling open, disbelief plain on his face.
No—seriously.
You call this Zaun?
This is still Zaun?!
"This is Zaun's Hope Community." Ekko saw Viktor's expression and grinned proudly, lifting his chin as he spoke loudly. "What—never seen a Zaun like this?"
"Viktor, Zaun has changed. It's not the Zaun it used to be. Now even the gangs have to keep their heads down and hide."
"People don't have to fear getting hurt for walking home late at night anymore. Merchants don't have to worry about being shaken down for protection money. And Zaun's opening factories—more and more of them. Any Zaunite who's willing to work can find a decent job. No one needs to go up to Piltover just to survive."
"Your… boss did this?" Viktor grabbed Ekko's arm, his eyes trembling with excitement.
"Yeah." Ekko nodded, smiling. "He changed Zaun."
"And now he needs your help, Viktor."
Viktor was shaken to the core. He'd always wanted Zaun to become better, but his voice had been too small. He'd once thought he could rely on Jayce—get the two cities cooperating, erase the divide—only to fail in the end.
And now Zaun had improved on its own?
Viktor's body started to tremble uncontrollably. The fatigue in his bones was washed away by adrenaline and awe. He looked at Ekko. "Take me to him."
"No problem." Ekko waved and headed forward, signaling Viktor to follow.
Half an hour later—
In truth, it didn't take that long to get from Hope Community to the Spirit Blossom Gang's base. But Viktor's condition was poor, and Ekko slowed down to match him.
After greeting a few Spirit Blossom Gang members at the entrance, Ekko led Viktor inside.
"You're… a gang too?" Viktor asked, looking at the members—different clothes, tattoos, petal patterns stitched onto their outfits.
"We used to be," Ekko thought for a moment, "but not anymore."
"Killing Enforcers… rebuilding the pipes… that was you?" Viktor pressed.
"Yeah." Ekko nodded. "In Zaun right now, we're the biggest."
"All right, Viktor." Seeing Viktor about to ask more, Ekko cut him off. "If you've got questions, ask our boss."
Then he led Viktor toward the largest building in the compound. The one on duty today was Manzu. When he saw Ekko, he smiled and nodded—then looked Viktor over and greeted him with an easy grin.
"This must be Viktor, yeah? Hey, Viktor—welcome back to Zaun."
"…"
Viktor didn't reply. He simply followed Ekko, unable to stop his mind from racing about what kind of person the Spirit Blossom Gang's boss would be.
He'd heard that after that incident, Piltover's councilors had launched a full investigation and opened a formal case.
But Viktor had never heard anything about the boss from Jayce—because Jayce didn't want Viktor worrying about these things. He was afraid stress would only make Viktor's condition worse.
So Viktor had started guessing.
Someone who could control Zaun had to be powerful. A towering, muscular type? Or a heavyset bruiser?
And he couldn't be young. Viktor hoped he was middle-aged, not elderly—someone in his prime who'd built all this, someone who could make Zaun better for decades to come.
Of course… assuming he stayed alive.
With those thoughts swirling, Viktor passed through the main door. After two turns down the corridor, Ekko stopped at a room and knocked. A young voice answered from inside.
"Come in."
Viktor froze. The voice sounded… familiar.
Ekko pushed the door open and glanced back at Viktor. "Go on. Boss is in there."
Viktor leaned on his cane and stepped inside—
And stopped dead.
He'd guessed wrong. All of it—completely wrong.
Inside, it wasn't one person.
It was a whole group.
A massive wolf-like monster. A gaunt black-haired man with half his face ruined. A small figure with fluffy yellow hair, raising a hand to greet him. And a man with his jaw wrapped in cloth.
Professor Heimerdinger… and Professor Singed!
But the most eye-catching of all was a pretty blue-haired girl with a long braid, sitting there going crunch crunch crunch as she devoured biscuits—her cute cheeks puffed out like a chipmunk, her pale, glowing hands never stopping as she grabbed more and stuffed them into her mouth.
Beside her sat a red-haired woman in a jacket, cool and sharp-eyed as she watched him.
And seated between them was a young man—smiling, black hair smooth and neat, handsome features, a gentle presence, the kind of person who looked naturally approachable.
Viktor had seen him last night.
"Viktor, I'm sorry we forced you to Zaun last night." The young man stood, looking at Viktor as he spoke.
Viktor should've been angry. Anyone would be—getting snatched without a word.
But now, seeing the young man smiling at him in daylight… Viktor's resentment faded.
And in its place—he found himself feeling strangely fond of him?!
What—how did that even happen?
Logan smiled as he walked up to Viktor and extended his hand.
"Let me introduce myself properly."
"My name is Logan. I'm the leader of the Spirit Blossom Gang—and Zaun's current ruler."
"It's a pleasure to meet you in Zaun, Viktor."
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