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Marcus entered the Council chamber still wearing the mask of a dutiful Captain, completely oblivious to the trap that had already snapped shut. He thought this was about the lockdown or the escape of the fugitives.
"Councilors," Marcus began, his voice steady but defensive. "I apologize for the security breach at the Academy. Those Firelight terrorists are more sophisticated than we thought. They have some kind of aerial transport—"
Lady Kiramman stood up abruptly, her chair scraping against the floor like a blade. "Are you still playing dumb, Marcus? Do you really believe that a badge gives you a permanent cloak of invisibility?"
The temperature in the room plummeted. Marcus faltered, his bravado flickering. "Madam... I don't understand."
"Your collusion with Silco. Your hand in the Shimmer trade. Your betrayal of every oath you took to this city," she declared, her voice cold and resonant. "Did you really think the Council was as blind as you hoped?"
With a heavy thud, Marcus fell to his knees. The color drained from his face, leaving him a sallow, terrified gray. He tried to speak, but only a dry rasp came out.
"These," Lady Kiramman said, tossing a thick dossier onto the central table, "are irrefutable proofs."
The Councilors, who had already been briefed, still found themselves trembling as they looked at the photographs: the bloated, mutated remains of Shimmer victims, the ledgers of blood money, and the maps of Silco's hidden labs. Even Mel Medarda, who had seen the brutal efficiency of Noxian conquest, found herself revolted. This wasn't war; it was a slow, agonizing rot.
"Marcus," Mel said, her voice filled with a sharp, regal authority. "The evidence is absolute. What is left to say?"
"No... it's a frame-up," Marcus stammered, sweat pouring down his forehead. "Someone is trying to take me down. These are fakes!"
"Still lying," Lady Kiramman hissed. "Fine. If physical evidence isn't enough, we have the witness."
The heavy doors creaked open. Caitlyn walked in, and beside her was Vi. Vi didn't say a word; she just stared at Marcus with a gaze that could have melted iron. If Marcus hadn't sold his soul to Silco, Vander might still be alive. If Marcus hadn't dragged her into the darkness of Stillwater, she would never have lost three years of Powder's life.
Vi began to speak, her voice low and gravelly, recounting the specifics of Marcus's crimes—details only a co-conspirator or a victim would know. Caitlyn followed up, holding a ledger of Marcus's financial records.
"Marcus's official salary is modest," Caitlyn pointed out, her finger tracing the alarming spikes in his bank accounts. "Yet his spending habits match those of a merchant lord. Where did the gold come from, Captain?"
Marcus stared at the numbers. He had known this day was coming since the first time he'd accepted a bribe in that rainy alley. He had dug a hole so deep he had forgotten what the sun looked like. He looked up at the ceiling and let out a long, shuddering breath. The fear that had lived in his chest for years finally dissipated, replaced by a hollow, crushing relief.
"I plead guilty," Marcus whispered. "I will cooperate."
He didn't wait for the guards. He pulled his own handcuffs from his belt and snapped them onto his wrists. Then, he looked at Lady Kiramman, his eyes red and pleading.
"I will confess everything. I will give you every name, every lab, every shipment. But I beg you... grant me one thing."
A Councilor scoffed. "You have no standing to negotiate, criminal!"
"I worked for Silco because he threatened my daughter!" Marcus broke down, tears streaming into his beard. "The moment I talk, he will kill her. Please... she is innocent. Protect her."
Lady Kiramman looked at Caitlyn, then back at the broken man on the floor. She saw the father beneath the traitor. "Marcus, if you give us the truth, I will personally see your daughter moved to a safe house under Kiramman protection. You have my word."
"Thank you... thank you..."
Marcus was led away, his shoulders slumped. Chen, standing by the door, watched him pass. He felt a twinge of pity; Marcus was a man crushed by a reality he wasn't strong enough to resist. A hater of the Sump who became its most useful tool.
After a moment of heavy silence, a Councilor stood up. "We have no Sheriff. The Enforcers are in disarray. We need a replacement who can restore order immediately."
Another Councilor, clearly following a pre-written script, replied, "Miss Caitlyn Kiramman uncovered this rot. Her metrics at the Academy were record-breaking. She has the skill, the lineage, and the integrity we need."
"Agreed," a third chimed in. "Her marksmanship is legendary, and she clearly has the investigative mind for the job."
Lady Kiramman played her part perfectly, feigning a moment of maternal hesitation. "Surely, she is too young..."
"Nonsense! Let us vote."
The hands went up. Unanimous.
Caitlyn stood there, her mouth slightly open. Beside her, Vi looked just as stunned.
"Wait," Caitlyn blurted out. "Did I have a say in this?"
Lady Kiramman looked at her daughter with a faint, triumphant smile. "Are you refusing the duty, Sheriff?"
"No... it's just..." Caitlyn trailed off, looking at the badge that would soon be hers.
Outside the chamber, the two walked in a daze. "Little Cupcake," Vi chirped, "you're a Sheriff now? That's... actually kind of impressive."
Caitlyn knew her mother had engineered the whole thing, but she didn't care. She finally had the power to change things. She turned to Vi, her expression earnest. "I'm going to need people I can trust, Vi. Enforcers who know the real world. Come with me. Be my partner."
Vi let out a bark of laughter, leaning against a marble pillar. "Me? In a blue suit? Absolutely not."
"I, Vi, would rather starve in the Lanes or jump off the Hexgate than become a Cop. Don't push your luck, Sheriff."
Silco sat in his office, listening to the report from his spies. His eye didn't twitch, but the air around him grew cold.
"Caitlyn is the new Sheriff?" Silco whispered. "She has her mother's spine and the girl's stubbornness. She cannot be bought."
He looked at the iron box on his desk. The "Winds of Change" were blowing, but he was preparing a storm of his own.
"Move the timeline up," Silco commanded Sevika. "They think they've won because they caught a traitor. They have no idea what's coming."
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