Aftermath, the Raven's Arrival

The rooftop of The Last Drop.

Silco gazed at the broken Boundary Bridge with a complicated expression, a hint of sentiment in his eyes.

Sevika, beside him, could not keep her thoughts to herself. She muttered in an unusual tone, "Butler really went all out. Who knows what we'll go through next."

"We should call him Mr. Viktor now. He is a hero of Zaun. As Zaunites, all of us have dreamed of this day."

Silco gripped the railing tightly with both hands, but his gaze was fixed on the Vander Statue below. It was as though he were saying:

Do you see it, Vander? Only overwhelming strength can bring Zaun a future!

"What should we do?" Sevika asked.

"Spread the word. Carry out Mr. Viktor's will. I don't want to hear any discordant voices under my command. He has set an example with his strength. We cannot fall behind," Silco said coldly.

"Understood!"

On another rooftop in Zaun, a white-haired boy wearing the mask of the Firelight Gang leader stood there. He too had witnessed Viktor blowing up the bridge.

His name was Ekko. He had once been adopted by Benzo, Vander's closest friend. During the turmoil orchestrated by Silco, Benzo and Vander had died on the same day. He and Silco shared a blood feud as well.

Ekko turned to look at the two women behind him.

"Piltover and Zaun are finished. What are you going to do?"

One of them was Caitlyn Kiramman, whose expression was filled with disgust.

"Another spread of evil. That man should be judged by justice. Vi, would you follow someone like him?"

"I don't agree with your pompous justice. Viktor was not actually wrong."

Pink-haired Vi shook her head. She was the criminal Caitlyn had brought out of Stillwater Hold.

She had another identity as well: Vander's adoptive daughter and Jinx's older sister.

"I was wrong about you." Caitlyn left those words behind and turned to leave.

"Don't be in such a hurry, Cupcake. Didn't you hear what Ekko said? That man has ties to Silco, and Silco is my mortal enemy."

Vi draped an arm over Caitlyn's shoulders, raising her brows as she looked at her teasingly.

"Then what do you want to do? Go with the Firelight Gang and oppose him, or come back to Piltover with me?" Caitlyn frowned deeply.

"Forget it. The relationship between the Twin Cities has fallen apart. Your people won't exactly welcome me now." Vi spread her hands.

"Miss Kiramman," Ekko suddenly said from up ahead. "Though the news is sad, I think you have the right to know. During the previous unrest, your family estate was razed to the ground. Your father left no remains behind in that disaster, and Councilor Kiramman was seriously injured as well."

"What!? How could that be possible!"

Caitlyn's eyes widened as she stared fixedly at Ekko. Her body trembled involuntarily. If Vi had not been holding her, she would have already collapsed to the ground.

She looked at Ekko pleadingly, hoping as she said:

"Tell me this isn't true!"

"I have no reason to lie to you. You'll learn all of this once you return to the Upper City."

After saying that coldly, Ekko leaped down from the high ground, stepped onto his Greenfire Hoverboard, and sped away below.

The balance between Zaun and Piltover had changed. He needed to make preparations as soon as possible.

After hearing that definitive answer, Caitlyn broke free from Vi and took several steps forward. She braced both hands against the railing and stared blankly toward Piltover.

"This doesn't look like you, Cupcake. You shouldn't be this lifeless," Vi said as she walked to Caitlyn's side.

"What do you know? It wasn't your family who died!" Caitlyn said bitterly.

"Yeah, it wasn't my family. But nearly all of my family is already dead, and I've been through it more than once. This world is really fucked up."

Vi shoved her hands into her pockets, her face carrying a mocking look toward the world as she gazed toward Piltover as well, at the broken Boundary Bridge.

After a while, once Caitlyn had calmed down somewhat, Vi put on that roguish expression again.

"Cupcake, judging by that look on your face, it seems you've got an idea?"

"Vi, let's join forces!"

Caitlyn turned to Vi. Dried tear tracks still remained on her face, but her tone was resolute.

"You overthrow Silco and Viktor and build a new Zaun. I'll do it for Piltover, and for myself."

"That sounds kind of interesting, but I don't want to work with those stuffed-shirt officials from Piltover." Vi looked troubled.

"Not them. Me, Caitlyn of the Kiramman Family!" Caitlyn deliberately emphasized her family name. "I'll show you my sincerity."

Vi raised her brows and said nothing more, merely extending her hand to Caitlyn.

Caitlyn reached out and clasped it, determination written across her face.

Justice! It would surely prevail!

Inside the Noxus Embassy in Piltover, in Ryan's room.

Katarina remained hidden in the shadows like a loyal guard, leaning against the wall as she watched Ryan meditate.

Streams of water formed from magic swirled around Ryan, condensing into rune-like shapes before flowing into his body.

Katarina saw scenes like this every day.

The awakening of magic was decreed by fate, while studying runes could raise one's acquired potential.

She had heard Ryan explain that runes could not only amplify the magic within one's body, but also unleash incredible power. Teleportation, binding, controlling gravity—so long as one could use energy to guide the runes, all of it could be done with ease.

Yet most mages were immersed in the pursuit of raw power. Even in Noxus, where competition had become a habit, there were very few like Ryan who meditated and trained with runes every day without sleep.

Suddenly, Ryan opened his eyes, his magic-blue gaze sweeping toward the window.

"Caw! Caw!"

The cries of a crow suddenly rang out from outside. Immediately afterward, a crow with pitch-black feathers and blood-red eyes appeared by the window.

"My lord, I'll deal with it at once."

Katarina excused herself and moved to draw the dagger from her back.

"Open the window for him. He is an old friend of mine. You can't beat him."

Though unconvinced by Ryan's certainty, Katarina still obeyed. Even if it was a magical creature, it was only a crow.

She opened the window for it, allowing it to fly into the room and land on the perch directly opposite Ryan.

The perch had been there all along, as though it had been prepared specifically for him.

Katarina leaned against the wall again and watched as the crow settled onto the perch. Those scarlet eyes swept over her.

That single glance made her eyes widen. In that moment, she felt as though she had been stared at by a demon. Her blood seemed to freeze, her breathing became difficult, and her body trembled uncontrollably.

Fortunately, the gaze soon shifted away. The crow returned all of its attention to Ryan.

"Ryan, it has been a long time."

Thanks again to Marisa the Master Thief for the generous donation! My first recommendation next week is coming up, and I couldn't have done it without everyone's support. Thank you all so very much!!