บท 77: Chapter 56: The Past & The Present
((Quick address to Ionia: We can return in the future, it wasn't nuked. I mentioned before that it was only going to last a few chapters, I really didn't want to leave Piltover in the end just yet.
It ended up being a good segment with lots of potential, but rushed by the end.
Hopefully everyone enjoyed at least the taste of Ionia in this writing. For some, it will be disappointing because they enjoyed it a lot more.
I was struggling to write it because I just wanted to return. I gave it my best effort but it was still rushed because of my desire.
On the positive side: We have affected ionia lore so it will be easier to return and explore!
We can even return again before Act 2 potentially, or touch this spirit realm I keep seeing and maybe involve Janna (though i'll need help here or in discord with that maybe)
I can also make some of them come to Piltover to hunt him down perhaps.
I saw fun ideas too. Permanent magical passage to teleport in that spot, or perhaps Orion can use teleportation now? Does that space Orion experienced in the teleport mean something evil lurks there?
There are plenty of Ionian elements that can be brought to Piltover.
We affected some canon characters directly: Akali, Shen, Kennen, and two lore characters.
I've spent literal hours researching Ionia, apparently I've only scratched the surface.
That being said: Let's start the discovery of new Piltover!
--------------------------------------
///////Warning - Darker depictions of trauma this chapter///////
// One year after Orion's disappearance - Undercity side of Piltover River//
Stumbling out from the ruined warehouse, Orion's legs shook as he struggled to stay upright.
Nothing looked much different on the surface. Outside of the wreckage of the warehouse, there were no brighter colors or new symbols of hope dotting anything.
Well maintained buildings stood proudly on one side of the river, while rusted tin and decay lined his side.
'Where do I even go?' Orion thought grimly, staring out at the polluted river, faint lights scattering rays of light across the dark river surface.
The memory of bombs detonating around him surged back, making him flinch.
'Yeah...I don't even know who won after that fight. I'll take a peek at the Last Drop, at most.'
His gaze shifted down to his garments.
Ionian clothing- while not uncommon in Piltover, a hub of trading- didn't suit his features. He didn't look Ionian, just wore their garb.
Dark green tunic with Kinkou patterns, a brown sash, and golden trim, all marking him as part of the Kinkou Order.
Orion stared down at his tunic before letting out another sigh, 'I have to get rid of this too, or people could associate my actions with the Kinkou Order. Then they'll REALLY come after me- if they aren't already.'
Even after a year of training, which focused more on control than combat, Orion doubted he could take Shen in a fight. That man had too much experience- Orion would just find himself in a coffin.
While continuing to assess his situation, faint echoes of laughter erupted from a nearby alley. Three emerged from the shadows, all sharing a similar, malnourished build close to Orion's, though the man in front carried a weapon.
The leader was a typical thug from Piltover- no shirt, brown jacket, baggy pants, and a mask resting on top of his head?
'I guess that wolf mask stands out' Orion thought, amused. 'Looks like it's modeled after Kindred?'
The others two looked more ridiculous. One wore a shirt with the Diva of Zaun, Scratch's guitar drawn on while the other-
'Is that a pink microphone?'
Orion's eyebrows furrowed as he stared at the completely out of place color on his shirt.
'Is there some new craze in the Undercity while I've been gone?'
"What's an Ionian doing out here all alone?" the leader sneered, bouncing the blunt end of his machete on his shoulder.
"Doesn't look Ionian." One of his goons chuckled. The other taunted, "Not very smart either."
'Ah, shit. Here we go again.'
Strangely, he didn't feel threatened or bothered by them as they approached. Maybe because he was older? No. Their malnourished, feeble frames were pathetic compared to the trained students at the Kinkou temple.
'Hold on... shouldn't nature be giving more of a damn here? This place is so out of balance it's a joke!'
Orion fumed in silence, especially after what happened, forgetting about the street thugs until they were directly in front of him.
"Strip." the leader demanded, smirking.
"What?"
"You're a fucking vegetable. I doubt you have anything worthwhile. Stri-"
Before the leader finished, Orion raised his palm, channeling magic into a focused burst.
A bright blue explosion erupted against the man's chest, hurling him back several meters, his machete dropping with a noisy clatter.
The other two hesitated, looking back toward their fallen leader stunned. Orion took a calm step forward.
Without a word, he gripped the one with Scratch's symbol by the head and delivered a sharp gut punch infused with magic. The man folded instantly, body lifting from the ground before he collapsed in a crumpled heap.
Orion's cold gaze shifted to the last one- the one with a pink symbol. The man dropped to his knees with tears welling up.
"Ah, you're going to start crying now?" Orion scoffed, stepping toward him.
Shrieking, the man decided it wasn't worth it, and scrambled to make a run. Orion exhaled, releasing the last remnant of his magic from the previous punch.
'That training paid off...' Orion looked down at his knuckles, turning his wrist. The control felt better, less fatigue, but it still burned. 'Less effort, but I'm not there yet.'
The thug wheezing on the ground received a sharp kick to the temple, knocking him out cold.
"They would be so mad at me." Orion let out an amused chuckle as he ripped off the thug's black Scratch shirt and brown pants, replacing the Ionian tunic he previously wore.
'Eh, I look...' Orion grimaced in disapproval, glancing over at the leader he knocked meters away. 'Jacket!'
Yeah, he took his brown leather jacket. Orion really missed his old one, it had more pockets, but this would do.
Orion held the black wolf mask in his hand. It's design was curved and made of metal, the black wolf attached to it covering part of his natural brown hair when he tried it on.
'It's a bit much' Orion frowned. 'But it'll do. No telling who's friend or foe yet..'
"How do I sound," Orion tested his voice behind it. The words came out slightly muffled, distorted. Not ideal.
The vision wasn't the greatest either- limited- easy to be blindsided.
'Did Silco win? Did Shimmer take over? Or did things truly change...'
Orion's vision flashed to the two pairs of haunted eyes hovering in the warehouse window just before the explosion.
"Whatever," he groaned, shoving the memory back as deep as possible.
Patting the thug's pockets, he found two silver coins- probably money for the three of them to eat.
Rolling them in his hand, he sighed, and with reluctant pity shoved one back in the leader's pocket.
He then grabbed his Ionian clothes, unsteadily walked toward the river's edge, and tossed them in before disappearing into the streets of the Undercity.
'Should I reconnect if they're doing alright?' Orion questioned his involvement with Vander and the gang again. 'It doesn't seem to turn out well for me...'
-----------------------
//Powder's perspective//
"Get out of my face, sleazeball!"
Powder watched as her sister, Vi, viciously shoved a bald drunkard out into the streets from the Last Drop. Powder had turned thirteen recently. Vi was sixteen.
It had been a full year since the explosion at Riverside.
Vander stepped outside, drawn to the commotion this drunkard had caused. He had changed so much since then. More violent. More prone to snapping.
The man tensed immediately, muttering, "I'm sorry..." before meekly stumbling away.
Many nights, Powder caught Vander pouring copious amounts of liquor into a cup alone, staring out into an empty bar. Sometimes, she noticed him glancing sideways, as if expecting someone- someone familiar- to sit beside him and lift his spirits. But the bar remained empty, and his face would harden with disheartened silence.
After the incident, Vander told them everything. About Silco. He warned them never to approach anyone connected with Silco's influence.
He told them about Orion's involvement, and how Vander tried to stop Silco from corrupting him- which led to all of this.
Since then, a silent war raged in the Undercity. Vander would return home many nights with blood stained gauntlets and fury etched into his face. Powder didn't understand the full extent of it- only that had everything to do with Silco.
And every month, Vander would take Ekko to the cemetery to mourn Benzo. Powder and the gang would tag along, equally sharing in the loss. Even now, none of them could visit without shedding tears.
But what haunted Powder the most was Orion.
"I'm sorry..." Powder watched as Vander knelt at his grave, his face hollowed with guilt. "I killed your family... and I killed you. And I lost the lives of so many..."
Flashes of the memory seared Powder's mind, sending her into fits ripping at her hair, flinching, or shouting randomly. Images of his desperate face, begging face- before it all went silent, like her broken monkey toy.
And now, as the drunkard staggered away from the Last Drop, Powder saw it again. The man's figure blurred in her mind, replaced by Orion's retreating figure.
A sharp, pained whimper escaped her lips. She shrieked, startling Vi and Vander as they both turned, alarmed.
"Hey, Pow-pow, let's have some juice together, yeah?" Vi's voice softened, her face twisting with concern as she reached out gently.
For Powder however, it was too much. Without thinking, she shoved Vi's hand away, breath hitching.
Breathing heavily, she looked up at them both, seeing the hurt and confusion in their eyes. Tears welled up as she clutched her arm, whispering, "Sorry..."
Her gaze flickered to the side, unable to meet theirs.
Blink, Blink
Powder paused, her gaze stuck on an alleyway, her emotions freezing for just a moment. An unfamiliar wolf-masked person, clad in a worn brown jacket, black Scratch shirt, and brown pants.
Something felt familiar, gnawing at her consciousness, she couldn't quite place it.
"Pow-Pow?" Vi's voice cut through the haze, causing Powder to blink. She quickly looked back at Vi as if waking from a trance. Vi looked concern, reaching out with both hands, gently cupping Powder's face.
Powder blinked again, swallowing as she nodded, but her eyes drifted back toward the alley.
The figure was gone.
Shaking her head, Powder clung tightly to her sister before they retreated back inside, sinking into her sister's comforting embrace.
"That's a good girl," Vander's deep voice rumbled as he smiled warmly, ruffling her longer hair with his oversized hand. "I think I'll make something special tonight. What do you say, aye?"
— ตอนใหม่กำลังมาในเร็วๆ นี้ — เขียนรีวิว
สถานะพลังงานรายสัปดาห์
-- การจัดอันดับด้วยพลัง 
-- หินพลัง