Grayson stepped forward and took hold of Jonathan's arm, guiding him away from the council platform.
"Jonathan," Heimerdinger called before he could leave.
Jonathan turned back, brows lifting. "Huh?"
Heimerdinger looked up at him, expression serious.
"Promise me you won't use magic for harm."
Jonathan paused—then stood a little straighter.
"I promise I won't use it for bad," he said, raising his pinky.
"Pinky swear."
A faint smile tugged at Heimerdinger's face.
"I believe you," he said softly.
Then his tone shifted—more grave.
"Just… be careful. Try not to blow yourself up."
Jonathan grinned faintly. "No promises."
"You may take him now," Heimerdinger said, as Grayson led Jonathan out of the chamber.
Jayce quickly followed, his mother keeping pace beside him.
—————————-
Jayce and his mother caught up to Grayson and Jonathan in the corridor.
Ahead, Jonathan was already talking.
"So, where to next?"
"You're being taken to one of the abandoned buildings on the outskirts of Piltover," Grayson replied.
Jonathan turned at the sound of footsteps behind them.
"Oh—Jayce," he said, then glanced at the woman beside him.
"And Jayce'smom."
Grayson gave a brief look over her shoulder, then turned her eyes forward again.
"Ms. Talis, you're a civilian. As such, you're not allowed to come," she said firmly.
Jayce's mother nodded. "I understand."
She turned to her son and pulled him into a hug. "Take care of yourself."
Jayce returned the hug. "I will."
Jonathan, watching them, wandered over and wrapped his arms around both of them—turning it into a very awkward grouphug.
"Don't worry, Ms. Talis," he said brightly. "He'sgotme."
Jayce and his mother separated immediately, stepping out of the hug.
Ms. Talis smiled, stiffly. "I think I'm moreworried now."
She turned and walked away, pausing briefly to waveback at herson.
Jayce started to raise his hand—
—but Jonathan waved first, enthusiastically.
Then Ms. Talis disappeared from view.
Jonathan watched her go, smiling fondly.
"That was a nice threesome."
Jayce blinked, confused. "Huh?"
Jonathan pointed back toward where she'd walked off. "The hug?"
————————————-
Now seated inside an abandoned building on the outskirts of Piltover, Jonathan and Jayce took in the dusty, dim interior.
Grayson stood nearby, arms crossed.
"Your equipment will be arriving shortly," she said.
"Yeah, yeah," Jonathan waved a hand, leaning back in his chair. "Jayce—how are we gonna do this?"
Jayce thought for a second. "Just… be lucky?" He shrugged. "Or be smarter. Jonathan, if you've got a secret genius side, now's the time to let it out."
Jonathan stood. "What do you mean, 'secret'? I am a genius."
He paused.
"Though… I do have a secret side to me."
Jayce looked up, curious. "And that is?"
Grayson raised an eyebrow.
Jonathan shrugged. "It's asecret that won't help."
He grabbed a sheet of paper and tossed two pencils onto the table.
"So let's just work."
Jayce sighed, grabbed a pencil, and sat forward.
The two of them began jotting down ideas, side by side.
—————————-
As Jayce and Jonathan scribbled, the doors creaked open. A pair of enforcers entered, hauling in boxes of equipment. They set everything down without a word.
Grayson gave a brief nod to the others and turned to leave—but Jonathan spoke up.
He stood, took a small breath, and said quietly, "Goodbye."
Grayson paused just long enough to glance back at him.
Then she walked out.
Two enforcers stayed behind, taking up posts by the door.
Jonathan exhaled and cracked his knuckles. "Finally. Let's get started."
Jayce looked over the notes they'd scribbled together, brow furrowed. Then he stood up.
"This is our last chance," he said. "So it better work."
Jonathan turned to him. "Do you agree that three is better than two?"
Jayce blinked. "I… don't know what that means. But yeah, three's higher than two, so sure?"
"That's what I thought," Jonathan nodded, satisfied.
Then he walked up to the enforcers by the door.
"Can I fetch something from the Academy?" he asked casually.
The enforcers exchanged a glance.
"You can go with him," one finally said to the other. "Grayson put me in charge. Just don't let him wander."
"Great," the second enforcer muttered, clearly unenthused. He turned to Jonathan. "Let's go. Follow me."
As they stepped toward the door, Jonathan paused and looked back at Jayce.
"You've got this," he said with a grin. "I believe in you."
Then he vanished out the door.
———————————
At the Academy, Jonathan strolled down the halls, eyes flicking from door to door, scanning nameplates.
The enforcer trailed close behind, clearly impatient. "Do you even know what you're looking for?"
"It's not a what," Jonathan replied, still looking around. "It's a who."
The enforcer frowned. "Who?"
Jonathan's eyes lit up as he spotted someone further down the corridor.
"That'swho," he said, pointing.
"Viktor!" Jonathan called out, breaking into a quick stride.
Viktor stopped mid-step and blinked. "You… you were at the trial."
"Yes, yes, it's me," Jonathan said with a grin. "And I need you."
Viktor tilted his head, wary. "Need me for what?"
Jonathan leaned in, whispering discreetly, "The enforcer behind me doesn't like when people ask questions."
He pulled back with a straight face. "So… any questions?"
Viktor glanced at the enforcer, then back at Jonathan.
"…Nope," he said quickly. "Let's go."
Confused, but clearly preferring not to test the situation, Viktor followed without protest.
———————————-
Jonathan, Viktor, and the enforcer returned to the building.
Jayce looked up as they entered. His brow furrowed.
"Why is he here?" he asked the enforcer.
The enforcer shrugged. "Don't look at me—he's the one that brought him." He pointed at Jonathan.
"Yup," Jonathan said with a nod.
Viktor raised a hand. "So… why did you bring me here?"
Jayce folded his arms. "Yeah, I'd like to know that too."
"As the saying goes," Jonathan said smoothly, "three heads are better than two."
Viktor blinked. "That's not the correct saying."
Jonathan shook his head. "Okay, okay, it has tiers."
He held up one finger. "Two heads are better than one."
Viktor nodded. "That's correct—"
"One head is better than none," Jonathan cut in. "Because none can't think. One is actually the start of the head."
He thumbed toward Jayce. "Jayce is headone."
Then pointed to himself. "I'm two, because two is better than one."
He pointed to Viktor. "And you… you're two."
"…But you just said you're two," Viktor said, confused.
"I was two," Jonathan corrected, giving himself a thumbs up. "But now I'm three. Which is better than two."
Viktor looked to Jayce.
Jayce shrugged and whispered, "He's a little weird."
Jonathan turned sharply. "You say something?"
"Yeah," Jayce said, already moving toward the table. "Let's stop talking and get to work."
Jonathan nodded, satisfied. "Great idea. Three heads at it."
"I never agreed to help," Viktor said, frowning. "And why did you bring me, specifically?"
Jonathan pointed at him. "I'm from the Undercity. And I can tell you are too."
Viktor blinked. "You can tell?"
Jayce glanced between them, confused. Viktor looked average. Clean, reserved—nothing obvious about him screamed 'Zaunite.'
"Yes," Jonathan said, confidently. "That's why we've got to stick together."
He grinned. "We're practically brothers from another mother."
"That implies we share a father," Viktor deadpanned.
Jonathan paused. "Something like that."
Then he clapped his hands. "Alright—let's work. I've got places to be tonight."
————————
"This entire time, I thought I needed to dampen the oscillations," Jayce said.
"The crystals will only stabilize at high frequency," Viktor replied, scribbling across a sheet of paper. "You have to—"
"Crank it," Jayce said, eyes lighting up.
"Yes. Yes… you have to crank it," Viktor echoed, looking up from the page.
Jayce smiled. "It works."
"Eh… on paper," Viktor cautioned.
"So put the paper down and test it," Jonathan said, waving a hand. "Let'shurry it up."
They both nodded.
The three gathered around the worktable, placing their equipment down with tense precision.
Jayce and Viktor made the final adjustments—fine-tuning the gears.
Jonathan grabbed the glowing blue gemstone and handed it to Jayce.
Jayce took a breath, then carefully placed the crystal into the center of the mechanism.
"It's time to crank it," Viktor said.
Jayce glanced at him. "Are you sure you know what you're doing?"
Viktor gave a tense smile. "I'm as sure as you are."
He pressed the button.
The gemstone began to spin—slowly at first—then faster and faster.
A strong wind kicked up, swirling through the room.
"I don't think it's gonna hold!" Jayce shouted over the noise, hair whipping around his face. "Look at the buildup!"
Jonathan just smiled, eyes fixed on the glowing stone.
"The resonance will stabilize it," Viktor said firmly. "Trust me."
Blue light flooded the room—growing brighter by the second.
The enforcers stepped back, drawing their weapons. "What is happening?!"
Jonathan turned toward them, hands raised in reassurance. "Nothing bad! This is good. We're making progress."
Jayce squinted at the core. "It's never done that before…"
The crystal now hovered in the air, pulsing with intense energy.
"All right, here we go," Jayce muttered, adjusting the mechanism.
The gemstone floated higher, spinning faster—so fast it blurred—its glow blinding.
Then—
BOOM!
A shockwave blasted outward, shattering the windows.
Then, in an instant, everything reversed—suction pulling shards and dust back inward, collapsing the pressure around them.
Jayce lunged forward and slammed his palm down on a button.
The machine powered down with a sharp whine.
Silence.
Victor stared at the gemstone, still hovering—now faintly humming.
"Incredible," he whispered.
———————————
-Kiramman Estate-
Cassandra stepped into the sitting room, watching her daughter stare out the tall window.
"What are you looking for?" she asked, approaching.
Caitlyn didn't turn around. She pointed toward the distant outline of a crumbling structure on the outskirts of Piltover.
"Is that the abandoned building they're in?" she asked, her voice quiet, tense.
Cassandra followed her gaze. "It is. I know you're worried about Jayce, but—"
"I'm worried about both of them," Caitlyn interrupted softly.
Cassandra blinked. "Both?"
She paused—then her brows drew together, realization dawning.
"You know Jonathan?" she asked, surprise tightening her tone. "He's… from the Undercity, Caitlyn. He's dangerous."
"He's kind!" Caitlyn snapped. "Alittle weird, sure—but he's nicer than most people I've met."
At that moment, the Kiramman butler entered, carrying a tray of tea.
"Tea, madam," he said, offering it with a bow.
Cassandra took a cup and sipped, then turned sharply to her daughter. "Caitlyn, Jonathan broke the law. You can't associate with people like him. It reflects on our house."
"Jonathan?" the butler echoed, perking up. "You mean Caitlyn's friend with the red skin?"
Cassandra froze. Her eyes snapped toward him. "How do you know that?"
The butler shrugged lightly. "Caitlyn invited him over. He didn't stay long—but he was polite. Strange, but a nice boy."
Cassandra slowly turned to Caitlyn, a glare simmering behind her eyes.
Caitlyn met her gaze without flinching.
But then—out of the corner of her eye—a flicker of blue light caught her attention.
She turned toward the window.
A bright blue glowpulsed from the abandoned building in the distance.
Caitlyn's eyes widened.
Cassandra followed her gaze—and stiffened. "What in the world…?"
The light flared brighter for a moment, then dimmed, humming with restrained energy.
Please be safe, Caitlyn thought, her hands against the window. Both of you.
—————————————-
Back in the abandoned building, the gemstone spun faster—glowing like a star.
Jayce and Viktor stood locked in awe, watching its pulsing light.
Meanwhile, Jonathan was off to the side, casually reassuring the wide-eyed enforcers.
"No, no—this is good," he said, gesturing broadly. "The shockwave? Part of the plan."
One of the enforcers squinted at him. "Part of the—?"
"We want it to look like it's going to explode and kill us all," Jonathan added, completely serious.
Jayce exhaled hard, then reached forward and adjusted the mechanism.
Click.
BOOM!
The gemstone surged—and suddenly, gravity vanished.
Everything and everyone began to float.
Jayce and Viktor were airborne, pressed gently against the ceiling.
The enforcers flailed mid-air, their weapons spinning uselessly.
Jonathan floated too, arms spread lazily like a skydiver.
"I believe I can fly," he muttered under his breath, then used his tail to propel himself toward Jayce and Viktor.
They were lazily tossing a coin back and forth mid-air, floating near the ceiling like it was just another day in the lab.
"So," Jonathan said, eyes on the spinning gemstone below, "is the era of magic about to begin?"
Jayce caught the coin, gave a small smirk. "Hextech. The era of Hextech."
Jonathan glanced at Viktor, then nodded thoughtfully. "That has a nice ring to it."
"It does," Viktor agreed
Across the room, the enforcers were less philosophical—bouncing from wall to wall, whooping and laughing like kids at recess.
"We should probably notify the Council," one said, mid-bounce, trying to sound responsible.
The other, flipping upside down mid-air, waved him off. "Let's jump around a little longer. They can wait."
CLACK.
The door suddenly swung open with a heavy metallic bang.
Everyone froze—floating awkwardly in mid-motion.
Cassandra, Mel, and Caitlyn stepped in, with enforcers behind them
The room was glowing blue, bodies hanging midair, a gemstone humming at the heart of it all.
No one said a word.
Jonathan drifted past slowly and offered a casual wave.
"Hi," he said. "We're working."
His head bumped gently into a wall. "Ugh."
"It looks more like you're playing," Caitlyn chuckled, arms crossed. "Still… it's nice to see you again."
"Ditto that," Jonathan replied, floating closer and holding out a hand. "Want to see the fruits of our labor? Also known as: come have fun?"
Cassandra's eyes narrowed. "My daughter doesn't associate with criminals."
Mel, meanwhile, smiled as her eyes swept across the room—energy swirling, ideas in motion, people levitating.
"Perhaps," she said softly, "it's time for the era of magic."
"Hextech!" Jonathan, Jayce, and Viktor all chimed in at once.
"For the era of Hextech," Jayce repeated, grinning.
Two enforcers floated awkwardly nearby, trying to look official while pinwheeling gently in place.
"If I could stop, I would," one said to Mel, trying to stand upright. "Sorry, ma'am."
"It should settle soon," Viktor offered. "Or, you know… you could just leave the room."
Mel tilted her head toward him. "You're Heimerdinger's assistant, aren't you?"
Viktor gave a small nod. "Yes. You've heard of me?"
As they spoke, Jonathan floated directly in front of Cassandra.
"You heard that, right? The era of Hextech," he said, eyes locked on hers. A slow, confident smile tugged at his lips.
"Doesn't it sound… important? Profitable?"
He inched closer, his voice dropping to a murmur. "How could you pass up a connectionlike me?"
He released a soft wave of pheromones—subtle, warm, alluring. Not overpowering. Just enough.
Cassandra blinked, sharp eyes fixed on him. She knew what he was doing.
She also knew he was right.
Jonathan floated upside down, lazily drifting until he was face-to-face with Cassandra.
"Don't you want Caitlyn and me to have a good relationship?" he asked, voice warm with a crooked smile.
He pointed back and forth between himself and Cassandra.
"Don't you want us to have a good relationship?"
Then his smile faded. His eyes locked on hers—calm, unwavering.
"I sure know I do."
Cassandra narrowed her eyes.
Then… bit her lower lip. Just briefly.
"Caitlyn's right," she muttered, exhaling. "Youareweird."
Jonathan's smile crept back, smug.
Cassandra shook her head lightly, but extended her hand anyway.
"I did vote in favor of your last chance. Forgive me—I was just surprised you knew my daughter."
Jonathan took her hand and shook it—still upside down—
then pulled her gently into the room.
Cassandra yelped as her feet left the ground, weightless.
She flailed, reaching for anything to anchor herself—until her hands landed on Jonathan's shoulders.
Eyes shut tight, she clung to him.
He laughed softly. "It's exhilarating, isn't it?"
Cassandra cracked one eye open, then the other.
She was floating. Holding onto him. Surrounded by soft blue light.
Her breath came fast as she glanced down and saw nothing beneath her but air.
"Deep breaths," Jonathan murmured, steady and calm.
She did as he said—slowly, cautiously.
"Hey! No fair!" Caitlyn called, stepping into the room.
The moment she crossed the threshold, she floated upward with a delighted laugh.
"I want to play too!"
Mel chuckled, watching the three of them drift around.
She turned toward the enforcers lingering outside—stiff, arms crossed, clearly jealous.
"Go on," Mel said with a grin. "You've earned a little fun after the gas incident."
The enforcers exchanged a look—then rushed inside.
Within seconds, they too were weightless, bouncing gently from wall to wall with wide grins.
While the others laughed and played, Mel stood nearby, deep in discussion with Jayce and Viktor.
———————————
Eventually, the room began to settle. The hum of the gemstone softened, the glowing blue light dimmed, and gravity returned—slowly, gently—until everyone was back on solid ground.
Cassandra took a deep breath, brushing her hands down her coat.
"I'm too old for that."
"Too old?" Jonathan raised a brow with a sly smirk. "Aren't you Caitlyn's older sister?"
Caitlyn's jaw dropped.
Wait—do I look old? she thought in a sudden panic.
Cassandra narrowed her eyes, amused. "I know what you're doing."
Caitlyn blinked. What is he doing? she thought, completely unaware.
Jonathan leaned in a little. "Is it working?"
"I'm married," Cassandra replied coolly.
Jonathan placed a hand dramatically over his heart. "Pity me."
He ran his fingers through his hair, sighing. "It's fine. My looks aren't all there yet anyway."
Then he turned to Caitlyn. "How do I look?"
She blinked, caught off guard—and blushed ever so slightly. "Like… my friend."
Jonathan frowned. "Words can hurt, you know."
But just as he was about to say more, his eyes flicked toward a broken window.
He saw the sky beyond it darkening.
His expression changed in an instant. "Oh snap."
"What's wrong?" Caitlyn asked.
"I have to go. No time to explain!" Jonathan said, already sprinting for the door.
—————————-
The streets of Piltover blurred around him as Jonathan sprinted toward the Undercity elevator.
"I still have enough time," he muttered, weaving through foot traffic and dodging startled civilians.
Faster. He pushed harder, legs burning, lungs aching.
"Please don't be too late!" he shouted, more to himself than anyone else.
He turned sharply into a narrow alley, then burst out into the clearing near the elevator.
He tried to stop—but his momentum carried him too far. He tumbled, skidding across the ground before rolling into the elevator.
"Unnngh—ow."
He scrambled up, dusted himself off, and slammed the button for the descent.
The elevator groaned and lurched downward.
"It's not too late," Jonathan whispered, watching the city disappear above him.
"Not too late… towatch it happen."
——————————
Im late i know.
Im going to delete the A/N the chapter with the votes.
So it might look like there's less chapters.