"Magnificent," Marcus murmured, pausing in his research as Seraphine's voice drifted through the workshop walls. "Worthy of becoming the future Star Song Diva. Such natural talent is genuinely remarkable."
Seraphine's presence in Zaun had been completely unexpected. Not long ago, her desperate parents had brought her directly to him, seeking help for what they initially believed was a mysterious illness affecting their daughter.
The young girl had begun claiming she could hear strange sounds that no one else perceived. At first, her parents had dismissed these episodes as childhood imagination, but after Zaun's transformation began, Seraphine's symptoms had intensified dramatically.
What started as occasional sensitivity to mechanical noises and distant music had evolved into something far more overwhelming. Seraphine could now hear the inner songs of everyone around her—their thoughts, emotions, and deepest feelings translated into melodies that echoed constantly in her mind.
The torrential flood of psychic music had gradually transformed the once-cheerful little girl into a withdrawn, frightened child who barely spoke above a whisper.
Witnessing their daughter's deterioration, her parents had exhausted every medical option in Piltover before turning their attention to Zaun's miraculous changes. They'd approached Vander, who had immediately brought them to Marcus with urgent pleas for intervention.
The moment Marcus saw Seraphine, he understood exactly what was happening.
This wasn't an illness—it was awakening talent of extraordinary magnitude. The girl was a natural empath with innate musical abilities, capable of perceiving the soul's melodies and responding with harmonies that could soothe even the deepest spiritual pain.
Intrigued by the possibilities, Marcus had personally designed and constructed a specialized performance platform for her. The stage incorporated elements from both Octavia's Mandachord and Banshee's resonance chambers, creating a unique hybrid system that amplified and focused Seraphine's natural gifts.
Standing on this custom platform, Seraphine could control sound in all its forms—both external vibrations and internal resonances. She could manipulate acoustic environments with the same ease that others might gesture with their hands.
The moment she'd stepped onto the completed stage, Seraphine's abilities had fully manifested. Her singing achieved perfect synchronization with the technological amplifiers, allowing her voice to reach directly into listeners' hearts and heal emotional wounds that conventional medicine couldn't touch.
Marcus had gained significant benefits from this arrangement as well. Through careful observation and analysis, he'd managed to extract samples of Seraphine's soul-resonance abilities, which he'd subsequently integrated into his sound-based Warframes.
While the armor couldn't literally sing like Seraphine, her empathic powers had dramatically enhanced their combat effectiveness. Previously, Octavia and Banshee had been limited to purely physical damage. Now they could attack on both material and psychological levels simultaneously.
The strategic implications were staggering. Octavia could now convert absorbed damage into psychic feedback that would torment enemies' minds even as it protected the user. Banshee's sonic attacks could implant persistent echoes in targets' consciousness, gradually expanding their vulnerabilities until even minor wounds became crippling handicaps.
The collaboration had proven mutually beneficial. Marcus gained enhanced armor capabilities, while Seraphine became the most celebrated performer in both Zaun and Piltover.
Yes, her fame had spread throughout both cities. Despite the growing political tensions between the twin settlements, Seraphine had become a bridge connecting their populations—even if that bridge remained somewhat fragile.
As the musical prodigy's voice continued weaving through the air like liquid starlight, Marcus returned his attention to the monumental task before him. Upgrading more than fifty different Warframes would require unprecedented levels of planning and precision.
Each armor needed to be matched with a dimensional realm that complemented its inherent abilities. With so many designs in his collection—many with overlapping power sets—determining optimal enhancement paths would demand extremely careful consideration.
"This is going to be exhausting," Marcus sighed, contemplating the scope of his project.
Fortunately, his time spent fighting alongside the Ancient One in various dimensional battlefields had provided him with extensive knowledge of suitable realms. The coordinates she'd shared would allow him to locate appropriate pocket dimensions within the vast interdimensional void, assuming he could determine which armor should merge with which reality.
...
Thanks to Marcus's custom stage, Seraphine's extraordinary performances were drawing visitors from across the known world. People traveled hundreds of miles just to experience her soul-healing songs, while simultaneously exploring Zaun's other technological marvels and testing their courage in Phantom Canyon.
The increasing tourist traffic had accelerated development throughout the twin cities at an unprecedented rate.
In Piltover, Jayce had been closely observing Zaun's innovations while formulating his own strategic response. Though the upper city lacked massive crystal towers, they still possessed Hextech crystal technology—potentially sufficient foundation for matching Zaun's achievements through different methods.
Reports indicated that Zaun's chief scientist was Viktor, formerly Professor Heimerdinger's assistant before his mysterious departure to the undercity. The knowledge that his former colleague was spearheading the rival city's technological revolution had ignited Jayce's competitive instincts.
Determined to prove that Piltover remained superior in scientific innovation, Jayce had thrown himself into research with obsessive intensity. He would demonstrate that the upper city was still the better choice for brilliant minds seeking to advance human knowledge.
The Piltover Council had reacted to Jayce's initiative with undisguised relief and enthusiasm. They'd been enviously watching Zaun's transformation while growing increasingly frustrated by their inability to penetrate the mysterious energy field that protected the lower city.
Anyone from Piltover attempting unauthorized entry into Zaun would be repelled by the shimmering barrier, with the force of ejection scaling directly to the intruder's political importance. Even high-ranking Council members found themselves unceremoniously bounced away from the border.
Previous attempts to acquire Zaun technology through bounty hunters and mercenaries had failed catastrophically. Professional thieves and combat specialists had fled in terror from Zaun's enhanced Law Enforcement officers, despite many possessing formidable abilities and extensive criminal experience.
With conventional infiltration proving impossible, the Council had placed all their hopes on Jayce's legitimate research efforts. While his innovations might not match Zaun's achievements directly, Piltover's reputation as the premier technological civilization demanded that they maintain some form of competitive edge.
"No, this configuration would overload the mechanical circuits," Jayce muttered, crumpling yet another half-completed blueprint and hurling it toward an overflowing wastebasket.
This was his sixth consecutive day of intensive design work. Each time he approached a breakthrough, critical flaws would emerge that forced him to start over from the beginning. The discarded papers represented elegant theories that simply couldn't survive practical implementation.
He was determined to create something capable of rivaling Viktor's achievements—partly from professional pride, but mostly to prove that he could excel outside of his former colleague's shadow. Both inventors now had to let their work speak for itself.
Meanwhile, in Zaun, Viktor was working under far more comfortable circumstances.
Though his physical condition remained challenging, Marcus had provided treatments that significantly improved his mobility. For the first time in years, Viktor could move without crutches, walking with almost normal stride and posture.
"He should be making his move soon," Viktor observed, gazing across the chasm toward Piltover's gleaming towers.
Despite their rivalry, he maintained genuine respect for Jayce's innovative capabilities. That spark of creative genius hadn't been dimmed by their philosophical disagreements. Viktor was confident that his former friend would eventually produce something remarkable using Hextech crystal technology.
"Viktor! Viktor!" came urgent voices from outside his workshop, accompanied by insistent knocking.
He immediately recognized Powder and Mylo's excited calls, wondering what had brought the young inventors to his door. Both children had absorbed vast amounts of knowledge from Marcus's teachings, contributing to numerous Law Enforcement equipment projects despite their age.
Viktor opened the door to find both children practically vibrating with excitement.
"Shouldn't you two be studying?" he asked with amusement. "What brings you here during research hours?"
Mylo burst into the room, waving a handwritten note above his head triumphantly.
[First study phase complete. Please design and construct new equipment. - Marcus]
Seeing Marcus's personal signature, Viktor's expression grew serious. Any request bearing that endorsement demanded immediate attention and careful consideration.
"You want my assistance with this project?" he asked cautiously.
Both children shook their heads emphatically, eager to correct his misunderstanding. Though they were still young, accepting help with Marcus's assignments would represent a fundamental betrayal of their training principles.
"No, no, no!" Powder exclaimed. "We came to ask if there's a way to make our energy weapons function outside the crystal field?"
The question struck at one of Zaun's most significant limitations. While the Kalinda Crystal Tower provided incredible conveniences within the city, it also created a form of technological dependency that restricted citizens' mobility. Beyond the energy field's boundaries, most of their advanced equipment simply stopped working.
"External power systems?" Viktor mused, recognizing the technical challenge involved.
He'd considered similar solutions previously, but discussions with Marcus, Vander, and Silco had convinced him to abandon such research. If Zaun's energy weapons could operate beyond the protective barrier, the city would inevitably face problems with residents using their superior firepower to create chaos in neighboring regions.
Years of oppression by Piltover's Enforcers had left many Zaunites with deep resentments that could easily explode into vigilante violence if they suddenly possessed overwhelming military advantages. For Zaun's long-term stability, limiting weapon functionality to within city boundaries had seemed like prudent policy.
"Actually, I think—" Viktor began, preparing to explain these concerns.
"Let them proceed," Marcus's voice interrupted, emanating from hidden speakers throughout the workshop. "Rigid adherence to conservative policies will prevent meaningful progress. Besides, you're underestimating the intelligent oversight system's capabilities."
With Marcus providing direct authorization, Viktor had little choice but to comply with the children's request. However, he remained curious about what the mysterious oversight system could actually accomplish.
Working together, they retrieved the original energy core device that Marcus had used for early weapon demonstrations. After the Kalinda Crystal Tower's completion, this prototype had been converted into the limiting system that currently restricted equipment functionality.
Viktor spent several hours redesigning the core, transforming it from a simple limiter into a sophisticated energy management system. His modifications increased power efficiency from the standard fifty percent to an impressive eighty percent—approaching the Kalinda Crystal's own ninety-plus percent performance levels.
"Perfect! This is exactly what we needed!" Powder exclaimed, bouncing with excitement as the enhanced system came online.
She and Mylo had been planning to design improved combat suits based on Vander's current equipment. While his existing gear was remarkably effective within Zaun, they wanted to ensure that he and his team could maintain their capabilities during external operations.
Their motivation stemmed from recent conversations they'd overheard between Silco and Vander regarding the crystal mine situation. According to Silco, the mining operation was nearing completion, but numerous hostile forces were positioning themselves to seize control of the valuable resources.
Though Zaun's forces possessed superior weaponry, many of their opponents included individuals with formidable personal abilities. Only the defensive advantages provided by networked energy weapon systems had prevented the mine from changing hands already.
Understanding these vulnerabilities, both children had decided to develop specialized equipment that would enhance their defenders' capabilities even in hostile territory. Combat suits represented the most dramatic personal enhancement they'd witnessed, making them the obvious choice for addressing this strategic gap.