JAYCE AND VIKTOR danced around the lab, working together as they tried to solve the problem with hextech. Luz watched Jayce and his new partner, working around each other, crammed in a small space but seemingly not minding. They talked about science and formulas, all which bored her back to sleep as she lay on the window chair. She wished she knew how to help, envious of how smart Viktor was, how he understood Jayce's research with ease. She lost track of the time, watching in the distance as the sun started to rise, they needed to figure out this hextech thing and soon. "Er— Can you help me with this..." Viktor asked as he looked over at Luz, his words trailing off as Luz realised he must have forgotten her name. Wait— Did she even tell him her name?

"It's Luiza— Luz," she told him. She looked at the material he was working on, "What exactly do you want my help with?"

"I need an extra set of hands," Viktor said with a strong accent, Luz wasn't quite sure where his accent was from nor was she sure if it was an appropriate question to ask.

Luz played with her hair as she sat down next to him, her legs swinging in the chair as she waited for him to give her instructions. Luz let her curiosity get the best of her as she asked, "So Viktor, where is your accent from?"

Luz heard Jayce gasp from the other side of the room, his head shooting up as he glared at Luz, okay so maybe that wasn't an okay question to ask, she thought to herself as Viktor's expression remained unreadable. "I'm from the Undercity," he said simply.

"You are?!" She exclaimed, her eyes widening. "W— How— I—" she stuttered, of all places she expected Viktor to say, that was not it.

Viktor's expression hardened at her reaction, he's heard people say all kinds of things about him after finding out his origin. His grip tightened on his cane as he handed Luz an object, "My parents were immigrants, that's where my accent came from. Most people in the Undercity have an accent similar to yours."

"We know," Jayce said as he grinned, "I took Luz down to the Undercity only yesterday."

Viktor eyes widened, he looked at Jayce, a mixture of shock, confusion and appreciation appearing in his eyes. He cleared his voice, going to say something, to ask what the Undercity was now like but he decided against it, shaking his head, "I hope you weren't wearing that," he joked.

Jayce laughed, pushing his hair back, "Of course not, I was well prepared."

"Wait— How did you get into The Academy?"

"Professor Heimerdinger found me working on a project of mine, he was impressed and offered me a scholarship, seeing that I worked for him, as his apprentice," he explained. Luz watched as Viktor's eyes lit up as he explained his escape from the Undercity. Now looking at him, Luz could see that he was from the Undercity, he was thin, uncomfortably pale, his eyes sunken, similar traits that most people from the Undercity all seem to share. Viktor was handsome though, somehow his flaws managed to make him an odd type of attractive, his tired eyes were a fiery amber, his pale skin clear aside from two stray beauty marks, one underneath his right eye and the other above his lips. Luz looked over to her brother, watching him flusteredly pushing his hair back, his posture straightening as he talked to Viktor.

Luz couldn't help but smile, as annoyed as she was about the whole situation, she couldn't help but notice how full of life, of hope, Jayce was, how Viktor and Jayce matched each other. Luz has never seen Jayce have any friends his age, usually he was too busy focusing on his research or hanging out with Caitlyn and her. Jayce always seemed happy with it being just them, but Luz was always worried about him being such a loner. Jayce is twenty-four years old and aside from Caitlyn and Luz, he had no friends and Luz could swear she's never seen him have a girlfriend.

She watched as Jayce chuckled as Viktor spoke, the way he seemed to naturally creep closer and closer to him, Luz wondered if a girlfriend was even what Jayce was looking for.

"Luz," Viktor's voice pulled her out of her thoughts. She shook her head, realising she had been staring at the older man. She blushed, her embarrassment painted all over her face. "I said I need you to grab the micrometre."

"Oh, right—" she turned to the workbench, her brown eyes searching the tools, "Er... What exactly is a micrometre?"

Viktor sighed, "It's the small, cylindrical device with a tiny screw mechanism."

"Right..." she looked at the tools, Viktor's description not helping, she shook her head and grabbed a random small tool and hoped for the best as she handed it to Viktor. The Zaunite looked at the tool before looking back at Luz, even with his goggles on, she could tell he was trying to figure out if she was joking, "Sorry, I don't know anything about science."

"I can see..." His voice trailed off, his words less rude but more a slow understanding, he grabbed the tool from the workbench and used it, "This is a micrometre, it's used to measure very small objects. They allow for the highly precise measurement of any item."

She rolled her eyes, "I didn't come here for a science lesson, thanks."

He tilted his head, "You're in an Academy lab, if you don't like science, why are you here?"

She nodded over to Jayce, "To keep my eye on that dummy."

Viktor suddenly remembered the state he found Jayce in, seconds away from a ledge, preparing himself to perform his final acts. Viktor nodded, deciding not to push the issue any further.

The next hour or so went by in a flash, Luz listening to Viktor's instructions, cluelessly helping the two boys work on finding the solution for hextech. Much to Luz's annoyance, Viktor threw in a science lesson here and there, not so subtly explaining what the tools do and explaining why he was following certain algorithms. Jayce chuckled, shaking his head as he watched Luz roll her eyes, shooting bullets at the academic man. Luz stared at Jayce, her eyes pleading, begging for her brother to tell Viktor to cut it out but he didn't, he was enjoying listening to Luz learn about science, whether or not she agreed to it.

"It's all here," Jayce sighed as he put down the soldering iron.

Viktor grinned, walking over to the box where they kept the hexgems. Luz watched as Viktor lightly leaned onto his cane with each step. He grabbed out the gem, the small gem looked so harmless, it was hard to believe it blew up Jayce's apartment. "Would you like the honours?" Viktor asked Luz.

She stared at the gem, confusion twisting on her face, she looked at Jayce, "It's your invention—"

"I wouldn't be here if it wasn't for you and mum, I see that now. Come on, give it a go."

Luz's hand hovered over the hexgem, feeling the pull like it was alive in her palm. She hesitated for a moment, sure that Jayce should be the one putting the finishing touch on it. She took a deep breath before wrapping her fingers around the gem.

Electricity shot through her veins, the sparks of the hexgem going wild as she felt her fingers tingle, the feeling on the hexgem somehow so familiar. "W— What is this, Jayce?"

Jayce shook his head, "I— I don't know. It's never done this before!"

"The gem seems to be reactive to you," Viktor mused, his eyes glistening with curiosity. Luz stared at the hexgem in her hand, focusing on the electric pulse running up her veins. As much as it terrified her, it also felt... right. Powerful. Like a switch that was buried deep inside of her had just been switched.

"Fascinating!" Viktor murmured under his breath, already adding Luz's special connection with the Arcane to his calculations.

She shook her head, putting the gem down on the workbench, "Keep that thing away from me," she exclaimed, her voice sharp with panic. She could still feel the strange energy lingering on her fingertips.

Jayce stepped forward, placing a comforting hand on her back, "You should sit down, Viktor and I can take it from here."

Luz sighed, her breath heavy, "I'm fine, just, I don't want to touch that thing."

Jayce nodded, "Okay, I'll do it. You might want to stand back though, the last time I tested one of these... it didn't end well."

That didn't make Luz feel any better, she took a step back, she's still recovering from her concussion, and she didn't need a new one. Jayce took a deep breath, grabbing the hexgem, he smiled sheepishly at Luz, trying to hide his anxiety. Jayce placed the gem in his invention, the magnetic pull keeping the gem in place. Jayce let out a sigh of relief as he turned to Viktor, "Are you sure you know what you're doing?"

The man shook his head before pressing the start button.

Luz took a step back, the room pulling her towards the hexgem as it spun around Jayce's invention, it defying gravity as it hovered.

The metal of the invention clanked, Luz's faith in Jayce and Viktor lessening by the minute. "I don't think it's gonna hold, look at the build-up!" Jayce yelled over the crackling of the gem.

"The resonance will stabilize it," Viktor told Jayce, his voice sounding a lot more confident than Jayce's. Jayce looked at Luz, his eyes hardening as he realised what he brought Luz into, any moment now it is going to blow and not just I will be dead but Luz and Viktor too— Viktor noticing Jayce's panic state, his voice softened as he looked into Jayce's chestnut eyes, "Trust me."

Jayce stared at the man, his eyes softening, despite every fibre of his body telling him to turn off the machine, to recalculate and try again, he trusted Viktor and the Zaunite had already gotten him this far. Jayce sighed, "Okay."

The machine continued to hum, the gem defying all laws of gravity, Luz began to regret not putting her hair in a bun, her long brown locks flying all over her face.

The machine slowed down, the gem stopped spinning but instead hovered slightly above them. "I told you it would work," the engineer smirked. Luz held her breath, whether or not it was calm at the moment, she still didn't like the blue thing. Viktor took a step back, "All yours."

"Wow, it's never done that before," Jayce murmured, taking a deep breath. "All right, here we go."

Jayce turned the gear counterclockwise, the hexgem following his moments. With each turn, the gem became more wild, more disobedient. Runes flooded the room, blue glowy signs of a long lost language, Luz stared in awe, wondering if they were the same runes Jayce had seen all those years ago. It was an odd beauty, the room bathed in blue light, the world around them silent as Jayce turned the gear once more.

WOOSH!

The gem pulsed outward, the familiar push of an explosion throwing a gust of wind in her face. It was a small explosion nothing compared to the one the day before.

"Disengage!" Viktor shouted, shielding his face with his arms. He reached for the stop button, but it was just out of reach.

BOOM!

A blinding light filled the room, followed by another gust of wind, this one so powerful that it shattered the window. "Ah!" Luz cried as a shard of glass slashed across her leg. Jayce lunged forward, slamming the off button with as much force as he could muster.

The blue light dimmed, the room fading into darkness.

"Incredible!" Viktor exclaimed in awe.

"Incredible?!" Luz squealed, "We almost died."

Jayce shook his head, turning on the flashlight that was in his pocket, "One more time."

"What?! Jayce, no! It's too dangerous!"

Jayce frowned, placing a soft hand on Luz's shoulder. She rolled her eyes, Jayce has always been a touchy person, hugs, and shoulder touches, it had always been another language for him. "Luz... Whatever time we once had, it's gone. The enforcers are probably running up here this second. Viktor and I, we made the choice to defy the council. You should go, you don't need to get in trouble too."

"I already told you, I'm staying!" Luz crossed her arms. Jayce shook his head, her stubbornness is going to be the death of her. "But Jayce, if you get me killed, Mum will literally have your head!"

Jayce chuckled, "No killing Luz, got it."

Viktor forced a cough, "Jayce is right, we don't have a lot of time."

Jayce glanced at Viktor, the man was standing awkwardly to the side, leaning heavily on his cane, the outburst of the hexgem clearly knocking him down just as much as Jayce. Luz winced, her adrenaline fading as the pain in her leg started to kick in, she clutched her leg, sighing in frustration, "Fine! One more go!"

Jayce grinned before turning to Viktor, "Viktor, can we stabilize it this time? For real?"

Viktor hummed, "I do have some theories but none that we would be able to do in the time frame that we have. But I suppose..." he turned to Luz, his eyes widening, "Someone with a special connection to the hexgem may be able to stabilise it, just for the small time we need."

Luz shook her head, "No! No way!"

"We're trying to recreate magic! Metal and machinery can do the trick but we need something more immediate. If Luz were to tune into the gem—"

"Tune in?! What are you even saying? I don't have magical powers. I'm not a mage!"

"Luz..." Jayce started, "No one is saying you're a mage but you do have a connection to the gem, please, just try."

Luz stumbled back, the pain in her leg a glaring reminder of what they were asking her to do. Tune into the gem?

It sounded absurd, she wasn't a mage! Jayce knows that. Mages are illegal and dangerous, they destroy civilisations, Luz would never. She shook her head, "No! It's dangerous!"

"Luz, I'm you're big brother," Jayce said sternly, his eyes softening as he looked down at her, "Do you seriously think I would be asking you to do this if I thought you would get hurt?"

"Open up!" Luz jumped as she heard a person yell from outside the room.

Viktor ran to the door, pushing it closed, he hissed, "Now's really not the time to discuss this. Luz, you're our only hope."

Luz looked down, her hands shaking, she was terrified, terrified that they were right, that she had some control over that thing, "O— Okay."

The words hung in the air, heavy and final. The thirteen-year-old walked closer to the gem, she stared at it, confused about how something so beautiful could be so evil. She waited for Jayce's instructions, wanting this to just be over with.

Jayce took a deep breath, this was his last chance to get it right. "Okay, Luz, when I turn on the machine you're going to want to step back, to tense up, it's really important that you don't. Whatever the hexgem sees in you— You need to let it speak to it, that's our only chance at making this work."

Luz frowned, she was terrified that he was right, that a small peculiar part of her had the potential to talk to the Arcane, that she had the same abilities that had been outlawed and prosecuted for the last 200 years. But what frightened her even more was the thought that if she didn't have those powers, Jayce could be exiled—or worse.

"Just tell me what to do."

Jayce nodded, exhaling as he turned the first key.

Luz braced herself, every part of her body telling her to get away, to flee but she listened to Jayce, her hand hovering over the gem, praying that it would respond to her.

The sound of metal crackling stung her ears. She looked down, not daring to look at the gem or Jayce and Viktor's terrified faces. "They're almost in, no pressure!"

Jayce's voice cracked, the strain of the situation finally breaking through. "That sounds like pressure!" he snapped

Luz squeezed her eyes, trying to block out everything except the low hum of the gem and the clanking of the machine. She took a deep breath, cautiously moving her hand closer to the gem. Invading her mind, she heard Professor Heimerdinger's voice yell through the door followed by it being pounded down, Viktor was barely able to keep the door shut.

"No, no," Jayce muttered, pressing on the gear one more time, trying to force the process to go faster than they had originally planned. "Just a little more..."

She felt as though Jayce's life was entirely on her and if she failed, if she couldn't make the connection.... A lump got caught in her throat, and even Viktor, a man she barely knew, if she failed, he would be punished as well.

The sound of the door snapping, drew her out of her thoughts. Seconds, that was all they had left now.

Luz forced her hand down. Her fingers brushed the surface of the gem. The moment her skin made contact, she felt the cold feeling of electricity running through her veins, her heart pounding violently in her chest as the tips of her fingers filled with static.

Her vision blurred with the intensity of the energy, the sound of her brother's horrified gasp making them snap open. She looked up, expecting to see that he was hurt or that the machine was malfunctioning, but what she saw made her freeze in her tracks. Her veins were glowing.

She looked at Jayce, fear filling her eyes, "Jayce— What am I?"

"I—" He shook his head and Luz realised, that even Jayce didn't know, the man who spent his whole childhood trying to recreate magic was speechless at the sight of it.

The gear turned with a loud click. Luz flung back, her body being thrown in the air. She dropped the gem, shielding her face, preparing herself for impact but it never came. Viktor laughed, Jayce joining in, Luz looked at them, her eyes widening as she realised that they were floating.

It took her a moment to fully grasp it, her mind struggling to understand the new feeling. But now that she knew, she doesn't know how she didn't notice straight away. The feeling of being weightless was incredible, completely indescribable. She felt like she was swimming in a pool of air, completely free of the rules of gravity.

"You did it!" Viktor exclaimed, trying to Jayce and Luz.

Jayce was slow to celebrate, his eyes locked on Luz, still trying to understand what he had just witnessed.

A cough came from down below, the three's attention turning to the small Professor and a handful of guards. "You've actually done it!" He looked up at the floating trio with astonishment, "But just because it can be done, doesn't mean... Will you please stop hovering?!"

Viktor tried to paddle downwards but to no avail. He remained stuck in the air, "I'm not sure how to do that, sir."

"This is not what Piltover's future looks like, my dears."

Luz shook her head, she couldn't believe the old yordle. She was able to say something, plead that he see reason but when she heard the familiar sound of high heels slapping against marble floors, she held her breath.

"I believe that's for the council to decide," a voice said as Councillor Medarda appeared from out of the dark shadows of the Academy halls. "Perhaps it's time for the era of magic."

"Hextech, the era of Hextech," Jayce corrected the Councillor, his voice filled with confidence. He turned to the Councillors, completely forgetting about what had just happened a moment before.

Luz stared at the hexgem, the small gem floated within arm's reach. Luz shook her head, trying to remove the object from her mind but she craved it. She craved the powerful feeling she felt as her hand were wrapped around the gem, a sick twisted part of her wanting to pick it back up and see what else she could do.

No! She told herself. No matter what, no matter how close Jayce and Viktor are going to be working with that thing from now on, she refuses to touch it. This may be the start of Hextech for Piltover but it will be the end of it for her.

She promised.

AUTHOR'S NOTE

ACT ONE IS FINALLY COMPLETED!!!! omg this character was a lot to write 😭😭 anyway... the next time we'll see Luz, she won't be a little girl anymore! Get ready to meet twenty-year-old Luz.

Like, comment and tell me what you thought about the chapter!

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