Arcane Anew

//Gang PoV//

"I'm telling you, I think that was Orion!" Powder protested, walking side-by-side with Vi. Vi sighed tiredly, keeping an arm wrapped around Powder's shoulder. "Listen Pow-pow, he's dead. That was just some stranger. You need to let it go."

"I'll find us the next gig then," Claggor smirked, challenging Mylo in the background.

Mylo looked pissed. His arms were folded and he grumbled, "It was one guy and an old dude. He couldn't even hit back!"

Vi turned her head slightly, "He could've if he wanted to. He had your bean-shaped head in his hand, remember?"

"Hah! She's got a point!" Claggor teased, slapping Mylo on the back with a laugh.

Vi allowed herself a faint smile. Still, she couldn't help but feel disappointed, and Powder's words lingered in her mind. After all, she hadn't seen Orion die- she'd only dealt with the aftermath of Powder's breakdown.

Stroking Powder's head affectionately, Vi glanced down at her. Powder's lips were pulled into a pout, visibly upset and frustrated.

"You don't believe me when I tell you things..." Powder whined, breaking her embrace with Vi.

Vi's eyes widened, her hand left hovering where Powder's shoulders had been. A faint shimmer of hurt crossed her face, but she quickly masked it. She opened her mouth to respond but hesitated, the words catching in her throat.

Powder glanced up at Vi but quickly turned away, expression tightening.

A sad silence fell between them, heavy and uncomfortable. Mylo and Claggor exchanged worried glances as the gang walked in uneasy quiet.

"Powder..." Vi broke the silence. Her voice cracked, heavy with uncertainty and doubt. "If he is alive- if that was him... then... why didn't he come back to us?"

Just saying it stung Vi's chest. The question stung like a fresh cut.

Not just for her though, but everyone in the gang.

The mood of the gang darkened and turned solemn. There weren't any funny quips or comebacks from the other two either. They all felt hurt or betrayed in some manner.

If it was him, why didn't he come back? Why didn't he say anything? Why did he confront them?

Endless questions, and it felt like they were the problem. That it was their fault, with their last memories of him being rather traumatic. Leaving him behind bleeding with Enforcers, or blowing him up in the warehouse.

Powder's footsteps faltered, her small frame shrinking inward.

"I still think it's him," she said in a hushed whisper. Her eyes were drawn to a little bracelet wrapped around her wrist. Orion had given it to her when he was scavenging, looking for someone.

She knew it hadn't meant much to him. He gave it to her in a nonchalant manner, waving dismissively and rolling his eyes when she hugged him in appreciation.

He didn't get it.

It was strange. He didn't recognize how much these small, kind gestures mattered. How they meant the world for someone like her. But Orion... it always seemed like he didn't quite belong here. Like the Undercity was never truly his home.

"I'll prove it," she said, her voice trembling with newfound resolve as her fingers brushed the bracelet.

Vi's head snapped toward her, taken aback by the sudden strength in her tone.

Powder's voice rose with growing defiance, glaring at her sister and the others as if she'd been betrayed.

"With or without you guys."

-----------------------

//Orion PoV//

"Those bastards! I will rip out their spines!"

Zarkon enraged roar shook the walls from inside the building as Orion waited outside. Loud crashes followed as objects were hurled and shattered within.

The building was Chembaron Zarkon's family home, located in the Promenade level just outside the Boundary markets. It stood a few buildings away from the famous and only church of Piltover. The First Assemblage of the Glorious Evolved church.

People came from Piltover and the Undercity to worship the Gray Lady, or Janna. Revered as the goddess or guardian responsible for saving the Undercity, she was said to have saved its people countless times. Some sought miracles, others prayed for wealth, and many simply yearned for solace.

'The fresh air goddess...or wind spirit. What a title,' Orion gave a wry chuckle, glancing up at Zarkon's residence.

The exterior appeared normal, its well maintained walls and a freshly installed shingles installed giving it a respectable front. But the brief glimpse he had inside before the doors slammed shut told a different story. Rotten wood, peeling pain, and two pale, sickly looking children glaring ominously out at him.

He felt bad for Kieran who had to deal with this. Kieran's voice was pitched up from the stress, barely audible from outside.

Orion's mind was wandering though.

'So we have fake, dangerous versions of Hextech crystals- Syntixi- floating around... and Shimmer.'

Orion's expression darkened. Somehow, it felt like things were worse than just Shimmer. Zarkon is producing volatile crystals, Eramis's faction is pissed, and Silco remained a looming threat.

It was a slow realization that dawned on him, the realization that the show Arcane focused only on one danger here. Everything was much more complex than a few stray crystals and sad kids.

'I don't recall any House Ferros in Arcane either...' Orion mulled over what Kieran said before the door slammed open.

Bleeding from his scalp, Kieran emerged not looking so good. His shaky breaths and trembling figure betrayed his stress. His eyes locked on Orion briefly with a weak smile before he motioned weakly for him to follow.

Once far enough from the doors, Kieran croaked, "Nothing this severe has happened before...its best to lay low for a bit."

"Thank you for stopping those kids. If they'd stole or damaged anything while I was there alone..." Kieran grimly continued, lightly touching the blood dribbling from his scalp. "I would've been an unfortunate accident."

"No problem... Do you need help getting back?" Orion asked, his tone laced with concern. He observed Kieran's shaky posture, swaying side to side.

Kieran shook his head initially but then stopped mid-step. His gaze was hesitant but thoughtful, shifting slowly toward Orion, weighing a decision he hadn't expected to make. Orion tilted his head back, sensing the shift in Kieran's mood, waiting with quiet foreboding.

"I already owe you." Kieran said after a long pause, his tone quieter now. "Perhaps you would like to join me and my daughter for dinner as thanks?"