The workshop was dimly lit, its shadows flickering as arcs of blue light pulsed from the center of the room. Jayce stood with his arms crossed, eyes fixed on the glowing Hextech core floating above the workbench. The crystalline device hummed softly, emitting a low, steady thrum of power that reverberated through the metal floor.

"Are you sure it's stable?" Jayce asked, though his question carried more excitement than concern.

"Stable?" Viktor responded, his voice rasping from the strain of hours spent fine-tuning the device. His gaunt frame leaned over the console, metal fingers deftly adjusting dials and switches. "Stability is a relative concept when it comes to progress." He paused, his eyes catching the glow of the core. "But yes, it should function as intended."

Jayce took a step closer, his breath catching in his throat. They had spent months perfecting this—the culmination of their shared vision for a new era in Piltover. The Hextech core, if successful, would harness unimaginable power, enough to change the city—and the world—forever.

"Then let’s see what it can do," Jayce said, his voice low with anticipation.

Viktor nodded, his golden eyes gleaming in the light of the core. "Agreed. This is the future we've been waiting for."

With a press of a button, the core began to rotate, spinning faster and faster until it became a blur of energy. The room vibrated, and suddenly, the core erupted with a surge of light, illuminating the workshop in brilliant blue.

For a moment, there was only silence, the kind that precedes something monumental. Then, the core pulsed again—louder, brighter, stronger. Something was happening. A shape began to appear in the centre of the blue light... rising higher and higher.

A person.

Oh Gods... a person. A zaunite but the looks of it. A... a child?! He could see the Arcane symbols pulsing through the blue.

Viktor stared on in horror. Or... awe. Jayce was borderline frozen in curiosity.