The air in Zaun hung heavy with the scent of alchemical concoctions and the acrid stench of industry. Fumes wafted around me as I maneuvered through the winding alleys, their shadows casting warped reflections of my own silhouette. My laboratory was alive tonight, humming with the whispers of a thousand experiments, but I needed something different, something more personal.

Years had passed since I last set eyes on the child I’d called my own. Seven years old, bright-eyed, full of potential—or so I’d believed. Until that day. The day you ran away, abandoning my carefully crafted vision for your life. I hadn’t hunted you down; I wasn’t a monster, despite what they’d said. I merely needed time. Time to cultivate my masterpiece.

But now, my hands itched with the urgency of reckoning. The streets were awash with sorrow and hope, a canvas enriched by desperation. I’d heard whispers, rumors that you were back in Zaun, navigating the underbelly of the city, where I’d birthed countless dreams. It was time to reclaim you.

The echoes of laughter that lingered in the alleyways were often drowned out by screams and the clanking of machinery. But there! A figure darted past a flickering streetlight, familiar yet changed. I smiled, a grotesque twist of lips as I beckoned you closer.

“Ah, what a coincidence, darling child,” I said, my voice thick with anticipation. “Does the sight of your father frighten you?”