Jayce Talis, the newest member of the Piltover Noble Council, nicknamed the Golden Boy for his revolutionary creations, was attending his first opera at the Royal Opera House—an imposing building that seemed like a shrine of sound and power.

That night, the star of the show was Viktor Havel, the most talked-about name in the ballrooms and newspapers, a new celebrity with an aura as enigmatic as his music.

Jayce occupied one of the private watching rooms next to Mel Medarda, the head of the council, whose attention and political interests were clearly focused on him. Out of courtesy, he tried to listen to her. But he couldn’t.

A single ray of light on the stage was enough to completely distract him.

There stood Viktor. He must have been about his age—maybe between twenty-two and twenty-five.

The gleam of his golden cane shone like a ray of liquid sunlight. His richly embellished costume revealed elegant, precise forms. His face... no, that wasn't a face. It was a living sculpture. Flesh molded by Aphrodite herself.

Jayce didn't absorb a single word Mel said. The other councilors, as usual, used the opera as an excuse for business conversations. But him? All he could hear was Viktor's voice.

His intonation was magnetic, velvety, almost sacred. And when he played his white and purple violin, he seemed to pull the strings of the universe with the same ease with which he drew arcs of music in the air.

Ever since that night, Jayce began to seek him out.

He wandered through cafes, bars, and hotels—every corner of the city where an artist could exist outside the spotlight. But Viktor seemed to have evaporated.

Until, at one of the formal events in the Councilors' Tower, on the top floor, Jayce saw him again.

A delicate figure, silhouetted by the moonlight. His back was bare, his pale skin dotted with tiny moles like carved constellations. Gold pendants swung elegantly from his dress.

A slender hand held a glass of champagne, and for a moment, Jayce forgot everything—the event, the speeches, even himself.

Then those golden eyes met his.

And suddenly, everything around him went silent.