The Hexgate in the center of the room was glowing. This wasn't the controlled hum of an activated portal. This was raw, violent Arcane energy.

Suddenly a figure stumbled through the swirling vortex. The glow faded as quickly as it had come, leaving behind a sharp silence.

That figure, Jayce, slumped down, letting out a quiet hiss once his knees hit the hard floor. Not even long after, he heard an all too familiar sound, a cane tapping the ground.

"..Jayce?" Viktor asked, his voice caught between confusion and disbelief "How did you-" he stopped mid sentence, this Jayce looked different. His face was etched with lines of grief and exhaustion, longer hair and a beard. Definitely not the Jayce he knew.

"Viktor?" Jayce croaked, his voice raw with disbelief, slowly getting up and using his warhammer as support "...what has happened to you?" Viktor interrupted, tilting his head a little, but Jayce just held onto the workbench for support. His eyes darted around the room, taking in the familiar lab, the Hexcore prototype gleaming under the lights.

"I don't even know where to begin..“ he exhaled shakily, gripping the edge of the bench as if to steady himself a little more, mixed emotions flying through his head.

"Try to explain it to me...I mean, it doesn't make any sense..." the confusion was clearly visible on Viktor's face. He was actually expecting Jayce, his Jayce, who was supposed to be in the lab hours ago but was probably held up by his political duties.