Spring in Zaun slipped away, and summer arrived. Because the two cities sit close to Shurima, summers here turn scorching—one of the reasons Piltover and Zaun rarely see much snow in winter.
In the icebound Freljord, once winter comes, the freezing winds blow down from the north, crossing mountain ranges and cutting into Noxian territory—cold enough that even rugged Noxians have trouble enduring a Valoran winter.
But the twin cities never have to worry about that. Zaun and Piltover's geography is simply too favorable—not only for trade, but for comfort. It isn't as brutally cold as nations nearer the Freljord, and when it's hot, the sea helps buffer the worst of Shurima's heat.
Down in the fissures, cool and shaded Zaun became a summer getaway even Piltovans liked to visit.
With half a year of unconditional aid from Piltover's nobles and ordinary citizens alike, Zaun restarted its reconstruction, and the economy began to climb.
Little by little, Zaunites started letting go of their hatred for Piltovans—because ordinary people truly don't think that far ahead.
They don't ask why Piltover helped. They don't dissect where that goodwill came from.
They got tangible benefits. Life became steadier, brighter. For them, that was enough.
But just because ordinary people don't think about it doesn't mean Zaun's leadership won't.
Just like right now—beneath the statue of the King of Zaun in the Entresol—on the dark stone plaque of Councilor Logan's statue, a single line had been carved:
—Because I was here.
Yes.
Because I was here.
————
July, Zaun. The council building.
Silco sat upright at the table, his hair grown longer now. Not far from him, Renata finally had an office of her own. It was barely more than a cramped space divided off by glass—but to her, it was still an improvement.
At least it was better than when all she'd had was a single desk.
Now she had her own bookcase, a coffee machine, and storage cabinets, didn't she?
"How's it going?" Silco asked suddenly.
Renata set her book down, looked up at him, and answered, "It's hard. She's too smart. A while back she suddenly reassigned a group of people to a different workshop. I'm guessing she figured out we've been sabotaging her."
"…" Silco fell silent. He reached up to knead at his brow, a dull ache settling behind his eyes.
"Think of something else," he said with a sigh. "Buy time. We can't let her finish this."
"Buy time?" Renata rolled her eyes, slapped the tabletop, and snapped, "Don't make this my problem, okay? She gets to the workshop a little after seven in the morning. She eats in ten minutes at noon. Then she's right back to work. At night she leaves on the dot—and then she spends two hours under Logan's statue. For the past half year, her schedule has been exactly like that. Rain, wind, it doesn't matter. She never misses a day."
"How am I supposed to delay her? She's one step away from moving into the workshop."
"Silco, your daughter is a genius. Do you understand that? I think she noticed every little thing we've been doing a long time ago. I don't know why she hasn't come to you and confronted you, but honestly—even if she completes it, so what? Isn't that a good thing for Zaun? Hextech rocket launchers. Shimmer energy shields. With weapons like that, I feel like we could take on Noxus."
Silco glanced at her, shook his head, and didn't answer.
Renata was absolutely capable—but she'd joined Zaun's inner circle too late. There were too many things she didn't understand. She didn't grasp what Jinx would choose once those projects were finished.
Renata didn't know.
Silco did.
Building weapons, strengthening Zaun—none of that was truly Jinx's own desire.
It was Logan's.
Jinx was just helping Logan fulfill that dream—giving Zaun the power to protect itself. And once she finished… there would be nothing left weighing on her.
Vi would take care of Isha. Isha would grow up safely in Zaun, steady and whole.
And so, once the work was done, Silco was certain Jinx would go to find Logan. She would… quietly leave everyone behind, vanish alone into the depths of Zaun, and from that day onward, no one would ever find her again.
Silco would never allow that.
Thinking of it, he said, low and cold, "I don't care how you do it. I just want results."
Even if Jinx hated him for it, Silco would not let that happen.
"…" Renata drew a slow breath, her smile stiff and false. "Understood."
Silco's gaze drifted to a photo frame on the table.
In it were two men—and a monster.
Logan. Silco. Vander.
A picture taken outside the Forgen Tavern, with Sevika snapping the shot for them.
————
When autumn arrived, Zaun grew bleak and quiet. Jinx pulled her clothes tighter around herself and led Isha by the hand to Viktor's home.
Viktor had recovered almost completely. Aside from being unable to run, he no longer needed a cane; he could walk like a normal man. Seeing it was Jinx, Viktor—who'd been studying materials at the table with the help of a mirror—stood up and took two cups.
"Your idea is brilliant, Jinx," Viktor said with a faint smile. "Jayce and I never imagined Hextech could be used like this."
He handed Isha a cup of juice, then passed Jinx a cup of water.
Jinx took it, swept a few strands behind her ear. In a few months, her hair had grown longer again. Maybe because she'd worn it long before, or because she'd gotten used to tying it up while working—when she let it down, it fell soft and natural along her cheeks.
It made her look less childish. If you only looked at her face, you might still think she was a kid—but paired with the way she carried herself now, there was a new, quiet intelligence to her.
She smiled at Viktor. "So… when do you think it'll be finished?"
"At the fastest, half a year," Viktor said after a moment. "If it's slow—one year."
"The sensors will be a headache to build, and figuring out how to link Hextech to the machine interface will take time too," he added, taking a sip of water.
Jinx's new design was to apply Hextech to Hextech Shimmer robots.
Yes—Hextech Shimmer robots. Their core used Hextech, but the fuel that drove their limbs was the more violent, volatile Shimmer.
What Jinx had envisioned was a terrifying killing machine, fitted with a range of brutal weapons. But if it were just a weapons platform, Viktor wouldn't have been too alarmed.
Piltover had already had industrial machines years ago.
But Jinx had built Hextech-based sensors too. That meant that, as long as there was enough funding, no one in either city would need to step onto a battlefield again. They'd simply hold the sensor interface in the rear and direct the machines from afar.
These robots had bodies of steel. They could fly. They carried outrageous weapons. To be honest, even if dozens of Zaunites and Piltovans swarmed one at once, they still might not be able to bring it down.
If they could mass-produce them—if they could build an army—then the twin cities would truly have the backbone to challenge a great power.
Whether it was Demacia or Noxus, Piltover and Zaun could stand toe to toe with them.
Because wealth was the one thing Piltover never lacked.
"I understand," Jinx said, nodding. "Then I'll leave it to you."
Then she added, "But there's one more thing I want to ask of you."
"Go on," Viktor said.
He was deeply grateful to Logan. So as long as it was within his ability, he would do whatever Jinx asked.
That was why she had come to him.
Ekko refused to help her at all now. And Dr. Singed had been ordered by Silco to stay far away from Jinx.
People who truly knew Jinx knew they couldn't help her with this—because once she finished, she would kill herself.
Viktor was the only one willing.
Because in one way or another, he understood how she felt. He'd once stood at the edge himself, with the thought of death whispering in his ear. And he'd learned a truth:
Not everyone is that strong.
Sometimes… living on really is nothing but a curse.
"Viktor," Jinx said softly, "please be Isha's teacher. She's really smart. I think you'll like her."
Viktor froze and looked at Isha.
Isha lifted her head to meet his gaze.
She had grown taller. Her baby teeth had all come in. Her eyes were calm—so calm it was unsettling.
Isha understood everything, and she chose to let her sister go.
Because her sister was exhausted from living.
Isha knew what Jinx was doing, but she didn't resent her for it. The girl who used to hate books now read every day, learning anything she could.
She didn't want Jinx to leave while still worrying about her. She wanted to be able to survive in Zaun on her own strength.
"I understand," Viktor said, voice low. "I will."
"Thank you," Jinx said, releasing Isha's hand, smiling.
————
"For this past year, Piltover and Zaun have been formally allied. Together we've forged weapons, and everyone here knows it now—Zaun is not our enemy."
"We've set aside our hatred, signed a pact… and today marks the one-year anniversary of the cooperation agreement between our two cities. Here, in the name of House Medarda—and as a Piltover councilor—allow me to introduce our allies—"
Mel's voice rang out over the great plaza. On the platform above, she was radiant and resplendent, and beside her stood Jayce, dressed just as elegantly.
Jayce had really grown a beard. In a year, he'd developed a handsome full scruff, and instead of dulling his looks, it gave him a sharper, more compelling charm.
He no longer looked like a big kid.
He looked like a man.
"Please welcome our friends from Zaun—!"
As Mel finished, she introduced them one by one.
Zaun's councilors stepped onto the stage, and people from both cities celebrated together.
Below the platform, Zaunites and Piltovans mingled in a single crowd. Zaunites still weren't wealthy in their dress—but they were clean. They didn't look like they used to, with torn clothes and that sour stink clinging to them. Standing beside them now, Piltovans no longer wore that instinctive look of disgust.
And Zaunites had no objection to standing shoulder to shoulder with Piltovans, either.
In the crowd, some even had their arms slung around each other as they talked—Zaunites and Piltovans laughing together, celebrating the one-year anniversary of the pact.
Up on the platform, Silco held the microphone. The other Zaun councilors sat beside him as he said in a steady, heavy voice, "So this year, Piltover's Progress Day will be held together with Zaun's New Birthday. Piltovans will be welcome in Zaun, and Zaunites will be welcome in Piltover. I hope everyone enjoys the festival."
"And this year, Zaun's enforcer department will merge with Piltover's enforcers. Each city will select some enforcers to be assigned to the other—working joint missions, protecting both cities. This will strengthen our partnership, improve security, and help us learn from each other."
The councilors spoke at length about the future of the twin cities.
Below the stage, Jinx stood beside Vi. Then a tall figure appeared.
"Vi," Jinx said, patting her shoulder and tipping her chin toward the newcomer. "She's here for you."
Vi turned and saw Caitlyn Kiramman approaching in her tall hat, long legs eating up the distance. Vi's brows lifted—there was a flicker of happiness—then she immediately shook her head.
"She's not here for me. Don't say that," Vi insisted, turning back to Jinx, serious. "I'm staying with you."
"No," Jinx said, shaking her head gently. "You shouldn't be tied down by me. You should have your own life. I'm grown now."
Then Jinx grinned and shoved Vi lightly. "Go. Flirt with that enforcer. Show her what Zaun can do."
Before Vi could reply, Jinx slipped into the crowd and vanished away from her.
Vi turned to chase after her—but Caitlyn was already standing in front of her.
"So," Caitlyn asked, "are you going to keep working as an enforcer in Zaun, or would you rather come to Piltover for a while and train?"
Vi blinked. "Of course I'm staying in Zaun."
Caitlyn nodded, her voice soft. "Then I'll come to Zaun for a while."
————
Jinx walked out of the crowd and away from the noise. She clasped her hands behind her back and tiptoed along Piltover's streets, her silhouette bobbing—tall, then small, then tall again.
Eventually, she reached a park in Piltover and sat on a bench. Her booted legs idly nudged pebbles across the ground. She squinted into the breeze and muttered to herself.
"Hm. It's been a year already."
"This year felt so slow…"
She stretched, yawned, and suddenly felt sleepy.
So she simply lay down along the park bench, closed her eyes, and fell asleep.
In the year since Logan vanished, everything in Zaun had been getting better. Everything had been moving in a better direction.
Silco and Vander had accepted that Logan was gone. Vi and Ekko were learning to look forward. Even Isha had pulled herself together.
The two cities had united. The name "Twin Cities Chamber of Commerce" echoed across Valoran. Piltover built weapons, Zaun built weapons too—and truly, everything was getting better.
Jinx thought about it, curled and rolled like a cat along the bench… and then, for a moment, she felt happy.
She was the only one still trapped in the past. From the instant Logan left, her time had frozen solid.
But soon, she'd be able to see him.
The Spirit Blossom Lands—
On a perfectly still, crystal-clear lake, a body lay at the very center of the water. The living things beneath the surface weren't surprised anymore. This strange person had appeared three years ago and had been lying there, unmoving, ever since.
Even when fish tried to bump him, they only hit an invisible barrier.
Suddenly, the body snapped its eyes open—
Black pupils stared up at the sky.
Logan was awake.
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