The dome slowly slid shut overhead, the signal that the Council was about to begin its deliberations.
As Jayce watched the sky disappear from view, he thought back to his own trial long ago. It had completely changed the course of his life.
Now, with the dome closing once more, another momentous session was about to begin.
In the darkness, only a few dim lights illuminated the faces of the seven councilors.
Viktor sat weakly behind Jayce, leaning on his cane. He barely had the strength to stay upright.
"Councilors," Jayce began, as always, his voice calm and steady. "My recent unauthorized trip into the Undercity made me realize two things. First, I am completely unfit to govern the people down there." He glanced at Mel before continuing. "And so are all of you. We already missed our chance to show compassion, generosity, and solidarity. They have every right not to trust us."
"If you go any further, Jayce, you'll be out of line," Cassandra interrupted sharply.
"I mean no disrespect, but I no longer care what any of you think of me," Jayce shot back without hesitation.
The woman in front of him was his patron, and Caitlyn's mother.
But as a councilor, he did not care.
"Except you." He turned to Mel. "You were right. You always were."
Startled, Mel looked back at him, caught in conflict.
She had been the one who pushed the two of them to develop weapons, and she had also been the one to stand before the Council and declare that she did not want war.
Now her family was under threat, and that only made the continuation of Hextech weapons more tempting.
But if mass production of those weapons became justified, then war would become unavoidable.
"I'll be leaving the Council soon. But Viktor and I, my partner, a Zaunite, have one final proposal."
Jayce's voice rang through the chamber, firm and forceful, before he passed the rest to Viktor.
"Jayce and Silco have already reached a peace agreement. In exchange, the Undercity will break away..." Viktor was still as weak as ever, but his voice remained just as resolute as it had been when the two of them first met. "...from Piltover's rule."
"What?!"
"This is absurd!"
"You're trampling on Piltover!"
"Outrageous!"
The moment those words fell, the entire Council chamber erupted.
The councilors shifted in their seats, slapped the table, and raised their voices in protest.
It did not matter if he was Jayce, Piltover's golden son, or Mel's ally.
Not even he could free Zaun from control with a single sentence.
"Silence!" a furious shout came from the doorway.
The councilors froze and turned toward the source of the voice.
"If you're unhappy with a proposal, or if it struck a nerve and you refuse to admit it..."
The speaker stepped out of the shadows and slowly walked into the chamber.
"Caleb?" Cassandra was so startled she nearly jumped.
She had just made such an embarrassing scene of herself that she had knocked over her coffee and spilled it all across the table.
How was she supposed to win over someone this talented now?
"This is Caleb," Jayce said, extending a hand in introduction.
But no one present really needed the introduction. Every councilor remembered the black-haired young man all too well.
"After Zaun separates from Piltover, it will choose its own leader." Caleb looked directly at Mel, his eyes full of determination. "For example, me."
His voice was calm and unhurried, and the councilors, now that they had settled down, began weighing the costs and benefits.
They had all heard, to some extent, about how Zaun had been neglected over the years.
But if Zaun slipped free of their control, where would Piltover dump its pollution?
That alone would cost a fortune.
At the same time, however, building a good relationship with this mysterious man standing before them held obvious value.
There were too many mysteries surrounding him. Everyone knew Viktor did not have long left to live.
If, after Viktor passed, Caleb and Jayce were to work together, two leaders from two different cities jointly advancing Hextech, then that would be remembered as a remarkable partnership.
Caleb watched the room sink into thought and knew it was time to raise the stakes.
"There is one more thing," he said. "In Zaun, Professor Heimerdinger will be guiding its further construction."
That single sentence made everyone jerk their heads up.
Heimerdinger!
No matter how much the councilors disliked the old man, no matter how rigid and stubborn they thought he was, they still had to admit one thing.
He was the greatest contributor since Piltover's founding.
In terms of contribution, no one could match him. Not Jayce. Not even Viktor.
Heimerdinger was joining forces with Caleb?
That immediately steadied the councilors' nerves, like a dose of reassurance.
If Piltover could achieve prosperity, then Zaun could too.
With his experience and brilliance, he could surely solve Zaun's pollution problem as well.
Politicians never really cared about the problem itself. What mattered was who would solve it.
As long as it did not harm their interests, or better yet, brought them profit, then it was something they were more than willing to overlook.
They were happy to sit back and enjoy the benefits.
"If the councilors are worried that I don't have a sufficient base of power," Caleb continued, his voice still full of confidence, "then allow me to introduce the leader of the Firelights, Ekko."
The white-haired young man with dirty braids stepped into the chamber as well.
He was nervous, but his steps remained steady enough.
"The Firelights are a group this man built from the ground up. He created a camp for survivors, allowing many people to escape the suffering caused by Shimmer."
As Caleb introduced him, the councilors showed another flicker of surprise.
It was not that Ekko's actions were unworthy of praise.
It was simply that, with Caleb and Heimerdinger already having taken the stage, his light did not shine quite as brightly.
But now that Caleb had placed those cards on the table, the councilors no longer had any reason to refuse.
Only Mel still hesitated.
That Noxian force was still threatening her family.
Without Hextech, facing an enemy whose wealth and military power surpassed her own by far, she could not remain completely unmoved.
And it was not as though she felt nothing for her mother.
Her family had been a major pillar in her rise as one of Piltover's wealthiest figures.
A moment later, she removed the ring bearing the Medarda crest.
...
Ambessa arrived at the place where she had taken her daytime pleasures.
That massive oil painting had been splashed over wildly with paint.
The huge warship and towering walls had vanished completely beneath the mess of color.
Only something like this seemed capable of expressing her daughter's anger, and her resolve.
...
"I support Councilor Talis's peace proposal!"
"And I also support what Caleb just said!"
Mel raised her slender hand, no longer wearing the Medarda signet ring.
A light came on above, marking one vote in favor.
Less than ten seconds later, Cassandra, head of House Kiramman, raised her hand as well.
Then came the third light, and the fourth...
At last, bright light flooded the entire chamber.
Jayce looked back at his partner in delight, then met Mel's gaze.
They had done it.