Today was a big day for Zaun.
Because word had spread that all seven councilors from Piltover would be crossing the bridge and coming to Zaun.
That was something unheard of.
Forget councilors, even the wealthy elites of the undercity rarely ever saw people from the top side come down here.
Even Marcus, that sheriff who used to come down often, everyone knew perfectly well he only did it because he was being threatened.
And now Piltover's elite were actually willing to come to Zaun?
On top of that, there had been all sorts of strange rumors in the undercity lately, and shimmer production had stopped.
Apparently, some major announcement was going to be made.
The people were full of anticipation.
...
"What is this?" Caleb frowned as he looked at the girl standing in front of him.
"What's wrong?" Jayce walked over from the side.
"Who is this?" Caleb asked bluntly. "I thought this was where the councilors were supposed to meet."
"Yeah, who are you?" Jayce asked too, equally confused.
The three of them had stayed up all night the day before and had finally finished the Hextech rifle.
The final naming had been left to Caleb, since the other two had already named Hextech devices before.
"Let's just call it Matilda," Caleb had said with a shrug.
"How can you call it Matilda?" Caitlyn had rushed over, her face flushed bright red.
That was one of her most embarrassing old secrets. Where had Caleb even heard that from?
"What's wrong with Matilda? Didn't you like calling yourself Matilda in Zaun?" Caleb had asked, tilting his head in confusion.
"You really need to shut up. I'll name it myself."
Then she had ground her high-heeled leather boot down on the top of Caleb's foot a few times before striding off.
She was in charge of security for this area today.
"So what's wrong with Matilda?" the girl asked, clearly puzzled.
"Oh, I haven't had the chance to inform you two yet. I'm the new councilor appointed by Clan Ferros."
The girl snapped out of her confusion and gave the two of them a bright smile.
"She's way too young..."
"She's barely older than you, if that..."
Jayce and Caleb whispered to each other.
The girl looked like she wasn't even an adult yet.
"She's my grandniece."
At some point, Camille had already appeared beside them.
"Whoa, Ms. Ferros, how do you walk around without making a sound?"
Caleb jumped badly and hurried to recover.
Camille covered her mouth and laughed softly.
"Oh my, sorry about that. The truth is, my disappointing younger brother kept worrying he'd hurt the family business."
"So we simply let her handle it instead. As for the one who loves balancing books, we let her stay home and do the accounts to her heart's content."
There was a playful note in her voice, but the reality behind those words sent a chill down the spine.
Given the depth of Clan Ferros's foundation, whether it had been the bald councilor before or this little girl now, they were both really just shields meant to mislead outsiders.
They had started using Hextech crystals long ago, perhaps even the Hexcore as well.
It was just that the Hexcore required knowledge far too advanced, and Jayce and Viktor were the kind of once-in-a-century geniuses that didn't come along often.
That was how Clan Ferros had quietly made a fortune without attracting too much attention.
One could even say the very first Hextech crystals had originally been discovered by Ferros ancestors.
And as the family's intelligence operative, Camille had long since replaced her own heart with one powered by Hextech crystals, allowing her to preserve her youth.
Then where had all the Hextech crystals Jayce received really come from?
Behind the seemingly dimwitted councilor, this family had actually pushed all of Piltover forward by an entire leap.
The more you thought about it, the more chilling it became.
...
Of course, only Caleb and Jayce knew any of that.
To everyone else, this change in council representation was nothing especially major.
The councilor previously sent by Clan Ferros had been old, and his health had been failing for some time.
Replacing him with one of the more talented younger descendants and letting her try her hand at power was hardly unusual.
Clan Ferros had also mastered part of the way Hextech crystals could be used, but their output was too low.
They could only be applied to replacement organs used in body modification.
...
"My name is Lucia. Please take care of me, both of you!"
The smiling girl gave them a small bow, then skipped off to find Camille.
The two of them whispered about something together, turning back now and then with a smile.
"Honestly, I didn't expect the other council families to be just as complicated as the Medardas," Caleb said with a sigh.
Then again, maybe that was for the best.
That meant the Talis family behind Jayce, Mel's family, Caitlyn's House Kiramman, and Clan Ferros behind Camille, all four of those families would support him.
Out of the council's seven votes, four would lean his way.
That was a massive advantage, the kind of lead people usually don't come back from.
...
Vi and Jinx also knew that today was a big day.
Their parents, Vander, and Silco had never managed to force their way across the bridge into wealthy Piltover.
And now Piltover was crossing that bridge and coming into Zaun with its councilors in tow.
It was a big day.
Vi kept thinking about that fair face and those long, slender brows.
She had been the one who pulled her and Caleb out of Stillwater Prison.
And after that, Vi's life had taken a complete turn.
There were many things that should have been hers to do, yet somehow it always felt like Caleb had ended up handling them in her place.
...
"Boss, it's almost time."
Lately, Sevika had been far beyond uneasy.
Every day felt like she was waiting for the countdown to her own death.
Based on the information they had gathered, Caleb was doing pretty well in the topside.
Not only had he saved Marcus's daughter from being abducted, he was also living comfortably with the Kirammans.
The Enforcers respected him, and he had even saved the real head of the Medarda family.
What a waste that Alina had thrown that executioner into the Dredge.
People called it a prison, but really it was just a mining pit that was incredibly hard to climb out of.
If one of Zaun's true outlaws was actually going to end up in a real prison, it would have to be Stillwater Prison.
Just like Silco soon would.
Silco quietly lit a cigar and stared up at the ceiling, lost in thought.
Jinx had been avoiding him lately too.
It seemed she had already talked to Caleb.
What happened between him and Vander back then had really only been a matter of opposing positions.
He had gone too far, but hadn't Vander done the same?
As long as Zaun remained far weaker than the topside, the Enforcers would always be able to rampage through the Lanes.
Now, the Enforcers no longer dared to set foot in the Lanes, but the health and happiness of the people in the undercity had been sacrificed instead.
He was guilty. No one knew that more clearly than he did.
In the future, all he would be able to do in prison was read newspapers and look back on the years that had passed.
With that noisy little lunatic no longer at his side, it would probably be lonely.
Strange, really. Back when he had been planning for all those years to seize control of Zaun, he had walked that road alone.
Now he found he wasn't used to that anymore.
Vander, even at the very end, had asked only for stability, only for peace.
Now Silco's retribution had come, and he ought to accept it.
After all that shimmer, there was no way the body hadn't broken down.
He wondered whether Singed could wake him.
Probably not.
That was what Silco thought.
...
As the Enforcers took up their positions first, several figures stepped out onto the raised platform.
The waiting crowd instantly erupted into cheers.
Because the one leading them was none other than the standout figure of Progress Day.
Jayce Talis, the man who created the Hexgates.
And the other councilors had all arrived too.
The cheering grew even louder.
Even the Enforcers were barely wearing the filtered respirator masks they usually needed for the air.
Would Zaun's future really be bright?