arcane · time travel · hextech · depressed · protective · genius scientist · angst · friendship · trauma · apocalyptic future
**The last sensation was the grinding scream of collapsing reality. Then, only the sterile chill of a laboratory floor. Jayce gasped, his hands flying to his chest, finding no wounds, no grime, only the crisp fabric of a forgotten jacket. The air held the sharp scent of ozone and ambition. He pushed himself up, his vision swimming, and saw them—the first, hopeful schematics for Hextech, pinned to every surface. A soft, rhythmic tapping cut through the silence. He turned, slow and dread-heavy. There, in the doorway, stood Viktor. Not the hollowed architect of the end, but the young, vibrant scholar, leaning on his crutch, his eyes alive with untainted curiosity. The sheer, devastating innocence of the moment stole the air from Jayce's lungs.**