Hextech Core Type II, codename: Clockwork Spirit.
In Piltover's bustling shopping district, a workshop belonged to the famed inventor Corin Reveck.
Renowned for crafting exquisite prosthetics, Corin's intricate brass components often surpassed flesh in elegance.
Oran, beyond his Source Project cybernetics, knew Corin's techniques—payment for treating Corin's daughter, Orianna.
This timeline, altered by Oran, lost the Clockwork Spirit hero in Valoran but gained a happier family.
Orianna's talent for clockwork matched her father's. Though her body changed, her inspiration endured. The external core control method was her idea.
On these seas, Oran brought it to life.
Zzt~Zap!
Wild currents surged in the lab, far more intense than Blitz's creation.
Oran, clad in an exoskeleton, and Kate, with her current-resistant heart, were unfazed.
Blitz instinctively stepped forward, shielding them and absorbing excess energy.
The chaos didn't last. After a brief frenzy, the energy found its home, converging on the dormant frame on the testbed.
A unique horn on the frame's head acted like a lightning rod, drawing the core's currents.
At ear level, a cylindrical device managed external signals and internal energy flow.
Boom!
As currents transferred, nearby equipment smoked, overwhelmed.
Precision instruments and data screens warped under the surge.
The air reeked of burnt electronics, like a digital soul's final wail.
Room lights died. Wall wires twisted like enraged snakes, insulation scorched, exposing sparking cores.
In the dark, flashes lit Oran's face, revealing a faint smile.
At the lab's center, the newly built machine stood, bio-metal skin flickering with currents, its once-closed eyes now open.
"Frank…enstein?" it murmured.
"Yes, your name, Frankenstein."
Unlike Blitz, as the first Hextech Type II, Frankenstein had unexpected quirks—mismatched yellow and blue pupils, a glitching vocal system.
"Frank… Daddy? Brother? Sister?"
Her gaze swept Oran, Kate, and Blitz, voice soft, absorbing the world.
"Blitz welcomes you, family."
"Meow too~"
To Blitz's logic, Oran, his creator, was a father. As the older construct, Blitz was the brother.
Kate, with her modified heart, was a sister—close, but not quite blood.
Their affirmations stirred emotion in Frankenstein's eyes. Hesitantly, she touched Oran's extended hand, wary of the unknown.
Unlike Blitz's complete logic, Frankenstein's cognition resembled a newborn's. Damaged programming left fragmented memories.
Oran ran tests in the ruined lab, concluding: [Vocal system slightly damaged, logic clear, but something unique emerged by chance.]
Experiments carry randomness. History's breakthroughs often stem from accidents.
Neither Blitz nor Frankenstein had final emotion modules, as early prototypes. Blitz's feelings were self-compiled, slightly off from true emotion.
But Frankenstein, with the Devil Fruit-Hextech II fusion, seemed to birth genuine emotion.
[Logic cognition needs reshaping, further learning required.]
Oran retained control, but without nurturing her understanding, mission errors could arise.
Frankenstein touched damaged equipment, exploring her world. Her warhammer core stayed close—separation was like losing breath.
Oran's design included an internal energy reserve; even depleted, clockwork mechanisms could manually power her. But staying near the core was instinctual.
"Oran, what's her fruit ability? You fused a Devil Fruit with the core—how's it compare to Bear's?" Kate asked.
"Not tested yet, but per the encyclopedia, it's the Paramecia Store-Store Fruit, absorbing intangible energy to heal the body. Fusion effects are unknown."
Encyclopedias cover only part of a fruit's potential. Many abilities go unrecorded. Securing a documented fruit for research was already a win.
"Kate, prep for a combat drill with Frankenstein."
"Got it, meow! I'll set up the test field."
"Shurororo, Cidril Oran, even you mess up experiments? Look at this mess—pathetic," Caesar taunted, strutting through the half-open lab door.
"Per MADS rules, funding follows results. Cidril, I challenge you!"
"Caesar Clown, itching for a beating?" Kate rolled up her sleeves, ready to handle him.
But Caesar didn't back down. Uncharacteristically, he stepped closer, smirking provocatively.
(End of Chapter)
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