How long have I been falling? Am I truly falling? Without a way to measure distance, I have no way of knowing. Well, I've made it, I am in the sea of eternity. It is everything I imagined it would be and more. It has sustained me, soothed my worries, and educated me on its nature and the rules that made it. However, it cannot be what I yearn for. My chest is aching for something new, and only one person can fill that void. I know her name, still remember her face, but for the eternal life of me, I can't bring it all together. For all the truth that has been revealed to me, I would rather be a dumb 10-year-old kid again, wrestling in the dirt with her. My seemingly eternal wandering crossed paths with a being of matured sorrow. She is just a face, for now anyways. Celestial beings can look however they want. Some are so full of themselves, they look more like her, but more supremely inflated. Then there are some who assume their true form as a faint hope that they will reunite with their soulmate.
"Hey." I was greeted as I appeared as a cosmic street rat.
She didn't immediately scream as she turned to look at me, but the look is definitely there. Instead, she eventually appears amused at my appearance.
"Never would have thought a Zaunite would find me here," she said as she scratched between my rat ears.
I squeaked, then turned back into my human form, as I remembered it.
"Huh, you are still young," she observed as she assumed her human form as well. She's a tall woman of a fair complexion with freckles.
"Don't remember having a birthday, does time still exist?" I wondered as my eyes gazed beyond the astral soup littered with exploding stars.
"Time exists, but it's not as we remembered." She approached me with curiosity. "How did you come to be?"
"How did I get here?" I wondered to myself. "It's painful to remember."
I can feel her eyes peering into me.
"Yes, I understand." She sits down with crossed legs, I join her. "I often think about my incident."
"Incident? You didn't mean to become this?" I asked, not wholly believing that she didn't actively seek out this amazing existence.
She smiled. "No, although I do understand your skepticism, I never sought out power, all I wanted was his affection."
I allowed the thought to linger. "I understand. Who was he?"
A smile sparked across her translucent face, and she waved her hand in front of her. An image of a thin man dressed in a white suit leaning over a table. It looks like he's experimenting with some kind of contraption, a cube of some sort, but it's not a cube. It has too many edges. It's dark, with purple lights glistening at the openings, which he used to twist and turn. It's more like a puzzle, and he's desperate to unravel its secrets.
"He and I knew each other since we were children, like you," she explained, but something is off.
"You didn't know each other all that well, did you?" I guessed.
She woke out of her daydreaming, for lack of a better phrase, as she realized that she can't quite get away from hiding details from another cosmic being. "No, actually, we didn't," she sighed regretfully. "We'd only met a few times as children, soon after, he was taken in as an apprentice by a scientist in Piltover."
"Hm, well, I'm glad it worked out for him." I commented. She didn't seem to have received that well.
"It led him down a path of obsession. I only regret that I couldn't reach him sooner." She ran her hand through her illusion, causing it to dissipate. "If only I wasn't so nervous, I could have had more time with him."
Hearing the regret in her voice is relatable and sad. With all the power and knowledge I've gained, I'll trade it all just to be with Powder again.
I inhaled sharply, even when I didn't need to. "I remember her! Powder!"
My outburst startled her, but she calmed into amusement once again. "Good, that's good. You have a reason to return then."
I inhaled again, filling the lungs that don't need air to breathe. "I CAN GO BACK!?"
She giggles behind her hand. "Yes, of course, we can do mostly anything. Do you have a body to return to?"
The excitement shifted to desperation. "I-I don't know...I think I spent too much time wondering."
She shook her head. "Time means very little here, and it means even less to us. You know how to turn back time, and you know how to return to your body. You're just afraid to do it."
As I opened my mouth to retort to her presumptions, the solutions flooded my mind the moment I woke up to her. I knew everything that universe has to offer, and yet, my human emotions clouded what I desired most: to return to her. That feeling is guilt.
"Go back to her," my cosmic friend urged as she peered into me.
"But." I shook my head and curled into a ball. "I've hurt her so much. This would be the second time she saw me almost die."
"Almost," she emphasized as she laid her hand on my head.
"Almost?" I repeated, then I felt it. As I sat up, our eyes connected. She's right.
"You still have a chance, you can feel it, can't you?" she quizzed as she cupped the side of my face.
I can, it's a slight sensation, a tugging sensation. It's there, it was always there. When I realized what she meant, she nodded in acknowledgement.
"That's it, what you are feeling, that's it. That feeling that you've felt when you were alive, you were preparing for that moment." she explained.
I moved to my knees. "But how? That's impossible! How could I have known?"
"Your mind wasn't meant to know, your heart felt it," she answered.
My shoulders dropped. "That sounds extremely lame and stupid."
She let out a laugh and rubbed my head. "That's what most children would say. But I can't lie to you."
That's a fact, she can't. Celestial beings can't lie, or else they wouldn't be celestial. Our nature operates on order, despite how chaotic it might appear.
"Okay." I'm losing my breath when I have no air to breathe. "How do I go back?"
Her smile began to fade but persisted nonetheless. "I'll show you where Viktor is."
She projected his exact location into my mind.
"So...your name is Sky?" I recalled as her identity flooded my mind. She is such a brilliant woman on Runeterra, much like Powder.
"I suppose it still is." She nods as she lowers her head.
"You can see him again, you know." I offered.
"No," she shot back with intensity that made me flinch away. Sky collected herself and relaxed. "I can't. I said my goodbyes to him long ago."
"Then, can you come with me? To Runeterra?" I asked.
She let out a half-hearted laugh. "Why?"
I rubbed at my hand. "I wasn't afraid to die, much, but..." I pressed my lips together. "Living again sounds...scary."
Sky tilts her head in sympathy. "Living is difficult, funny how that works." Sky then looks to her side, falling into deep contemplation. Then she jolts her head up as if an idea struck her mind.
"I can, in fact, go with you," she stated with her eyes wide in realization.
This honestly shocks me. "You can?"
"Yes! In my universe, I died." She used her fingers to quote the word ,died. "But in your universe, I'm still alive. All I need to do is to merge with that Sky."
A smile spread across my face. "Then, you can come find me. When we meet again, you can help me build Zaun into a better place for everyone."
The words fell out of my mouth like a flood, I couldn't stop. That ambition still burns within me.
"You still have others in your mind." She reached out to poke at my chest. "And your heart."
That sent a fresh wave of embarrassment through me, but then it slowly dissipated, for there is nothing inherently embarrassing about a dream like that.
"It's not a dream anymore." She caught me off guard. "You overthink too much, don't you?"
I looked away in shame. "Yeah, I tend to do that a lot."
She laid her hand on my shoulders. "It's nothing to be ashamed of. You care deeply for people, be proud of that."
Having no further words, I simply nod my head.
"Alright then, get moving. I'll see you in your world, trust me," she promised.
That promise is real, she couldn't hide that if she tried. I couldn't help myself, I hugged her without thinking. The brief moment when she didn't react frightened me. I thought she would reject me and, in turn, retract her offer. But to my fortune, she embraced me, pushing the back of my head into her neck. I can hear her pulse, the sign that she's ready to live again.
"Go, Owen. I know who you are now." She pulled me back to look me in my eyes. "Go save Zaun."
"Okay." With her blessing, I sped off to the location she provided me. By embracing her, I know who this Viktor is. Given our celestial nature, he knows me as well. He once held the same passion, to help people through science. But just like me, his desire to bring good to people brought them disaster instead. As I traveled as fast as my celestial body could, I sensed two beings ahead. It wasn't long before I stopped just in time to see two masculine beings. They seem to be in deep meditation, connected by their foreheads, and their hands clasping each other by the sides of their heads. I didn't know what to do next, I surely didn't want to interrupt their meditation. So, with nothing to do, I sat in front of them and just waited. Luckily for me, as I dug my eyes into the side of Viktor's face, he sensed that and opened his eyes, along with his friend.
"Who are...Owen?" His skinny feet descended onto an invisible platform. "So you are Owen?"
"Yes, our mutual friend sent me." I informed.
His friend beside him looked at Viktor, then back at me. "Viktor, you know this kid?" He walked closer towards me and then bent over to reach his hand out. "Hi, I'm Jayce."
I reached my hand up, as I have no reason to worry. "I'm Owen."
As we shook hands, Viktor finally spoke. "Did...Sky send you?"
This is a sensitive subject for Viktor, so I try to be as attentive as possible. "Yes, she did."
A small ray of hope sparked within him. "Is she coming?"
"With me? Yes, but here? No." I try to be direct without sounding heartless.
He pressed his lips together, nodding his head in disappointment.
"But hey. While she's with me, I'll try to get her to talk to you sooner, the you in my universe." I offered.
Viktor's eyes widen with renewed hope. "You'd do that? For me?"
"Of course. I know what it's like to miss out on a chance to connect with people." I confessed, as there were so many other people that I could have reached out to, since I had plenty of time to think about my ten years of life.
"I...would like that, Owen...thank you." Viktor hesitated but extended his hand out for me to shake.
"It took him a while to open up to people." Jayce explained.
Viktor shot him a glare. "Jayce, please."
Jayce shrugged as he held his hands up. "Just saying, it took all of this to get you to express yourself."
Viktor was about to express his irritation, but instead, I quelled it by grasping his hand and shaking it vigorously.
"It's me who should be thanking you." I admitted.
Viktor forgot about Jayce. "Oh, why?"
"I want to go back." I said as I projected my universe's history from my perspective into both of their minds, "I want to make things right."
Viktor fell into deep thought. "We are alike."
Jayce let out a fatigued laugh. "Yeah." He shook his head, unable to say anything else. "Yeah."
"Alright. I see where you want to go, but...are you sure? Your body is badly damaged." He voiced his concerns as he observed the moment when I absorbed some damage from the lightning bolt.
"I'm sure." I exhaled in anticipation. "In that world, I mostly don't learn certain lessons without...consequences."
A sad smile spread across his face. "A common trait all bright minds share."
"Umm, I don't know about that." Jayce interjected.
"All, bright minds." Viktor emphasized.
I rubbed my hands together. The growing feeling of anticipation is giving my celestial skin a familiar tingling sensation. "Okay, I'm ready when you are."
Viktor lowered his head to look at his hands. Jayce placed his hand on Viktor's shoulders. They met eyes, and a mutual unspoken understanding passed between them. Viktor then locked eyes with me, a newfound confidence made him look like a whole new man. As soon as he reached his hand out and flexed it, all went dark and quiet.
Senses awakened slowly. The longer I waited for any signs of life, the more I grew weary that I might have made a mistake. Then pain arrived. The one sign that I'm grateful for, despite its unpleasant nature. Everything else feels so far away, all five senses seeming to return to acknowledge my existence. Can I visualize life? Can I imagine myself living again? Do I even deserve it? All I wanted to do was to help. No more of the bare minimum. I've fought to survive day by day for ten years. By the grace of the kindhearted vagrants that didn't drop me to my death at an early age, I grew old enough to learn. However, my ability to learn quickly made me arrogant. I thought I could be a man at the age of 7, life was made worse after that. But if I hadn't, the last few days of my life wouldn't have been filled with such amazing people. I want to see them again. I want to give them that Zaun that they deserve. To give them a city that will never produce desperate children forced to fight just to survive. My eyes shot wide open, then my senses returned, overstimulating my brain for only a moment.
"Owen!" she screams in my ear. Tears fell down her face and onto mine. They are as refreshing as the sight of the only person who has kept her promise to me. To keep me grounded. It's because of her that I am here. It's unbelievable, I have no right to be alive, no right to remember anything in this world. But Powder instilled something within me that brought me back, something that we are too young to understand.
"Please, please say something." Powder caresses my charred skin, pressing her forehead onto mine.
In my peripherals, I can see a crowd surrounding me. Zaunites and Piltovers alike. Looking above, the storm finally dissipated. The rays begin to shine through the grey clouds that sprinkle persistently. I blink, causing gasps and murmurings to reverberate throughout the crowd.
"Please, please, please, say something." Powder begs me.
My position on begging hasn't changed at all, so I'll respond in the only way that she can understand. With muscles that quickly forgot how to work, I willed them into functionality.
With a dry mouth, I answered. "Something."
Silence filled the air. Powder froze and pulled back, just enough to meet my eyes and my feeble attempt to smile, as trying to laugh can and will ruin all the hard work that got me to this point.
"Owen?" she asks in disbelief. I blinked again.
"We need help! Send some help!" a voice shouted.
Feet sprang to life, and people began to make noise. Powder lowered her mouth to my forehead and silently shed tears of joy. My senses began to fade. If the last thing I were to see were her face, I wouldn't be all that upset. However, I earned a second chance, and I will fight for it. The next time my consciousness came to be, I was in a room, surrounded by machines I had never seen before. Sunlight shines through the windows, which are covered by long tan curtains that hang from the ceiling. I am wrapped in bandages, from head to toe, beneath a med gown. Something to the side of me is filled with blood and something else. They are in a sack of some sort, suspended on a contraption, a metal pole with wheels. Strange. Moving my eyes from side to side, I see her. She's writing on paper, wearing mostly white, wears glasses, and fashions her hair in braids. Despite these distractions, she seems deeply familiar, as if I knew her before knowing her.
"Sky?" I croaked. The name feels familiar to speak. She jumps at the sound of me mentioning her name.
Leaning down, she checks to see if what she heard was real. By looking into my eyes, we then understood each other, we remembered who we are.
"Owen, I'm here." A warm smile ignited on her face. She straightened up and walked around to the opposite side of the bed. Then she knelt down away from me. "He's awake."
Instantly, shuffling was heard, followed by a blue-haired menace that struggled to rise to her feet. Sky helped her maintain her balance. Guilt washes over me, she shouldn't have had to fight so hard to stand. Upon turning around, I saw her once weary and reddened eyes, filled with a burst of hope, when our eyes met. Sky helped her walk towards me.
"Hey." She bored her eyes into mine as she pulled a chair over to sit on.
"Hey," I replied, and I tried to inhale through my nose, only to discover that there are tubes inside them.
"Yeah, Piltover's been hiding the good stuff from us for years." Powder stated with a groggy voice.
Sky chuckled. "Give us some credit, all of these are prototypes that have yet to be approved by the council."
"They moved...fast to send the...police." I pointed out.
"Please." Powder, pat my chest. "Please, don't get yourself worked up."
"Pow Pow is h-" Vi walks from behind the corner, wiping her eyes of sleep. When she laid her eyes on me, a new wave of trepidation made my blood run from my head to the rest of my body. She didn't rush towards me in uncontrolled excitement. Instead, she is calm, eyes still filled with the excitement that I don't want to experience. She turns around and darts back down the hall. Her voice bounced off the walls, alerting, hopefully, my family of my awakening.
"That's different." I commented as I began to hear hasty footsteps approaching.
"Everyone misses you." Powder stated.
"I'll give you all some time." Sky said as she nods towards us.
As she left, my family replaced her presence. They began to fill in the space around me. Their faces consumed my view.
"There he is! I knew nothing could keep you down." Vander was praised.
"You just keep surprising me. I'm afraid of what else you'll do." Claggor confessed.
"Yeah, you have to slow down. One day, you're a street kid, the next thing we know, you're trying to blast off into a new age." Mylo explained. Vi gave him a confused and frustrated look.
"I at least got the blast part right." I joked.
They all went silent, with faces filled with indecisiveness on what to feel.
"Too soon, I take it?" I followed up with a grin that I tried to wear, but the effort was more painful than it should have been.
"I'd say." Ekko said as he walked to stand next to Powder. "Why are you joking now? Why not joke when you're all better?"
"Because laughter is the best medicine." I stated as I glanced at all of their faces, They're being way too serious.
"But you shouldn't laugh at yourself." Ekko expressed as he bore his doe eyes into me. His optics portray the innocence that I once had. By being in my presence, I made him smash a mutated kid's head in, and he almost got stabbed to death for it.
I smiled. "It's how I handle pain. Sometimes it's too much. It helps to just laugh it off."
Vander chuckled as he shook his head. "Some people do the best they can for what they are equipped to handle."
"You got it." I applauded Vander without moving my arms, that would hurt.
"That sounds like an excuse." Vi crossed her arms and approached the foot of my bed. "Look at you, you think this is funny?"
"Have we met?" I smiled widely. "My name is Owen. Life has bad jokes, and so do I."
Claggor had to stop Vi from jumping onto me by catching her in the air. Vi is so athletic, it's incredible that she can jump that high. Can't believe that she won't accept the idea of being a cat. She also likes to hit people for no reason, just like a cat.
"Claggor, can you?" Vander insinuated.
Claggor obliged. "We'll go for a walk."
He began to walk away with Vi over his shoulders. He has to hold her arms down to avoid getting elbowed in the face.
"You think this is funny?" She screamed as she was carried into the other room. "We had to watch you almost die! Again! You don't get to laugh at that!"
Eventually, her screams are muffled by distance and her shouting her frustrations into Claggor's chest. Silence hung in the air for a while before I ended it.
"I guess she didn't get the punchline." I delivered. They all turned to look at me, the silence is even heavier now. I didn't know where to look, their faces reflected something that I've been wanting to confront for a long time but hadn't had the time to do.
"Owen..." Powder whispered as she held my hand, which thankfully has enough nerves to feel her touch. "You're hiding again."
I know what she means, but I just can't get comfortable with staring myself in the face. Speaking of which...
"I've never had the chance to see my reflection." I stated as I looked at them all. In return, they appeared surprised.
"Are you sure? You don't exactly need a mirror to see yourself." Mylo pointed out.
"I...don't think it's a good idea, for now at any rate." Vander gently patted my leg. "Get some rest, Owen, you have a long road to recovery." He then turned to Powder and Mylo. "You two are either staying or coming home with me, okay? I don't fully trust Piltover after what they just pulled. In the meanwhile, I'll have a talk with Sky, she seems trustworthy."
"He seems tense." Mylo pointed out.
"It's about time you chimed in. Your timing could use a little work." I criticized.
"Owen." Powder whined as she tried to hide her smile.
"Vi was right there. You know I'm no good while under pressure," he reasoned.
"So it's a performance issue then?" I wondered as I gave him a smirk.
Powder raised a brow in confusion.
Mylo frowned. "No, more of a hero worship issue."
He's finally opening up, and like me, he'll probably never do that again if I screw it up. "You too?"
"We're talking about the same people, right?" Mylo investigated.
"Vander and Vi." I answered.
"Vander and Vi." Mylo confirmed as he stood up and crossed his legs. "I can never be like Vander, Vi is more achievable, though."
"That's still a high mountain to climb." I said as I reached up to touch my face but remembered that it's covered with bandages.
Powder grabbed my hand and pulled it back down to my lap.
"But picture this: be yourself." I shrugged as I tilted my head. Mylo locked eyes with me, appearing hurt, but I'm not quite sure, so I press on. "I'm sure there are a lot of things that Vi wishes that she could do, but she can only be herself, right?"
Mylo nods his head, then lowers it in deep thought. He began to pace, allowing the words to sink in. Then, without saying goodbye, he walked out.
"I better follow him." Ekko insisted as he popped to his feet. Before he left, he leaned over and gave me a hug, tight enough not to agitate my bandages. "We have the chamber, it's safe."
He pulled back, and his face glowed with pride when he saw my look of astonishment.
"You mean?" I began with my mouth wide open.
He nods. "Yeah, it worked. You did it."
"We did it." Powder corrected as she grabbed his hand and gave it a squeeze. Feeling left out, I extended my right arm, feeling the strain of stretching it to its full length. Ekko saw my effort and grabbed my hand.
"Yeah, we did. We are actually doing it, huh?" Ekko acknowledged.
"This is only the beginning." The strain in the joint of my right arm got the best of me, and I had to retract it.
Ekko placed his hand on my shoulder and pushed me back into my previous position. "Get some rest. We'll take care of things while you're here." He and Powder hugged before making his way towards the exit. "I'll visit when I can."
"He's a good man." I said as he disappeared around the corner.
"Yeah." Powder agreed as we just sat in our places, only connected by our joined hands. The silence now is a welcoming one. To know that she's here next to me is a comfort that I won't squander. To my surprise, Powder stood up and looked over my bed.
"What are you looking for?" I asked, curious if she snuck anything in my bed, because of course she would do that.
"You don't have any tubes on the left side?" She asks as she continues searching.
Upon lifting the blanket on my left side, I see none. "Nope."
"Good, move over." Powder ordered as she didn't bother to wait for me to move over at all. The bed hardly made noise as she was thoughtful enough to take her shoes off before putting her legs into the bed. Finally, we are shoulder to shoulder, as we are meant to be. The only thing that would have made this moment better is if I wasn't as charred as I felt.
"You were quiet." I spoke without thinking.
"Hmm?" She hummed as she held my left hand with both of hers.
"You were mostly quiet when everyone was here." I pointed out, trying to see if I could squeeze her hands, to my credit, I can feel my effort. Don't think Powder could.
"I just wanted to hear your voice again, even with the jokes," she stated as she turned her eyes to me. "Look at me."
"It kind of hurts to move." I croaked as I tried to move my neck, thankfully feeling no pain yet.
"Just try." She half requested, half demanded.
"Only because you asked nicely." I replied as I managed to turn my head to the left to look at her.
"See?" Her eyes brightened along with her smile. "You're getting better."
I tried to return her smile, but thoughts of how I got here began to flood my mind. "I'm sorry."
She shook her head. "No, don't start."
"I'm." I stopped as soon as she reached her hand up to rub at my cheek. "Was all this worth it?"
"I don't know, boss." She shrugs. "Is it?"
"Come on." I look away in embarrassment.
"I won't work for a boss who talks like this," she stated. "So let me know."
I look up at her again. She has that serious face again. Powder will stick to her guns, so to speak, and will do what she said she would do. Then there's that promise I made, the Zaun that will put Piltover to shame. I can't stop now. I will deliver that Zaun to my family, just as I promised.
"It's what I promised to you all, and I will deliver." A different feeling swells from within my chest. A renewed flame of ambition. It's dangerous, for it has burned me twice already. It won't get me the third time.
"Good answer." She ran her fingers to my mouth and parted the bandages that partially covered my lips.
"You're not going to like it." I warned her, however, she chose not to listen and pressed her face against my lips. To my joy, the lightning didn't torch my lips numb. Her lips have the distinct taste of salt. That's a shame, I know I made her cry. I didn't need to taste the results of my ambition, causing my loved ones pain. When she parted away, I couldn't maintain eye contact.
"See? Tastes like overcooked beef, huh?" I joked, trying desperately to distance myself from myself, I guess.
"You're still hiding," she called out correctly. "I'll deal with it for now."
Powder turned to lie flat on her back. "Goodnight, Owen."
Dealing with it, my deflection, hiding behind forced smiles and cheap jokes at my expense and the expense of others. It's been my best defense and my greatest weapon my entire life. So why am I using that armor and weaponry against my family? I need to disarm myself, otherwise, they'll get agitated. It's difficult to fall asleep now. Whatever is being leaked into my blood is numbing most of what Sky doesn't want me to feel. The road to recovery is going to be just as painful, and yet, as long as I have my family, I'll manage. Powder shifted in bed throughout the night, but when she turned her body towards me, she unconsciously decided to maintain that position. She still has that nasty habit of drooling in her sleep.