A few days flew by, and the reconstruction work across the twin cities was basically complete.
Piltover was lively today. Flyers covered the streets and alleys.
Jayce, Piltover's Progress Day figurehead, and Mel, Piltover's leading councilor, were about to be married.
The two of them would tie the knot in Piltover's largest ceremony hall.
Jayce had already stepped down from the council, and Heimerdinger, who had been brought back from the Undercity, had taken his seat.
The newspapers sold like crazy that day, both in Zaun and in Piltover.
After all, the twin cities were now as close as one family, and many Zaunites had even received wedding candy handed out by the two families.
Yes, the Medarda family had simply scattered wedding candy all across the streets of both cities.
That was what being outrageously rich looked like.
Caleb had even gone out of his way to have a formal suit tailored for the occasion.
This was his best friend's wedding, there was no way he could show up without a tux.
He had even taken the time to neatly comb the hair he usually let hang however it pleased.
His days in the twin cities had been far more comfortable than his previous life of hammering away at a keyboard in front of a screen.
Sure, there had been an element of adventure to it, but Caleb knew something in him had changed too.
For example, the old him never would have considered sacrificing himself for other people.
But when the Black Mist had invaded the twin cities, Caleb had come close to using that living weapon.
The moment he grabbed that spear, he would be dragged into a mental battle with a Darkin for control of his body.
Caleb's odds were under thirty percent, but even so, he had already opened his system backpack.
Thankfully, the people of Zaun had given him an enormous surprise.
Even Caleb had not expected them to save him from having to use that living weapon.
...
Xolan.
Before the colossal statue of the Faceless God.
There was no lake in this stretch of desert, no sign of human life.
And of course, it was no paradise.
Taliyah picked up a strip of scarf with grief written all over her face, it belonged to one of her lost tribespeople.
They had imagined Xolan would be a rich and fertile place where they could settle down and build a life.
Reality had been cruel.
Kai'Sa gently patted her on the shoulder from behind.
Kai'Sa had been right.
Although many of their people could not help feeling wary and disgusted by Kai'Sa's Void-like skin, Taliyah had never reacted that way.
Xolaani, an Ascended healer of unmatched skill, had vanished after the Darkin War.
Because of that, work on the face of her enormous statue had never been completed.
The two girls looked up at it. The land around them was desolate and abandoned, and even the lake that had once been here was gone.
Then behind them, a plume of dust suddenly rose into the air.
...
"Please welcome the newlyweds!"
To the music of the orchestra, Jayce and Mel stepped through the chapel doors with happiness written all over their faces.
For Piltovans, they did believe in gods, sort of, but only to a limited degree.
So their churches served a very broad idea of "god," and in a way, did not really serve any god at all.
They were used more often as wedding venues for the wealthy and powerful.
Ren was the flower girl today. She kept scattering petals into the air, and with the applause of the guests around her, she looked proud of herself.
Vi and Caitlyn had arrived. Ekko had also, for once, traded out of his usual Firelights outfit and squeezed himself into an awkward-looking suit.
As for people like Zac and Warwick, who were not exactly suited for public appearances, Caleb had simply left them behind to watch the house.
Viktor had come too, wearing so many mechanical parts that he looked almost like a councilor made of machinery.
This really was a major occasion.
Champagne glasses had been stacked into a tower, every one of them brimming with sparkling wine.
The hors d'oeuvres in the corner were extravagantly lavish as well.
Meanwhile, Caleb stood near the chapel entrance, listlessly staring at the sunlit sky overhead.
Once this wedding was over, he would have to prepare to leave.
Thinking back on his time in the twin cities, it really had been a full and meaningful stretch of life.
And now that the moment had come, he found himself feeling a little reluctant to go.
...
Taliyah manipulated the stone, and under the motion of her dance, rock that should have been unshakably solid moved like flowing water, surging out in every direction.
Kai'Sa's second skin began breathing violently, and the wing-like structures mounted behind her shoulders fired projectiles without pause.
Kai'Sa's hands were not idle either. As the Xer'Sai burst from the ground and struggled to find their footing, shot after shot of energy blasted into them.
Whenever one of them managed to close the distance, Kai'Sa's body would speed up, as though she had turned invisible in midair.
Each of those Xer'Sai was over two meters long, and looking at the purple armor-like shells on their bodies, there was no doubt about it, they were Void creatures.
There really was Void activity in Xolan.
Kai'Sa had been right all along.
Boom!
The two of them immediately ran to the side.
Kai'Sa used her Supercharge again, while Taliyah rolled across the ground and barely escaped the collapse zone.
Standing beside the suddenly formed pit, more than ten meters across, the two of them looked down.
Out of the silence below, an angry roar seemed to be drawing closer.
...
"Jayce Talis, do you take Mel as your wife, for richer or poorer, in sickness and in health, until death parts you?"
"I do."
Jayce's expression was utterly resolute.
Mel had played a vital role in his life. It was no exaggeration to say that without Mel, Jayce would never have achieved what he had today.
"Mel Medarda, do you take Jayce as your husband, and do you promise to remain by his side no matter how the years may change him?"
"I do."
Mel parted her lips softly, gazing at Jayce with warmth in her eyes.
At first, she had only found him interesting, a young man with a fearless drive that pushed straight ahead.
Later, though, she had been completely won over by the force of Jayce's character.
There were qualities in him that she herself did not possess, Mel had always believed that.
"You may exchange rings."
The platform under Heimerdinger's feet slowly descended, and he stepped back a few paces.
Jayce and Mel took the two rings from the maid beside them and slid them onto each other's fingers.
"Ohhh!!!"
Wave after wave of cheers erupted from the crowd. The newly married couple raised their champagne glasses and saluted the entire hall.
A fresh burst of camera flashes followed at once.
Tomorrow's newspaper headlines were already secured.
Heimerdinger looked at his student with satisfaction.
For things to end in such a happy way was proof that all the hardship along the road had finally been rewarded.
Before he realized it, Caleb had drifted into a corner. Even though he was still the Governor in name, he had never been comfortable with this kind of lively social scene.
...
Kai'Sa closed her eyes, as if recalling the years she had spent surviving.
Then she looked deeply at Taliyah.
This girl had believed her the moment she appeared, and that was something incredibly rare.
After all those years in the Void, Kai'Sa had almost forgotten how to be around other people.
It was Taliyah who had given her a different kind of warmth during these past days.
It was time to repay her.
The mask rose from her neck and covered that beautiful face, turning Kai'Sa once more into something that looked just like a Void monster.
A gigantic figure suddenly burst out of the ground. Floating in midair, Kai'Sa unleashed a barrage of projectiles at it without mercy.
It was Rek'Sai, the queen of the Xer'Sai brood gathered here.
Kai'Sa dropped into the tunnel, both hands still pouring out energy the whole way down.
Once Rek'Sai chased after her, Taliyah painfully summoned a boulder and sealed the opening shut.
She knew what Kai'Sa was trying to do.
But all she could do was make sure Kai'Sa's effort was not wasted.
Inside the burrowers' tunnels, Kai'Sa stared ahead and removed her mask.
The last time she had fought the Void swarm, she wondered how that blond kid who had stolen the Tear of the Goddess was doing.
She was about to return to the Void again.
Strangely enough, compared to the last time she had been dragged into the Void against her will, Kai'Sa did not feel nearly as terrible about it this time.
TN: Kai'Sa will be important in this fanfic, you might want to read her official bio, for those who have seen Arcane but don't know much about the rest of Runeterra.
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