"Where were you?" Seraphine demanded, standing iore se of their hexcoustic workshop. "I covered your ticket, and you didn't show up!"

  "I did!" Orion protested with an apologetic smile. Her arms were crossed, and she leaned in with an upset frown. "But some people showed up and I had to run..."

  Scowling, she rolled her eyes and shook her head. "You've been back for what? Less than a few days? And you already have people chasing you!"

  "What I say? I'm just that famous," he replied sarcastically.

  "Is that right?" she retorted with a wry smile.

  "Haha..." Orion weakly chuckled, rubbing the back of his head. He gnced over at Kieran, who smiled ily as if he didn't hear anything, and Orion's expression turned more serious.

  "Hey, does your...tractor... know we're still meeting?"

  Kieran's eyebrows raised for a moment as he g Seraphihen shook his head. She looked between them with suspi, huffing again with her arms still folded.

  "Great! Because I found some Syntaxi crystals and I was w if you could-"

  "You WHAT?!" Kieran excimed, standing up suddenly with a wide eyes. His eyes quickly shifted to Seraphine, who stiffened. Sighing, he gestured for her to leave and lowered his voientle, pleading tone.

  "Sephy, you leave us for a bit?"

  "Sure..." Seraphine replied uainly, her gaze lingering on them as she left the room and closed the door behind her.

  Ohe sound of footsteps faded upstairs, Kieran's eyes darted back to Orion.

  "What do you mean, you 'found' Syntaxi crystals?"

  "Oh, I was just kidding," Orion smiled ily. Kieran's face torted, obviously not liking his as before Orion tinued. "But I pn on grabbing them- and their blueprints."

  "Woah, slow down," Kieran said, raising his hands. His tone was stiff, carrying wariness and . "What do mean 'pn on grabbing them'? Are you pnning on stealing from the Poire family?"

  "Why not?" Orion tilted his head, well aware of how absurd his idea sounded. "Do you think it's a good idea for them to have those crystals?"

  "No one should have those crystals! I already told you that they are far more potent and dangerous than any other syic version- on par with Hextech Crystals! It uses Shimmer in pce of the Bra, which is what Hextech crystals are derived from."

  "No idea what a Bra is!" Orion chimed. "But you sound like you know a lot more than you should. And you were talking about it to me when you shouldn't have been."

  Kieran stiffened, leaning back against the ter. "Listen, Orion, I 't help you. If I did, I'd be putting my daughter in danger."

  "I'm not asking for your help during the heist- well, maybe just the location of their factory. I'm asking for you to help afterward."

  His words didn't seem like they were w. Kieran's forehead creased with skepticism, his gaze hardening as he crossed his arms.

  Sighing, Orion shook his head. After the frontation with Vander, he knew he o be bolder. He was on the losing side of every party if he stayed in this city.

  Piltover would have him locked up, and half of the Uy wao use him. Silco for his schemes, Vander for his family and passive ideals.

  "Kieran, listen to me. Do you really think things will stay peaceful if Zarkon keeps manufacturing those crystals? Wheart using them, other Chembarons will jump in. You've seen how they behave when they hold power. Do you think Piltover or Silco will show any mercy to you or your daughter if they catch wind of your involvement?"

  Kieran's hardeerior seemed to crack slightly. His fiapped nervously against the tertop as he mulled over Orion's words.

  "Do you really think you steal it?" Kieran finally asked, his tone low and skeptical. "Do you even have a pn? Or did you e in here spouting nonseh nothing but a hair-brained idea?"

  Orion shrugged, smirking slightly at Kieran. "It's worked so far."

  Sighing, Kieran pihe bridge of his nose in frustration. "Yoing to get yourself killed- or worse, bring the Chembarht to my doorstep."

  "Well, that's a future you've already set for yourself by helping Zarkon and doing nothing," Orion said, frowning. "If I succeed, you cut ties safely."

  After another short pause, Kieran asked, "Why do you want the crystals? What do you pn on using them for?"

  "Well," Orion said slowly, choosing his as and words carefully.

  Lifting his hand, he eled, an archaic blue orb materialized in his palm, shimmering and painting the room in a soft, blue hue.

  Kieran's eyes widened in shock, stepping forward cautiously as his gaze shifted between Orion and the orb, muttering in disbelief. "Magic..."

  "Yes," Orion nodded, his eyes meeting Kieran's again. His expression hardened. "I've seen topside and the uy just like you. I've also had the... privilege... of being around topside's elite."

  "Hextech uses magic, but they're developing it recklessly, without sidering the cost." Orion gnced down at the glowing orb in his hand, his voice dipping into something cryptiowing.

  "And the irony? Despite their use of magic, they refuse to sult mages. Ionians- and any mage for that matter- would have warhem to stop. Even the cil member Heimerdinger knows! Yet, he's allowing it to tinue."

  A moment of silence followed with Kieran stroking his , his gaze fixated on the orb while his expression mirrored his intehoughts.

  He started muttering to himself, closing his eyes, before finally looking back at Orion.

  "If these Hextech crystals are so dangerous then why don't you infiltrate the academy instead?" Kieran tered, his voice sharp but filled with curiosity. "Why risk your neck for Syntaxi crystals?"

  With a final hum, the orb vanished from Orion's palm and the room went back to its pale, inal lighting.

  "Even if I could get past the Enforcers and snuff it out at its source- that would also mean killing people like Jayd Viktor. They are protected by Piltover's bureaucracy, the cil, and the public's admiration. They're untouchable, for now."

  "They will bring disaster, but stopping them this early will bring another civil war," Orion said in a low, solemn tone.

  "So, what? You want to trade one dangerous teology for another? What makes you think that's aer? Pying god with a different on? Yiving me a lot of reasons not to trust you, Orion."

  "Syntaxi doesn't use magic, so it isn't ily dangerous. It be refihe Syntaxi problem will remain unless we stabilize it, and we repce Hextech."

  "If it be refihat means it be onized," Kieran responded, his arms still crossed. "What makes you think it will end any differently in the hands of the Uy?"

  "We just met, but trust me when I say magic is far more dangerous- as a user myself." Orion's expression darkened, recalling all of his pain and trauma from the explosions to being zapped across Ruerra. "They'll figure out a way to refiech crystals, but the i magic is still dangerous and it will endahe city."

  Kiera out a heavy sigh, ping the bridge of his nose. "You're still askio trust you with something that could end up being worse thaech."

  "I'm asking you to help me stop something that is already worse thaech, and to stop the future where Hextech brings disaster."Siletled again as he watched Kieran pting the situation.

  "If we 't refi, then we'll destroy every Syntaxi blueprint and crystal we find," Orion added, trying to finalize his offer to Kieran. "But if we succeed, we make Piltover and Zaun a better pce for everyone- including your daughter. Your daughter's headphones are proof that these iions still be used food. The Chembarons demonstrate the opposite."

  Zaun, instead of the Uy, perked up Kieran's ears. If Orion's assumption was correct, Kieran still had ties to the Uy and wanted his daughter to have a happy life.

  He felt shitty using his daughter to vince him, but if it worked- then it wouldn't be a lie.

  Hextech became so ied into Piltover life that after Are ehere robably more than one disaster unfolding.

  If nothing else, even if he failed at stopping fate again, this city would have a rept.

  And if he didn't fail, theech would be repced by Syntaxi Gems instead, bringih and independeo Zaun.

  And in a city like this, wealth and achievements gave respect. Zaun would gain respect, and hopefully, their retionship would improve with Piltover.

  "I ime to think about this," Kieran broke his train of thought. "For now, don't mention it around my daughter anymore."

  Orion nodded as they locked eyes o time. Both of them would have much to think about.

  From upstairs, the faint sound of Seraphine's singing drifted down, her voice carrying a haunting, hopeful melody. It was a reminder of what was at stake- not just their lives, but the future of the city itself.

  "What do you mean?" Vi stepped away from Vander, betrayal lingering on her face. "You old us that you were w with topside..."

  "It was trying to keep you safe- to keep the family safe!" Vander said with resolution, his eyes shining with tears as he tried to close the gap between them. "Orion was als to build a better future by w with them too."

  Vi backed away again, holding her sister's hand tightly. She felt betrayed, as if she was being danced around and pyed the fool by everyone close to her.

  Everyone knew what they went through- losing their family to Enforcers. So why was everyone hiding things or ag like this behind her back?

  What about Mylo? Cggor? Her eyes darted between them as mistrust started to take root. Who else had secrets they hadn't shared?

  "We promise we aren't involved with anything Vi!" Cggor blurted, raising his hands as if to show his innoce. His eyes also looked hurt arayed, clearly struggling with his own internal turmoil.

  Mylo stepped up beside Cggor, trying to help. "That's right! We were in the dark about this too! You two knew more than us. If anything, we're the ones who should feel upset."

  Cggor and Mylo looked at each other and nodded as if firming their stance before back toward the sisters.

  Vi nodded hesitantly, her hands trembling as she clutched Powder. She gnced down to che her sister, worried.

  Powder was a mess again, ed by flid agony. She was back to twitg violently, pulling at her hair, emitting painful and pitiful cries.

  The earlier frontation had brought too much to light. Orion was alive, but he no lorusted them. He felt abandoned arayed.

  To Powder, that was their fault- her fault.

  And then there was Vander.

  He hid his involvement with topside, and even Orion's activities. If they had known back the first started, they would've kicked Orion out without hesitation.

  But Vander?

  This wasn't just about Orion anymore. Vander's as cast a long shadow over everything. It ged the way Vi saw him.

  Everything inning in a different light now. Their retionship had always been built on family and trust. But in this moment, that trust wasn't just breaking- it was shattered.

  "I was just trying to protect you," Vander's guilt echoed through the room. "I didn't tell you because I knew how much you'd hate me for it. But you have to believe me, I was just trying to protect you!"

  "Protect us? By keepis? By w with the people who killed our family?" Vi hiccupped in anger aion.

  Vander's frustratiohrough into his tone, his voice desperate. "I wanted you two to have a peaceful upbringing! This was the way, to keep both topside and uy away from each other's throats!"

  "But at what cost? ... You're er than Silco if you're pying these mind games..."

  Cggor hesitated but spoke up, "Vi, listen, we all make mistakes! If it wasn't for Vander, we wouldn't have met. He's the reason we're all still here, together as a family."

  "Where would we even go if we left?" Mylo added, though his voice was unsure. "Maybe that's not what you wao hear, but Vander has really tried for us. Everything he's ever done was for us, including what you hate."

  Vi's gaze flickered to each of them, her mind rag. Powder g to her desperately, as if letting go of her sister would shatter her pletely. Mylo and Cggor looked lost, torween their loyalty to Vander and the cracks f in their family.

  "I don't know," Vi whispered, her gaze finally returning to Vander. "How I trust you now?"

  Vander's shoulders sagged, eyes filled with pain. "I don't expect you trust me like you did before...I betrayed your trust, I'm sorry. But please- stay for Powder. For, for Mylo. Standing together is what makes us strong, it always has done. Walking away now would undo everything we've built."

  'What? Like Orion just did?' Vi almost blurted out but restrained herself. Her grip tightened around her sister, a heavy fog settling in her mind.

  Powder looked up at her, her eyes desperately screaming that she wao run away- for all of this to end. Vi closed her eyes, biting the her tongue.

  "We'll stay," Vi said bitterly, her voice cold. "But because of them." Her head gestured at Mylo and Cggor, "Not you."Vander flinched, pain refleg in his eyes like the moon on a clear night. "I uand. I'll prove to you that I'm still the man you trusted. I'll fix this... somehow."

  Vi turned away, her heart feeling heavier than ever. For now, they would stay. But the cracks in their family wouldn't heal ht- and Vi wasn't sure they ever would.