Sunset over Zaun

There was once a time where things that happened in the past stayed in the past. Many would wish not to relive horrid memories or reopen old wounds, especially if someone is believed to be gone. A handful of people would tell you that if you are consumed by the past, then you cloud your vision and find yourself unable to see what is directly in front of you. The same could be said for those who look too far ahead into the future… and not be able to see what they might trip over in front of them.

Though, what exactly happens when the past is all you have to go off of? That you’ve been isolated for so long and found the chance to come back… only to learn that everything you once knew has been turned upside down. Everything you hate has begun to spread like weeds and be overgrown.

Simple… you take a swing and hope for the best.

“Let me get this straight. You’re telling me that Bridgewaltz is on alert because someone decided to fight Sevika?”

The Chirean named Scar could only nod, acknowledging both Ekko and Sunset as they were trying to wrap their heads around what he just told them. “That’s right. From what one of our scouts saw, the place immediately cleared out when someone punched Sevika in the jawline and shit hit the fan.”

“Aren’t bar fights kind of normal at the Last Drop, though?” Sunset asked, “What makes this one different?”

“Sunset has a point, actually. Drunkards cause problems there all the time. How are we sure that this isn’t someone who just got angry because they were dealt a bad hand at cards?”

“Because they’ve noticed this person all over Bridgewaltz in the last few hours,” Scar retorted, “They were at Jericho’s stall, then made a trip over to Madam Babette’s and then made a beeline towards The Last Drop. Though, the thing is, right up until they left Madam Babette’s, somebody else was following them and didn’t look like a local.”

The fur on the back of Sunset’s neck began to stand up as she shifted her attention to the Chirean, “Did they say what they looked like?”

“Dark clothes aside from a red jacket, they had a hood on their head, but bandages covered their hands. At one point, when our guy saw them take their hood off, they noted some tattoos on the face and neck and that their hair moved off to one side while part of the head was shaved.”

Instantly, she looked back towards Ekko, “That’s the same person that bumped into me on my way back.”

“Shit,” Ekko cursed, not liking the coincidence that the same figure that Sunset just randomly bumped into happened to be the one causing a ruckus. Then, another thought crossed their mind, “What about the other one? You said that there was some kind of accomplice?”

“They wore some kind of uniform. Definitely not something you would find down here,” Scar pointed out, “Looks almost like a cadet uniform you would find for the Enforcers, but the details are hazy.”

That was enough to raise an immediate red flag. It was one thing to have strangers enter the Undercity, but an enforcer? Piltover’s finest would not be down here without a good enough reason, and if there was something that Pilties aren’t known for, it’s being completely honest.

“Where are they now?”

“If I have to be honest Chief, I doubt they would still be at The Last Drop by now,” the Chirean said, “No matter how that scuffle with Sevika turns out, they will be ending up with a target on their back anyways. Chances are, they would try to hide somewhere else in the Undercity. Maybe the slums depending on how brave or foolish they are.”

That was not good. The Slums were where those who were the worst afflicted by Shimmer converged with those who were the most desperate. People would easily turn on one another just to satisfy cravings that they had been denied for a long time.

At this point, it was clear that they needed answers. And the only way to have them was to not only find these two, but bring them back alive.

“So, what are we going to do?” Sunset looked back at Ekko, noticing that the internal gears in his mind were turning.

What she did not anticipate was the question that followed, “How good are you at staying hidden?”

If there was anything that she could say on the matter, at least what needed to be done sounded simple… in theory.

After being provided some repurposed equipment from Ekko, Sunset found herself back on the same ledge that overlooked Zaun when she first found herself here. Several months might’ve passed since then, but Zaun looked the same as ever. Nothing had changed, and more than likely, nothing will with the way things were.

Though, she was not out here to gaze out at the city. Rather, Sunset was doing a task that she was already familiar with before. Though, given the current circumstances, the approach as to how she had to carry out the task had to be changed.

Lucky for her, she was provided a few ‘appropriated’ tools to help as she reached to grab a small metal box with a few holes in it and powered by a small chemical tube. After clicking the side, the mage spoke into it. “Testing. If you can hear me, I’m heading down now.”

It took a moment, but Sunset breathed a sigh of relief as the static response came through on the other end, “Alright. Scar’s gathering anyone that can help. Right now, just try and see if you can find who we’re looking for. And please, be careful.”

That was an understatement. Because where she needed to go was a place that very few Firelights dared to tread and took a while to get down there. While the Undercity might’ve been dangerous, at least they knew the dangers there. They knew the stomping grounds of the barons and how to blend in so no one could catch onto them.

The Slums, on the other hand, were unknown territory. Very few dared to go there and even fewer make it out the same way they were before. Down here was where the Shimmer addicts and those who were the worst affected by Zaun’s current state resided, with many trying to take advantage of others they came across.

It was also a place that, geographically speaking, was much farther down than where the Undercity was. Run off chemicals and trash from the chem-plants that the barons operated would pool up down here, before being dumped into the sea. Ram-shackle abodes made of metal scraps and wood, abandoned buildings and what Ekko is to be believed, there was a mental asylum here at one point.

If there was any place that would be described as ‘Hell on Runeterra’, then some Zaunites would say that the slums would either match that description or come damn near close.

Luckily for Sunset, there happened to be a perfect spot for her observations. A small cliff's edge that overlooked the slums from a hundred feet up and hidden in the darkness of the night. She can see everything from up here, and if something happened where she had to retreat, Sunset had a plan in case of an emergency.

Kneeling into the dirt of the cliff and hunkering down in the shadows, Sunset reached for a spyglass that was next to the contraption Ekko gave her. After surveying the area with her own eyes, she peered through the spyglass, trying to get a closer view of anything in the darkness. “Okay, let’s see how long it takes until we find something down here-”

Contrary to what she thought, it did not take too long to notice something was happening.

At first, it didn’t seem too odd. People going through the different alleys in the slums and going about their business. Though, after a few minutes, most of the ones that were addicted to Shimmer started to follow one another. Much like animals in a pack, they began to move together to a single point in the center of the slums. At first, she assumed that they found more shimmer so they could get a taste.

Instead, she saw what looked like a crooked man. Darkened, yet fancy clothes were worn over then and one side of their face was heavily disfigured as they waited in the shadows. Almost as if expecting something… or someone while flanked by two bodyguards.

Right away though, Sunset felt a deep shiver go down her spine. For she recognized this man… and Firelight would. “Ekko, we have a major problem.”

“What’s wrong?”

“Silco is down here.” she grit her teeth, “Not sure why, but if he knew that who we’re looking for was heading down here-”

“Either they work for him or are against him. Plain and simple,” he quickly assumed, “Can you hear what’s going on?”

“I can try, but-”

Immediately, something else came into view as Sunset got back up and hugged the stone wall behind her. A door opened on a ramshackle hut with a neon sign in the shape of an eye above it. Someone stepped out. Bruised, but still kicking.

The same woman from the alley much earlier in the day. And a figure Silco seemed to recognize as some words of conversation bounced off the walls.

“Vander’s prodigy.” the crooked one said. “I regret that we never had the opportunity to speak.”

“What have you done with my sister?!”

“I freed her.”

Immediately, Sunset felt agonizing pain like before as something surged in her brain again. Pictures of a burning fire. A young girl in the blaze… and her being approached by the same man down here. All with the feeling of helplessness.

“N-not again.”

“Sunset? Sunset, what’s going on down there?”

Her eyes looked up, seeing that the addicts had now gotten their fix from the supplier. Watching their bodies mutate and flex into monstrosities. The woman, taking up a fighting stance, before rushing back into the hut and watched her strike a wooden pillar. In a matter of seconds, whatever supports that were inside slowly became undone as screws popped out and panels started to break.

Then she realized that the eye was falling… and parts of it were coming straight at her. “Oh shi-!”

On instinct, she hastily raced up. Not even caring who or what might see her as static from the other end of the box was breaking through. “Sunset, what the hell is going on down there?!”

“S-she was here,” the mage coughed, “But now on the run. That crazy woman tried to drop an entire building just now!”

“You saw her!? And Silco too?”

“Y-yes. He called her... ‘V-vander’s prodigy’ or something. Whatever they were discussing, it made my magic act up again. That woman is probably going back up as we speak.” When she expected a response from him… instead, everything was quiet. For a good moment or two, there was no response. Which did little to ease Sunset’s worries right now, “Ekko? Ekko, are you there!?”

After another moment, a response finally came in. But the tone had changed. Deeper, more serious and definitely more concerning, “Sunset, get back to the hideout. We’ll take it from here.”

Even though she was able to follow through on her part and made sure no one tailed her, the hardest part came afterwards. For even though Sunset did her part, the wait that followed was something she deeply hated. She knew that Ekko could handle himself, but after a day where they lost several friends today, losing more was the last thing she or the other Firelights would’ve wanted.

There was also the problem of what she experienced for the second time today. Her magic acted on its own, showing her visions that seared in her memory and made her feel as if reliving another person’s experiences. In the months that she had been here, it had never acted this way before when running into new people. Hay, it didn’t even act this way when she met Ekko for the first time.

So why the hell was it doing so now?

“Everything okay-”

As if on instinct, Sunset grabbed a knife with her levitation and shot it towards the sound of the voice. The moment it impacted the wall, the mage realized that the voice belonged to the person she had been waiting for.

“Woah, easy there.” Ekko raised his hands, as if mock surrendering to her.

“The fuck was that for?” She cursed, “More importantly, where have you been? You’ve been silent for the last half hour. Couldn’t even get a hold of you-”

The head of the Firelights sighed, before raising an identical contraption to that of the one he gave her. Only damaged and with a gaping hole in the center. “Things got a bit complicated for us. This got busted, but we managed to apprehend that ‘prodigy’ and then some. I plan to talk to her once they wake. See if they actually work for Silco or not-”

Even though she was listening to Ekko, Sunset noticed something was off. To her eyes, she was seeing something that he couldn’t see. A blue streak, much like a vapor trail, was emanating from him. And the power was very familiar.

“Ekko, mind telling me what’s in your pocket?” She asked, pointing to where she saw the trail and where it led too. Shortly after, he let out a small breath, before going over to the workshop bench in the room and setting down sapphire marble.

“One of the Firelights found something on the companion that tagged along with her. Turns out, they actually were from Topside-”

“Ekko, do you have any idea what this is?” Sunset asked, her gaze focused on the orb as she cast her levitation spell to float it to her.

“Outside of it being a shiny marble, no,” he said, folding his arms, “Wait… do you know what it might be?”

The mage, once known as the student of Princess Celestia in another realm, nodded her head. For she knew all too well what this was and quite frankly, would say that it was an area of expertise of hers.

“Ekko. This is not just some mere marble. This is magic.”