askskyyoung

[askskyyoung]

II

So. I guess it's true, then. They finally confessed. I was the one who told them to say so before time ran out, after all. Time. Love. Science. Sounds like a bad comedy/drama show.

I'm happy for them. I am. But. I can't help but feel like I've lost. Janna, I feel so pathetic writing this, saying how I could have had a chance. How maybe I could have had just one night with Viktor. But he's not attracted to women. I should have known. I was just so sure.

Why do I feel like crying? Again? Why does it feel like I just can't win as of late? When it comes to him. It's always Viktor.

It's always him.

I feel so alone. Seeing how happy Jayce was recalling their night after the gala hurt so much. I sounded so curt and rude when I told him goodbye. I didn't mean to. I just couldn't take it. I'm happy for him but it was painful. I'll apologize tomorrow. Or maybe I should take a personal day if Viktor and Jayce would allow it. No. For a silly reason as mine? Viktor was slowly dying and here I am wanting to hide away over something so childish. Pathetic.

Maybe I can allow myself to be vulnerable for just one night. I want to feel the pain. I want to cry. And then, as I've told myself so many times before, I can start to heal from this…lifelong love I've harbored for a dear friend.

Maybe one day.

I don't think so. I lied to myself. Oh, Sky, you silly love drunk fool of a girl…

Love just wasn't meant for you, and that's okay. I'm learning to accept that. Slowly. Goodnight Piltover. Goodnight Viktor. Goodnight. (Viktor looked more tired than usual today. His eyes look tired. I'll bring in something from the bakery. A reason to see them tomorrow. An apology to Jayce and to see Viktor and spend what little time he has left with us. Janna, look after him, please.)

Sky Young

((My monstera has a new leaf growing. I should feed her some fertilizer.))

[askskyyoung]

What's your favourite memory of being at the Academy? I didn't know Viktor helped you get in. :3

The first day I set foot on campus with nothing more than a bag of my belongings and clothes.

I cried. I felt hope for the first time in so long. My parents had recently passed within a short span of one another, and I was struggling. I've always kept in contact with Viktor so he knew what I was going through and then...he offered a scholarship if I could send in a thesis on any topic I chose. I studied biology and botany with a minor in physics...I barely passed the physics part...don't tell Viktor he will scold me. Botany is my true passion. I owe so much to him.

[askskyyoung]

Sky swallowed thickly.

This wasn't the Viktor she knew. This man was clouded with last-minute desperate delusions. Whatever was happening was half caused by that thing.

"Yes and No. You and I both know that history repeats itself, Viktor. It's- it's in human nature to exist and evolve in a circle, a cycle. This-?" She nods down to the tome in her arms. "This is a warning. This is something we can't just harness. We're human, not gods." Her voice trembled, afraid to defy Viktor.

But at this moment, he needed her. Even if he didn't know it himself.

Her breath became quicker as she fought her frozen state and stepped toward him. The Hexcore flared angrily, and she flinched away, shielding herself with her books.

"I know you're desperate. I know, Viktor. I know." She lowered her books, and papers slipped from her journal and floated onto the floor. She didn't move to pick them up.

Brown eyes focused on her dear friend. His smile not quite his. His sunken eyes and dark circles. His sickly visage. Her stomach flipped uneasily. Her nose stung, and her throat tightened. Sky hated to see him like this torn between her loyalty to him and her duty to bring her friend back from the brink.

Viktor may have turned away Jayce, but she would not have given up so easily.

"The Inspiration rune isn't just a rune. It's a metaphysical entity stabilizing arcanal power. Without it, there's no balance." She recalled the diagrams and runes hand drawn on delicate and brittle paper. She remembered how human nature was the very conduit of the arcane. Curiosity. Drive. Creativity. Motivation.

And now The Hexcore became engorged and swollen like a tick, fed on the one thing it was given.

Desperation.

"You told me you wanted to make the world a better place. You told me that if man loses it's drive to do better, humanity would die. What does that make you, Viktor?" She pleaded. "You're not evolving this for humanity but for yourself. You need to destroy it before it destroys you. We can rebuild with the inspiration rune. We can do this but correctly."

She took another step toward him, wondering if he could see the way her legs trembled. She wondered if he could see how the Hexcore was aggressive in her presence.

"Please, Viktor."

Sky delicately flipped another page, smoothing the paper with her fingertips as she continued reading. This tome was unimaginably old.

The leather had become brittle, and some of the threads and bindings of the spine were showing through. In its prime, it had been read and studied, a testament to the knowledge it held. But now, years of never seeing the light of day had left it stiff and crippled. The pages smelled of damp decay, the edges frayed and soft, a poignant reminder of its age and fragility.

Sky was almost reluctant to turn the next page. Her journal was open and used as she continued scribbling down notes.

The book had been vague thus far. Describing runes as harmonious. Natural. The Hextech runes Jayce and Viktor used were a written language, while wild runes were a body language. Both could communicate the same concepts, but it simply came down to one's ability to understand them.

Hence the hope that this tome would offer an answer about this Inspiration Rune. Was it perhaps a wild rune?

Sky slid her tired gaze to her journal and scribbled down the question underlining it while drawing an arrow to 'inspiration rune'.

She flipped to the next page and furrowed her brow, her fingers lifted away from the page.

The scene depicted before her spread across both pages sent a chill down her spine. This tome was not for research purposes.

It was a warning.

The door to her office suddenly unlocked and opened, causing her to jump out of her chair and squeak a terrified sound. She closed the book with a heavy, curt thud and smiled.

A cleaning cart and an older lady walked into her office. "Oh! Miss Young, I didn't expect you to be here at such an hour! Do you want me to come back?"

Sky shook her head rapidly. "No! No! It's alright, Leti, I was just...I was just leaving. Packing up, Yeah. Yeah! It's alright. Jeez, what time is it? I lost track of time so easily." Her nerves made her hands shake as she gathered all her papers and books, stuffing them into the crook of her elbow.

The older woman looked at her in worry. "Just past midnight, Miss Young. Are you alright?"

Sky shuffled past the woman, waving her off. "Yes! Just, innovation never rests and all! Thank you for all you do, bye!" She hurriedly walked out of her office down the cold, mutely lit hallway. She hugged her journal, papers, and the now too-heavy book to her chest. Her throat felt closed off. Her heart raced. Her pulse thundered in her ears.

What if they tried the line between what should and shouldn't be done? What if Professor Heimerdinger was right? What if...what if this shouldn't be done?

A warning.

The image of destruction, death, and misery depicted in the tome burned in her memory.

The Hexcore had been an ever-shifting entity creating its own development and hypothetical sentience. It unnerved her. It glowed and pulsed eerily. It sent shivers down her spine, and she never knew why. The ominous way it spun and shifted more slowly than before. Calculative.  

Perhaps it was the way Viktor had become all too hungry as of late, pushing himself for a breakthrough that would-

Maybe it was how he seemed consumed by that...that thing. Never mind it being a pinnacle of research and advancement, the Hexcore must be destroyed. If this tome was true, if it truly recalled the events of a past instance of trying to harness arcanal power artificially, she had to tell someone. Viktor.

She had to.

Her feet automatically took her to the lab, her subconscious mind unlocking the door. She knew more than likely Viktor would have stayed at the lab. Nowadays, he slept here more than at his home.

Another chill ran down her spine, seeing that the lab wasn't lit with lanterns or overhead lamps but the slow pulsing and spinning pulse of the Hexcore itself. Corrupted webbing made broken, violaceous light flicker across the large space of the lab.

She approached her friend carefully. "Viktor?" She called out to him uneasily. "Can...Can we talk?" And before he could brush her off with an excuse of being too busy or involved with his current fixation, she hurriedly added: "It's important. About the Inspiration Rune," knowing it would catch his attention.

@askviktor

[askskyyoung]

Sky set her jaw tightly when Viktor answered in the manner she knew he would. Slowly, she walked closer to Viktor. The swirling, visibly pulsing Hexcore consumed them both in the sickly light, mirroring Viktor's tired and all consuming expression.

"I'm fine." She said curtly and quietly upon his offer of coffee, hugging her bundle of books and papers to her chest. The core stopped its orbit. Sickly energy, similar to a solar flare, arched when she took a specific step it did not particularly like.

Her breath caught in her throat. She was terrified of what might happen if she came closer. Sky was determined not to find out. A chill ran down her spine as the Hexcore continued to swirl and spin, as if relishing in her obedience to its warning.

"I've translated halfway through the tome Jayce had given me." She started, her voice smaller and quieter as she stared at the back of Viktor's head. His hair had become longer, kept unruly and messy.

This...This was his spiral downward. This was his end. This would be how her dearest friend would fade away. His legacy forgotten and shadowed over by Jayce and her while they-

No.

"You have to destroy it." She blurted forcefully.

Her legs became heavy, a shot of something visceral and cold going up her spine after she said the words. She was locked in place, her muscles tense and her skin prickling with cold sweat. Her hands trembled, and every bone in her body told her to freeze.

"Listen to me, Viktor. Please. A-As your friend." She begged. The tome in her arms felt heavy despite the adrenaline that ran through her veins.

Sky delicately flipped another page, smoothing the paper with her fingertips as she continued reading. This tome was unimaginably old.

The leather had become brittle, and some of the threads and bindings of the spine were showing through. In its prime, it had been read and studied, a testament to the knowledge it held. But now, years of never seeing the light of day had left it stiff and crippled. The pages smelled of damp decay, the edges frayed and soft, a poignant reminder of its age and fragility.

Sky was almost reluctant to turn the next page. Her journal was open and used as she continued scribbling down notes.

The book had been vague thus far. Describing runes as harmonious. Natural. The Hextech runes Jayce and Viktor used were a written language, while wild runes were a body language. Both could communicate the same concepts, but it simply came down to one's ability to understand them.

Hence the hope that this tome would offer an answer about this Inspiration Rune. Was it perhaps a wild rune?

Sky slid her tired gaze to her journal and scribbled down the question underlining it while drawing an arrow to 'inspiration rune'.

She flipped to the next page and furrowed her brow, her fingers lifted away from the page.

The scene depicted before her spread across both pages sent a chill down her spine. This tome was not for research purposes.

It was a warning.

The door to her office suddenly unlocked and opened, causing her to jump out of her chair and squeak a terrified sound. She closed the book with a heavy, curt thud and smiled.

A cleaning cart and an older lady walked into her office. "Oh! Miss Young, I didn't expect you to be here at such an hour! Do you want me to come back?"

Sky shook her head rapidly. "No! No! It's alright, Leti, I was just...I was just leaving. Packing up, Yeah. Yeah! It's alright. Jeez, what time is it? I lost track of time so easily." Her nerves made her hands shake as she gathered all her papers and books, stuffing them into the crook of her elbow.

The older woman looked at her in worry. "Just past midnight, Miss Young. Are you alright?"

Sky shuffled past the woman, waving her off. "Yes! Just, innovation never rests and all! Thank you for all you do, bye!" She hurriedly walked out of her office down the cold, mutely lit hallway. She hugged her journal, papers, and the now too-heavy book to her chest. Her throat felt closed off. Her heart raced. Her pulse thundered in her ears.

What if they tried the line between what should and shouldn't be done? What if Professor Heimerdinger was right? What if...what if this shouldn't be done?

A warning.

The image of destruction, death, and misery depicted in the tome burned in her memory.

The Hexcore had been an ever-shifting entity creating its own development and hypothetical sentience. It unnerved her. It glowed and pulsed eerily. It sent shivers down her spine, and she never knew why. The ominous way it spun and shifted more slowly than before. Calculative.  

Perhaps it was the way Viktor had become all too hungry as of late, pushing himself for a breakthrough that would-

Maybe it was how he seemed consumed by that...that thing. Never mind it being a pinnacle of research and advancement, the Hexcore must be destroyed. If this tome was true, if it truly recalled the events of a past instance of trying to harness arcanal power artificially, she had to tell someone. Viktor.

She had to.

Her feet automatically took her to the lab, her subconscious mind unlocking the door. She knew more than likely Viktor would have stayed at the lab. Nowadays, he slept here more than at his home.

Another chill ran down her spine, seeing that the lab wasn't lit with lanterns or overhead lamps but the slow pulsing and spinning pulse of the Hexcore itself. Corrupted webbing made broken, violaceous light flicker across the large space of the lab.

She approached her friend carefully. "Viktor?" She called out to him uneasily. "Can...Can we talk?" And before he could brush her off with an excuse of being too busy or involved with his current fixation, she hurriedly added: "It's important. About the Inspiration Rune," knowing it would catch his attention.

@askviktor

[askskyyoung]

Sky delicately flipped another page, smoothing the paper with her fingertips as she continued reading. This tome was unimaginably old.

The leather had become brittle, and some of the threads and bindings of the spine were showing through. In its prime, it had been read and studied, a testament to the knowledge it held. But now, years of never seeing the light of day had left it stiff and crippled. The pages smelled of damp decay, the edges frayed and soft, a poignant reminder of its age and fragility.

Sky was almost reluctant to turn the next page. Her journal was open and used as she continued scribbling down notes.

The book had been vague thus far. Describing runes as harmonious. Natural. The Hextech runes Jayce and Viktor used were a written language, while wild runes were a body language. Both could communicate the same concepts, but it simply came down to one's ability to understand them.

Hence the hope that this tome would offer an answer about this Inspiration Rune. Was it perhaps a wild rune?

Sky slid her tired gaze to her journal and scribbled down the question underlining it while drawing an arrow to 'inspiration rune'.

She flipped to the next page and furrowed her brow, her fingers lifted away from the page.

The scene depicted before her spread across both pages sent a chill down her spine. This tome was not for research purposes.

It was a warning.

The door to her office suddenly unlocked and opened, causing her to jump out of her chair and squeak a terrified sound. She closed the book with a heavy, curt thud and smiled.

A cleaning cart and an older lady walked into her office. "Oh! Miss Young, I didn't expect you to be here at such an hour! Do you want me to come back?"

Sky shook her head rapidly. "No! No! It's alright, Leti, I was just...I was just leaving. Packing up, Yeah. Yeah! It's alright. Jeez, what time is it? I lost track of time so easily." Her nerves made her hands shake as she gathered all her papers and books, stuffing them into the crook of her elbow.

The older woman looked at her in worry. "Just past midnight, Miss Young. Are you alright?"

Sky shuffled past the woman, waving her off. "Yes! Just, innovation never rests and all! Thank you for all you do, bye!" She hurriedly walked out of her office down the cold, mutely lit hallway. She hugged her journal, papers, and the now too-heavy book to her chest. Her throat felt closed off. Her heart raced. Her pulse thundered in her ears.

What if they tried the line between what should and shouldn't be done? What if Professor Heimerdinger was right? What if...what if this shouldn't be done?

A warning.

The image of destruction, death, and misery depicted in the tome burned in her memory.

The Hexcore had been an ever-shifting entity creating its own development and hypothetical sentience. It unnerved her. It glowed and pulsed eerily. It sent shivers down her spine, and she never knew why. The ominous way it spun and shifted more slowly than before. Calculative.  

Perhaps it was the way Viktor had become all too hungry as of late, pushing himself for a breakthrough that would-

Maybe it was how he seemed consumed by that...that thing. Never mind it being a pinnacle of research and advancement, the Hexcore must be destroyed. If this tome was true, if it truly recalled the events of a past instance of trying to harness arcanal power artificially, she had to tell someone. Viktor.

She had to.

Her feet automatically took her to the lab, her subconscious mind unlocking the door. She knew more than likely Viktor would have stayed at the lab. Nowadays, he slept here more than at his home.

Another chill ran down her spine, seeing that the lab wasn't lit with lanterns or overhead lamps but the slow pulsing and spinning pulse of the Hexcore itself. Corrupted webbing made broken, violaceous light flicker across the large space of the lab.

She approached her friend carefully. "Viktor?" She called out to him uneasily. "Can...Can we talk?" And before he could brush her off with an excuse of being too busy or involved with his current fixation, she hurriedly added: "It's important. About the Inspiration Rune," knowing it would catch his attention.

@askviktor

[askskyyoung]

I won't, Jayce. I don't spread rumors or gossip, you know that. Sky seems to become uncomfortable as Jayce continues talking about his night with Viktor. Her smile turns forced. I'm glad. For you both. H-honest! Um. I forgot I have to get these reports to Professor Heimerdinger and Miss Madarda. I'm happy. For you both! Both of you. Happy... Um, bye.

🐈🐈‍⬛

Now that is…phenomenal timing.

[askskyyoung]

Viktor getting what he deserves❤❤❤

[askskyyoung]

Sky smiles something brilliant and victorious. Nope. I actually didn't know anything. I just was fooling around with you until you confessed something. Seriously Jayce, you need to learn to keep your cards close. Or...just a poker face in general. Is that where you were last night after the gala? You honestly...? She looks over her shoulder to Viktor and then blushes pushing her glasses up the bridge of her nose. Con...grats?

🐈🐈‍⬛

Now that is…phenomenal timing.

[askskyyoung]

So.

Viktor?

She smiles knowingly.

I now know where you've been this morning.

🐈🐈‍⬛

Now that is…phenomenal timing.

[askskyyoung]

...The progress involving the Hexcore has been...interesting if not slightly worrying.

As Jayce (@jayceofprogress) had said, the core somehow seems sentient. Learning. Adapting. Constantly shifting through combinations faster than we can observe, nevermind recording.

I am currently in the middle of translating the tome that Jayce had so kindly "borrowed" from the restricted section of the archives. So far, what I've found is, well-

I would love to speak with you, Viktor (@askviktor). Privately, if I could.

As...as a friend.

How are things going, research-wise? Any progress to note?

I hope you are well.

I apologize for the lull in my responses. I have been rather preoccupied with my research. I am pleased to say that we have uncovered, through theoretical inquiries and pattern decoding within Hextech matrices, substantial indicators of a previously undocumented sigil. The Inspiration Rune, unlike established hex runes which channel elemental forces or spatial manipulation, appears to influence cognition itself. It is, to the best of my knowledge, the reason why the Hexcore has been so volatile.

I have been working ceaselessly with Jayce and Sky to learn as much as possible about this rune before introducing it to the Hexcore. Initial simulations suggest it reacts not to force or command, but to will, to curiosity, to moments of emotional vulnerability. In essence, this rune may bridge the gap between mind and magic in a way yet unseen.

Since the current Hexcore has absorbed unintended biological matter, attempts to dismantle or otherwise destroy it have proven… unsuccessful. I am hesitant to create another without first disposing of its initial incarnation. Who knows what would happen were the two to interact? Yet, time is of the essence.

In short, we are doing as much as we can on paper before moving forward.

@askskyyoung @jayceofprogress @jaycehousetalis

[askskyyoung]

Don’t ask Jayce if you can keep the cats bcause he’ll just say no, just wait and he will want to keep them. It’s like a dad who says no pets! and then he gets attached and next thing you find him napping with the cats curled up on his lap

...You have a point. Ha, I like the way you think! We'll break him, don't you worry.

Now...as for names...

[askskyyoung]

@hextech-workaholic don't listen to him! Rio hasn't been all that bad! She's settled down mostly, and I'm sure she will be on her way soon! And you just can't get rid of cats so easily! You would kick them out onto the street just like that?

What would Piltover think of their golden boy?

🐈🐈‍⬛

Now that is…phenomenal timing.

[askskyyoung]

AWWW! I didn't know you adopted cats for the lab, Jayce! Oh goodness, what are their names? Do they have names? Are they both boys? Where did they come from? I love cats! Oh gosh he's orange! She's black! We need names. Now, Jayce. We are keeping them, yes? Yes?...

🐈🐈‍⬛

Now that is…phenomenal timing.

[askskyyoung]

Sky blushes terribly and frantically leans and looks away from the rather intimate display of affection.

"W-well at l-least he's alright!" She sputters.

They’re breeding. It’s fine. This is fine. There’s probably a nest in the walls. That’s perfectly fine. Oh, good, there’s one in my coffee mug.

Jayce faints.

[askskyyoung]

Hi ms. Sky! I admire you and your work so much :)) your hextech team is the coolest team ever!! Today is my birthday it'll mean so much if you can say happy birthday to me? 🥺 I can't reach out to mr. Talis & mr. Viktor (more like... Too shy...) If they aren't so busy today pls tell them this birthday girlie is one of their fans too aaahh thank you ily

Oh gosh, thank you! Viktor and Jayce are brilliant and kind men, I'm fortunate to be working with them.

And oh! Happy birthday to you! I hope the next year brings you everything you deserve and want!

@jayceofprogress and @hextech-workaholic you have an admirer!

[askskyyoung]

Aww, look at us! You're so very talented! Do you mind if I could perhaps pay for a print to have near by my work desk?

can’t stop thinking about them

@rio-specimen @askskyyoung

[askskyyoung]

Sky's glasses become crooked when the waverider knocks them askew from shuffling herself more onto her body. She fixes her glasses. Whoa! Okay. Alright, H-hold on-oof! Janna...Rio you're heavy. It's all muscle of course! All muscle! The woman shuffles one hand under Rio's chin, her other guiding Rio's tail around them both. She settles into their little nest and takes out her journal and starts to read to Rio. She pauses here and there to further explain her ideas and theories.

Rio! WAIT! Oh, Janna...not the desks. Okay, okay, please, off the desks. I don't want you making a mess and hurting yourself! If you get down I'll give you all the chin scratches you want.

...

Jayce and Viktor are so firing me...

@askskyyoung

Hey Girl. I’m # Exploring 🧗‍♀️🧗‍♀️🧗‍♀️🧗‍♀️🧗‍♀️🧗‍♀️🧗‍♀️🧗‍♀️🧗‍♀️🧗‍♀️🧗‍♀️🧗‍♀️You hate to see a girl with an Adventurous Personalittly Type these days……..OOOOHO. OHOO Are these papers important I’m reading them Imr eading them with my Bodu and my Hands(Toes) (mouth) 😛😛😛😛😛YOOOOOOO WHOS JOURNAL IS THIS