Arcane Anew

"You shouldn't have said anything lad," the technician muttered as they approached the mine's entrance, the damp air clinging to their skin. His gaze studied the pipe as they approached, creating a clear path and destination for them to follow.

Orion didn't respond. He was wondering the same thing. 'Isn't this how I keep getting hurt?'

The silence lingered until the technician spoke again, more patient this time.

"What's your name?" the technician persisted.

"...Night Light, and yours?"

"Kieran Claremont," the man replied, offering a faint, tired smile.

Orion's eyebrow raised, turning his head slightly. The pale light faded as they descended into the gloom. Light was replaced by the dull hum of chemtech lighting and the soft bioluminescence of strange mushrooms lining the stone walls.

"A last name?" Orion asked, his voice tinged with curiosity. "You're a topsider then?" 

Chuckling softly, Kieran shrugged, more resigned than amused. "More or less. Lately, I find myself in the Undercity more often than I'd like- have to make ends meet like any other family."

Glancing toward Kieran again, Orion studied his features more closely now. Brown hair streaked with grey, left eye replaced with a blue artificer's eye for fine crafting, and a grey shirt with brown overalls. The stains of oil and grime, and the toolbelt around his waist, added that extra bit to make him appear more like an Undercity resident.

"I'm sure your wife and kids must be appreciative," Orion said with a forced upbeat tone. "Do they know what you're dealing with?"

Kieran's weary eyes shifted, his gentle smile faltering as his gaze met Orion's.

"No. My wife left me, it's just me and my daughter. She shouldn't know either." 

"Ah, I'm sorry..."

"Don't be," Kieran's solemn gaze shifted toward him from the path, his tone tinged with old pain.

"When we first met, I told her I wanted to leave Piltover. Travel the world, explore new places, build something new!" His voice dropped lower. "But things changed..."

"But...don't you two have a daughter? What about her?

"My wife wanted to pursue happiness." Kieran sighed with resignation, disappointment clear in his eyes as he exhaled at the question. "Our daughter... has a gift. Though she wouldn't see it that way. She thought it was another curse of this city- like everything else here."

A brief pause followed as Orion frowned, their iron-toed boots echoing against the stone pathway. The faint sound of water dripping grew louder as they continued their descent into the mine along the fissure.

"Sorry...I still don't get it. Why didn't you leave with her if you had the chance? You could've stayed a happy family traveling the world, finding a new place to settle that isn't so... Staying in Piltover seems..."

"Foolish?" Kieran cut in with a quiet chuckle, the faintest glint returning to his weary eyes. "Maybe. But some songs can't be sung elsewhere. Leaving would've meant turning our backs on the people we've bonded with- the ones who needed us. Could you really leave everyone behind, knowing they might never find their way without you?"

"Depends," Orion snorted. "Does your scenario include the variables of being stabbed, blown up, and thrown in jail?"

Kieran huffed, the corner of his mouth twitching with a wry smile. "No, fair point. But I'd say risk is a part of the melody. The notes, the lessons, that hurt the most, give and teach us the most. Otherwise, why keep coming back?"

With a wry smile of his own- though Kieran couldn't see it, only his blank, unimpressed stare fixated on him- Orion scoffed.

"Yeah, sure. Let's stab you a few times- then a few more- maybe toss in a few bombs for good measure, nearly kill you, and then we'll see if your opinion stays the same."

Kieran sighed wearily, closing his eyes briefly as they walked. It was the look of an old man who felt like he wasn't getting through to the younger generation, Orion had seen it plenty at this point. Just seeing it grated on him, but not to the point of outburst as they walked.

Orion didn't disagree with Kieran. He was just... frustrated. It felt like there was a large disconnect between their experiences- the same one that already existed between topside and the undercity.

"Ah, perhaps our source," Kieran said, his weary voice lightening as they continued forward. The change in tone drew Orion's attention back to the front.

Large boulders and smaller rocks had collapsed inward from one side of the tunnel, not entirely obstructing the passage as it dripped murky water into a discolored pool below. Shifting his gaze upward, Orion traced the damage- support struts for the pipe knocked loose, a jagged rock embedded into the pipe.

A sharp, high-pitched whistle filled the air as clean air escaped.

"That explains why we've been able to talk so easily..." Kieran mused, stepping forward to inspect the damage more closely. Eyes narrowing, his eyes shifted back to the cave-in and murky water. "But it doesn't explain the cause..."

Beckoning Orion, Kieran's expression tightened with concern as he carefully climbed through the jagged, 45-degree opening.

"The facility is just ahead," he called back, voice tense, as his leather gloves knocked some smaller rocks loose.

Unease gripped Orion, a bad feeling rippling through him as he gritted his teeth and followed after Kieran. As they climbed through the narrowing gap, the pale light behind them faded as it was replaced by a glowing light orange ahead.

The heat rose sharply. Subtle at first, then rising with each step.

Breathing heavily, Orion emerged alongside Kieran, equally winded with his older age. His brows were creased and furrowed, his facial expressions shifting between confusion, concern, and quiet worry.

Massive steam turbines roared before them, bellowing a brilliant orange light from within, illuminating the vast open expanse. On the far side, a minecart rested beside rusted rails that trailed into a deeper shaft. A network of pipes coiled from the tunnel's entrance, snaking toward the machinery along the ceiling.

At the center of the expanse was a massive metal tanker, a thick pipe connecting it to a smaller one. The pipe radiated with brilliant light blue and green colors as, from a T junction, alchemical fluids were fed into it from nearby alchemical vats. From the smaller tank, three pipes branched out in different directions- one of which trailed toward their entrance.

"Despite all of the heat and noise, everything seems to be functioning..." Kieran whispered, fists clenching tightly.

Orion's gut twisted harder. He knew it, something was wrong.

"But where is everyone?"