Smoggy, musky, dirty.
Zaun bustled within this thick pungent air in the middle of an ordinary afternoon.
The winter temperature engulfing the rest of the continent is unfelt, the impenetrable encasing of smog trapping hot greenhouse gases to keep the city-state's occupants nice and warm.
On the elevated streets suspended upon brown, rusty steel girders miles above a plethora of marshland and chemicals, citizens of the city-state shoved and pushed their way between the towering spikes of dilapidated metal surrounding them. Some of these people found pushing and shoving other citizens to not be a challenge at all, their efforts aided by long, strange, animal-like appendages protruding from their bodies as a result of Zaun's infamous anatomical augmentation surgeries.
The twisted buildings lining these elevated bustling streets looked on wearily, their faces slowly continuing their decomposition. Each architectural structures is squished together tightly like fine cigars in metal boxes, except segments of each building meshed and melded with neighboring structures in an uneven puzzle of rusty steel and concrete.
Within this crusty labyrinth of skyscraping edifices, a few majestic-looking buildings stand, incongruous between its dilapidated counterparts. Unlike the patched towers of rusty steel that dominated the Zaunite cityscape, these buildings are constructed of sandstone-plastered bricks, resulting in a more regal appearance. Even with the same basic building materials however, each and every structure varies greatly.
Each one has its own distinct style, characterized by effigies and provocative architectural accouterments that suits their respective owners.
These majestic buildings are the assorted embassies of the most influential powers on Runeterra.
Gleaming in whatever sunlight penetrated through the thick veil of smog, large steel letters classified each embassy to its respective city-state.
Beginning from the right, the first embassy is draped in blue and gold, large stone gargoyles and mythical creatures guarding its stepped entrance. A bronze dome jutted out at the very center of the embassy's roof, shining in only a fraction of its luster as a result of Zaun's dismal sunlight. A triangular peak stuck out from the roof, supported by opulent, shining marble columns. In the center of it all, golden letters read DEMACIA.
Moving along to its immediate left, the next embassy is somewhat dwarfed by its surrounding counterparts, the building merely half the size of the Demacian embassy to its right. But its small stature is made up for with its beautiful landscaping and architectural accessories; the few stone walls are adorned with intricate carvings of stone mountains, blossoming sakura trees and towering pagodas. Atop its stone carved roof a majestic bronze dragon peers down upon curious passerby with a vigilant gaze. Hanging above a red double-door entrance embedded with dozens of golden orbs, an obsidian plaque is engraved with intricate letters spelling out IONIA.
To its left a grey-hued imposing marble structure stood, its design as strong and great as Demacia's embassy. But instead of being draped in bright gold and blue hues, this embassy bathed in the color of sharp crimson, the reds wavering in the banners and flags that flowed in the breeze. Imposing effigies of past rulers stood near the embassy's entrance, gazing into the streets below with pompous glares. Black marble columns stood engraved with sayings and proverbs. At the foot of the stone steps, a sign jutted out from the ground, its steel surface stamped with letters reading NOXUS.
These three main embassies gave way to other embassies representing Freljord, Piltover, Bilgewater, and Zaun itself. Upon the steps of these embassies, few entered and exited, most of the staff within these government-branch buildings keeping to themselves.
Along their gates, several tourists snapped pictures in delight, sticking the lenses of their cameras between steel bars. Every once in a while a tourist would break out into a verbal tussle with another tourist that came from an opposing city-state, prompting guards standing at the embassies' entrances to break the two apart.
To be curt, it seemed like a normal day for Zaun's embassy street. The security did their job well, making sure nothing could harm their respective embassy's staff or government officials.
On the steps of Ionia's embassy, two robed men were engaged in a heated argument. One is dressed in the golds and blues of Demacia, one in the blacks and reds of Noxus. Much to its keepers' chagrin, arguments happened often near the entrance of Ionia's embassy. Nobody from the Demacian embassy dared to venture into the Noxian embassy, nor did anyone from the Noxian embassy dare venture into the Demacian embassy. Seeing that Ionia was the middle ground, zealous citizens of each city-state would engage in conversations, which almost always lead to arguments.
"But you don't understand! Our current government is the most viable in the current society of this continent. We fight for justice, we fight for the right. Demacia is-"
"Oh, cut the spiel. We've all heard it before. Look, I can understand how you see Demacia's government as 'viable', but Noxus is obviously the most sensible regime ever to exist. We judge our rulers by their strength, not by their bloodlines."
"And is that why you have this infamous 'House of Du Couteau'?"
"That's not even relevant to what we're talking about! Okay, I can explain that perfe-"
BVWAAAAAAH-….KOOOOOM!
The men's conversation was suddenly cut short; as were their lives.
A blinding light engulfed everything in the surrounding proximity of the Demacian and Ionian embassies, the ground shaking violently to throw every person standing near the embassies to their feet. Eardrums popped, bones cracked. Then flames flowered into the air, explosions rocking the suspended cradle of buildings to their very core.
In just a few seconds, everything on the street of embassies is in chaos, smoke and dust hindering anyone to see. Rubble flew in every direction, clusters of concrete and marble whizzing at dangerous speeds through the air. Heat continued to flower outward as the explosions proceeded to grow in intensity until finally the shaking stopped.
After a few minutes people began to recover from shock. Soon the sound of screaming and the chaotic shuffling of feet ensued. The dust of the explosions settled, revealing the Ionian and Demacian embassies to be nothing but burning rubble, the great walls of the two superpowers crumbled to the ground. Bodies litter the entire perimeter, every person that had been within the blast radius of the explosions lifeless. The Noxian embassy suffered minimal damage; the only proof it had of experiencing the sudden explosions being a gaping hole in its east wall.
Though the sudden explosions had stopped, chaos continued; all around people ran about, desperate to get away in the case of more unexplained events occurring. Men and women rushed out of each embassy, expressions and emotions varying with each person. It seemed that nobody knew what to do.
But far upwards, nestled within a rusty crevice between two Zaunite skyscrapers, a dark hooded figure stood. As a result of the high altitude, the whistling of wind occupied its ears, the aftermath of the sudden explosions seemingly small in its vantage point.
Its eyes surveyed the scene with a hint of amusement, a grin crossing its face. It watched the multitude of people flee the scene in a flash, the sound of aircraft and sirens beginning to resound through the air as the authorities began to rush to the site. Taking this as its prompt to leave, the hooded figure reached within its coat pocket, extracting a black box, sealed with a golden latch.
Giving the package a small cursory glance, the figure proceeded to hurl it into the air, eyes following its progress as it fell until it finally landed into the burning rubble of the Ionian embassy with a clack. Seeing that his work was finished, the hooded figure walked into the rusty alleyway, vanishing from sight.
It didn't see another darkly clad silhouette crouched in the shadows across from its alley. Following the hooded figure's exit, the silhouette reached for her ear, uttering newly acquired information. Once her speech ended, she continued to stare out into the open air, the flickering flames from below dancing within her emerald eyes, a stray lock of silver hair brushing against her face.
Then a medical helicarrier rumbled past, its wide propellers throwing blades of wind in every direction.
With that, the silhouette disappeared.
In the following months, the chaos continued.
Blame was thrown in every direction, causing political turmoil all across the continent. Nearly every power in Valoran, no matter how big or small, joined in the verbal war with eager support. Tension between Noxus and Demacia rose to dangerous heights, the peace of the continent proceeding to stretch itself until it became taut. On the Fields of Justice, matches between Demacia and Noxus raged every single day, the battles growing more and more serious.
Ever since the bombings occurred with the embassies in Zaun, Demacia instantly held Noxus responsible. Ionia made the decision to withdraw from the conflicts, not wanting to get involved. People questioned Ionia's position in the heated political trouble, especially since their embassy was also blown away by the blasts. But with the two main superpowers of Runeterra beginning to grow more hostile by the day, the public's attention was quickly diverted.
Meanwhile, Noxus denied every accusation and assumption thrown in their direction. As the days went on, the government began to retaliate by challenging Demacia to an increased amount of League matches, further adding fuel to the fire.
But this is what was only happening on the surface.
Beneath it all, the secret world of information bustled with an even busier boil.
Right when the bombings occurred, the Demacian Intelligence Agency (or the DIA for short) immediately went to work to find the perpetrators. Sending several undercover operatives to Noxus, the powerful city-state hoped to find the ones responsible as soon as possible.
Expecting infiltrators in their midst, the Noxian Extra-Military Espionagie, Systems, and Infiltration Section, NEMESIS, dispatched operatives of their own to keep an eye on the DIA headquarters, watching their every move.
Unbeknownst to all of Valoran's secret services, the fabled League of Summoners Military Intelligence Section 6-LSMI6 for short- was already a step ahead of the game.
Field operatives under the cover of medical and fire staff quickly rushed onto the scene before any crime investigation unit (assured to have undercover field operatives from other intelligence organizations) could arrive. Immediately scouring the smoking remains of the embassies for any evidence that could lead to the perpetrators, the agents strangely did not find any bomb residue or any explosive remains at all.
Instead, what they found was a box.
Within the latched container, there lay a small parchment of paper, a date and a place written upon its surface in black ink. This was LSMI6's only lead, the only proof that could lead them to the perpetrators.
But one night, the box, their only lead, disappeared without a trace.
Frantic, the institution sent out every one of their best agents across the continent, searching for the lost piece of evidence.
If they didn't obtain the information soon, something else could happen that would tip the scales of peace in Valoran.
Time was running low, and the possibility of another Rune War grew larger and larger.
Point Blanc