Glorious Devolution

(Alternatively, how Viktor learns to be a dad)

Chapter 2

The streets of Zaun where packed with people even early in the morning as most tried to reach whatever scheme they were trying to do before night, for monster lurked in the darkness of Zaun. Tales of claws and teeth, multiple legs and creepy voices where common. Or that's what Viktor had told the young Seraphine to keep her inside at night, the sixteen year old had not believed him at first but one night she heard the howls of a mad beast in the distance.

So here she was now buying groceries in the most packed market in Zaun in the worst time because she was scared of the dark "Like a little girl" she muttered to herself as she placed down the payment for some fish. With her errands done she hurried down the street towards home, not many people would be brave enough to venture where she was going and she was grateful for that. But just in case she really was being followed she tinkered with the device on her temples and started to hear the souls around her. The faint sound of music reached her ears as she walked, the sound of the soul.

A small headache started to form as she arrived at her home, quickly turning off the device she pushed the door open. Inside there was a tidy home one decorated with many colorful paintings made by her and some flowers that she fought hard to keep them from dying. But they were never quite as green as she wanted them to be, they always looked sickly and it made her feel slightly sad.

"You're late" came the mechanical voice she had grown fond of over the last few years she had lived with him. "Do you have any idea how hard it was to find the spices you like?" Seraphine replied with a smile. Viktor snorted as he walked towards and stared down at her.

Seraphine tilted her head in confusion until he raised his hand and carefully trailed his finger under her nose "You're bleading" he said as his metal finger stained with red. Seraphine cursed and brought out a small napkin from her coat making Viktor let out a sigh.

"We have talked about this Seraphine" he said, the disappointment on his voice clear. Seraphine looked down and took a deep breath "I know"-"Then why do you persist, it is highly illogical"

"Because I know that I can control it! It's a gift and… how can we really know if we simply refuse to hear it" she told him, robotic eyes stared at her as Viktor studied her "And cast your life into oblivion because of it? Dying for nothing would not be a good idea"

Seraphine gritted her teeth "I won't die… maybe, we can study this together… please"

Viktor stood still for a moment before he started to remove his mask, Seraphine stiffened as she could count with her hand the number of times she had seen him maskless and it was never his intention to be seen. The rede eyes turned a golden hue and Seraphine realized just how tired he was beneath all the steel. Barely human, the people of Zaun whispered of the machine herald, a monster of steel and power incapable of emotion. But Seraphine could see, she could hear the soul of a good man doing his best to help everyone around him.

"I know what is like, to pursue knowledge… for personal reasons. To try to understand and change the way that you are; this body of mine was not always steel and metal. It started to break and I tried to put a stop to it, using something that I did not understand and for that I paid with death" his expression was neutral and his gaze never wavering but she saw the pain as his mechanical voice wavered in tone.

"But… my… I wouldn't hurt anyone" she said sadly, Viktor pulled her closer and offered a stiff but comfortable hug. "Maybe, but we cannot know for certain not yet and I lack the answers you seek"

Seraphine closed her eyes as she heard the mask being but back on, but nodded her head "I… will try not to think about it" she said sadly as Viktor nodded and moved back towards his workshop. "Indeed, if you feel bothered fell free to interrupt the glorious evolution" Seraphine waited for him to disappear for her frown to return.

"You are too dramatic sometimes" she said sadly as she put everything away and darted to her room, there she closed the door and sat down on the mat she prepared for her "experiments". Turning off the inhibitors she focused on everything around her and tried to feel the sound, soon enough Viktor's melody came to her ears and she was comforted by the soothing melody of his quiet soul was both rhythmic and (in her own words) mechanical.

But she knew that already and now she wanted to search farther so she tried to reach outside her house and see if any of the people passing by could reach her, it was faint at first but it soon reached her a violent melody one filled with hatred and… another one clashing with the previous one. This one was scared and quick and then one was silenced violently and Seraphine felt a sharp pain on her brain as she felt her vision blur and the songs transformed to the sound of nails scratching her brain and ears. The scream that followed did not even register on her mind as she felt herself fading.

Viktor felt satisfied with the result of his conversation with his adopted daughter, surely a display of such logic would do the work and stop her from meddling with something that could get her killed. He was not ignorant to her desires but to dwell on such esoteric things as souls and the "music" that came from them could do no good. Magic was replaced by technology, sure magic could power up machinery as his project with Jayce had proved. But he had grown disillusioned with things he could not control and soul singing was one of them.

Viktor placed carefully the piece of a new prosthetic on the table and nodded his head at a work well done and looked at his notes for what was next on his schedule. "Acquiring new technology is the priority… but it would be very guarded I might need to speak to mechanized mimic for this" he muttered as he flipped pages and sat down to analyze the situation. But a scream from upstairs stopped him, grabbing his cane quickly he ran upstairs to find Seraphine sprawled out on her floor, her hands clawing at her inhibitors. Holding her down he tried to activate them only to realize that they were already active.

A sense of dread filled him as he picked her up effortlessly and raced downstairs to his lab. He opened a drawer and pulled out a more powerful set of inhibitors, he had built them just in case and now he was glad to be this paranoid. Removing the old ones he ignored the whimpers of pain, he was a man on a mission. As he inserted the new inhibitors and turned them on, hoping for the best and after some seconds that felt like an eternity Seraphine opened her eyes.

"Dad… I…" Seraphine managed to mumble out as her eyes started to fill with tears; Viktor caressed her cheek with his cold robotic arm and shook his head "Don't speak, save your energy"

The pink haired girl managed to give a weak nod as she closed her eyes and looked as if she fell asleep, Viktor waited for her breathing to stabilize before he slumped on his seat. It was rare for her to call him anything other than Viktor and it made the Machine Herald worry even more.

So he reached a conclusion that he might not have the answer but Piltover did, they had started to thinker with more magic and furthered their research into hextech, chuckling he started to prepare a small trip to the city of progress.

A/N: Now that arcane is over I think it's safe to continue writing for this story. I loved what they did with Viktor in the series hope to see him become more robotic, cold and dramatic as the series goes on. See you around!