Chapter 34

Viktor looked down at the trays of food that the automatons had left outside of Ren's room. Most were untouched and those that had been picked at weren't finished. He stepped over them and knocked on the door. No response. He knocked again. This time there was a shuffling sound from behind the door. With a click, it opened.

"What do you want?" Ren demanded.

He looked awful. Dark circles had formed under his eyes and his hair was greasy and unkempt. The bruises from his fight had bloomed into an angry maroon color. What was most concerning though was his leg. Though his augmentation had been repaired and returned, Ren was not wearing it. It sat untouched on a table in the corner of his room. Instead, his older prosthetic was in its place.

"I have come to talk," Viktor said, ignoring Ren's bitter tone.

"I don't want to talk," Ren responded.

He went to close the door, but Viktor stuck his arm in the way.

"This is not optional," he said.

"But what if I don't care, huh Doc? What if I don't care about anything anymore?"

"That's precisely why I am here. I have a solution to your apathy."

"And what is it?"

"Join me in the training hall and I will show you. Furthermore, ensure that you are wearing your augmentation."

"Yeah," Ren huffed, "sure, I'll humor you."

Viktor turned to leave as Ren closed the door behind him.

"I will return if you fail to show up."

"I said sure," Ren shot back.

Viktor let out a quick sigh as he walked away. Today he would not let Ren's emotions affect his own. In the training hall, Viktor laid out the notes detailing how he had augmented himself years ago. On the wall, he pinned up a new diagram that showed his plans for Ren.

"A matching leg to begin with," Viktor mused to himself, "implants in the knuckles maybe? Replace bone with metal. Nothing obtrusive. He should remain light and agile. Possible chem-implants? Which ones?"

His thoughts were interrupted by the sound of door opening. Ren walked in, looking about as disheveled as he had in his room. Though he had switched the prosthetic for his augmentation, he pulled his lounging pants back on rather than put on proper clothing. Viktor chose not to acknowledge it. Patience was the word of the day.

"So what's this cure, Doc?" Ren sighed.

"Augmentation," Viktor responded.

"Of course it is," Ren scoffed, "you gonna replace my heart with a clockwork gizmo?"

Viktor took a deep breath.

"Listen to me," he said in a steady tone, "I understand what you are feeling. You were betrayed by a friend you respected and believed that they respected you. Now you feel isolated. He did not care about your well being so now, why should you? You failed to make him understand you. Now this failure is all you can think about. You are probably even wondering if everything you have done up to this point has been a mistake. Are you now damned to exist forever as a failure?"

"You gotta rub it in like that?"

"I am not 'rubbing it in,' I am attempting to empathize with you, N-12. Forgive me if I am not proficient at it."

Ren's muscles relaxed and he let out a long sigh.

"No, no you aren't," he said, "but I appreciate the effort, Doc."

"I know what you are feeling because I also experienced that pain long ago. Now, I offer the same solution I used."

Viktor pointed to the diagram on the wall and the papers on the table.

"I will augment you the same way I augmented myself. I will rid you of your emotions. You will not be burdened by fear or sorrow again."

Ren looked over the pages. He pushed some aside immediately and others he absorbed in their entirety. The diagrams of the chem-shunts for the brain sent a chill down his spine. His fingers tapped restlessly on the table as he read. Viktor watched silently. At last, Ren looked up from the papers and stared at the plans on the wall.

"I appreciate it, Doc, really I do," he said, "but I just don't think I can do it. That's not me in that drawing."

Viktor remembered how he had felt after his expulsion and how desperate he had been for any relief from his depression. He had thought Ren would be the same. His response was unexpected.

"It can be though," Viktor responded, "why would chose to remain suffering?"

"Because," Ren said, "because, I don't want that to be me. I don't want to suffer. I don't want to be afraid or sad, but there are also things I want less than these feelings. And then there are the things I do want. I want to be a better Ren, but not like that. I want to be better through my way. I want my emotions, as awful as they can be. I don't want to give them up. I want to be Renatus, not Viktor."

Ren paused and the room was silent for a moment.

"Heh," he continued, "now I'm being so wordy even I don't know I'm saying. Let me try again. Okay. I don't want to become the monster he said you would make me."

"I do not seek to turn you into a monster."

"I know that, but Zaun, all of them, they don't know that. You said it yourself; you know they treat you like a boogeyman. I don't want to feed into that narrative. Because, if I do, we lose."

"We would lose nothing. Their opinions will mean nothing to you after you are augmented."

"And I'm sure that they wouldn't, but their opinions matter to me now. Do you see what I'm saying?"

"No, I do not. You are letting your emotions impair your judgement."

"Well, I'm going to let them keep impairing me. No, that's not right. I'm going to let them keep aiding my decisions."

Viktor sighed.

"Like Moyna," Viktor thought, "he insists that there is merit in emotion. Why do they believe this? It is irrational. Why?"

"Enlighten me," Viktor asked, "how do you plan to proceed then? If you do not wish to be augmented, tell me what you will do. I will not allow you to return to your isolation without a plan to progress forward."

Ren rubbed his face and ran his fingers through his hair.

"I don't really have a plan," he confessed, "I didn't think much past my room. I need a minute."

Ren stood up and began to pace. His eyes kept going the illustrations on the wall, his thoughts were on his legs, and his fingers traced the outline of the bruises on his arm. His disjointed thoughts came to halt as his accidentally pressed too hard on a particularly sensitive bruise. With a huff, he looked down at the offending area. The bruise overlapped his flame tattoo.

A bittersweet memory flashed through his mind as he looked it. He remembered after he got it he had joked with Freckles and Curly that he would fight back any chem-baron thug that threatened them with 'fiery punches of justice' or something along those lines. The words weren't important anyways. What had been was how the kids had looked at him. It was as far from how they looked at his last as you could get. Back then he wasn't a monster, he was a hero.

All at once, his thoughts became clear. What he wanted. How to become a better Ren. How to change Zaun's view of Viktor. How to prove Ekko wrong. It was time to stop dreaming about it. It was time to take advantage of Viktor's brilliance and his inventions to make his old joke a reality.

"I know what I'm going to do," he blurted out.

"And what is that?"

"You're not going to make a monster of me, Doc," he said as the faintest smile returned to his face, "you're gonna make me a hero."

Viktor was silent as he pondered Ren's words, but before he had time to fully reflect on what he said, Ren was talking again and twice as fast.

"Yeah, a real champion. I'll fight off the chem-baron's bullies and gang thugs. I'll make a show of it and my augmentation. Maybe use some other gadgets. I'll be nice and flash, leaping from buildings and across gorges. And when the people of Zaun ask how I'm able to do all these things, I'll tell them. They will know that all of this is possible because of Viktor. I'll make them see you as a maker of champions. But this only going to work if I can keep my emotions. I need to be approachable, so my natural charisma will be crucial for this plan. So, leave my emotions, as unreliable as they can be, they are necessary. Other things we can discuss. So Doc, what do you think? Crystal?"

Ren's chest was heaving as though he had said all that in a single breath. Viktor looked over the boy in disbelief. It was a foolish plan in his mind. However, if it pulled Ren from his depression, he would be willing to play along for a little while. Perhaps he could even use this as an opportunity to have Ren field test some of his other inventions.

"Very well, N-12," Viktor finally answered, "I will agree to this experiment, but only after you produce a more detailed, organized, and actionable plan."

Ren gave a weak smile.

"Thanks, Doc."

Greetings Summoners,

I hope you all are staying as safe as you are able to. I know times are stressful, which is why I want to write a quick, lighthearted one-shot story for you all to enjoy. Best part, I'm letting you chose who I will write about. Please message which of the following three champions you are most interested in reading about.

- Poppy

- Cho'Gath (winner)

- Sett

Voting will conclude in a week on May 3rd with hopes to publish the story by the end of the month. In the meantime, please enjoy what I have already written. As always, I appreciate your feedback. Best of luck on the Rift.

- Gwoo