Spacecore94
Eventually lol
Tyrese
I only add other Naruto characters as necessary. Arcane, and League in general, do not have notable or a diverse cast of characters outside of champions. I need specific roles fulfilled.
KaidoFett
She's going on an adventure there in this chapter and the next chapter.
Paradoxity
Naruto is giving the choice, but I think Ekko would go his own way at some point. He will appreciate Naruto for taking him in for a few years but yknow how it goes. And yeah, OCs get difficult to remember when you need to add a bunch of them. And this way I don't spend three paragraphs describing just one person.
Archer headass
They'll happen as we go especially now that I have some creative leeway.
Hello
Didn't get to this for a bit since I was trying to work on my fanfic He Who Was Promised. For anyone into Hazbin Hotel and Helluva Boss, take a gander at my fic if you haven't! I appreciate the consideration :D
To be honest, I don't know if I want Naruto to leave Piltover and Zaun just yet. I do want him to explore but he is needed here for now. But six years is a while for things to happen.
Also we get our first look into the Laws and Ruins of this universe. I tried my best hope it was pretty explanatory for what it conveys.
IX
Did you know that about seventy percent of Stillwater Prison, the national jail for anyone arrested on crimes against Piltover, is filled with criminals of petty crimes? Peddling of unregistered wares, selling without a license, operation of machinery without certification, unwarranted solicitation, disturbing the peace.
Most of these crimes are so broad in textbook definition that just about anything can be made into one of these crimes. This has been done to shut down any Zaunite who had wished to go the legit path of employment. By legit path, it is referred to as they tried to not do crime to make their ends meet.
Typically, it is thought of with disdain that a dirty undercity person would try to find employment in topside. It is thought, generally, that with their pale complexion standing out among the sun it takes away from the beauty of the natural gold and bronze of the city.
And since a Zaunite never really got enough sun to fit in with the Pilties, they will always be caught out by the more snobbish and elitist of the uppercity inhabitants.
And if there's one thing the "City of Progress" loves about itself is its beauty. And this vanity has been the most grating aspect of these people for Naruto.
But that's not what he brought up this topic for, despite the little tangent that went off in some direction. No, the true reason is that so many people have been in jail for crimes that can be boiled down to "a noble or influential person did not like them."
And nothing bothers Naruto more wrong is someone's freedom being taken away over something inconsequential. The rapists and murderers and other convicts of serious and disgusting crimes? Let them rot until the prison is claimed by the sea.
One day, Naruto will break that prison down and reclaim the lost people who tried to do the right thing and got punished for it. But today was not that day, no matter how much he wished it so.
No, now he is watching the cable cars that led to the island and back; at least, to the ferry station that led to the station. He was waiting for the sign of his latest mole in the politics of the city arriving from the prison. Four years is a long time to be in jail, even longer for someone who had only done the right thing.
Kakashi Hatake was one of the better things that may have been able to redeem the enforcers in his eyes. Pragmatic, unmoving, and tough to boot; he had a good moral compass and now he was back.
In a position of power, Naruto thought with a smirk.
His loneliness watching for the car was interrupted by the arrival of one of his foxes, but they were not alone either.
"Powder," Naruto smiled at her and patted the spot next to him for her to sit. "I'm guessing you have an answer?"
The little girl walked over and sat down next to the man. "I want to do it."
Naruto smirked and chuckled at the seriousness of her voice. "What did Vi and Vander say?"
"They don't know." Powder admitted but she said it without feeling guilt or regret. "I want to be strong on my own. The explosion it… the explosion was…"
"A disaster?" Naruto tried to help give the word for the young girl. "A mistake?"
"It was messy, more than I thought would happen," she finally said in her own words when none of the boy's words felt right. "But it was my first successful bomb. If I can learn how to do it again, smaller maybe so it doesn't cause that much destruction, then maybe I can help my sister."
Naruto nodded his head in understanding. "It's not about making the bomb smaller but making it controlled and contained. You dabbled in the arcane for your first successful explosive and with that you got a taste of true destruction. I can help you channel that healthily.
Powder nodded her head. "I want that."
"Okay," Naruto nodded his head before noticing a car arriving over the suspended cable car system. "Looks like he's arrived. Cassandra really is the best."
Naruto glanced at Powder with a smirk and leaned to the side to lean against her. "You want to come for an adventure? We'll stop for ice cream on the way back."
The Ruins.
Viktor roamed his fingers over the catalogue for the library, searching for the term currently on his mind.
He didn't know why but something bothered him about the name and Professor Heimerdinger's concern. If the yordle is correct and Naruto is truly a danger then he wanted to be prepared for the possibility. He knew more than anyone that a person's true self is never fully shown and therefore it should never just be trusted that someone has goodness in their heart.
As his fingers skimmed over the indexes, he finally found the words he wanted. But until the dozens of books attributed to prior terms, this one had only one.
The Finite Creation of Chaos
"Interesting title," Viktor told himself sarcastically before noting the shelf location.
It took a bit to find the book because it was on the fourth floor all the way to the back of the library. Add the dust that has caked onto all of these books, he had spent much too long just looking at the covers of old leather spines.
He did find it, he just wanted to note that it took too long to justify in any normal circumstances.
Sighing as he carried the book under his arm, he made his way out of the old sections of the library and towards the self study rooms. This library was partnered with the Piltover Academy and since most students used it for their academics there are a limited number of study rooms offered. But this time of day is great for him since all students would be in their classes leaving the rooms open for use.
Finding a room, he closed and locked it behind him before sitting in the cushioned chair. He leaned his crutch against the table and slid the book in front of him.
Opening the cover, the very first page is a picture of what looks like a large spike or splinter but it was manifesting something around it. Below it is a small paragraph.
Beware the Ruins, bound by might,
Shapers of Laws, both dark and light.
They twist the threads of the world's design,
Breaking time and space's line.
"Well," Viktor scoffed in slight amusement. "If that ain't a foreboding message I don't know what is."
Despite that, he flipped past the first few pages which just held different illustrations. One looked to be a sundisk of some kind, another was just an old helmet design from either Demacia or Noxus, and one was the illustration of a simple longsword. He didn't pay them mind, finding the designs curiously detailed for simple illustrations, before he found the first chapter.
I. The Laws of Creation
The Laws of Creation are the immutable principles underpinning the cosmos, dictating the ebb and flow of reality. Rooted in the energies known across the continents—whether called the Aether, the Arcane, Chi, or simply Magic—these laws define and constrain the workings of existence itself. To disrupt these laws is to unravel the tapestry of the universe, an act possible only through the energies that sustain it.
Herein are the ten laws currently acknowledged by scholars, forming the basis of all theoretical and applied sciences, arcane studies, and philosophical thought.
First Law: The Law of Form
"All things must have a shape, whether physical, conceptual, or spiritual. Nothing can exist without definition or boundary."
Form is the fundamental state of being. A star's radiance, a blade's edge, even the notion of fear—each possesses a shape that defines it. Without form, there is nothingness, and even the energies of existence themselves must conform to this rule, manifesting through tangible or intangible boundaries.
Second Law: The Law of Cycles
"All creation moves in patterns of birth, growth, decay, and renewal. Time itself spins in circles, binding even the stars and heavens."
Life and death, the rise and fall of civilizations, the waxing and waning of the moon—all follow cycles. This law ensures that stagnation is impossible; every end is but a prelude to a new beginning, and every triumph must give way to eventual decline.
Third Law: The Law of Balance
"For every force, there must be an opposing one. Creation and destruction, light and shadow, order and chaos—one cannot exist without the other."
Harmony stems from opposition. Creation births destruction; destruction enables creation. This law governs not only physical forces but also the moral, emotional, and metaphysical realms, ensuring equilibrium across all spectrums of existence.
Fourth Law: The Law of Resonance
"All things are connected by unseen threads, and no action is without consequence. A ripple in one place creates waves in another."
The universe is a web of interwoven strands, each tug and pull reverberating outward. Whether through magic, destiny, or the simplest of actions, the consequences are never isolated, making the study of interconnectedness central to understanding existence.
Fifth Law: The Law of Permanence
"What is made cannot truly be unmade. Destruction reshapes, but it cannot erase entirely. The echoes of all things remain."
No force, no spell, no calamity can erase the essence of a thing. Even in annihilation, there lingers a shadow, a memory, a remnant. This law offers hope to some and terror to others, for nothing, not even the past, can be wholly undone.
Sixth Law: The Law of Ascension
"Power must flow upward. A being or force that accumulates too much disrupts the equilibrium and invites catastrophe."
Unchecked accumulation destabilizes balance. Whether a ruler, a scholar, or a deity, those who amass too much power invariably catalyze upheaval, forcing their realm, and often themselves, to crumble.
Seventh Law: The Law of Names
"To name something is to give it meaning and purpose. Without a name, a thing cannot be fully understood or controlled."
Names are a source of power, the key to unlocking an entity's essence. Scholars caution that to name without comprehension is to risk great peril, for with the gift of definition comes the burden of responsibility.
Eighth Law: The Law of Rebirth
"Nothing truly ends. Death is a passage, not a destination. The fragments of the past always seep into the fabric of the future."
This law intertwines with the Law of Cycles, affirming that endings are but transformations. The ashes of the past form the soil of the future, and the essence of the departed lingers, shaping what is to come.
Ninth Law: The Law of Silence
"There are truths too great to be spoken. To uncover or reveal such truths risks unraveling reality itself."
Scholars tread carefully around this law, for it warns against hubris. Some knowledge is forbidden not by decree, but by necessity. To speak of such truths is to court the undoing of creation itself.
Tenth Law: The Law of Finality
"All things must come to an end, even the greatest of cycles. The world has a final hour, and the clock ticks always toward it."
While the Laws of Cycles and Rebirth speak of renewal, the Law of Finality asserts that nothing is truly infinite. This is the law of entropy, the whisper of an inevitable conclusion that shadows all creation.
Viktor narrowed his eyes at that, finding himself contemplating the Laws that had been laid out before him. Sure enough, while he and Jayce had only scraped the surface, the arcane is still only able to manipulate one or two of these Laws. But a Ruin can manipulate and change each of these?
Even if a Ruin still had restrictions, like only changing things in their immediate surroundings, that was ridiculous to perceive without seeing it.
And these are only the ones that have been noted by the scholars who have studied this subject. There may still be more - or there are just ten compacted after they found others named to be redundant.
The understanding of these Laws has shaped the progress of science and philosophy, guiding scholars away from futile pursuits. Yet, history bears witness to moments of hubris when these tenets were ignored, leading to great calamities.
Such disasters are often attributed to the enigmatic entities known as Ruins. Only three have been recorded, each tied to the fall of civilizations. The Rune Wars, for instance, were little more than a game to these beings, a contest of destructive wills that erased centuries of progress.
While not inherently malevolent, the Ruins act without regard for consequence, their immense power unchecked. When left to their own devices, they have consistently acted in ways that ripple across time, reshaping the world through catastrophic means.
Scholars debate whether the Ruins are governed by the Laws or stand apart from them, given their manipulations of the Laws. What remains certain is that their presence serves as both a warning and a mystery—one that humanity can ill afford to ignore.
Powder licked her cone as she watched Naruto pace back and forth. They were in an alley and she was sitting on a dumpster that was cleaner than anything in Zaun after getting an ice cream cone. She never had it before but the milky cold sweetness made her buzz with excitement. She had been warned against taking bites from it, Naruto saying that she will get something called a "brain freeze" if she wasn't careful.
"What to look like," Naruto mumbled to himself as he continued to pace. "It's been a while so I don't know who to look like."
Powder hummed as she licked her lips of the frosted dessert. "Why do you have to be someone else?"
"Because I want to talk to a new friend," Naruto answered before clapping his hands. "Got it!"
Powder's eyes widened as the blonde - or, former blonde began to change in front of her. His skin, which seemed so tan despite being a Zaun native, began to pale until it matched her skin tone. His eyes, once blue, are now black and his hair becoming a matching shade. His face is not angular compared to the more oval shape he was born with, ending with a pointed chin. Even his whiskers were gone, a notable trait that she has begun to associate with him.
If she didn't see it happen in front of her, she would have assumed someone else was standing in front of her and she was abandoned in the alley. She almost let her ice cream slip from her fingers in her daze.
"How did you do that!"
Naruto grinned at her question, which came out as a smirk that she was uncomfortable with. "Magic, my little Jinx."
Powder's face scrunched up at him calling her that name again. "Why do you keep calling me that?"
"Because if this world is to see you as something, you might as well spin it into something beneficial," Naruto told her. "People call you a jinx, so take it and make it into something that cannot be associated with an insult. Same way that others call me a fox or beast for my whiskers. So, I call you Jinx."
Powder frowned at that but as she thought about it… it did make sense. She couldn't argue with his point of view, so she just nodded her head in acceptance.
Maybe he is right. She may be a jinx, but is that really a bad thing?