Chapter Text
Amidst Jayce's unknown betrayal, was a guilt that lurked beneath his anger. How he still loved Mel despite all that's been done and no matter how many times he remembered how she had been the one to land him in this situation, he couldn't bring himself to blame her entirely.
It took strength to shake off all his worries and his cowardice to seamlessly slip into the night when permitted by Mel and down into the Undercity. It began to feel natural to him—the burning of his lungs dulled slightly from his first few visits and his coughing grew less frequent as he got used to it. Coughs that would expel from his lungs in ways that rattled his chest uncomfortably seemed like nothing more than the cough one would experience from a minor sickness.
He spent his time with Viktor and Singed, though he couldn't help to think that there were far more answers that he was seeking mingling within the Undercity that he couldn't quite name.
Caitlyn Kiramman, perhaps?
Jayce hadn't seen her in what began to feel like years to him. A constant fear bore a weight so heavy on his shoulders that they'd slump involuntarily and his breathing would become labored.
What was stopping him?—bodies.
His stomach had never been one of steel and just thinking that there'd be a chance he'd come across pile of bodies already in the process of rotting would unsettle him. Viktor's graphic descriptions of his own findings did nothing but lower his willingness to go out into the Undercity. Jayce caught sight of one floating in a large but contaminated body of water. He gagged till tears were streaming from his watery eyes.
Though he had to work through the horrors of the Undercity just to have a chance of seeing his best friend again, it was worth it. Every night he showed, the plan would develop further into something more controlled than it was before. Plans to undermine the military, patience, and weaponry that wouldn't harm any Noxians who were nothing more than citizens who'd been moved to the new land.
Above the surface, Jayce still had a role to play. He showed nothing of betrayal and more so, played into Noxian values—loyalty. Jayce would go above and beyond to show how loyal he was to Mel. Yet, her mother was the one flaunting the relationship. Telling people of how loyal Jayce Talis was to being part of the new land rather than being fixated on the past.
Not that Mel wanted her to flaunt, considering she didn't need her relationship to become the interest of people from far away lands that she had no correlation with—nor did she plan to ever have anything with these people.
Lots would jeer of their own sons, joking with Mel that there was a line of nice men to marry if anything ever happened to Jayce.
Mel didn't like the sound of that. She didn't want any of them offering their own sons like they were prizes when she already had what she wanted. Every time without fail, she'd steer the conversation or politely deny their offer.
As her mother's inability to keep quiet about certain things concerning her daughter that filled her with motherly pride, word got out of the wedding that was to take place soon. Mel only realized it was being publicized when she received a letter from her father all the way in Noxus—Azizi.
A much better person than her mother. Mel truly felt nothing but love for her father and receiving the letter made her smile before she could even open it.
"My dear daughter, word has spread far and wide that you've been planning a marriage. Though I am still in the motherland, I've caught word of who he is—words quite eloquent. I've written to your mother countless times revolving your husband. She's told me great things of his work, loyalty, and his intellect. Though there are pressing matters I mustn't let go unnoticed in Noxus—fret not. As I have no plans of missing your wedding. I send my best regards to you—my daughter, and your husband."
As Mel sat in the office reading the letter, tears pricked at her eyes—tears of happiness and joy at her father's letters. Her heart swell at every word, tears falling freely now and onto the paper, making it slightly transparent where her tears stained the thin paper. A knock on the door brought her to wipe her tears away with the back of her hands and hide the letter in a drawer, slamming it shut hard enough to rattle everything else on her desk.
Mel's hands fumbled to find her calendar, quickly opening it up in front of her to pose herself as busy.
"Come in!" Mel shouted, flipping a few pages of her calendar and holding it out right on the day marking her birthday and her wedding.
The knob turned and in came Ambessa, the thump of her boots muffled against the carpet beneath her. She shut the door behind her and sat on a chair right across from Mel, loud enough that her armor hit against the sides of the chair to make a loud clattering sound that evoked a sigh of disappointment from Mel.
Ambessa drove the chair forward so her knees were clashing right under that desk with Mel's, ignoring how close in proximity they were.
Mel brought her chair back, uncomfortable with how close her mother was and the lack of leg room. She closed the calendar and pushed it near the edge of her desk to focus on her mother. "Mother, is there a reason why you're here?" She said through clenched teeth, smiling awkwardly.
Ambessa looked at the calendar, grabbing it and flipping through it. "Hm…" she hummed in thought, continuously turning pages. She didn't seem to looking for anything in particular till she saw a note in the margin about a schedule for Jayce's nights out. A time he was to leave, and a time he was supposed to be back also.
She squinted as if she wasn't reading it correctly, mouthing every word she said in slight confusion before looking back at Mel. "Mel, what's this of a 'night schedule?'" Ambessa turned the book towards Mel, pointing at where it was written though her large finger was blocking a bit of the text, not that Mel needed it to know what she was talking about.
Mel quickly reached for the book, trying to take it from her mother's ironclad grip. The papers sank where Mel's fingers were gripping onto it and her mother's alike.
Ambessa finally shook Mel off of the book and kept waving it in her face, waiting for Mel to answer the question. "You have yet to tell me what this means, Mel."
Seeing her mother wasn't planning on giving up the book anytime soon, she sighed, closing her eyes and tilting her head to rest against her palm. "I allow Jayce a sense of freedom every once in a while. Only a few nights, though. Does it matter much? He's proved his loyalty, mother! He always comes back to me…" she said with sentimentality, hoping that letting Jayce out like this wouldn't create too many problems.
Ambessa dropped the book back onto the desk, staring at Mel in disbelief. "After my men went on a goose chase to find your lover before he'd been given a chance to leave the city, you're being broad about this?" She was silently seething at how her daughter was exercising one of her greatest weaknesses again—trust. "Broad won't get us back Talis nor advance in Hextech if you throw chances at him Mel!" Her frustration was absolute with an underlying tone of worry for her daughter.
Ambessa stood up, scraping the chair back. "Let this night be the last of Talis running rampant. I'm serious, Mel. Your people aren't in need of your leniency—one can't expect to rule under those conditions."
Mel sat there silently seething at her mother's words, watching her leave and not bothering to close the door behind her either like it was any better of someone looking in to see Mel or taking the open door as an opportunity to bother her.
The silent resentment was what brought Mel to slam her door shut, startling an assistant who happened to be walking by during Mel's fit of rage.
The entire day Mel refused to see anybody, except for assistants who got the memo fast that Mel wasn't in a good mood and gave brief explanations of files before leaving them on her desk.
By sunset, the pile grew large. It felt intimidating for anybody to look at walking in yet that didn't seem to stop anyone from only adding to it.
It was already late and Mel's eyes burned from staring at documents all day and her hand was cramped up from writing countless times. Whether that be her signature or notes on a separate paper of things for her to remember.
When she'd gotten to the Medarda estate, looking at the pristine and eye-catching outside, she felt nothing. Mel simply walked past the soldiers as they held the door open for her. The inside was vast and impossibly wide. Mel put her coat on a nearby rack and walked towards her room, carrying the misery of the day with her.
Jayce wasn't far from her. He was on the second floor, trying to ask a Noxian soldier questions on why he wasn't allowed into the war room when he had no connections to anyone else that he'd be capable of telling.
His one-sided argument was interrupted when he saw Mel, smiling and walking towards her. Jayce embraced her, taking in her scent and even pressing a kiss to her cheek as a little welcome gift. Jayce is quick to notice how her eyes are filled with a sense of sadness. He quietly escorts her to their room, locking the door behind him and holding her.
Mel just threw her bag down at the foot of the bed, careless of how the bag had fallen off the edge already. She looked up at him in solemn, finally bearing him the bad news, "my mother found out I've been allowing you to go out on certain nights. Tonight is your last night out, Jayce. There's no curfew, as my only wish is that we meet again before soldiers are out of their quarters and patrolling."
Her words stilled Jayce. The game he'd been playing for quite a while now was finally coming to an end. Tonight, he was being dealt his last hand. It filled him with great tragedy, truly. But the preparations he'd been making with Viktor and Singed felt as if they'd suffice for this.
Mel watched Jayce quickly throw on clothes and shoes, getting ready to go out for what would be the last time for what he could imagine to be an indefinite period.
In the war room, Ambessa stood at a window giving her a view of the entrance of the estate. Flanking her, was Kino and Rictus. Rictus was positioned at the door with a spear in his hand, gaze looking forward at nothing in particular and occasionally glancing at Ambessa and Kino.
Kino and Ambessa were trying to have a level-headed argument though Ambessa insisted she was correct and wouldn't take any other answer.
"I know what I'm speaking of, Kino. Talis knows something are armies haven't even formed a thought on." She looked out the window, waiting for Jayce to appear now that Mel was home and more than likely, told him the news that his endless pursuit of freedom would be coming to a tragic end whether he liked it or not.
Kino sighed, not bothering to look at the window and looking at his mother instead, looking for rationality behind her eyes in the sense. "Mother, you're over complicating the situation. Jayce has yet to do any wrong, must you diminish his happiness?" He tried reasoning with her, though it fell on deaf ears.
Ambessa shook her head and kept her stance, arms crossed tightly with her feet planted wide, the dagger in her sheath pressing against her thigh. "Over complicating?" She repeated as to test the word out and just chuckled at the stupidity of it. "Talis isn't a fool, Kino. You of all people should be aware of that. Has it never occurred to you that though Talis has left numerous times, he spends his entire night in places where no soldier has seen him? When an oppressed man is given freedom, would he stay where there is oppression?" She glanced over at Kino, waiting for his answer.
Kino opened his mouth though the result was not a word came out of his mouth so he had no choice but to close it again.
Ambessa grinned smugly, looking back at the window and silently celebrating her winning the argument. "A loss of words I see." She taunted, spiting Kino even more like it wasn't enough that she'd been correct against her son who he himself was a being of high intellect and made it clear that he considered himself as such.
Through the silence, wind howled against the estate and a tree occasionally leaned toward a window, making a tapping noise. None of this appealed to Ambessa—except for the faint rustle from a bush. Her eyes quickly looked over and caught sight of Jayce Talis trying to get past the soldiers guarding the estate.
Ambessa grabbed Kino's arm painfully, shaking him and pointing as if telling him to look. "Kino, you see him, right?" She continued to rattle her son, too absorbed in Jayce Talis' attempt at sneaking out than that Kino was trying to leave her grip because it started to get a bit painful.
Seeing him run into the courtyard, Ambessa quickly looked back at Rictus, "Follow Talis, now." She ordered, urging him to move with urgency as to not lose track of Jayce.
Kino was left there when Ambessa made a move to grab her coat, draping it over herself, and trailing behind Rictus. On her way out of the estate, she grabbed a soldier from his post, "Go to the barracks, request only few soldiers. No rookies either. I'll need competent ones. Rictus'll meet them on their way out as I keep track of a certain someone."
The soldier nodded profusely, running way ahead and out of the estate to make way to the barracks.
As Ambessa caught up with Rictus, she continued to walk following Jayce at a post, pulling the two soldiers he saw also posted there to follow Ambessa instead.
Jayce wasn't made aware of this. Mainly due to how confident he'd become in getting to the Undercity without getting caught and how this night would change everything for him. As he continued to walk throughout, he felt as if he was being watching. Though when he looked back there wasn't a soul behind him.
When he went into the sewer tunnel, he hummed a light tune—casual. Ambessa stopped the soldiers she now had with her at the tunnel, "It's wise you all find sewer channels near the area and split through there. You're not to do anything unless you're signaled to do such."
Ambessa stared down the tunnel where Jayce had gone, putting her mask on. A golden mask with strong resemblance of a feline. Her drakehounds were now in her hands, held by the blade rather than the chain as not to echo too loudly through this canal.
Regardless of her physique, her steps were incredibly light, achieved through years of stealth training and war. The end of the sewer tunnel led her to a flowing stream. She grimaced at the murky water beneath her feet, yet kept walking. Ambessa watched Jayce go into a cave.
She crouched near an opening of the cave, listening to what was said. It sounded almost as if Jayce was talking to somebody.
"Tonight's the night. It's my last night I'm granted this freedom. Is it ready?"
Ambessa's eyes widened when she saw a flash of blue light, looking into it to see what was emitting such illumination in the cave.
There she saw it.
She had no idea what it was but by its dangerous glow, she could only assume it was anything far more powerful than anything that Jayce had been allowing the Noxians when they were given access to Hextech. Her smile was one of awe and malice. Up to this point, Ambessa wasn't aware that Jayce wasn't the only genius still alive capable of such things.
Singed laid out the core on the table for Jayce to get a good look at. "Brighter than a thousand suns, I must say."
Jayce smiled as he looked at it, one eye closed shut and the other halfway as to try and lower the intensity of the light. "We've done good." Jayce clapped with pride, though he couldn't stop thinking of the cliffhanger he was being left on not being told the rest of the plan. "What's left to do?"
Viktor pointed towards the map on the wall. "Plant it in the sewer channel. The distance's more than enough to wound their people considering there's little to no population density this close to where the hexcore's being planted. There's no guarantee that Mel will go unscathed."
Ambessa's breath hitched at the mention of possible harm to her daughter. If she were to lose any of her children, she'd never forgive herself. A plan was to be set in stone with just few hours to pull it off successfully and prevent the hexcore from going off.
She retreated from the cave in search of her men, walking back into the sewer channel where the soldiers had been waiting patiently, some having already abandoned the original plan to take this time to finally have a seat giving some haven't been granted that privilege in what felt like hours.
Ambessa bristled at the tragic incompetence of her soldiers at times. She grabbed whoever was closest to her and holding a spear and slammed it against the floor to get their attention, glaring at her.
The soldiers quickly went silent and stared at Ambessa, standing at attention immediately and fixing their lazy posture while they waited for orders.
"We have an operation to complete before sunrise. Get as many soldiers as possible—clear out the barracks, medical bays for those capable enough to stand on two feet, and protect the Medarda estate. If harm is to come to my children, those responsible will join the fugitives in a public hearing."
The soldiers quickly scattered, running toward all areas of the city in search for soldiers.
Ambessa walked back towards the Medarda estate, right towards the war room. The outrage was quickly spread from soldier to soldier.
Ambessa planted a map of the Undercity in front of the soldiers who she was forced to rely on to carry out this operation. Lieutenants, generals, those who've proved themselves more than worthy of leading in these times, were all gathered there.
She pointed right at a vent on the map, one marked in elegant handwriting "THE GREY."
Ambessa smiled and held up the Kiramman key, dangling it. "As we've been graced, I went fishing through a pile of bodies during this way in search of the key. It wasn't easy to get it from Kiramman Sr, as she's not very willing. Cassandra Kiramman and the husband are in a prison in the homeland." She traced a long along the crest embedded on what was holding the key. "We're in search of Caitlyn Kiramman, now. Once she's found, we can make the Kirammans considerable allies of ours."
She continued to give a debrief of the plan, her red marking painting the map. They listened on obediently as to keep the mission as seamless as possible and complete their agenda—find Jayce Talis.
The sun peeked over the line of the water and the plan was already in place. Bypassing citizens caught sight of this, watching soldiers rush toward the sewer tunnel and clearing people out of a certain radius.
[ON JAYCE'S SIDE]
Jayce looked up at the sky and back on Viktor, peeking over Viktor's shoulder with uncertainty. "Vik, are you positive this will be a success?" He said worriedly, "there's no definite chance that it won't attract Noxians and bring them to infiltrate the Undercity too."
Viktor looked up at him a bit annoyed with Jayce's lack of confidence. This wasn't the inventor Viktor remembered. Not the one who despite all odds took one night, and one night alone to dictate his future through one last experiment that put him in the position of power he was in before the Noxians took over.
Jayce paused when he heard the shout of orders and heavy boots. His heart dropped. The Noxians were here. Singed was nowhere to be found which left Viktor and Jayce. While Jayce panicked, Viktor was calm. He stood up and grabbed his cane, walking with Jayce to the start of the tunnel.
There, was Ambessa Medarda, soldiers sporting spears, and Rictus staring at them. The soldiers crowding that area naturally drew the curiosity of the citizens. They hovered nearby at a respectful distance, discussing on what might've been happening. Low murmurs filled the air as people exchanged looks of worry.
[ON MEL'S SIDE]
Mel was worried by the mention of soldiers gathering in a specific area. All she could think about was what could've been happening to Jayce throughout all of this. Had he got in major trouble with the army?
She couldn't eat thinking about it, sitting with Kino in his room and trying to calm herself. Kino kept looking out the window to see the view of the soldiers all the way from there. The remaining soldiers who were stationed all around the estate as security, was the only thing stopping the two siblings from going out there and seeing it for themselves.
Kino ended up spotting a blindspot. A path the gardener usually went to go about tending to the plants. Kino grabbed onto Mel's hand, bringing her back up to her feet and leading her out of his room and into the halls.
"Kino, what—" Mel stopped talking when Kino shushed her, allowing him to lead her.
It took effort to stay out of the soldiers vision, though they finally succeeded.
They ran towards the crowd, pushing through in order to reach their mother.
Ambessa saw Mel and Kino behind her and her eyes widened. "What are you both doing here?!" She questioned angrily, already looking for a soldier she could hold responsible for allowing this to happen.
When Jayce saw Mel standing there, his heart dropped by the faint sound of ticking echoing through the tunnel.
Everyone had been so disoriented by the event of catching fugitives, nobody took notice of anything else. Soldiers weren't being commanded, citizens were getting untamed, and Ambessa herself was distracted in the moment.
Viktor pulled Jayce backwards with him slowly as the ticking got louder, stopping when they were yelled at to bring themselves forward again.
The final tick was deafening. The tunnel exploded entirely and the force knocked everyone close enough in numerous directions.
As Mel was knocked backwards into a wall, she saw the dead body of an unfortunate soldier lying with her next to her sparking slightly with the energy of the hexcore. The sight of it so close to her made Mel scream. A sound she could only hear in a muffle as her ears rung slightly from how loud the noise was when it went off.
She'd been one of the people to get injured badly compared to others. Only few soldiers suffered the casualties, while others were very disoriented by the sudden hit. Mel's chest rose and fell in panic at the craze of the people, the body in proximity with her, and all the rubble flying.
As her world moved in slow motion, Ambessa had just finished checking on Kino when she saw Mel. Mel's eyes were unfocused and she could barely look at her mother without squinting. Kino was also at her side, shaking Mel back into a more conscious state.
Despite their attempts, Mel was slipping in and out of consciousness. Her eyes threatened to fall shut everytime and would miraculously spring back open in a spasming manner. As she had to wait for a medic, Jayce was already filled with regret.
Through all the rubble and dust, he could still see Mel and how she seemed to be in a lot of pain by the explosion. Their eyes met and for a moment it seemed soft. Till Ambessa Medarda joined Mel's gaze. She stared at Jayce with an anger he could only ever see in a mother—protective.
All he could do was shed tears of guilt at how the harm brought to Mel was his fault when in times like this, she'd been nothing but kind to him and had never wronged him on something he couldn't forgive.
As a soldier held him and Viktor in hand cuffs and pushed them through the rubble all the way to Ambessa Medarda, she tried to remain level-headed but her blood was a furnace seeing Jayce's face. She swung her arms, her drakehounds following the motion and one came into contact with Jayce's leg. The sharp blade cutting through the fabric of his pants and creating a gash at his calf.
The pain made Jayce let out a strained scream, his leg faltering on that side, worsening his balance. As he knelt so he wasn't putting as much weight on the injured leg, he saw Viktor quiet and willing against the soldiers.
Viktor was leaning again a pillar as to help stabilize himself in the handcuffs without the use of his cane. His expression was deadpan as if he knew what would happen doing something like this. There was no futile attempts at straining and trying to fight the restraints off, he just knew that what he said wouldn't change anything.
Medics finally arrived at the scene. Even in the death of her soldiers, Ambessa insisted that the medics tend to her daughter first—while she was still breathing. Mel was taken away by medics to get the care she needed and the remaining soldiers began leading citizens out of the area to not make it anymore of a scene than it already was.
Throughout all of this, Jayce hadn't caught sight of Singed. He staring behind him to look towards the cave, seeing a figure standing nearby calmly—Singed. Jayce's eyes burned with rage at how Singed left him and Viktor to take the punishment while he walked away unscathed and scot free.
He had no time to even attempt trying to warn anybody of Singed's presence as nobody bothered to listen to him anymore. Two soldiers held Jayce's upper arms, leading him, while another stood behind him with a spear, ready to intervene if anything happened.
All Jayce heard was the insults of the people and some from soldiers walking past him. The injuring of the people's princess brought the Noxians together to create a powerful vendetta against one common enemy—Jayce Talis.
Some wanted him dead, publicly tried so they could decide his fate. Every hateful comment stung more and more. Some of the people he'd laughed with just days before this whole thing were now openly resenting him. Not a glint of empathy was found in any of their eyes.
From the moment of their arrest, Jayce and Viktor were separated. Specialized cells that weren't in Stillwater like Jayce still expected most criminals to go to—this was personal.
When they threw Jayce into a closed cell, the room began to fill with a gas he could only assume was in sedation territory. With every breath, the gas filled his lungs and he finally collapsed to floor with a heavy thud.
Only when the gas was cleared out, did the cell door open again. At the foot of it, was Ambessa Medarda. His vulnerability made her smirk. While her daughter was under the care of medics and Jayce had become a liability, she no longer had to hold out on herself.
Rictus went in to retrieve Jayce, dragging him by the back of the collar of his shirt and towards a room—the interrogation room.