Had this funny feeling bothering me for a while and I knew I had to write it...

Hope you can enjoy it and I also hope you can leave a review

:3

I

We are no longer in Valoran.

That was certainly blue.

Those were the first thoughts he had when he woke up. Not because he had never looked at the sky or because he was stupid... He was simply confused due to the power of the impact and his brain was trying to re-boot itself... He knew that there was no way he would be interested in something as abstract and useless as the endless blue vault above his head...

Not that he believed the sky was useless... He just couldn't find a proper use for such thing at the moment. Yes, the zeppelins did soar that wonderful sea but aside from being the 'pavement' of those vessels there simply was no other use. Again yes, many artists and poets had found inspiration in its magical mystery... But come on! That thing has been there for centuries! What is the point of looking at such thing if there was absolutely no proper use for such thing aside from a 'road' and the next 'unicorn' of an idiotic junkie!

You couldn't really blame his way of thinking... After all, Piltover was known as the City of Progress and there was nothing more infuriating for a scientist than something they couldn't really interact or experiment with. Especially for Jayce, the Defender of Tomorrow.

From a young age, he knew he was a genius. All the other kids around him seemed dull and stupid in some way. He was an outcast as everyone would expect. A child that prefers to lock himself behind a book and forget about the rest of the world is bound to have a lonely childhood. Jayce never understood what was the point in having fun with a bunch of toys. He was more interested in taking them apart to see what lied behind. He wanted to know the truth behind every door and behind every window. He pushed his already brilliant mind to the limits until he became what he was destined to be... One of the greatest scientist in Piltover.

Such things didn't matter right now... His exhausted brain finally ended this therapeutic episode and Jayce began to make sense of the things around him...

He groaned in annoyance as the muscles in his back screamed in pain when he tried to move. He blinked a few times noticing how dry his eyes were. He remained on the ground for a few seconds, extending his awareness all over his body. Trying to figure out if there was something broken or if he had sustained some internal injury. He hummed satisfied when his exploration proved there was nothing wrong with him. The pain was probably caused due to staying lying on the ground for a long period of time or it could be because of the blast he received during the match...

Wait...

Wait a minute...

...

...

...

Oh!

That's right! The match...

...

THE MATCH!?

Jayce jumped from the floor, the sudden movement caused him to feel dizzy but he simply had no time to worry about that. He was currently fighting in an important match! There was no time to look and the sky and think about the crustacean immortality! He was chosen especially for this match and there was no way he was going to fail his summoner! But above everything else, he refused to lose against Viktor, The Machine Herald and his opponent on the Middle Lane!

'Summoner Badger, can you hear me? I apologize for my failure' Jayce thought as he rushed through the road 'I simply failed to ward the jungle properly and that's why Lee Sin managed to sneak on me... I still have the lead in both farm and kills so I suppose this little setback won't matter that much. Top lane and Bottom lane are quite respectable, and even though our jungle lacks the proper mechanics, I still believe we can win the game...' No response 'Summoner Badger...? What's wrong...? Can you hear...?' Jayce cut his train on thoughts and stopped his mad dash until he realized what was wrong.

He was running in a road... A dirty road surrounded by green grass. There were no turrets. No nexus. No base. No minions. No jungle... Hell, not even the fountain where he was supposed to respawn every time he died in combat...

This wasn't The Summoner's Rift...

Jayce looked up once again and finally realized why he was so engrossed with the sky... The sky at the Summoner's Rift was filled with hundreds of crystal orbs that recorded and broadcasted the match across Valoran... But this sky was empty, not a single sign of the Summoners' devices... This couldn't be the Summoner's Rift. Jayce focused and tried to find his connection with his summoner but found nothing. A deadly and terrifying silence filled his mind... There was nothing... This wasn't Summoner's Rift... This wasn't Runeterra...

A cold sweat ran through his spine and make him shiver in fear... A thought he didn't wish to have, such ridiculous idea had no place in his mind because it was simply impossible... But then again, he was a champion of the League of Legends, and if there was something the League was known for... It was how the impossible became part of the routine.

Jayce was no longer in Valoran... What's more... He began to think he wasn't even in Runeterra...

"That's ridiculous..." He laughed bitterly "That is completely ridiculous, there is no way such stupid idea is possible... I must have sustained a great deal of damage and I am currently unconscious in the infirmary... I will wake up in a few minutes and I will see the gentle smile of Soraka. Vi will come to mock me with her usual brutish self, I will call her names and we will laugh like always... If I am lucky, even Caitlyn could come to check my health and I could get away with a few compliments and even a date...! Yes! That has to be!" He clapped, reaching a conclusion "This is just a dream! And not just any kind of dream... A complete and utter nightmare! That explains everything and I am sure I will wake up..." He gazed around him and discovered a tall construction not far away from him "It has to be a dream... It has to be..." His words were almost a plea.

"This... This cannot be a dream!" Jayce finally exclaimed with aggravation. "This has to be a nightmare! A frigging nightmare!" His screams only made a few pedestrians look at him and whisper quietly.

The city at which he had arrived was certainly a sight to behold. It looked like on of those old Demacian settlements he once saw in a history book. The houses had that sort of medieval look and he wasn't able to see any sort of technological devices anywhere. The citizens were dressed like the common folk in Noxus, wearing capes, robes, leather shirts and pants, and he even saw a group of people wearing clothes similar to Vladimir. A bunch of uncomfortable pieces of fabric, designed to be stiff and hard to wear... Hell, his dreams were completely devoided of sense!

Jayce was a man of science but one of his guilty pleasures was to study that rubbish talk about the soul and garbage like that. He was quite interested in astrology and in the secrets behind dreams. As a child from Piltover, such arts were deemed as a trap for tourist and Ionian nobles. But as the man of science he was, he couldn't pass the opportunity to see if such arts were a faux invention. He was sure he was inside some sort of deep dream where his conscience created a different reality based on his experience, dreams, aspirations and secret desires. Deep dreams were a reality but there were simply no tools to record the data acquired. Also, the testimony of the subjects was pretty much useless since most of them forgot everything about the dream. This was a nice chance to investigate this matter with his own hands.

And besides...

He would never admit it... But he was One Hundred percent sure he would find an army of Caitlyns wearing nothing but sexy lingerie, maybe a few Vis... And if he was as shameless as everyone claimed, he would even see the infamous Loose Cannon and the Lady of Clockwork... Jayce smiled lewdly and quickly ran to the tower he discovered at the distance...

But now...

His lecherous expectations were destroyed and lied in front of him as a pile of mud.

There was nothing inside the city that could be remotely related to anything in his head. Not a single piece of Hextech devices or Techmaturgy technology... And if this was a nightmare, he couldn't find Viktor destroying everything he loved anywhere... This was just an old Demacian/Noxian village filled with a lot of folks... And a big tower at center.

"Nothing makes sense!" He yelled once again and sat behind a strange statue. It was the image of a beautiful woman wearing a robe.

Jayce sighed and focused on the pedestrians again. Sure, those definitely looked like normal people but he began noticing some peculiar things. Some of those people were wearing armor and were actually carrying things like swords, staffs, shields, bows, spears and all sort of dangerous weapons with weird shapes and colors. Those groups had this strange aura that reminded Jayce of the few mercenaries that somehow managed to enter Piltover. Not quite outstanding, especially for a champion like himself but they did look interesting. He felt a low hum next to him and caressed his beloved weapon.

He was actually quite happy with his brain this time around. To think his subconscious managed to recreate his precious Mercury Hammer perfectly was something he was extremely proud of. Every nook and cranny, from the core to the wires and even the cogs and screws. Even that strange sound it sometimes made was there... Those weapons the citizens had were something, but they were nothing in comparison to his greatest weapon. In fact, some of those mercenaries glanced at his hammer with interest and sometimes jealousy. He nodded and congratulated himself for designing such fine piece of art.

He especially noticed a certain small girl that was carrying a big backpack. She was using some strange robe but Jayce was able to notice what made her different from the crowd... Her ears... Animal ears. Jayce was able to see a bunch of non-humans around the crowd. Some had of small characteristics such as animal ears and tails but some others were anthropomorphic creatures... Not that impressive, especially considering Jayce had seen a bunch of those at the League. Ahri was extremely famous around the summoners, and creatures like Nasus and Renekton did leave strong impressions. Jayce couldn't also forget the recent addition of the Vastaya and the always terrifying aura of the voidlings.

But this girl had something unusual... And absolutely disturbing. His light brown eyes were completely focused on Jayce's hammer... He had seen that sort of eyes in many Zaunite scientists back in the day. A glare filled with greed and nothing but evil intentions. The kind of glare assassins would sometimes have before they killed their victim... Jayce had seen that sort of glare all around the League of Legends and he himself had bore it once or twice, it was something he wasn't proud of but he had to recognize fighting and killing almost every day could do that to the purest soul.

Jayce studied the girl for a short time before she was called by another group. She glanced at Jayce once before she disappeared in the sea of people. Jayce relaxed when he could no longer feel her eyes on him and decided to shelter himself from the glares somewhere else. He could tell these mercenaries were heading to the big tower at the center of the town... He ignored the reason but he was sure he wanted to avoid them as much as possible... He didn't know why but this dream was turning less exciting with each passing second... Even a nightmare would be more entertaining at this point.

Moving down the streets, he began looking for a pub or a restaurant. Anything that would hide his appearance would do at this point... And he found it after a while.

" 'Hostess of Fertility'?" He wasn't surprised he could understand the strange runes, this was his dream after all "Quite alluring for my tastes but I suppose this will do for now."

It was a two-story building with a nice design. Jayce guessed this was some sort of famous establishments since he was able to see a lot of customers through the windows. He wanted to sit at the back in order to avoid unwanted attention but it seemed like it would be hard. Even so, he entered the pub, it was better than staying outside where everyone could see him... And besides, he could always blend with the crown if necessary.

"My, My! An adventurer this early?" A huge woman boomed from the counter "You must have caught great prey, huh? Come in and take a seat! I'll make sure you fill your belly with delicious food and fine beer!"

...

...

...

This... Was a terrible Idea...

Not only that woman brought unnecessary attention to Jayce and put him in a bad spot... Almost every customer was a normal citizen... And on top of that, every single one of them was focused on him! Jayce tried to smile but there was simply nothing good about this situation, he couldn't leave because that would only get him more attention... But staying seemed like trouble as well... This was definitely not his best dream or his lucky day...

Whatever...

He sighed and took at seat at the most secluded table he could find... This dream was truthfully a pain in the ass...

"Hello, how can I serve you today?" A soft voice called him.

Jayce was quite surprised when he didn't realize a waitress was already in front of him... Then again, he had more important things to worry about... But he had to admit, this young girl was definitely unusual. His sapphire and cold eyes were as mysterious as his greenish blond hair. Thanks to the League, Jayce had come into contact with many individuals with strange and unusual features... He could see her pointy ears at the sides and that only made her even more interesting. So far, the only individual he had met with such feature was Janna so Jayce wondered if the girl was a magician... Either way, he decided not to think about it that much. This was a dream and his brain was probably playing a trick.

"What is your order, sir?" She insisted once again.

"Uh...? Ah! Nothing for now, sweetie" He said with his trademark smile "I just have to organize my stuff first, I will call you once I'm ready."

The young girl gave him a cold glare, she then nodded and left without saying anything else... Jayce wasn't sure why but he felt that girl hated him for some strange reason...

Frigging Nightmare.

He shook his head and got rid of those useless thoughts. There were far more interesting things to experiment right now. If this was a dream and his subconscious was able to replicate the Mercury Hammer perfectly, he wondered what other things were with him at the moment. So he inspected all of his pockets and placed every object across the table so he could study them all.

So far, he was quite surprised with his findings...

The first object was his wallet. A gift given to him by Caitlyn during his birthday, it was from a recognized brand and few nobles of Piltover had one like that. The contents of the wallet consisted in a few business cards, a photo of Caitlyn and Vi in their police uniform, a special discount coupon for his next visit to Blitzcrank's P.E.R.V., a piece of paper with a phone number and a few gold coins. Quite outstanding to have found every object perfectly replicated.

The second object was a bag of gold, this was the money Jayce had gained during the match before he was ganked by Lee Sin. If his memory didn't fail him, there were Four thousand, eight Hundred and twenty-one coins of gold. He had a successful Laning phase and he managed to get many kills through the map. He was supposed to buy The Maw of Malmortious right out of the bat and finish constructing the Guardian Angel but he guessed he wouldn't need to buy them here in his dream and he was sure no one sold those items.

Jayce did found some foreign items. These were small representations of the items he had at the time: A Youmuu's Ghostblade, the Muramana, The Black Cleaver and the Mortal Reminder. He wasn't sure why but it seemed like Badger never bought any sort of boots... Well, he was the kind of summoner who preferred to play the offensive. Although he did plan to buy some defensive items, in the end, the usage of boots was crucial in the game... Then again, Jayce did have a lot of mobility thanks to the constant speed-ups of his kit.

And for last but not least important, Jayce found a peculiar object he was gifted before the match. He was given this strange object by someone quite peculiar, even for the standards of the Institute of War. A few minutes before the match, Vel'Koz came and told him the experiment was successful. Jayce had always wondered if there was truly no use for the Void aside from being a corruptive energy that threatened the world of Runeterra. He had spent sleepless nights trying to figure out a way to manipulate the energy of the Void in some productive way.

His experiments always ended up the same way: In failures. The Void was simply uncontrollable and every time Jayce tried to experiment with it, the Void would consume any foreign energy that tried to interact with it. After a few failures and explosions, Jayce was ready to give up and forget about the whole matter... But hope came in the most unexpected way. One day, Caitlyn appeared in front of his room... Accompanied by The Eye of the Void. Jayce didn't know what was more shocking, the fact that Caitlyn finally visited him or the fact that she seemed completely fine with Vel'Koz's presence... Even happy...

All Jayce's worries disappeared when the monster spoke... He had come to help him in his research. Jayce was sure the only way to manipulate the Void was to have a monster guide him through the unknown. He never guessed Vel'Koz would agree to even discuss theories and design plans... But after a while, Jayce realized the voidling was just like him. Just another nerd trying to look for answers.

The fruit of such alliance was the small sphere in his hands. Vel'Koz had told him he was finally able to synthesize a material strong enough to hold the corruptive energy of the Void. An alloy created by mixing several materials and few shards found on the Crystal Scar. The result was this small transparent sphere that had a tiny black hole at the center. Several purple rays would dance around the sphere and would also react to any stimulus, creating peculiar patterns around the circumference... This was a 'Voidling Core'. An unlimited source of power that could be used to nourish with energy any device.

Jayce grinned as he studied the sphere. He had designed the artifact and the elements needed to hold such horrific power... Of course, everything was theory and blueprints... He never guessed the voidling would create such marvelous thing using his designs.

"Truly a genius... I suppose..." Jayce muttered while he played with the sphere.

"Pardon me?" Jayce jumped in his chair, surprised that the same girl managed to surprise him again... He should try not to lose himself in his thoughts. Especially in this sort of strange environment. "I have come to take your order again."

"Uh... I think it is too soon for me to decide..."

"Too soon? You came here at noon... It's already nighttime..." The girl said pointing at the window.

Jayce left his mouth wide open once he realized the girl was right. Had he really lost himself so much he didn't even realize the passage of time? It was possible. It had happened in the past and he was ashamed to admit it... But then again, this was a dream and time could be inconsistent in this sort of situation. No use crying over spilled milk. He decided to indulge himself in the creation of his mind.

"Well... Then I guess I will order the specialty of the day!"

"I see..." The girl said writing down the order "Would you like to pay now or later?"

"I guess I will pay now..." That way, he could finish his meal and escape without attracting more attention, he nodded to his plan and took out a few coins from the bag.

"We only accept Valis," The girl said quickly.

"Uh... Valis? What the hell is a Valis?" The girl gave him a cold glare "I am being serious here! What is a Valis?"

"What is the problem here, huh?" Another voice said. it was that huge woman again. "Our dear customer isn't causing any trouble, huh?" Jayce could taste the warning in her words.

"He doesn't have Valis, Mama Mia" The girl answered "He only has this gold coins," She picked one of the coins and gave it to Mama Mia."

"Let's see here..." Mama Mia said, studying the coin "Hmm... Wow! This has to be the purest gold coin I have ever seen in my life! Most of the coins nowadays have lots of impurities and can't be trusted. Although the Valis is safer to use, I can tell this single coin can cost several hundreds of Valis!"

"F-For real?" Jayce asked in disbelief.

"Of course! If it comes to materials, you can always trust a dwarf's word" Mama Mia said, hitting her chest "You can eat the specialty of the day for four straight days with this baby!"

"Well... Then I guess I can pay that much..." Jayce said giving Mama Mia the coin.

"He, He! Thank you for your patronage! But I would suggest you change the coins at the guild! I know my stuff but others wouldn't be able to tell the differences... And if they can, they would most likely lie in order to take your gold." Mama Mia said with a smile.

"The... Guild?"

"Oh, boy! For someone with a lot of money, you aren't exactly bright, huh? Ryuu, be a dear and take him to the guild tomorrow. We must treasure important customers like him."

"I don't want to be a nuisance..." Jayce wasn't exactly fond with owning favors... And he didn't really want to be near this Ryuu girl.

"Nonsense! You already paid for the service!" Mama Mia said with a wide smile "I will bring your food in a while! Enjoy your stay!" And with that, Mama Mia left.

Jayce was once again alone with this Ryuu girl. The waitress kept staring at Jayce with her cold eyes, but the Piltovian could see she was quite interested in his hammer and in the sphere on the table. Her eyes were not filled with wonder as one would expect, those were the eyes of a trained warrior. She was assessing both his weapons and skills, trying to find his weak points and strengths. Jayce simply returned the glare with the same intensity... His career as a champion had told him to never underestimated someone by their appearance. A sweet child like Annie had already deleted him several times in the past. After a while, Ryuu nodded and left to attend the new customers.

Jayce was finally able to breathe in relief. Despite his reputation as a playboy, Jayce was quite weak against women who didn't show any emotion at all. That was the main reason why he wasn't able to get anywhere with Caitlyn. She was quite good at hiding her emotions and that cold mask of hers was perfect. She would sometimes give Jayce hope but those advances would quickly disappear... Still, she was a wonderful woman.

With Ryuu gone, Jayce was able to study his surroundings. The customers had drastically changed. Instead of the normal citizen, the pub was now full of warriors. Men and women cladded in armor with weapons by their side, other anthropomorphic creatures, and humans with animal traits. They were extremely different from the common folk and Jayce could guess those difference were incredibly deep. The mood hadn't changed that much and he could see the waitress weren't intimidated by the muscles, the loud voices, and the weapons. In fact, they seemed quite comfortable and Jayce could imagine why.

"Your food is here!" Jayce thanked Nashor it was a different girl this time, a girl with cat ears and a tail. "Mama Mia says she used her special touch so you should enjoy your food, Nyaah!"

"I... I see... I will..." Jayce wondered why did she 'nyaah' at the end. But as a man, he knew there were things he would rather ignore for his own safety... Especially if this was a dream fabricated by his brain. He really didn't want to find out he was actually someone who loved animal ears... Vi would never let him live that once down... Or even worse! What if Ahri found out?!

He thanked the waitress and began eating the food. A huge plate filled with spaghetti and a roasted fish he hadn't seen in his entire life... But of course, he was used to eating strange things. He once visited the Freljord and to date, Jayce still ignores what was that strange meat he was given at the pub... It was delicious but it wasn't like anything he had tasted before... The fish was soft and quite delicious so he decided to shrug his shoulders and enjoy the meal.

And then...

"The clients who made a reservation have arrived!"

Suddenly, the pub was filled with whispers. The customers forgot about their food and focused on the newcomers... Even Jayce had to admit those were remarkable individuals: Two tanned beauties that seemed out of one of the books found in the Kumungu Jungle. A silver haired young man with wolf ears and a tail. An older woman with green hair and ears similar to Ryuu's. A short old man wearing heavy armor. Another long-eared child with orange hair and beautiful eyes. A young kid whose eyes could only belong to an experienced warrior and a blond beauty with golden eyes followed by a red-haired woman.

"Have you seen her? She is a beauty!"

"Shut up! Can't you see the emblem?!"

"So they are the famous Loki Familia, huh? Those who kill giants and hunt powerful monsters on the lower levels."

The group took a table at the center of the pub and began celebrating and cheering. It seemed like they belonged to a different dimension in comparison with the other warriors in the pub. Even Jayce could tell they were strong, even for the standards of the League of Legends... But there was one individual who stood among them. She was easily ignored thanks to the remarkable features of the others but there was something about her that made her especial. It was the red-haired woman who was wearing quite the scandalous outfit. Despite her frail complexion, Jayce could feel she was somehow above everyone else in the pub. Something he had met during his days at the League.

Something he had learned to fear and respect... Although he wasn't sure what.

For a brief moment, his eyes met hers... He couldn't explain what it was but there was something captivating in her aura. She was here but she wasn't at the same time. Jayce could see her but he couldn't at the same time. He knew she was looking at him but not at the same time... Quite mysterious indeed.

"I think is time for Aiz to tell us what happened the other day!" The silver-haired man suddenly yelled.

"The other day?" The girl named Aiz asked in confusion.

"You know what I'm talking about! That time when a minotaur escaped and wandered on the dungeon!" He said getting close to Aiz "You killed the last one on the fifth floor! Remember? Do you remember that tomato idiot who couldn't do a thing but shiver like the thrash he was, huh?" Jayce wasn't sure why but that guy pissed him off "That rookie adventurer was cornered by the minotaur and he began to cry! You came and finished the job... And you know what the rookie did? He ran away from Aiz, screaming as if he had seen a more terrifying monster!" He laughed "He ended up bathed in the disgusting blood of the minotaur and looking like a tomato! What a pathetic idiot!"

"It is enough, Bete!" The older woman with green hair scolded "It was our fault the monster escaped... In fact, we are lucky Aiz managed to found and kill the minotaur before there were victims. As members of the Loki Familia, it is a complete disgrace we failed to complete our duties!"

"What's so bad about calling him trash, Riviera?" Bete groaned, slamming his fist on the table "Trash will always be trash and there is nothing that can be done about that! They should just learn their place and bow before the strong! Don't you agree with me, Aiz? I am sure you wouldn't want trash like him by your side! Even if he were to confess his love for you, you would definitely reject him! A tomato idiot like him can't even be compared with you! There is no way a weakling like him can stand by the side of the Sword Princess, Aiz Walle-"

It was silent.

Jayce knew that much. The once lively room was completely silent. Not that it mattered to him anyways, he had more pressing matters to attend... And that included his rage. Childhood was never easy for Jayce. Before he was found by the Giopara, he had to endure the constant mockery of the other children. His unique way of acting would always be a problem among those who couldn't understand his genius... Even after joining his equals, he always felt the stares on his back. The jealousy, the hatred, the anger. He, who was a nobody, suddenly among the elite. Even if his brilliance was outstanding, he was never allowed to forget where he came from... So that's why he couldn't stand those words. He didn't know the whole story but apparently, that group was responsible for the attack of a minotaur. That Bete failed to fulfill his role and a young and inexperienced child had to suffer due to his ignorance... And he dared to call him trash! The nerve he had! The audacity! The arrogance!

Jayce was a Piltovian. A scientist with knowledge... But he was also given duty and responsibilities. A single phrase still lives in his memory... The only thing he wished to remember from his childhood. Those words defined who he was and who he wanted to be... And that was why he was called 'The Defender of Tomorrow.

'Strong men protect themselves. But the strongest protects everyone else'

Jayce could feel it in his veins. The fury, the anger, his inner wishes... But then again, none of these was his business. Even if he wanted to intervene, he had no connection with the act. This wasn't Piltover so he had to be extremely careful with his actions and choices... Something Caitlyn had taught him a long time ago...

...

Now that he thinks about it... It's quiet... Why is it quiet all of a sudden?

...

Oh...

That explains everything...

In his rage, he had squeezed the Mercury Hammer... And now, the Mercury Cannon clacked with its usual blue glow. It wasn't that impressive after a few times... But then again, Jayce had finally understood something. He was completely sure his brain couldn't create such disgusting character as Bete... He went against everything Jayce believed... So that could only mean one thing...

This was not a dream... And this was not Runeterra...

Where was he?

Doesn't matter. Right now, he needed to get away. It seemed like these barbarians had never seen anything like the Mercury Hammer and Jayce feared they would react like monkeys watching the fire for the first time... They would like to touch and play with it, even if that meant breaking it... And Jayce was fairly sure there weren't spare parts for his hammer in this world.

He slowly got up from his table and walked towards the door. So far so good. They seemed enchanted by the Mercury Hammer but Jayce could feel something terrible was about to happen. He needed to get out before any of this troglodytes had the chance to even think about-

"Hey!" Too late, it seems "What's that thing you are holding, huh?" The worst possible scenario. Bete was the one who called Jayce and was currently in the way "Never seen a staff like that before. Where did you get it?" Jayce tried really hard not to look down on him. It was hard since this Bete fellow was shorter than him and the fact that Bete was hunched didn't help at all "I asked you a damn question! Answer, trash!"

"I don't want troubles..."

"Then answer the damn question, huh?" This was getting complicated, Jayce decided to ignore him and rush to the door "Where are you going?! Answer the damn question, you piece of pathetic trash!" Bete yelled grabbing the handle of the Hammer.

...

Well...

Jayce did tried...

He tried to avoid problems... But it seemed like troubles always looked for Jayce...

He looked at Bete: His eyes were wide open and he had this feral look on them. He looked at the Red-haired woman: She was simply looking at Jayce, waiting for his next move. He looked at Mama Mia: She was clearly begging him to not do it... But it was already too late.

"I'm sorry, Mom Mia" He mumbled while throwing a golden coin to her "I hope this can pay the damage."

"What are mumbling to yourself, you tra-?" Before Bete could finish, a sudden burst of light blinded him. He tried to get away but he was already flying through the window while a soaring pain extended around his cheek.

The Mercury Hammer was once again present. The customers couldn't really understand what just happened but they knew they should get out as soon as possible. The stranger was currently glaring at the whole Loki Familia while his strange weapon hummed and clacked every now and then. The tension was present in every member of the table. Even the always stoic Lady Riviera was looking at the stranger in shock. The amazon sisters were already standing up with their fist ready. The only one who seemed to be enjoying the whole mess was the goddess herself. Her always present smile only disturbed the customers even more, especially after the stranger had easily knocked one of the members of her Familia...

But...

"Behind you..." Was all Jayce heard the Red-haired woman whisper before his instincts took over. Thanks to his experience with assassins and the such, he was able to block the blow before it decapitated his head. But the force of the blow send him flying through the window, he grunted while he rolled over the floor before he could get up.

"You sure have guts for a trash!" Bete had somehow managed to kick him from behind "But this is where it ends! You will regret your stupidity!" A strange gale of wind began forming on his legs, Jayce could hear the wind howling around him. "Prepare to die, trash!" And Bete vanished in thin air.

Jayce knew his recklessness would cause him problems one day. Provoking an unknown enemy without knowing their true strength was idiotic... But it wasn't like he acted without a plan. From the very beginning, he knew the victory belonged to him. Because no matter how strong and fast this Bete was or the kind of magic he used. Hextech and Techmaturgy were created to counter magic in every way... And nobody did it better than Jayce himself.

The Lighting Field materialized from his armor. He didn't see him but Jayce knew Bete was there, and when he saw Bete's fallen form behind him knew his plan had worked. Maybe Jayce acted recklessly... But Bete was a complete idiot and underestimated the power of his enemy...

Bete struggled to get rid of the lighting in his body, but his magic seemed to not have any effect on the strange power. He managed to lift his angered eyes... But the stranger was gone... Instead, he watched as the others were focused on something above him. He tried to look up but it was already too late... The last thing he saw was a bright golden light before his face was buried beneath the floor.

"To the Skies!" The explosion lifted a curtain of dust and cracked the floor.

A lone figure stood over the fallen Bete. The light coming from his hammer and the lighting were the only things the adventures could see before the man turned around and left without saying a word... Nobody had the courage to follow him into the darkness... Nobody but a young boy with snowy white hair and crimson eyes... A rabbit, in the eyes of some.

"Wait!" The boy called as he tried to catch up with the man "Wait up!"

The man stopped and the boy crashed on his back, falling to the ground. The boy tried to get up but was stopped by the Mercury Cannon, the boy could only see the blue lighting soaring at the core of the staff and the determined eyes of the man.

"What do you want, child?" His voice was as cold as ice.

"I... I..." The boy stuttered. He was scared, he was really scared... But he was also tired of being scared, he was tired of being trash, he was tired of not being worth. "M-My name is Bell Cranel...! I am a level one novice adventurer! I am weak and hopeless and I know I can't do anything on my own...! And... And that's why I want... I beg you...! Please, teach me how to be strong!" Bell never looked away from the eyes of the man, not even when the light of the staff became even more bright.

"And why do you want to be strong?"

"Because... Because I want to stand by her side! I know her world and mine are completely different... And I also know it might be impossible... But even if it's just a little...! Even if only for a brief second...! I want to stand by her side proud of who I am...!" Bell knew his was a hopeless plea... But if this man could help him... He was willing to risk everything in this bet.

Bell waited but the man said nothing... The seconds passed and Bell began to fear the man would actually finish him... But suddenly, he heard something over the lighting of the staff... The man was laughing.

"You... You would risk your life... For a girl?! What kind of idiot does that for a girl?!" Bell could feel his face blushing, the man was blatantly making fun of his dream. Bell tried to say something but stopped when the man took away the staff and offered him a hand "You really are a brat! Fighting over a girl... I call that youth!"

"uh... Mister... And what do you fight for...?" Bell asked timidly while getting up.

"Me...? I fight for a brighter tomorrow." Bell finally got to see the man's face clearly. He kind of looked like his grandfather "With my eyes on the horizon, I never look back. With determined steps, I pave the way for I know I will never take the wrong path. Without fear, I make a stand knowing that our future will be bright... You told me your name, Bell Cranel. It is time to return the favor... I am Jayce and I am the Defender of Tomorrow!" Jayce said with a wide smile.

"T-Then...! You will help me get stronger!" Bell asked with wonder in his eyes.

"No"

"W-What?!"

"Boy... You want to become strong so you can save the princess... In short, you want to become a hero... And that is something you will have to prove you are worth for!"

"H-How?"

"Let's see... I know! If you managed to kill One hundred monsters, I will personally train you!"

"F-For real!?"

"Yes! Now go and prove your might!"

"I-I will!" Bell exclaimed excited before he dashed towards the tower.

Jayce watched him disappear... And sighed relieved once he couldn't see him.

"I thought he would never leave..." He muttered, scratching his head "I'm sorry, kid... But there are no easy ways if you want to be a hero... And that is a journey you will have to do by yourself. Until we meet again, Bell Cranel" Jayce said before he walked in the opposite direction "Although... Being a hero, huh? Always thought there was nobody left with that kind of childish dream... But I suppose this kind of world does need that sort of hope... Bell Cranel..." Jayce smiled, remembering how he used to dream like that when he was young "You will be a wonderful hero, Bell Cranel."

And the Defender of Tomorrow disappeared in the darkness of Orario.