Viktor opened his eyes abruptly, gasping for air. The calm that surrounded him was at odds with his dreams of flashing lights and earth-shattering explosions. One moment he was disappearing into the aether, then he woke up, Mel's arm around his waist holding onto him fiercely, protectively. He sat up, Mel's arm twitching briefly, and looked past her to see Jayce spooning Mel, his arm around her waist in the same manner that Mel held onto him.
A small smile bloomed on his face and warmth spread from his heart to the rest of his body. They were alive. They survived. They still had a chance.
He carefully moved Mel's arm from his waist, got dressed in the previous day's clothes, and walked from their room to the small kitchen, where he put the kettle on and went through the motions to prepare himself some tea.
In another life, when he was the assistant to the Dean of the Academy, he would have never drunk this tea. He used to opt for the strong stuff that Piltover imported from the outskirts of Noxus, the kind that would wake up a dying soldier on the battlefield. Now he drank Mel's favorite floral tea, a mixture of local herbs that had slowly become his favorite since they arrived at Ionia. When he drank it, it was easy to forget that he had once been the most powerful being in Piltover —maybe the whole of Runeterra— and that he had wreaked havoc on the world he knew.
It seemed like an eternity had passed since he was in Piltover working to build a better world, unaware that Hextech would corrupt him and the land he loved. A part of him yearned for a time before Hextech, before he saw what it would do to the world. He yearned for the time after the discovery, when Jayce and him had been so intricately woven together that it seemed like nothing could tear them apart. However he also yearned for the first time Mel was a factor in their equation, when he discovered that whatever happened with the world, the three of them would go on together.
The truth was, Viktor wished things had happened differently, that he hadn't become a monster on his quest to find perfection. Maybe in that version of reality, the three of them still had a chance to be together —or perhaps they would drift apart— but at least Viktor wouldn't be burdened with the weight of his terrible actions.
When the kettle was ready, he poured some water on the cup just as Mel appeared at the entrance to kitchen, wearing one of Jayce's t-shirts, disheveled and barefoot.
"Everything alright?" she asked.
Viktor turned around to grab Mel's cup, he added a tablespoon of the tea and poured hot water before looking back at Mel. "Couldn't sleep."
"Dreams again?"
"Every night since we got to Ionia," he replied.
Mel walked towards him and took his hands in hers. "We can go somewhere else."
"We can't set foot on Noxus, or Piltover. Jayce won't go to a place like The Freljord, and Demacia is never a good idea for those with Arcane talents. They'd have you in a magic-proof cell the moment you set foot there."
"We don't know that. And there's more to Runeterra than that." She squeezed his hands in reassurance. "If the First Lands' magic is not good for you, we'll leave."
Viktor smiled. "I'm not even sure if it's the magic of the land or if it's just the memories of before."
"Before what?"
"Before I was changed. Before the explosion. Maybe even before Hextech," he said.
Mel frowned. "If not for Hextech—"
"I know, I know. If not for Hextech we wouldn't— I know, Mel."
Viktor's eyes met hers and he saw how she yearned for simpler times as well. He moved his hands so he was clasping Mel's as well, then brought them to his lips and kissed her knuckles softly.
"You know, if things hadn't happened the way they did, if Jayce had never spoken up about magic and I'd stayed the Dean's assistant… I would have tried to ask you out."
"Would you?" she raised an eyebrow at him.
"Of course. I would've failed, but I would've tried."
"How do you know you'd fail?" she asked.
Viktor shook his head. "Come on, Mel. We both know—"
"That you intrigued me even before Jayce showed up?" Viktor's heart beat faster, excited by this new discovery. "Who knows what 26-year-old Mel would have done? What matters is what this Mel will do, right?"
He was taken aback by the intensity of her gaze. He swallowed and nodded, then he asked "and what will this Mel do?"
She let go of his hands and grabbed her cup from the counter. "Sit outside to drink her tea. What about you?"
Viktor smiled at her. "Lead the way."
They ended up sitting on the porch, watching the night sky in silence as they drank their tea. The Ionian night sky was much cleaner than Piltover's. The stars weren't outshined by the lights of the city, in fact, in the outskirts of the village they were staying, there was little by way of illumination besides the stars and the moon.
Both Mel and Viktor startled when the door behind them opened. They turned around at the same time and watched as Jayce leaned on the door frame, watching them with a small frown creasing his forehead.
"You know, there's something upsetting about waking up alone in a strange room, specially if you remember there were two people in bed with you the night before."
Mel moved to the right to make some space for Jayce in between them and Viktor followed suit, moving in the other direction.
Jayce sighed and sat down in the middle, leaning his forehead on his knees, taking deep breaths to calm himself. Viktor put his cup to the side and softly touched Jayce's back, rubbing circles with the palm of his hand to soothe him.
Mel was the first one to speak up. "Dreams again?"
"They've never stopped," said Jayce.
"I'm sorry," Viktor said, still rubbing his back, knowing that there weren't enough words in the world to properly express his grief, his regret, his guilt.
Jayce shook his head. "It's the other place, the other dimension where it was too late to do something. I can't stop thinking about that place."
Viktor wanted to apologize again but the words got stuck in his throat. He didn't have memory of that dimension, but Jayce had shown him before and the fractured images occasionally appeared in his nightmares as well. He understood why Jayce was upset, Viktor felt the same way whenever he saw that place.
"You're here now," said Mel grabbing his hand. "You're here and we're together."
Jayce exhaled heavily, then sat up straight. Viktor stopped rubbing his back and took Jayce's free hand.
"I need to find something to do with my time," Jayce said. "You two have your magic to learn, all I have is a fragmented mind that can't stay idle for long."
"What do you have in mind?" Mel asked, her voice soft but cautious.
"Piltover can't be the only place that makes hammers," he said.
Viktor frowned. "You want to work in a forge?"
"I want to do something useful," he added. "The forge always calmed me down. My mind can't wander when I'm playing with fire. It's repetitive, relaxing. It's good work."
Viktor didn't doubt it, but he was skeptical that it would solve Jayce's problems. Mel looked at Viktor with the same expression.
"If that's what you want," she said, carefully.
"I just— I need this. Something to remember them by."
Viktor frowned. "Remember who?"
"My family, the people I couldn't save, what the world was like before."
Mel squeezed his hand and said. "If you need it, then we'll make it happen."
Viktor squeezed Jayce's hand once. "Whatever you need, Jayce."
"Thank you."
"Just be careful, okay?" Viktor added.
"Me? What about the two of you?"
Mel looked at Viktor. "We'll keep each other in check."
Viktor nodded. He trusted Mel to stop him if he ever started going down that path again. "Jayce, we'll be okay."
Jayce looked from Viktor to Mel, then nodded. "We'll be okay."
Up above, the stars danced across the Ionian sky. Somewhere to the East, the sun would come up and with it, a brand new day. A new beginning for the three of them at the port of Weh'le, ready to face the land of magic on their own.