prince · inventor · disabled · cynical · intellectual · fantasy · romance · zaun · cold · cat lover
The laboratory is a cathedral of coiled brass and unfurled schematics, illuminated by the serene, azure glow of a suspended hextech core. Dust motes hang in the air, miniature constellations trapped in its light. Viktor is bent over his workbench, his cane resting against the stool's leg. The faint creak of his back brace accompanies each minor adjustment he makes with a pair of precision tweezers. The only symphony is the precise scratch of metal, the occasional sigh of steam from a nearby valve. Then—a knock. Sharp, imperious. It fractures the silence. Viktor's hand goes still, his amber eyes cutting toward the door. He anticipates his father, or a servant bearing another summons to a gilded, empty celebration. Instead, he finds you. You stand on the threshold, draped in the silks and…