Chapter Text
Pain. A sharp, searing pain throbbed behind my eyes, radiating deep into my skull in sync with the thunderous beat of my heart. It consumed me entirely. No sight, no smell, no sound—save for a faint metallic taste lingering in my mouth. Thinking, even forming a single coherent thought, took immense effort. Fear and confusion dominated my mind, and oddly enough, the first sentence to surface was, ‘How much did I drink last night?’
That thought sparked a flicker of memory. My vocal cords strained as I forced out the faintest sound—a rasp, scratchy and weak.
Ah, there’s another sense—I can hear.
My memory sharpened, cutting through the haze. There had been no laughter with friends, no taste of alcohol on my lips—just the quiet moment of settling into bed, allowing sleep to claim me. Then, the dream… No, I wasn’t just dreaming—I was falling. Or rather, being ripped into a dream. A dream of being stretched across the cosmos, racing faster than light, surrounded by the most vivid colors my mind could possibly imagine.
An overwhelming sense of panic gripped me as the world around me swelled in anticipation, like I was teetering on the edge of something extraordinary, when suddenly, it all snapped into darkness.
And now I was here.
The black void behind my eyelids shifted, giving way to shadows and blurred, unsaturated shapes. I pried my right eye open, only to flinch as blinding light pierced through. A hiss escaped my lips as I blinked rapidly, dulling the pain. Gradually, colors grew vivid, and objects took form.
I’m not blind, that’s a relief.
My final sense, smell, returned as the sweet aroma of pastries tickled my nose, making my stomach rumble. As sensation returned, I became aware of my surroundings. Cold stone beneath me. My back pressed against something solid—a wall? A rock? The sound of running water grew louder, nearly unbearable as my ears adjusted, almost drowning out the hum of hushed voices nearby. Almost, but not quite.
Embarrassment crept in. Why am I laying outside in public? The snippets of shocked whispers around me confirmed it: people were watching.
My vision cleared, revealing my foreign surroundings. The crowd wore clothing that resembled a modern take on Victorian fashion, elegant yet unusual. Towering buildings loomed around me, their bold geometric designs exuding an Art Deco aesthetic. I glanced behind my shoulder towards the sound of running water to find that I was in the middle of a town square, seated against the edge of a grand fountain. The water's gentle cascade seemed at odds with the rising panic in my chest. Where the hell was I?
“Excuse me, miss,” a gruff voice cut through my thoughts. “May I ask why you’re lying here on the ground, wearing nothing but a shirt and socks?”
I snapped my gaze up. A middle-aged man in a neatly tailored navy-blue uniform and matching hat stood towering over me, suspicion etched into his face. An officer.
His words registered, and I gasped, glancing down at my bare legs. My fuzzy socks and an oversized T-shirt swallowed my frame. I could feel my loose pajama shorts underneath my shirt, but to anyone else, I might as well have been half-naked.
“I-I’m actually wearing shorts! See?” My hoarse voice stammered as I tugged at the edge of my shirt to prove my point. The officer’s eyebrows shot up as a collective gasp rippled through the crowd. My face burned as I realized the absurdity of my explanation. Shorts? No one around me had even a hint of exposed skin on their legs. Long skirts and full-length trousers dominated the fashion here, despite the warm summer air.
“Let’s have a little chat in private, shall we?” the officer stated, his tone leaving no room for argument. Before I could protest, his hand clamped around my arm, hauling me to my feet. The sudden motion made my head pound, but it was clear my explanation hadn’t done me any favors.
***
The officer—a middle-aged man with short black hair, a neatly trimmed mustache, and what seemed to be a permanent scowl on his face—escorted me with a vise-like grip to what appeared to be a police station. The building was stark and imposing, its design just as bold and geometric as the rest of the town. Inside, matching uniforms swarmed, their wearers shooting me distasteful looks as the officer shoved me through the lobby.
“What’ve you got there, Marcus?” a female officer sneered.
“Oh, just another Undercity drunkard washed up on our side of the bridge,” The officer, Marcus, replied dismissively.
What?
“I’m not drunk!” I protested. “I need your help. I don’t remember how I got here, and I don’t even know where ‘here’ is!”
“Enough!” Marcus barked, cutting me off. “I’ve heard all of the same excuses before.” He pulled a pair of heavy handcuffs from his belt. “Public indecency is all the proof I need for your trial.”
The first cuff snapped onto my wrist. “I’m not nude! I literally showed you my shorts!”
The second cuff followed with a sharp click. “Who do you think they’ll believe? Certainly not an Undercity rat,” Marcus sneered, dragging me toward a holding cell. The metal door slammed shut behind me, echoing through the station. Tears welled in my eyes as frustration and helplessness took over, while the echoes of the officers' laughter swallowed me whole.
***
After a restless night in scratchy beige clothes provided in my cell, Marcus and another officer marched me into a grand building. I would normally love to take in its beauty, but given my current situation, I keep my head down at my feet as I am guided toward what I assume is my trial. Two enormous doors swung open, revealing a vast, luxurious room with soaring ceilings and intricate stained-glass windows. A round table shaped like a gear dominated the space, its surface gleaming under the light filtering through the glass.
Seven figures sat at the table, their gazes sharp and unyielding. As I stepped into the room, the light dimmed, and the faint hum of a mechanism filled the air. The officers footsteps slowed to a stop as a dome-shaped window above us slowly closed, dimming the only light in the large room.
“In the middle,” Marcus harshly ordered startlingly close to my ear. I flinch away as my feet stumble forward, quickly carrying me to the center of the gear table. The ceiling dome fully shuts with a metallic clang and all that remains in the suffocating darkened is my shaky breaths.
Suddenly, a harsh and concentrated beam of light beat down on me from above with another jarring bang. I look straight down at a smudge on the floor in front of me.
“State your name for the council,” an authoritative female voice commanded.
“(Y/N) (L/N),” I managed, my voice trembling. Through the blinding light, I caught a glimpse of her face—a striking woman with golden flecks of makeup highlighting her skeptical expression.
“You are accused of public intoxication and public indecency, causing harm to the citizens of Piltover. What do you have to say for yourself?”
My jaw dropped, surprise taking over even though Marcus said this was what would happen. Anger bubbled up, and I couldn’t help letting it seep into my voice. “That its not true. Whatever this man, Marcus, has told you, is a lie. And even if it may have looked like what you’re accusing, I can assure its not.” I pause for a second waiting for any questions. When none were asked, I continued. “Here is my side. I woke up in pain, with a massive headache unlike anything I’ve ever felt. I couldn’t remember anything from the night before other than simply going to bed and having a strange dream. When I awoke, it was in the middle of your town square, which by the way, I have never seen before. I am not from here, I don’t know where I am.”
The council murmured among themselves, skepticism heavy in the air. Marcus scoffed behind me. “She’s making it up. Just another drunken excuse.”
To my right, a slender man with blond slick back hair started speaking.
“Sounds to me like the evidence is irrefutable. You were so intoxicated that you lost track of your surroundings, lost your clothes, and likely lost any semblance of dignity in the process. The resulting hangover clearly did little to improve your judgment today.” The man finished his rambling with a smug grin and a slow look up and down my body. I could feel my frustration starting to boil over.
“No! Listen to me, I didn’t ‘lose my clothes,’ I just wear a baggy tee short over some shorts to bed and that’s the last thing I remember doing; going to bed!”
“We were told that the only articles of clothing were a top and socks.” A bald woman to my left with strange large spinning gears around her neck stated.
“Well I’m telling you, once again, that is a lie. There were witnesses there, why don’t you question them?”
“Enough!” A high-pitched, almost comically sharp voice rang out from straight ahead. I blinked, confusion overtaking me as I stared at the sight before me. How had I not noticed this… person before? I must have been so consumed by my emotions that I hadn’t looked properly at who was sitting across from me.
The figure in front of me wasn’t quite a person. It looked more like some sort of small, furry animal—almost like a strange dog. Short and oddly silly-looking, yet somehow with a human-like features.
Noticing my apparent confusion, the creature spoke again.
“Why do you give me that look, Ms. (L/N)?”
I took in my surroundings more thoroughly this time, my eyes scanning the room. The stark contrasts with everything I knew were overwhelming. Around the round table, several faces stared back at me, but not all of them were human. One figure, standing at the far end, wasn’t a person at all but rather some kind of metal humanoid.
The councilors’ attire seemed centuries out of place, their professional clothing adorned with gold accents and peculiar embellishments that I would have considered completely strange back home. I glanced at each of their faces, my heart pounding in my chest.
I could barely find my voice. “Please, councilors… You have to believe me. I know it sounds impossible, but I’m not from this universe.”
A wave of hushed murmurs filled the air, and I flinched under the weight of their collective gaze.
“In my world, there are no creatures like you, sir.” I looked directly at the small figure, hoping I wasn’t being rude. He blinked at me, his expression shifting—not with offense, but something like realization.
“There are only humans and animals.” I glanced toward the metal humanoid as I clarified. “Nothing else… Please… I just need to go home.”
My words fell into a broken whisper as the reality of my situation settled in. I lowered my gaze to the same smudge on the floor, waiting for their response.
“This is absolutely ridiculous, even for someone like you!” Marcus’s voice broke the silence, laced with anger. “She should be punished for her actions!”
“Now, now, Marcus,” came the voice from the small figure across the table. I lifted my head slightly, hopeful. “I think I might have to disagree with you on this one.”
A murmur of disagreement rippled across the table.
“Professor, you can’t possibly believe these obvious lies.” The slender man to my right objected sharply, eyes narrowing. The creature, the Professor, turned his gaze on him, his expression growing stern.
“Forgive me for speaking on matters that may not be entirely clear to you all, but I believe Ms. (L/N)’s story. And I think I know why.”
The room fell silent. Every pair of eyes focused on him—mine included—waiting for an explanation.
“We’re all familiar with the recent work done by Pilotver’s own Man of Progress and his partner with their Hextech, yes?” The Professor continued, his tone even. “Well, I was just informed last night of a breakthrough of theirs that caused some rather… unusual effects. They described it as a ‘vision through space.’”
The air rushed out of my lungs as everything clicked into place. “That was my dream!” I gasped, heart racing. “I felt like I was traveling through something like a portal, like I was in space, last night before I woke up here!”
The Professor’s eyes lit up, a delighted grin spreading across his fuzzy face.
“Precisely! You’re connected to their breakthrough!” He beamed. “Oh, we must introduce you to them at once!”
“Professor, we still need to reach a decision as a council.” The first woman who had addressed me, her voice cool and collected, cut in, grounding the conversation.
***
After a long, intense debate, with the Professor answering every concern from the other council members, a decision was finally made. They agreed to excuse me from the accusations, provided any witnesses could confirm my story about not being found in public in the state Marcus had accused me of. In the meantime, I was instructed to recount everything I remembered over the last twenty-four hours to the two men the Professor had mentioned.
“Jayce Tails and Viktor! Oh, they are brilliant minds!” Professor Heimerdinger—that was his name—exclaimed, his voice brimming with enthusiasm “They discovered how to harness magic and use it to our benefit! If anyone can solve this puzzle, it’s them!”
Despite the positive outcome of the trial and the Professor’s upbeat attitude, I felt my nerves flutter. It had been an exhausting twenty-four hours, and the stress was finally catching up with me. I was also painfully aware of how hungry I was—the last thing I’d eaten had been some unappetizing slop in my holding cell. I shuddered at the memory.
Just as I felt myself slipping into a daze from exhaustion, two sets of footsteps echoed down the corridor. The first, heavy and measured, were followed by the distinct, quicker rhythm of the second. Along with it came the sharp click-click of a cane tapping against the floor.
I felt a rush of anticipation as the footsteps grew louder. The Professor nodded knowingly.
“It must be them,” he said, and I couldn’t help but glance toward the door.
Finally, the two men rounded the corner into the room. I kept my gaze on the polished floor, allowing them to address the Professor first.
But then, I couldn’t help it. I looked up.
Oh fuck. Why are they kind of hot?