Arcane Anew

"You've been watching me," Caitlyn said, her hand on her holster. "Why?"

It was high noon when she stepped away from her group toward the masked figure who had started to cross the bridge.

She caught him spying on her earlier, yet he wasn't attempting to hide himself when he tried crossing.

"You're sharp, but still naïve, Caitlyn," the masked man said, his voice calm yet slightly amused. "You left the safety of your team to approach someone you don't know."

Caitlyn stiffened.

"How do you know my name?" Caitlyn demanded as her fingers twitched on her holster. "Who are you?"

"Did you ever pursue the rioters from a year ago when Orion died?" he pressed on, completely ignoring her questions. "Or any of the strange coincidences surrounding it? Or was it all swept under the rug?"

Caitlyn's narrowed eyes flickered with suspicion before widening. His words struck exactly where her doubts had been festering.

Over the past year, she had chased the truth relentlessly. Yet, despite her best efforts, she'd found only dead ends and half-truths. Even Greyson, a woman Caitlyn respected for integrity, avoided the topic.

It was corruption on an unprecedented scale. A coroner receiving silver from an undercity resident and quietly signing off on suspicious deaths? Rioters dispersing without further arrests after a strange, blinding light illuminated the city? Corpses disappearing, reports altered.

The silence was louder than the truth. Even her mother, deeply embedded in politics, had scolded her fiercely for digging too deeply.

And then there was Orion. Greyson told her that his body had never been found.

"I've questioned it," Caitlyn admitted, her tone guarded but firm. "I haven't stopped questioning it. Is he still alive?"

"That's a question Piltover doesn't want you asking," he replied. "But let's say you're right to suspect something. Would knowing the truth change anything?"

Caitlyn's eyes hardened, her posture tightening. "Justice doesn't work if we only chase the easy cases. If something's being hidden, I want to uncover it."

A flicker of satisfaction crossed Orion's hidden expression. She had taken the bait.

"Good," he said simply. "Then stop looking for answers up here." He tilted his head toward the Undercity, where the fog blurred the lines of the horizon. "They're down there."

Her hand tightened on her holster, but her voice remained steady. "What are you suggesting? That I investigate this on my own?"

Orion paused briefly, his gaze flicking past her toward the group of Enforcers still joking and chatting in the distance. He lowered his voice.

"You're aware of Shimmer, correct?"

Caitlyn nodded cautiously, her guard up as he continued.

"What about Syntaxi?"

She frowned, the name unfamiliar. "Never heard of it. Is that a new drug?"

"Not quite," Orion replied. "But it's far worse than Shimmer. The Poingdestres are receiving funding from Topside and working on a replica of Hextech crystals. Only, these are unstable, volatile, and dangerous—and they're planning to spread them openly across the Undercity."

Caitlyn's distrust flared as she crossed her arms. "If this is true, I'd like to bring you in for questioning."

"Yeah, no." His voice was sharp. "Remember what I said? Topside funding. I'm not risking being dead like your old friend Orion-" She flinched at the mention, "-or locked up before you figure this out."

"So, what?" Caitlyn scoffed. "You expect me to take your word for it?"

"Not at all," Orion said, his gaze steady. "But you can investigate. Greyson may be covering up what happened a year ago, but she can't ignore warnings of a new disaster."

"And how am I supposed to convince her?" Caitlyn asked, frustration evident. "Some random masked stranger walked up to me in the street and made outrageous claims."

"Just tell her old friends of Orion tipped you off." Orion shrugged as he took a step back, offering her a small parchment. "See how she reacts. Investigate that factory and you'll find Syntaxi."

Before she could fully process his words, taking it from his hand, he turned and began walking toward the fog-covered end of the bridge.

"Hey, stop!" Caitlyn raised her voice, stepping after him aggressively but stopping mid-step as the other Enforcers turned their heads toward her.

Biting her lip, she held back as her thoughts raced. Locking him up might cost her the chance to learn more. And there was something about him- something familiar.

The way he spoke, the cadence of his voice… It reminded her of Orion.

Was he Orion's brother? She never asked about his family. Or perhaps someone who knew him well enough to mimic him?

Her grip on her holster loosened slightly as she watched him disappear into the haze.

---------------------

High above the streets, hanging from a ledge, Orion looked down. His body was pressed firmly against the tower, the thick smog concealing his outline.

Faint outlines of Enforcer uniforms circled the base of the tower. Among them, he spotted Greyson and Caitlyn. Remaining perfectly still, he watched as their sharp gazes swept the building's exterior.

From his earlier vantage point near the bridge on the Undercity side, Orion had kept an eye on their approach. When Greyson and Caitlyn finally arrived with a sizeable contingent of Enforcers, he knew his plan had worked.

Honestly, it had been a sketchy gamble at best.

He didn't know exactly how much Greyson knew. Had Vander already told her he was alive? Did she believe he was dead, or did she think he was hiding this entire time?

A sharp whistle cut through the air below as squads of Enforcers stormed the building.

Orion stayed still, taking in their movements. The moment he moved- especially once he shattered the window- Caitlyn and the rest of them would know he was there.

'It's game time!'