A cold shiver chased goosebumps all over your body.

As the skin crunched, even more cracks appeared and pushed more violet shimmer to the surface.

They danced over your limbs, made your body ache and burn. A few small ones formed at the sides of your eyes and mouth as you smiled in disbelief.

It was a miracle that nobody had noticed you yet, with this strange yet threatening appearance, standing in the open while staring down at Heimerdinger and that little creature of his.

It was as if your brain was frozen.

You couldn't move, couldn't turn away.

All you could do was stand there and stare at the creature.

"Ladies and gentlemen!", Heimerdinger's voice flooded the hall. "The time is up. I must ask the contestants now to put down their tools and step forward."

Like a herd of sheep, everyone dropped tools, screwdrivers, pieces of metal or whatever they had worked with mere moments ago and walked around their assigned work station.

With their hands folded behind their backs and their shoulders pulled back, they raised their chins to present themselves to the crowd.

Everyone beamed with pride.

Everyone except one.

Viktor.

With his head lowered, he held onto his crutch and avoided the eyes of the unknown.

Only once he glanced up through the curtain of his brown hair and tried to find a familiar face in the crowd.

Out of fear, you jumped back so that he wouldn't catch a glimpse of your state of misery.

Only as darkness swallowed you, you noticed how critical it was. The purple glow that seeped from your body was bright enough to make your eyes react to it.

Realisation struck you like lightning.

A small gasp escaped your lips, paired with your eyes torn open in horror.

Was this how Viktor would see you?

No.

No, he couldn't see you like this.

Never.

With hesitant steps, you retreated, further away from the lights and the eyes of people who not only judged you for who you were but for what you had chosen to be.

Fear raged in your eyes.

Your back hit the closed door, fingers felt for the handle to exit.

The sea of mumbling, talking and cheering made your brain pulsate with pressure.

Your senses slipped.

It felt like everything came crashing down all at once.

The beating of your heart started to press against your bones. It felt like it wanted to escape your chest and explode.

Your fingers found the handle of the door, wrapped around it.

"And what about you, young sir?", Heimerdinger's voice broke through the raging storm.

A soft, shy sound was to be heard.

Your legs froze.

This was the exact sound that Viktor did whenever he felt like the world was about to crave in on his shoulders.

Almost immediately, the fear and panic that boiled inside your chest vanished and a deep rooted kind of worry tied your throat.

He needed you right now.

You knew that his eyes glanced through the strands of his brown hair, looking for you, seeking a smile, reassurance.

But you weren't there.

A trembling breath escaped your lips, cracked and covered in your own crusted blood.

The feeling of hot tears crawled down your face.

"Forgive me, Viktor!", it escaped you while your legs started to move on their own, towards the light. "I'm here... Viktor. Viktor, I'm here..."

Your hands wrapped around the railing. It felt like all you had to hold onto was this.

The cool metal bit into the palms of your hands, burned and made blood flow.

But you didn't shy away.

You couldn't.

Salty tears made your purple eyes beam as you looked down to the stage, down to Viktor and met his hopeful gaze with a smile that was so much more than just an apology, so much more than just a token of your love.

For a moment, he found you in the crowd, locked eyes.
He didn't move. Nor did he react.

All there was to be found was this expression in those amber eyes of his.

Was that horror?

No.

He wasn't even surprised.

He was disappointed.

It made your heart shatter to see it, realise the damage that you had done.

And yet.

He smiled.

He realised his head, pulled his shoulders back and gifted you a smile as if to say that worrying wasn't necessary.

His lips formed silent words, but the way he breathed reached your sensitive ears.

"(Y/N), my love.", he whispered. "I love you. Dearly so."

It might as well could have been a knife that struck you. The pain would have been the same, cruel and like torture, because it was the only pain that couldn't be treated with medicine.

It was the pain that came with making your own decision and seeing the ones you love disagree.

Death would have been better.

But what a simple way out that would have been.

Too simple.

Too easy after enduring a lifetime of misery.

If it was inevitable, you wanted to go out with a blow, a firework that sought its equal.

You wanted your name in the books so that maybe one day it would meet Viktor's again. Yours as the name of evil, his as a legend.

Viktor tore his eyes away from you, bowed his head in respect and dedicated his attention towards the small creature that barely reached up to his knee.

Heimerdinger gifted him a smile that might as well would have been from the young man's passed father.

"So?", the Yordle asked, arms crossed behind his back. "Tell the jury about your creation."

Nervousness tied your throat.

Your eyes jumped to the jury, all grim faced, with their head held high.

You couldn't help but glance up further.

The balcony wasn't empty either.

Only silhouettes were seen, but it was clear who sat there, wrapped in shadows, while the glow of gold drew a picture of wealth.

The members of the council.

Viktor had noticed too.

But he wasn't nervous as he picked up the small cube on his work station.

With a soft expression, almost as if in love with his idea, he presented it.