41 Shimmer

In the middle of an old cannery near the borders where the Zaunite docks are, a bustling scene that mirrored a fraction of its former glory.

The cannery was abandoned many years ago when the mercantile family who own the factory moved to Piltover. Taking only their expertise and blueprints for a new generation of machines, they left their decrepit devices in Zaun, there's no one to enforce any environmental protection legislation after all.

The scorching flames pulsed as the echoes in the factory sounded with hammers banged against metal. Several goons were forging weapons in front of a furnace.

And not far from the furnace, a machine poured purple luminescent liquid into small glass test tubes, several people packed them into wooden crates for transport.

Lithe fingers picked up a vial, and swirled it against the light. Examining the fluid Silco called out to his men, who held Vander captive, to follow him to the second floor.

Vander was barely conscious when Silco's men threw him on the ground. His body was weak from the blows dealt by the monster back at the bar.

"Do you know what this is?" Silko held the potion and shook it in front of Vander's half open eyes, "Power." He uttered the word slowly then turned his back on Vander.

"The strength of our people from the undercity... With it, we have the ability to fight against the people of the uppercity."

"Shimmer, is the name. A faint light from this small ember... that will grow into a ferocious fire."

Pacing away from Vander, Silco put his hands on the handrail and looked down at the people busy in production of the purple potion downstairs.

Vander spat out a mouthful of blood, "A group of things like that won't help you takeover Piltover... It's like that before, and it's like that now."

"I don't need to takeover anything, I just need to pose a threat."

Silco's expression remained indifferent, and he glanced at Deka who was coughing out purple blood in the corner, and his tattooed subordinates.

"People are going to die... For what?"

"For respect!" Silco asserted, "And an opportunity! Everything that the uppercity took away!"

"You had my respect, and the respect of the Lanes...but it's not enough." Vander retorted, resisting the dizziness from his concussion.

Silco pointed angrily at Vander who had collapsed.

"We once had a common vision, Vander! We dreamed of freedom! This is not just for the Lanes, but for the unity of the entire undercity!"

Silco squatted down, shaking his hand, grasping the future that he envisioned.

"Why are we inferior to those in the upper city? To be taken advantage by them? Why should the garbage from the uppercity be dumped in our yard? Why should the factories that produce smog and toxic gases be built in our homes?"

Silco paused, "Have you forgotten the vow we made to make Zaun rise?"

Vander recalling the words exchanged between him and his blood brothers.

For Zaun...

…

Is that really the right way? After the death of all the people he knew. Without any impact on the upper city, he Wondered.

"I trusted you ... And you… betrayed me."

…

In Zaun's toxic river, polluted with chemical waste, Vander pushed Silco into the water.

If he had not reached the knife on Vander ... he would not be here today

Guilt arose as Vander recalled the event, "I have never been able to forgive myself for the things I did to you, you were my brother..."

Silco sighed, "No, you still don't understand."

He pointed to his left eye, "Can you imagine that feeling? Can you imagine that your body is polluted by dirty water, and even your nerves are eroded by the poison in the river...

"What you did to me, as time passed, the hatred subsided, and I realized...

"There is only one way to defeat an indomitable foe. To become the embodiment of their fear."

Silco paused, gritted his teeth and continued.

"I hated you, but I respected you …"

"That is until you joined forces with Piltover, serving as their dog, and ignored the suffering 've been through! "

"I didn't have a choice..."

"That may be the case, but now you do." Silco raised the glimmer in his hand, and gradually turned expressionless, "You and I can finally realize our dream, brother."

He put an emphasis on "brother" once again.

"Those who once fought with us in the upper city, when they fell in front of you, massacred by the topsiders...."

"For the sake of resistance, for our future, this sacrifice is inevitable, Van der!"

Silko stood up, beckoning to his men on the side of the iron bridge.

The goons slowly pushed open the iron sliding door.

In the room, a seat with welded metal handcuffs and anklets was placed in the center.

"Silco, do what you want with me, but let the Lanes be..."

This humiliating plea made Silco furious, "You would rather die than to fight for your ideals?"

"... I'm not the one I used to be..."

"Then let me bring back the old Vander."

Silco nodded to the tattooed men who came to him.

They grabbed Vander's arm, dragged him to a side room, and fixed his hands and feet to the iron shackles on the seat.

"Should we use it now?" After tying him up, the goons asked.

"No, it'll restore his injuries and strengthen him, and then no one will be able to stop him..." Silco shook his head.

Before Silco finished speaking, he heard a loud bang from the gate of the factory, followed by successive gunshots and screams.

"What happened!?"

Immediately afterwards, a goon with a broken arm covered in blood staggered up the stairs.

"Vander's men and ..."

"A Robot."