Violet

SURVIVE.

The last few days had been a haze. It seemed like the world broke. After the Councilroom explosion, Me and Vi were finally given a voice, thanks to Caitlyn. Despite her mother dying, she put her feelings aside to help bring the attention to us.

A thorough investigation was conducted, and most of Silco's people were put behind bars. I had barely had time to spend time with Caitlyn and Vi, because the next day I was promoted to Head of State. Me and Heimerdinger changed the whole government system, for good. I was busy holding meetings, making laws, and fixing the previous regime's mistakes.

Now I stood backstage, mirroring the moment that everything had gone wrong. Progress day. I smiled sadly, thinking of Jayce. I heard my name, and Vi pushed me onstage.

I stared out at the crowd, momentarily losing my voice. You can do this. This is the moment you've fought for these past seven years.

Finally, I cleared my throat.

"I thank you, noble citizens of Piltover, for attending this emergency address today. I stand here, as the newly appointed Head of State, to inform you that the Council... is no more. They were...killed. In an assassination." I spoke, my hands trembling. I heard the gasps of the shocked crowd, as they whispered amongst themselves.

"In the last few days, we have unexpectedly overturned a massive crime ring brewing in our own city. The previous, corrupted power overlooked the rampant poverty, hunger, and sickness happening in the Undercity, and allowed people to die because of their prejudice towards them. This climate was a perfect place for Silco, a known industrialist, to control the people of the Undercity, manipulating them with Shimmer. For those of you who don't know, Shimmer is a drug, which once taken gives the user animalistic abilities, often resulting in the addiction and/or death of the user. He used this drug to have the people of Zaun wrapped around his finger. Although Silco has passed, he leaves behind a legacy of bloodshed, one I will fight to clean." I pause, staring at the stunned faces in the crowd. I sighed, continuing.

"You don't know who I am. I grew up in the Undercity, I was no one. I was raised by the sick feeling of starvation, of poverty, and of inferiority. I didn't have parents, I had crisis. Crisis was what raised me. I grew up knowing I was less than those on Topside."

"After the death of Vander, my father and the only person keeping my home safe from Silco and the Enforcers, I spent years on the streets. I was assaulted, robbed, experimented on, beaten up, the lot. I have a metal leg and two metal plates in my back because of it. In fact, I had to get help from one of Silco's shimmer scientists in order to survive, due to the sheer lack of medical relief in the undercity. I grew up not knowing what a doctor was." I stayed silent for a long time, letting this set into the citizens I stood in front of, the citizens I would lead starting tomorrow.

"With the help of my dear friend and the leader of the Firelights, Ekko, I secured a job as the very thing I was raised to hate. I spied on this side of the city for seven years, trying to keep my people safe. Then, this year on Progress Day, me and my friend Caitlyn Kiramman stumbled upon Silco's people trying to smuggle Shimmer to topside. Something we had never seen before. It led us to Stillwater, as we tried to root out the corruption in our city, corruption I had only ever seen in The Lanes. And there, I found my childhood friend. Violet. She had been locked away, after the death of our adoptive father. Her record was nonexistent, suggesting a coverup and wrongful imprisonment, only furthering our suspicions that something much more sinister was going on here. It was later revealed that the late Sheriff, Marcus, had jailed her without anyone knowing. I had to hide my identity from her, my only family, because if my cover was blown, the Lanes were doomed. Vi, without knowing who we were or why we were in the undercity, helped us locate evidence of Silco's involvement in multiple smuggling attempts, murders, and forced labor." I paused, turning the page in front of me. My chest felt tight, like I couldn't breathe.