EVEN WITHOUT NAMING YOU

CHAPTER 1

"You know... I feel like, despite all this, we never really forget," Ekko said, his tone thoughtful, as if speaking to himself. "No matter what we do, no matter what we become, all of this stays with us. Maybe not in tattoos, but in the skin, in the heart."

Vi looked at him for a moment, her eyes hardening with pain and nostalgia. She made a slight movement, as if trying to shake off the emotion rising within her, but she didn't respond right away. Her fingers brushed the tattoo, her gaze lost in the blue cloud.

Suddenly, Ekko felt a chill run down his back. Mel was waiting for them, and it wasn't for a casual meeting. The council meeting. There was no escaping it. Mel had summoned them both, and there was no denying it: they weren't exactly welcome.

"You think we'll survive this?" Ekko asked, his tone less light this time. "I mean... the war is over, but everything still needs to be rebuilt. Zaun... Piltover. All of it."

Vi looked at him with intense eyes, then nodded slightly, though uncertainty still lingered in her gaze.

"We don't really have a choice. We have to do what we have to do," she replied.

They set off, crossing the busy streets of Zaun, the children running around them with wild energy. But the excitement seemed too artificial, like a mask placed over a darker truth. Everything wasn't resolved, and it would take more than graffiti and tattoos to heal the deep wounds left by this war. Their role, both of them, in this reconstruction, would be heavy.

When they reached the large building where the council meeting was held, Ekko felt a heaviness in his stomach. Mel was waiting inside, cold and distant, ready to negotiate, to impose her power. But behind her political mask, Ekko knew she too had her own scars.

"Ready?" Vi asked, turning to Ekko before stepping through the door. But in her eyes, a flame of defiance burned, a flame Ekko understood well. They weren't just there to play the power game. They were there to rebuild, to repair, but also to stay true to their own ideals.

"Ready," Ekko replied, his voice determined.

The door closed behind them, and the sound of their footsteps echoed in the silence of the council room.

The council chamber was more austere than ever, its cold, imposing walls resonating with the heavy silence of unspoken tensions. The lingering scent of war debris still hung in the air, permeating every corner of Piltover. Signs of destruction were everywhere, from the dust that never seemed to settle to the partially ruined buildings that served as reminders of the recent battles. Reconstruction was progressing slowly, but the shadow of the Illuminations and the battles that had followed remained ever-present.

Murmurs filled the room before the doors opened, and Ekko and Vi entered, their footsteps echoing in the solemn space. Ekko, now recognized as a hero of Zaun but far from being an official in Piltover's arena, surveyed the faces around the table with measured caution. He had grown up leading fights in the dark alleys of Zaun, not navigating the political intrigues of Piltover's high society. But the war had changed things, and his role, though still that of a young leader, had taken on a significance he hadn't anticipated.

At the center of the room, the members of the new council were gathered. The faces of Mel, Caitlyn, and Janna were familiar, but there were also new figures at the table—personalities forged in the fires of war and reconstruction. Among them was Sevika, the former Zaun gang leader, now an influential member of the fragile alliance between Piltover and Zaun. The other members, mostly figures from recent struggles and growing tensions with Noxus, took their seats around the table. Among them, Caitlyn seemed more thoughtful than usual, her eye patch hiding part of her bloody past. The shadow of Heimerdinger, once an iconic figure of the council and a defender of peace between Zaun and Piltover, was still felt. But in his place, Janna, a more pragmatic and tougher woman, had taken over his role as advisor after the professor's disappearance.

Ekko and Vi took their seats at one end of the table. The silence was heavy, oppressive.

"Thank you all for gathering here," began Mel, her voice commanding respect. Her gaze briefly swept over Ekko and Vi, a hint of acknowledgment in her eyes, but also a firmness that allowed no room for weakness. "Piltover is slowly recovering from the war, but the rebuilding is more than just physical. There are forces beyond our control still threatening our stability. This is why we must discuss what comes next."
The other members of the council exchanged looks. Caitlyn, the brilliant strategist of Piltover, spoke up. Her eye patch was a tangible hint of her recent past, a war she had fought not only against the enemy but also against her own wounds.

"The impact of the war isn't just in the ruins. Noxus is now a major player in this region. Swain, their general, is more than just a leader. He manipulates the tensions between Piltover and Zaun to strengthen his own power. His spies—his crows—are everywhere, and he sends agents to infiltrate our networks."

Sevika, a face marked by war, leaned forward, crossing her arms on the table with a grimace of discontent.
"I've heard of this Swain. He's not just a man with crows. He's a strategist, a master manipulator. He wants to exploit the weaknesses between Piltover and Zaun. He saw we were at our weakest point, and he's ready to meddle in our affairs. If you ask me, it's his intention to use the tensions between us to justify his influence."

Ekko, who had been listening attentively, turned to Caitlyn. He remembered his own suspicions about the crows and how information seemed to spread quickly, often before they even knew it.

"You talk about crows," Ekko said, furrowing his brow, making the connection in his mind. "I've seen them too, in Zaun. We call them 'black crows.' They're sort of spies, messengers. But it's more than that. These crows are more than just an information network. I've been told they can influence the air, the mist, and be used to instill fear among the people. There's something mystical about it."
As he spoke, his gaze swept the room, noticing the distant attitude of the council members, who hadn't forgotten his past or how he had played a part in the recent events. Even though he had saved some lives during the war, the political and social scars between Piltover and Zaun were still very much present.
He turned to Caitlyn, who seemed less defensive, but an invisible coldness lingered in her gaze, as if she were judging him first and foremost by what he represented. When he spoke of the crows and Swain, a palpable tension rose in the air, and one of the council members, a large man with a disdainful look, made a sharp remark.