EVEN WITHOUT NAMING YOU

CHAPTER 1

"I suppose it's easy to play the hero when you have nothing to lose," he sneered, a sarcastic smile on his lips. "But the issues we're dealing with here can't be solved by impulsive actions like the ones you've gotten us used to, Ekko."
Mel, who had been silently observing, seemed visibly uncomfortable with the remark, but she didn't intervene. Caitlyn, for her part, said nothing, but her eye patch perhaps hid more than it revealed. Ekko, in turn, understood that the mistrust between Piltover and Zaun was far from dissipating.

He took a deep breath before responding, his gaze fixed on the man who had just criticized him.
"Maybe," Ekko replied calmly, "but as long as we keep looking in the rearview mirror, we won't see what's waiting ahead." His voice was steady. "I know you like to get lost in the political details, but Swain and his crows are already inside our walls. You can keep talking, but they won't wait for you."
Janna, who had remained silent until then, sat up and fixed Ekko with a penetrating look

.
"It's not just a matter of political power, Ekko," she explained in a chillingly calm voice. "It's also a matter of psychological influence. Swain has a connection with the crows, but these creatures are not just messengers. They represent his will, his way of embodying the invisible. If we're not careful, he could use the tensions between Piltover and Zaun to manipulate not only the governments but also the citizens themselves."

The council members exchanged worried glances, aware that the situation was becoming even more complicated than they had imagined. Sevika, meanwhile, kept her gaze fixed on Ekko, but a sly smile betrayed her appreciation for his response. She had always had a form of respect for him, even if she understood that some council members had reservations.
"He's right," Sevika said, her eyes scanning the other members at the table, "if the crows really have that power, we need to take it very seriously. We've seen how quickly tensions can escalate between Piltover and Zaun. If Swain takes control of perceptions and public opinion, we'll all be caught in a whirlwind that will be hard to escape from," she intervened. Her harsh tone betrayed her experience in power struggles.

The discussion continued, with each council member offering their perspective on the situation. But Ekko, though he understood the importance of these geopolitical strategies, felt a little lost in this world of intrigue and calculation. It wasn't his area of expertise. He was thinking about Zaun, his hometown, and how it would rebuild. But Swain's plans worried him.
"We need to watch out for another aspect," Sevika interjected, her tone sharp. "Swain is smart, but he can also be unpredictable. If we let him play with our internal divisions, we're heading straight for another conflict. If we really want to avoid that, we have to stay united and not fall into his traps."
Caitlyn nodded, her face tight with thought. Her eye patch reinforced her appearance as a war veteran, a woman whose scars were far more than physical.

"We first need to stabilize the situation in Piltover, but we can't ignore the external pressures. Zaun has a key role to play in this alliance. The tensions between the two cities are still very much alive, and if Swain exploits them, we risk going to war again."

Silence fell as everyone reflected on the situation. Ekko, arms crossed, looked around the room. This was a moment where every decision seemed to carry heavy consequences. What was at stake here wasn't just the future of Piltover, but the future of the entire region.

He turned to Vi, a look heavy with unspoken words and emotions not expressed. She too seemed to be thinking about something else, about more personal memories—the war, their past, and the loss of Jinx. That last connection between them, the memory of Powder, was what kept them afloat.

Ekko gritted his teeth. This was no time to falter, but in that room, surrounded by faces as marked by the events as his own, he knew that what had just been said was only the beginning of a war that would not only be fought with weapons but also with minds.