There was this feeling nestling in your guts.

It felt like a warning of your own body and yet you couldn't help but wonder if it truly would be fatal to ignore it.

Usually, Viktor's intuition was better than yours. As sensitive and shy as he was, he still had a better sense of understanding when it came to danger and other people.

You always tried to come out at the top, no matter what needed to be done. Maybe that was why fate now punished you with a bleeding lung.

And it felt like it only got worse by the minute.

With every breath you took there was this scratchy, rattling feeling in your chest. It felt like claws dug into your flesh and crawled upwards only to be recognised as a bloody cough by the outside world.

You had to breath in flatly now or else the pain was so much of a torture that stars danced before your eyes.

There was no way you would be able to escape Silco without finishing this job.

But there was also no way you'd get into the academy without being caught.

It was one of the largest, most fancy buildings that Piltover had to offer. Anyone would have spotted it from a mile away.

Enforcers were everywhere, day and night, to guard the place and all the things Heimerdinger and his students worked on.

And to add to that it was right in the middle of a plaza, so you wouldn't be able to get in without being seen.

"Shit...", you cursed and jumped down the roof to take a casual stroll around the place.

One thing you had always been lucky about was the fact that you nor Viktor looked like people from the Undercity. If you acted all normal and unsuspecting, you were able to pass easily as one of the lower working class people.

That way you managed to make it all the way up to the gates of the academy, before one of the Enforcers stopped you.

"This is a restricted area!", he barked, his face all serious.

You didn't pay much attention to him, took a step away from the fence and kept admiring the impressive architecture.

Only thinking about the possibility that Viktor, one day, would be walking these halls as a student, made you shiver to the core.

"Oho?", a small voice said in surprise. "Do I see right?"

Your eyes wandered down the floor only to widen in shock.

The beating of your heart quickened and it felt like you were about to sink into the ground out of shame.

With your lips pressed into a thin line, you tried to turn on your heel and disappear in a group of tourists that passed by.

But Heimerdinger just chuckled.

With a flick of his wrist, he ordered a breeze of the Arcane to lift you from your feet and over the fence.

Confused, you struggled in the air.

"Professor!", the enforcer at the gate gasped towards the creature. "Sir, this is a restricted area!"

Annoyed, Heimerdinger shook his little head and let you land next to him.

You landed right on your bum.

"Sir, I didn't mean to...", you tried to explain to the enforcer.

Heimerdinger folded his hands behind his back and shook his little head.

"A guest is a guest.", he said and gifted you a wink. "Besides, we still got something to talk about, my young friend."

Surprised, your eyebrows rose.

"If you insist, sir.", you jumped back on your two feet and wiped the dirt of your clothes. "Did you consider giving Viktor a chance?"

His bright eyes sparkled with some sort of secret compassion. He gifted you a slim smirk, winked and turned around to make you follow him.

With his small legs, he tapped through the huge entrance hall.

A strange feeling inside your chest as a group of well put together students passed the two of you.

Their gazes felt like knifes inside your flesh. They pitied you, were disgusted by the way you dressed.

Like a peasant.

It was clear that they knew you weren't one of them.

Would Viktor have to suffer through those kinds of disgusted looks as well?

Would he be an outcast for simply having been born unlucky?

Swallowing hard, you pressed your lips into a thin line and turned away your gaze.

It wasn't the first time that you had trouble just because of your place of origin. But never before had you been ashamed like this.

Heimerdinger stopped in his tracks.

Slowly, the threw a glance over his small shoulder and eyed you.

"I am very unfamiliar with human emotions.", he hummed while stroking the long strands of his beard. "But you look upset."

You avoided his eyes and shook your head.

"This is nothing.", you mumbled. "But it's good to know what Viktor will have to deal with. I'll prepare him."

Humming in agreement, Heimerdinger walked on until he stopped in front of one of the huge doors that seemed way too fancy and well decorated to be just a simple classroom.

Interested, you eyed the hallway up and down.

To get to this door was quite simple.

All you had to do was walk into the academy, straight through the entrance hall and past the huge winged door that lead into the main hall for studies.

Then all you had to do was walk all the way down the hallways until a blue door with golden embroidery appeared.

A golden plate told what this place was.

Office of professor Cecil B. Heimerdinger.

Something in the back of your head twitched.

If this was his office, the lab couldn't be far either.

No, you thought and shook your head. This was a stupid idea.

"Where do I have it?", Heimerdinger mumbled to himself as he skipped through a row of keys he carried with him.

Your eyes fell onto one that was oddly shaped.

Out of curiosity, you tapped it with two fingers.

Pleased, he smiled.

"Ah, yes, this one.", he unlocked the door. "Please. Be my guest."