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[It is a feat even for someone like Viktor to keep all of these impressions-of-people going at once, but he does his best so Kyle can get an idea of how things function. From far away, the figures are light on details, but as he gets closer he'll see that they're all wearing the same motif, circles and spirals.

Viktor himself looks thoughtful, knowing that he's about to prove Kyle right, about his security concerns, but wanting to discuss the matter, anyway. The conversation still lingers.]

I was harboring someone of interest to him.

[Someone, not something. Viktor had found the experiment abhorrent--the idea to use Vander for his own ascension even moreso.]

He proposed that we work together, to further my power.

[ He notices the uniformity in their clothing, the symbols that spiral across this place, touching everything - how they dress in white, while Viktor drapes himself in dark colors. He makes no comment, expecting by now that little of this is intentional on Viktor's part, at least not that they invoke the trappings of followers while he sets himself apart.

He doesn't even bother pointing out that what Viktor is telling him now is exactly one of his worries.

Instead, he moves closer again, running his hands down the sides of Viktor's arms. He knows Viktor's fears about some of this, about becoming like this man who styled himself a mentor. Kyle still believes they're nothing alike. He touches Viktor's face, brushing back his hair. ]

And?

[ Please tell him you told him to leave after that proposal. ]

[Viktor shakes his head, sure that's what Kyle wants to see. It's not untrue--Viktor has spent a not insignificant amount of time trying to separate himself from his first mentor, resolving never to be like him. He understands a bit more now, especially with his new insight, but he cannot say he'd ever sacrifice others to achieve his own goals, not in the way Singed wanted him to.]

His motives were transparent. He was not interested in the merit of my work, only how he might use it towards hid own ends.

[For what he could potentially do for his daughter Viktor has sympathy, of course. It does not excuse the harm the Doctor caused.]

I asked him to leave.

[ He nods, toying with the leaf-shaped clip on the front of Viktor's robes - recognizing the symbol from the journal in the lab. ]

The other man? How was he involved?

[ The one Viktor was harboring. ]

He was...an experiment.

[Viktor says that with some distaste--and sadness, thinking of Powder and Violet. With the benefit of hindsight, and the knowledge of his time here returned to them, he understands why Kyle is anxious. This, combined with Jayce's return at the same time, feels like a convergence. To what end, he can't be sure, only that something must have been about to happen.]

There were those who intended to use him as a weapon, and the Doctor was interested because of certain regenerative abilities. [The culmination of his own research, apex Shimmer.] His daughters brought him to me, to see if I could help him.

[ So the Doctor had moved on from torturing creatures, then. Or at least planned to, between this man and Viktor. He likes none of this, obviously. He doesn't like to think about Viktor making himself vulnerable to all these people - not just the ones who would abuse him and his power, but in a selfish way he worries about Viktor giving so much of himself to the ones seeking his help. That atonement is part of it.

He lets his palm rest flat on Viktor's chest for a moment, looking down at it. ]

Were you able to help?

I was. It was a difficult case, but we were making progress.

[This is about where his dream ends--the conversation with the Doctor, the Noxians at his gates, and still, so much work to do. Even removed from it, seeing things more clearly, it all feels so tenuous. Viktor's gaze drops, slightly, to where Kyle presses his hand to his chest. There's no heartbeat beneath his palm, only the strange thrum of magic.]

I awoke before I could finish. I was expecting Jayce to visit, but the dream ended.

[That is a bit harder to say, and he gauges Kyle's reaction.]

[ He's still curious about Viktor's power to heal, the actual function of it, and how he wields this new power. But then he mentions Jayce and Kyle looks up to meet his gaze. If he feels anything but positive about the two of them reuniting in the future, he keeps it buried - he wants Viktor to be happy.

He lets his hand fall back to his side with a soft smile. ]

I'm sorry it ended before you met. [ At least he got to see him briefly, even if it ended poorly. ]

Have you seen him at all since... ?

[ They parted. ]

It's all right. You must remember I had no knowledge of my time here, in the dream. That...changes things.

[He has more context. He feels differently about everything, with this added information. Jayce hurt him in an entirely different way, in the dream, and with no romance between them the pain is different. Less acute, perhaps.

Here, with all of his memories back, makes everything more complicated, though it doesn't change the fact that Viktor wanted to see him, despite it all. He still wants to see him.]

I did not see him in person. But I did send a message, to come visit. I wanted to show him what I've accomplished here.

[ There's the slightest flicker of embarrassment across his features that Viktor thinks he needs to be reminded. ]

I know.

[ These futures may as well be visions of an entirely different life, a different path. More likely, though, they are the future they should expect if none of them can find a way back by their own means, their memories of this place destroyed in the process.

He reaches out to brush his fingers against Viktor's wrist. ]

Maybe you find a way to work together again. [ In that life. His brow furrows. ] But - I know you will see him again.

[ He tries to only sound hopeful for him, even though this is the same as talking about how they will part one day. ]

Edited 2025-02-20 20:49 (UTC)

[Part of him is still processing. Part of him knows that the point where the dream ended is a situation just as untenable as returning to his illness. The problem he wants to solve--to return to their homes with memories of their time here--still needs to be solved. Everything about journeying the cosmos with Kyle is hypothetical.

Viktor comes to a stop near the temple, turning and taking Kyle's hands in his.]

I hope he would see the merit of all this.

[Despite the circumstances under which they parted, and despite the fact that Viktor already knows Jayce is not coming to the Commune in his right mind.]

It is everything I hoped our work could do.

[ Kyle lets their fingers thread together again, glancing into the wide open entrance of the temple - all that golden light causes the entryway to appear darker, obscuring the inside of the structure. ]

You miss him. He must miss you the same. [ A beat. ] Maybe you both needed this space, to find compromise.

[ He generally tries not to speak for this man he never met. But he understands now, bending for these reasons. For someone. ]

Edited 2025-02-21 05:28 (UTC)

I do.

[Viktor misses him, and the wound is more fresh now that he's dreamed of more time together and awakened to the memories of their relationship. He wants to think that Jayce misses him, too--but this Jayce, the one from the dream, was never his intimate partner. Quite the opposite, in fact.

His Jayce might still be out there somewhere. He wonders what he would think, seeing what Viktor has become.]

But that doesn't mean I am unhappy.

[He is happy, with Kyle, in ways he never expected to be.]

I know.

[ This time he says it with a small smile, somewhere between faintly sheepish and wry. He turns Viktor's hand in his own, running his thumb over his knuckles. ]

It's easy to tell when you're not unhappy.

[ It's only Kyle finding himself being possessive about what they've shared together now. And other things. He frowns a bit. ]

- it's just that this vision... it makes me think of what it did to John. [ To come into his power. To find himself forced to fight a war. No one knew he was the Rifter, but people still feared him - it must have been isolating. ] I don't want you to go back and... have this change you too.

[Viktor returns the smile--fair enough, it seems to say. The rest, well. He can see how this might be concerning, to someone like Kyle. He knows enough about John to understand where this is coming from, and though he wants to insist that this is different, that it doesn't necessarily mean Kyle's fears will come to pass, he can't promise.

He holds Kyle's hands in his, and standing at the entrance to the temple it almost feels like they could be performing some kind of ceremony.]

I'm proud of what I've accomplished here. The journey was not...what I anticipated, but at least I'm able to do something.

[He wants this--or he's convinced himself that he does. He's finally bringing his work to those who need it most.]

[ What happens when someone finally comes to stop you? he wants to ask. Instead, he looks conflicted for a moment, not wanting to lead back into the same argument - one Viktor does not seem to have an answer for yet, anyway.

He turns toward the temple's entrance again, to finally ask: ]

What work do you do here?

This is my private space.

[They can go in if they like, though Kyle will find it strangely empty. Viktor has places for his more physical, scientific endeavors elsewhere on the premises, but this is where he makes himself the most vulnerable. Research in the psychic plane leaves his body idle, so he's carved out a place here for only himself.]

I meditate. Explore various arcane phenomena. Conduct research that is more...metaphysical in nature.

[ Seemingly with permission, he will walk inside. Past the threshold it becomes lighter within the inner space. He's not sure what he was expecting from the exterior - maybe something closer to the greenhouse from earlier. He's certainly not expecting towering visages or golden script like the Payshmura's aesthetic, but neither did he predict this space to be so empty and almost colorless. Something about the strange texture in the stone or metal (he can't tell what it's made of) feels off and slightly unpleasant as well, reminding him of the nests of stinging insects. He can't determine how any of it was made or constructed. ]

You meditate?

[ There's a faintly teasing lilt to his voice, an attempt to mask his discomfort with this room. ]

Sort of.

[Just in case Kyle things he's spiritual now, or something. Truth be told, Viktor isn't quite sure what to think of all this, only that the arcane has provided him a new way of viewing the world. Perhaps he's become more receptive to the idea of a higher power.

Kyle can probably guess that Viktor requires neither food nor sleep in this form, though it still doesn't explain the design and construction of this space, only that everything in the commune has taken on the spiral forms of wild magic.]

I have access to a kind of...psychic plane, that allows me to operate outside of my body. [So, it doesn't necessarily matter what the temple looks like, on the inside.] I could show you, if you like.

[ Just because Viktor doesn't consider himself spiritual doesn't negate everything that Kyle is seeing in this place with his own two eyes.

His eyebrows raise slightly at 'psychic plane', his first thought that Viktor has found access to something similar to what they have here in Horizon. He gives a small nod. ]

Show me.

[ He'll save his questions for when he sees it. ]

[Viktor has both of Kyle's hands in his, and he takes a step backward, pulling him further into the dome of the structure. Another step, and their surroundings dissolve, making way for a sea of stars. His appearance changes again, and if Kyle looks down at himself, he'll see the same shifting colors across his silhouette. They are weightless and ethereal, and Viktor seems thrilled to be unburdened by gravity.

He'll hold on, in case Kyle feels like he's going to drift away, but there is no danger, here.]

[ The shift is disorienting at first, he keeps hold of Viktor's hands for that stability as the ground disappears beneath them and the world opens up, his gaze drifting across the endless space. But his focus is soon drawn back to Viktor - and himself - with their hands still clasped he lifts them to either side, unwinding their fingers so that palms splay against palms, and he watches the iridescent colors dance across their skin.

When his gaze returns to Viktor's face, he seems more like himself to Kyle than the version in the commune, his expression less dulled by whatever he'd experienced in those months, the bright gold of his eyes returned. Whatever questions he might come up with are set aside as he draws their hands back, leaning forward to kiss him. ]

[Viktor watches expectantly, wanting Kyle to enjoy the thrill of this--the vastness of the cosmos and how all of it as at their fingertips. He doesn't really think about how differently he imagines himself, from his body in the real world, only that the magic of this place is beautiful.

Kyle pulls him in for a kiss and Viktor reciprocates, enjoying the feeling of floating, untethered, together. He cups Kyle's face, holding him there, smiling.]

It's beautiful, isn't it? All of this.

[ When they part he leans into the touch. The expectant way Viktor looks at him reminds him of how he gets when he's excited to demonstrate some project he's working on. His own expression is slightly bemused. ]

It is, but - what is this?

[ What does he do here? Did he create all this?

Kyle lets one hand slip around Viktor's waist, keeping him close as he lets his gaze drift above them.

(all of this is beautiful, but he can't help a part of him that wishes now to go back to the bed they've been sharing in the real world) ]

It...revealed itself to me, after my transformation.

[Heightened perception--a new way of experiencing the world. The truth is that Viktor is not entirely certain of the nature of this place, and it can be even more difficult to explain. Like magic, it simply is.

He'll conjure the memory of the anomaly again, this time larger, surrounding them entirely, as if they're look at it from the inside out.]

I believe this to be an expression of the arcane itself.

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me trying to explain things the show doesnt bother to

im so sry

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