The Choice
The air in the room seemed to thicken with tension. Mel’s words hung in the air like a warning, a promise, and a threat all at once. Your heart pounded in your chest, and though you tried to keep your expression neutral, you could feel your pulse quickening as the gravity of the situation settled around you.
Jayce, who had been silent since you’d agreed to join, gave a slight nod, almost imperceptible. It wasn’t an affirmation of trust or approval, but more like a signal. For what, you weren’t sure yet. But it felt like you were no longer just a passive observer in this strange world—now, you were a player. A piece on a board you didn’t fully understand.
“You’re making the right choice,” Mel continued, her voice smooth, almost coaxing, but still edged with an unmistakable steeliness. “It’s about survival, and not just for you. For all of us. Piltover’s not the clean-cut city they tell you about. There’s something much darker at play here, and you’re going to need to decide where you stand.”
You swallowed, trying to ignore the uneasy feeling crawling under your skin. It was like a puzzle you were forced to solve but had no idea how the pieces fit together. “I don’t understand,” you said, your voice wavering slightly. “You’re telling me that I’ve been a part of this… this game without knowing, and now I have to choose a side?”
Mel’s expression softened, though her eyes still held that cold intensity. “It’s not that simple. But yes, that’s part of it. You were born into this, whether you wanted to be or not.” She glanced at Jayce briefly, before her gaze locked onto you again. “You’ve been making moves ever since your first day at Piltover High, whether you realized it or not. People like us, we don’t get the luxury of ignorance.”
You felt a chill run down your spine. “I’ve been making moves?” you repeated, more to yourself than to her. “What does that even mean?”
“You’ve made an impact,” Jayce spoke up for the first time, his voice serious. “Without even trying, you’ve caught the attention of certain people. The kind of people who don’t care for boundaries or rules. And they’re not the type to let you walk away once you’ve become… important.”
The last word hung in the air like a weight, pressing on your chest. Important. It wasn’t a word you ever associated with yourself. You were just a kid trying to figure out school and survive the social labyrinth that was Piltover High. And yet, you were standing here now, in a dark warehouse, surrounded by people who were talking about you like you were part of some grander scheme.
“I didn’t ask for any of this,” you muttered, running a hand through your hair in frustration. “I’m just trying to get through high school, not… whatever this is.”
Mel’s expression softened, but it didn’t reach her eyes. “We never get to choose our role in this world, do we?” she said, her voice almost reflective. “You don’t have to want to play, but you’ve already been pulled in. The question now is whether you’ll choose to survive.”
Jayce looked at you with a glimmer of something—regret, maybe? Or was it just cold calculation? You couldn’t quite tell. “You don’t have a choice, not if you want to make it out of this city with everything intact. The people you’ve been running into? They’re watching you. And sooner or later, they’ll demand something from you.”
“Who are they?” you asked, suddenly feeling like you were at the edge of something much bigger than you could comprehend.
Mel’s lips curled into a smile, but there was nothing friendly about it. “You’ll meet them soon enough. They don’t operate like you expect. They’re not politicians or gang leaders. They’re not in the limelight. They don’t need to be. You’ll understand when the time comes.”
You wanted to ask more, demand more answers, but the way Mel spoke—the cool assurance in her voice—made it clear that you weren’t going to get them easily. Whatever game this was, whatever power they held over Piltover, it was far above your pay grade.
“So, what now?” you asked, your voice more steady than you felt. You tried to focus on the present, to figure out what steps you needed to take to at least keep your footing in this madness.
Mel’s smile widened, but it was the kind of smile that made your skin crawl. “Now, we introduce you to the rules. To the people who will teach you how to survive.” She paused, letting that sink in. “There’s no going back now. Once you’re in, there’s no exit. You’ll learn, adapt, and eventually… you’ll have to choose what kind of player you want to be.”
The weight of her words hung heavy in the room. You couldn’t escape, even if you wanted to. You were already tangled in this web, whether you liked it or not.
Jayce finally spoke again, his voice low and serious. “You’ll need to start by understanding who you’re up against. There are forces at work here—forces that don’t just play with people’s lives; they shape them. You can’t play half-heartedly. You need to commit, or else you’ll get crushed.”
“Crushed?” The word made your stomach churn. You glanced between Jayce and Mel, unsure of whether you were in the presence of people trying to protect you, or people trying to manipulate you into something you didn’t want to be.
Jayce met your gaze directly, his eyes unblinking. “People like us, we don’t just survive. We rise. You’ll either become a pawn in someone else’s game, or you’ll become a player. And once you step into that world, there’s no middle ground. You’ll need to make alliances. Watch your back. Trust no one—not even me.”
The finality in his voice made your stomach tighten. The cold, logical side of you told you to back away, to refuse, to turn and run as fast as you could. But there was another part of you, the part that had already been dragged into this world of shadowy power plays and manipulation, that understood the bitter truth in Jayce’s words. You had already chosen by stepping through that door. And there was no going back.
Mel stepped closer, her gaze piercing. “You’ll be tested. We all are. The moment you think you’ve figured it out, the game will shift. But you’ll be ready. You’ll learn fast, or you won’t last long.”
“Learn fast,” you echoed, your throat dry. The words were a challenge, a warning, and yet they felt like a promise. You could sense that whatever you were about to face would change you in ways you couldn’t imagine. You weren’t just a student at Piltover High anymore. You were a player in a game of power, and everything you thought you knew was about to be turned upside down.
Jayce gave a slow nod, turning to Mel. “We’ve kept her in the dark long enough,” he said, his voice low. “It’s time she starts seeing what this is really about.”
Mel’s lips quirked into something that could almost be a smile. “You’re right,” she said, and then, almost too casually, she added, “Welcome to the game, y/n.”
The finality of her words hit you like a cold wave. There was no going back now. No more wondering if you could just step out, ignore the whispers of power, or pretend none of this was happening. You were in it, for better or worse.
And now, you had to learn how to survive.