Arcane: Decaying Love.

Only the strongest and most cunning can endure in the depths of Zaun's Undercity, where survival is a ruthless game. Those who falter risk being discarded into the Sump, a fate worse than death in this unforgiving world.

In a bleak area surrounded by towering chemical tubes and tangled pipes that release toxic vapours. A watchful gang guards the perimeter. Their vigilance prevents any unwelcome intruders from crossing the invisible lines, and they act as constant sentinels for the mysterious figure who oversees this domain.

Amidst this industrial labyrinth, there exists a surprisingly petite room. In stark contrast to the rusted, damp halls that encircle it, this space exhibits remarkable cleanliness, a sharp deviation from the surrounding dirt and decay. However, 'clean' is a relative term in Zaun, where even the smoothest surfaces bear the subtle residue of the polluted environment.

Inside, Tenko woke up feeling groggy and disoriented, his senses overwhelmed by the heavy air of the room. The distant hiss of pressurized steam mingled with hushed voices echoing beyond the walls. The bed beneath him was unforgivingly firm, tainted with the sharp, acrid scent of chemicals and the lingering stench of decay and garbage.

Tenko struggled to breathe. Each inhale felt like a painful stab as he hovered on the edge of suffocation; his laboured, loud breath caught the attention of a gang member from a nearby post. He abandoned his cards, understanding they wouldn't secure his victory in the current game.

"Eh? The kids awake. Chez, go find the boss," A slender, lanky man with crooked teeth and large goggles spoke to a heavily built muscleman.

"Ah?... Already? How convenient, Tripp. Right when I'm about to win, are you sure you just don't want to pay up that fine work craftsman tool you got in your pocket? I could get some new iron knuckles with one strong enough to pulverize those who dare to cheat me." Chez's booming voice erupted, eyes narrowed, his threat evident.

"Chez, I-I ain't ki-kiddin, look behind ya… Shit, get him the mask." Tripp shrank away from the large man, Chez, gesturing behind him and rummaging through his bag for an older model of an enforcer mask he collected.

Turning around, Chez noticed the boy was awake, shaking violently as he struggled to breathe. His eyes reflected fear. Chez stood up, grabbed Tripp's mask, and threw it to Tenko, his voice sounding somewhat soothing.

"Boy, put that on your face to breathe; it can only last for a bit. You were sleeping fine and breathing earlier, So it's just psychological. All Pilties suffer it; you ain't the first." Then Chez turned to Tripp. His flattering voice turned into something scary.

"I'll go find the boss. Keep an eye on him. The boss said he is more dangerous than any enforcer would be. Don't ruin his good deeds."

"The boy? A threat? I could easily just sl-" Tripp's mocking tone was cut off when Chez slammed his fists onto the table. Interrupting and startling him, Tripp felt his pride was wounded and shot Chez a confused yet angry glance. However, he quickly deflated upon realizing Chez's superior strength and waited for Chez to respond.

"I wasn't slamming to intimidate you; you are my buddy, Tripp, and I need your assistance on certain jobs. No, the boss did the same thing to me when I said your words, but do you know what he told me?" Chez said with a bit of fear and kept darting his eyes back to Tenko. Tripp felt the tension of unease wash over him. 

"Boss said we can barely leave a mark on it, at most break it, but that boy will bring it to nothingness with a slight touch." Chez swallowed in fear, his big appearance doing little to hide his insecurities at that thought. He seemed to see a little suspicion in Tripp's eyes, and his voice went low, almost a growl.

"You know the boss; he won't lie about that. Now, Tripp, watch the kid and don't get any ideas. If the boss says it's true, you best believe it, or you will be like Jessie," Chez threatened, uncaring if Tenko heard, and walked out, his huge frame almost needing to squeeze through the door.

Silence enveloped the room as Tenko hugged his knees, breathing softly through the mask. His emotions settled; he was confused, having just experienced a bad nightmare, and now he found himself here.

'Mom, come and save me, please. I won't be bad anymore…' Oblivious to his situation, Tenko remained trapped in his own illusions and self-denial. But this confusion would soon end, as hurried footsteps and muffled voices could be heard after five minutes of waiting.

"Silco, you claim this child is the future of Zaun?" a low rasp voice muffled but clear.

"Observe yourself. No matter what I say, it wouldn't change your own initial judgment, would it? Singed." a fluent, cold voice followed.

As the door swung open, a slender man entered. His distinctive traits were evident: he wore a finely tailored suit and had well-groomed, slicked-back hair. A disfiguring scar marked the left side of his face, lending him an unexpected cool charm. However, the most striking aspect was his left eye, tainted by chemicals, rendering it black with an orange pupil. This man was known as Silco.

To his left and slightly behind stood an older man with a receding hairline and striking silver pupils that nearly merged with his white eyeballs. His academic demeanour was evident; he was a man dedicated to research and study, Singed.

The two approached the stained mattress in the shabby hideout. Hearing nearby movements, Tenko lifted his head, his enforcer mask obscuring his face and his pale-blue hair fanning out. This abrupt motion caused both to pause briefly before Silco sat down at the edge of the bed while Singed remained farther back, silently watching.

Being stared at by four adults, each with their own unique features, Tenko felt some pressure, and Silco noticed it, 

"Everyone except Singed, leave."

"Boss, this..." Chez spoke. He believed the kid could do something mystical and didn't want to leave his boss alone with such dangers.

"It's okay, Chez. I believe he won't hurt me," Silco said gently. Chez, hearing this tone, shuddered and left. He didn't believe Silco could be gentle but only felt it was a threat.

"Ye-Yes, Tripp, get out of here now, c'mon." Chez grabbed Tripp by the scruff of his clothes, dragging him out.

As the two exited, they left the door closed behind them. Singed moved to a chem-lantern and lit it, leaving a vibrant glow in this cool room. Tenko and Silco just stared at each other; Tenko felt increasingly scared.

"No need to worry, little one. I found you being chased by Enforcers, then I collected you afterwards and brought you here… to safety."

The words were meant to clarify, but Tenkos' pupils dilated. His breathing once again grew heavy, startling Silco, who stood up and stepped back. Even Singed moved forward to observe; his breath just as quick as Tenkos, as he took out a notepad and began frantically writing.

Silco's initial words entered Tenko's ears, and his 'amnesia' disappeared like a memory film replaying what had happened. Everything was too real for him to handle, but he remembered it all.

From the crying to killing, to finally opening his eyes and being chased by those in bronze armour, then embracing his mom, who kept saying he would be fine here. 

Each scene impacted his fragile and crumbling mind more and more, even adding scenes he didn't remember, to finally falling into the man's embrace who was sitting in front of him; a purple-black eery glow slowly seeped out of him onto the bed and walls around him, cracking and finally turning into dust.

"Tenko!!" Silco's voice intertwined with memories of his father, snapping Tenko out of his daydream. Nonetheless, Tenko clung to a faint hope that it was all an illusion, that these men were indeed the traffickers his parents had warned him about. The dwindling power inside him faded, and he felt the chill of the floor beneath him. As his hand made contact, it left behind cracks and decay, transforming the top layer of the cement floor into ash. Quickly, he withdrew his hand and held it in front of him.

Singed noticed and kept writing faster, mumbling, "Emotional outbursts…power… nothing, decomposition... No, Decay!... hand touch… Decays…"

"H-how do you know my name?" Tenko said, more frightened but feeling a little confident, raising his hands towards the two adults. He knew he had awakened his quirk that everyone had, but he didn't understand it. He only knew that what he touched would disappear, which was his greatest threat.

Silco smiled again, not calculative but warmly, and Tenko felt it, slightly lowering his hand, exactly what Silco intended.

"Tenko, I heard you mumble it yourself in your sleep. The words you spoke were, 'Tenko won't be bad. Tenko just wants you back.' I don't know why you referred yourself like this, but it was how I found out." He said with a bit of amusement, 

Tenko felt his face burn a bit and reflexively raised his hands to scratch. Silco saw this, and he grabbed Tenkos' wrist. Maybe it was a discovery he had made or a subconscious action to prevent Tenko from self-harming.

Tenko's voice raised in his throat, and Singed almost dropped his notebook, but he clearly noticed something too and scratched out something he had previously written. Then, he wrote even faster, mumbling. "The fingers... The fingers all have to touch,"

Silco heard this and turned to Singed. "Remember never to disclose any of this information,"

Singed looked at the serious Silco, nodded, and replied, "I am only writing it now. I will organize my thoughts later and then burn these notes." Seeing Silco's strong, venomous stare, he finally gave in. "You can follow me. It will only take a few minutes afterwards." 

Silco just shook his head. "It won't stop you from making more; just know that Tenko will become invaluable to us in the future, and any potential leaked knowledge will only be disadvantageous to us. I invited you here to figure out the conditions for his abilities and use your clever mind to think of solutions for enhancing or creating a structured training program around him."

'Invaluable? No… am I really being trafficked? Are there any heroes to help me?' Tenkos thoughts spun.

Singed pondered but didn't answer, and Silco didn't force anything, turning back to Tenko, who had surprise on his face and more unease.

"Don't worry, I won't do anything. I also know you don't want to either. You could have used your other hand to attack me now, couldn't you?" Silco cleverly gave credit to Tenko for being nicer than he thought.

Tenko had never considered using his other hand because he simply didn't consider it; he was busy listening and surprised that he was touched. He was scared that everything around him was dying from those memories. At the thought of it, he couldn't help but cry. 'If I had known my abilities, maybe nothing of what happened would have happened.'

"Do you really believe your own thoughts?" Silco once again raised the soul question. Tenko could only stare at him with a wide mouth, 

"Ho-"

"How do I know what you are thinking? I don't; I just predict it. I follow your facial movements and gestures. This is what I am good at, a talent that allows me to build the empire I want slowly," Silco said with humility.

"A talent just like yours," His eyes burned on Tenko. He felt now was the time, but something unexpected happened,

"But I didn't want this. I want my family. I want to be saved by heroes. You aren't heroes! Get away!" he waved his hands in defence, not attacking but stopping Silco's attempt at getting any closer.

"Tenko…" Silcos voice faded as the world around Tenko went dark again, and he slowly pushed himself up and ran for the exit. He knew he needed to leave. He needed to find the heroes his sister talked about to save him. They would understand.

"Tenko!" Silco yelled behind him, but Tenko didn't listen. He wanted to escape and go back to his family. He ran out of the door and came face to face with gangsters, each one looking more frightening than the next. Before they did anything, Silco's voice came from inside.

"Let him leave, let him understand the truth…." The cold voice left the gangsters planning to subdue Tenko to shudder as they stepped aside, but Tenko didn't notice this; he just thought he was escaping. As he ran wildly, he found a dead end and placed his hands on the wall to decay and move forward. All the while, Silco followed behind, watching.

Silco stood amidst the destruction, thoughts swirling in his mind before erupting into a bitter sigh. He spoke with a gentleness he didn't know he possessed, and his final words of conviction even surprised Singed.

"Make sure to fix this later," Silco said quietly as he followed Tenko.

"When I return, it will be with my son."