[+18] WARNING : substance abuse, mention of violence, explicit language, gore, mental health issues, sexual content MORE THROUGHLY EDITED VERSION PUBLISHED IN PARALLEL ON AO3 || Safely hidden from her past in Piltover, Lyra thrives. She is a second-year student of aeronautical engineering at the Academy, and the youngest partner for the most proficient airship company Topside. But her pearly, if somewhat mundane reality shatters once an old childhood friend steps into the picture. He does not recognize her, and she intends to keep it that way. In the meantime, the damage of her father's biological experiments begins to take a toll on her, particularly when she finds out her powers react to Hexcore gemstones. Slowly descending into madness and the corruption of magic, Lyra attempts to resist the metamorphosis of her nature. But fails miserably to do so. || Set before the events of ACT I, then follows the plot. I do not own any of the characters except for Lyra and a few possible others. Alas, Viktor does not belong to me... truly a tragedy.