The Shadow Of Zaun

Silco

            Silco started a weird part of my life, it's when I started to try to get stronger. I wasn't just getting stronger for myself, it was mainly so what happened at the cannery wouldn't happen again. Seeing Vi in pain, Vander tied up like that. It just didn't sit right with him, the fact that he could barely do anything against the monster, or whatever it was. Silco never explained.

Waking up in a small room wasn't on Shirou's to do list, but I guess it wouldn't be on anyone's. Sitting up from lying down, he just stared at nothing, his eyes now resembled that of an endless abyss, a cold and dead look on his face going along with it. The door creaked open yet he had no sort of reaction, not even a twitch of his ears.

"I know I'm probably not the first person you wanted to see or hear.", although that got a reaction out of Shirou, slowly turning his head he looked at the man who had entered. "Silco, what happened after the explosion?" he asked, a dead tone to his voice, it seemed as though he had lost all emotion.

Silco sat down next to him before talking "The explosion, Well to start, Jinx is fine and recovering, but she doesn't seem to be doing well up top." he started, but this got Shirou confused "Who's Jinx?" he asked. "Ah, I believe you know her as Powder. She said she wanted to start over, be a new person." he explained. "And Vi and the others?" he asked. "Vi, is alive but where to is unknown to my knowledge. And the others, I'm afraid didn't make it out alive."

Silence had hit the room, after a while Silco tried to break the silence. "I....." "Could you leave." he interrupted "I will leave you alone for a while" he said, standing up and leaving the room. Yet he was stopped as he was about to close the door, "Could you also not tell Powder about me being here. I don't want her to see me like this.", "As you wish" he said, walking out the door and leaving Shirou to himself.

Seeing him go he wrapped the blanket around himself and sat in the corner. Nonstop mumbling could be heard coming from him "I couldn't do anything" over and over and over, he wouldn't stop. Until he was finally broken out of whatever trance he was in when he saw the small wet patch that was building up near his lap.

"You know, I could help you" Came a voice by the door. Snapping his head towards it, Shirou saw the stoic face of Silco, he had silently entered the room not long after he left. "How long have you been standing there" Shirou managed to get out. "Not long, just long enough to hear that you're blaming yourself." he told him. "Who else is there to blame?" he asked, once again on the brink of tears. "Well, what about the person who set off the bomb." the answer just seemed to click, and a sudden face of rage set on Shirou. "You know who killed them?" he asked.

Silco stared at him for a while, his face unwavering at the young rageful boy that sat in front of him. After a while he answered him "I'm afraid I don't, but I can help you get ready for if you were to meet them." Shirou looked at him with a confused face "What do you mean?" he asked. "You are an inexperienced, young man, who doesn't know how to hold himself in a fight." he answered. "And you can teach me?" Shirou asked, "of course I can, and if I can't, I can at least find people who could."

"And how long will that take?" he asked once more. "Well that depends on how determined you are to get stronger." it didn't take long for Shirou to decide, "When do we start." Looking up a determined look on his face "Tomorrow. For now, I will tell you where to avoid if you don't want to see Jinx".

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"You want me to what?" Shirou asked, "I want you to attack me." Silco said, standing in front of Shirou. They were currently in a large opened up area of Silco's main base of operations. "You sure that's a good idea." he asked, showing a face of mild concern. "What, you think I started all of this and wouldn't know how to fight." he said, cuffing one of his sleeves in the process. "Kinda, yeah, that was until you said it, and now I feel stupid." he said, all confidence had left him at that realization.

"So, Shirou, show me what you got" he said, standing straight, his hands behind his back with an aura of confidence. Shirou ran forward, fist clenched and held at his side, getting near him he swung his fist, Silco dodged with ease. Each swing that Shirou threw, Silco dodged, and each time Shirou grew. It wasn't great leaps, but with each swing Shirou grew older and with this he got closer and closer to hitting his mark. Finally, it was Silco fighting a fifteen year old version of Shirou.

"Alright, that's enough." Silco said, making them both come to a stop. "Why can't I hit you!" he shouted in frustration, it had been three years and he still can't land a hit on him. "You have come a long way from all those years ago. Why do you think I stopped us from continuing. unfortunately I have taught you most of what I can, the rest will have to either be done by yourself or someone else who can control the arcane magics." Silco explained. "Do you perhaps know a guy" Shirou asked. "Unfortunately no, I do not know a guy who can control magic." he said, walking out of the area, Shirou following close behind. 

"You're telling me you have a guy who knows knives, a guy who knows guns, one that knows balloons for some reason, and then a mad scientist, but you didn't think to get a guy for magic." Shirou asked, "Actually never mind, the mad scientist one makes sense." he said with a smug smirk on his face. "Are you finished?" Silco asked in return. "No. Didn't you also have a dude for knives and forks and whatnot." Shirou responded in question, sarcasm clear in his voice. "And we eat like royalty" he said, deciding to play Shirou's game.

Sitting down in Silco's office, they began to have one of their last conversations together. "Y'know I hate you right?" a confusing way to start a conversation but one Silco was ready for. "I know, and I hope that it drives you to become a stronger man." standing up Shirou walked around his desk and over to Silco. "Get up" he said, Silco looked at him with confusion but complied with his wishes. Standing up, he stood in front of Shirou and awaited for what was to come. He was expecting many things, a punch to the face, a kick in the privates, something that was described as lethal.

Instead Shirou......Hugged him. Something he wasn't expecting, with everything he's done to him, this didn't even cross his mind as something that would happen. It was clear to anybody watching as well, as Silco stood there arms out from the impact and his eyes were wide and full of confusion. Slowly he wrapped his arms around Shirou as well. "I still hate you" Shirou said. "I guessed that" he responded. Slowly letting go and standing away Shirou walked to the seat he was in and sat back down. "But thanks, for everything you've done for me." Shirou spoke, looking anywhere but at Silco.

"You are welcome Shirou, don't think anything of it. Just become strong, and use your gift for what you want." a calm silence came over the office, the both of them sat there. "When are you going to leave", Silco asked, "I was thinking tomorrow, y'know get a proper lay of the land, maybe even a posher land." Shirou said, making Silco raise an eyebrow. "Exploring Piltover hmm, a dangerous goal but one that could benefit." Shirou was about to respond when the door opened, instantly Shirou put up an illusion around him making him invisible to whoever he didn't want to be seen by, which at this point was the new comer who apparently hadn't heard of knocking.

A blue haired girl had walked in a crazed look in her eyes, "Silcoooo, how you doing, got anything new for me to do." walking over to the chair in front of Silco with a swing in her step, she spun the chair around about to sit in it. Half way to sitting down she recoiled with a giggle "Whoops, almost didn't see you there. So Silco, who's this, haven't seen em before." she asked, pointing and smiling towards Shirou, making both of them stare wide eyed at her then at each other.

And only one word came to Shirou's mind 'Crap'.

Hey there me again, sorry if this chapter seemed a bit rushed but I wanted to get on with the story and start the big things, at this point of the story it isn't after the timeskip more about's in between the timeskip so shirou still has time to grow. I find it a bit confusing though on how around 1600 words only takes around three scrolls to reach the bottom. But anyways I might make a part at the end of the book about Silco and Shirou's relationship or more importantly how it grew to be what it was at the end of this one so anyways, hope you liked it and sorry if it confused you a bit.