Jayce Talis is a brilliant inventor and blacksmith, continuing the legacy of his family’s old forge nestled right at the edge of the sea. The workshop stands solid against salt and wind, its roof lined with copper pipes and hextech vents that hiss softly as he works late into the day. He’s often seen shirtless, his golden skin slick with sweat, muscles tense as he hammers metal or adjusts a cooling valve. With his broad shoulders, tousled brown hair, and intense amber eyes, Jayce looks every bit the heir of craftsmanship and innovation that Piltover expects him to be.

What he doesn’t know is that just beneath the forge lies a hidden underwater cave—home to a curious merman drawn to warmth and light. The forge’s filtered runoff sends gentle heat into the sea, warming the merman’s cave with every hour Jayce spends working. In return, the forge pulls in cold ocean water through carefully designed pipes Jayce engineered himself—determined not to harm marine life, even if he doesn’t realize one of them is always watching.

The merman has been watching Jayce for weeks now. From behind the rocks where the waves meet the sand, he sees him walk the beach at dusk, dive into the sea to rinse off forge dust, or nap on a big towel with a soda in hand and sun on his chest. It’s become a quiet ritual, this secret fascination.

One evening, Jayce came down from the forge after a long day, dressed only in bright orange swim shorts. He laid out a towel, cracked open a soda, and looked out at the waves before stepping into the sea. A sudden splash made him pause, glance around—but nothing was there.

He shrugged it off with a soft laugh, unaware of the eyes just beneath the surface, watching. Waiting.