The Answer

by RebukeX7

Summary:

Taking a break from terrorizing the architecture of Piltover, Jinx stumbles across a little girl like no other in Noxus' Frontier. Deciding to pay forward a favor that was done for her, Jinx takes the girl in without a second thought. After all, motherhood can't be that hard, right? Jinx soon learns that yes, yes it is, but good thing she knows just the person to kidnap-er-get to help.

Notes:

First time posting on this site, was inspired by all of the great Arcane/LOL fics I read lately and decided to post here instead of my FF account which goes by the same pen-name. Apologies for any weird formatting, will be fixed as I get the hang of the upload process.

Betaed by: TheUndyingWill

Chapter 1: Jinx's Bomb

Notes:

Shameless self promo: https://www.worldofpresence.com/

Chapter 1: Jinx’s Bomb

“Is there anything so undoing as a daughter?"

If there was ever a question that plagued Jinx’s life to no end it was this one. Whether directly or indirectly, others’ answer to this question seemed to shape her life on a fundamental level. It was a question that she didn’t quite understand herself.

After all, what was a daughter?

She was one, she supposed, or at least she was to three different fathers.

One that sired her.

One that took her in.

And one that raised her.

To which of these three men was she truly the daughter of? Jinx didn’t know but if a daughter was undoing then she was definitely one to all three of the fathers she would never see again.

Honestly, overall, it was an annoying question in the end and a pointless one. She’d rather focus on the present and her babies, each that she carefully constructed with her bare hands.

Oh!

Perhaps a daughter was like a gun? Though that didn’t make sense either, after all, Pow Pow was never “undoing” unless, well, it was undoing other people in which case the gun equals daughter idea might have some merit.

Whatever, she was done wondering about this.

Jinx, as a rule, refused to ponder on one issue for too long, preferring to go with the flow. Most times she could answer any question that came to her. For example, a while ago she asked herself if she was the only one who didn’t belong but after months of researching (stalking) and a quick trip around Runeterra with a prototype teleporter she borrowed (stole), she found the answer to that question.

No, she wasn’t the only one that didn’t belong.

And she even solved this by grouping up and playing with them for the day!

After all, if they all didn’t belong where they were, perhaps they belonged together? At least for that one day anyway. As fun as it was, they were all busy, and as much fun as she had while fighting with the others her teleporter didn’t operate for free.

Until she could borrow (steal) another gemstone that wouldn’t be needed for her babies, her teleporter was to be used for emergencies only!

See, and people thought she couldn’t be responsible.

“Hm, where to next?” Jinx mused as she sat in a cave that made up her make-shift hideout in the mountains of Ixtal. She had been on a trip because playing (harassing) with Vi and Caitlyn had gotten boring and even Jinx was self-aware enough to know that nothing good would come from her being bored.

Nothing at all.

It would lead to her trying to raise the stakes of their game and knowing how competitive she was she might end up breaking one of them which just wouldn’t do. If they were broken, the game would end after all! So, Jinx decided it was best to play some other games away from Piltover and Zaun so that her games with Fat Hands and Big Hat could regain their appeal.

“Let’s see I didn’t plan on returning just yet,’” Jinx murmured. “I should have time to go see either Noxus or Demacia. Flashlight’s in Demacia, but she’s the only thing in Demacia. If I go and she’s out on a mission, that would be a waste of a trip.” Jinx shrugged. “Noxus it is, I can at least play with some assassins there!”

With a bright grin and her carefully thought out (made on the fly) plans to travel to Noxus, Jinx laid back in her sleeping bag for the night. As her eyes closed, the question she had been pondering quickly vanished as it always had.

After all, it's not like it would ever mean anything to her.

Until it did.

 

-1 week Later: Noxus: Frontier-

“Sheesh! How many noble houses does a girl have to bomb to get an assassin or two around here?” Jinx questioned. It had been four days since she arrived in Noxus and three since she began her reign of terror and still no rich prick had sent anyone to play with her yet.

Granted, she decided to not go to the main cities this time and stuck to the rural areas but the least the farm owners could do was spare an irate guard or something! With a sigh, Jinx was beginning to think this plan would be a bust.

Releasing a frustrated huff, Jinx rolled her eyes and blew her bang from in front of her face. Seriously! She did good work! This was almost insulting. What? Did they all have something more important to deal with or something-

An explosion in the distance shook Jinx from her thoughts and she whipped her head around to see a rapidly growing forest fire in the distance. Curiosity quickly overpowered her near non-existent sense of self-preservation and Jinx took off toward the flames hoping to find something remotely interesting in what was supposed to be arguably the most violent nation on Runeterra.

With her body scarred and numbed by years of recklessness, Jinx paid no attention to the flames tickling at her body. Instead, she continued to run toward where she could now hear dozens of pained and fearful screams. It wasn’t long before she finally saw what would unexpectantly change her life moving forward.

Mere yards away were the guards and assassins that Jinx had been looking for, crawling away from what was possibly the most adorable little girl she had ever seen and a giant cool (horrifying) looking stuffed bear.

“Run!” One of the assassins shouted as he desperately tried to crawl away, flanked by two others that looked to be in even worse shape than him.

“What’s the matter? Are you done already?” The girl questioned with a pout that pulled at Jinx’s heartstrings. “But we just started!” with a bright smile, the girl raised a palm toward the assassin that was now pleading desperately for mercy. “Eeny, meeny, miney, burn!”

A torrent of flame erupted from the girl’s palm, something that made Jinx’s jaw slacken as the assassin was suddenly engulfed in flames. His skin darkened as his screams tore from his throat while he was burned straight to the bone.

“Witch!” One of the assassins screamed as his companion fell silent. “Monster!” The assassin reached to his side and pulled out a knife which he threw at the girl only for it to be blocked by the arm of the massive bear. Jinx watched as the bear growled and stalked toward the survivors, towering over them menacingly.

Jinx watched the two be subjected to a fate far worse than being burned alive as the bear tore through them without mercy. Throughout it all, the little girl watched unblinkingly and her smile never faltered as the two were slaughtered. A little blood splattered on her face but she didn’t notice it or Jinx. Not until the last of her playmates breathed their last breaths.

“Yay, Tibbers!” the girl cheered, hugging the bear after it returned to her. It was only then that she turned to find Jinx who was looking around in awe, captivated by the flames and destruction that surrounded her. With a curious expression, the girl looked at Jinx with a deceptively innocent expression. “You want to play too? It’ll be fun!”

When faced with such a question after witnessing the visceral carnage released by the little girl mere moments earlier, there was only one response Jinx could have had to such a question. Lifting Pow Pow, Jinx aimed at the little girl as a wide grin threatened to split her face in two.

Despite her age, Jinx knew that this girl was likely on the stronger side of people she’s played with and she couldn’t help but shudder in excitement. Her bright pink eyes glowed as her chest thundered in her heart.

“Oh yeah, let’s play!”

With that, Jinx charged forward at the smiling girl.

 

-later-

Fun.

Fun!

So Fun!

This was all Annie could think as she watched the cackling woman shoot at both Tibbers and herself. She felt exhilarated as she found herself laughing along with her new playmate. Finally, she found someone that could play with her!

This woman didn’t scream when her flames consumed her. No, she just laughed more and shrugged off the burns that, even now, Annie could see healing before her very eyes. This playmate was the best! Even her blood was pretty, it was practically shining and had a pinker tint than the boring red blood of all her other playmates.

There was no fear in the woman’s face either, only joy, and she was fast too! Faster than even Tibbers was. A bullet shot from her playmate’s mini-gun grazed her cheek and Annie found herself a bit self-conscious about the boring color of her blood but that bit of insecurity was dwarfed by the excitement she felt.

Finally, she found a playmate that understood!

Others would always try to aim for her face or her chest to end the game early which was so boring. This playmate only grazed those parts. Annie was a smart girl and she could tell that the woman could have landed those shots if she wanted to.

But, like Annie, she didn’t want the game to end too fast either!

It was strange for Annie as she and Tibbers were stronger, way stronger than her current playmate but the laughing woman was oh so fast and smart too! Annie guessed the woman had played this game much longer than she had and knew things she didn’t even know she didn’t know!

Annie, even now, somehow managed to lose track of her only to turn around to find the large gun slamming into her side and knocking her over.

Amazing!

Annie rolled until Tibbers caught her and lifted her in his arms. With a competitive gleam in her eyes, Annie pointed at the cackling woman. “Your name! What’s your name! You’re so much fun!”

“Jinx! It stands for Jinx!” Jinx answered without hesitation. “What’s yours?”

“Annie!”

“Well Annie, this has been a riot but it’s getting past your bedtime.” Jinx’s grin managed to somehow widen. “Let’s finish this and get you to sleep!”

At this, Annie pouted for the first time that night. “But I don’t want to go to sleep!”

“Hey I get it, but trust me, kids your age need it,” Jinx told her, once more patting herself on the back for being responsible. “The longer you sleep now, the easier it’ll be for you to stay up and play when you’re older!”

Suddenly, a thought occurred to Annie and she smiled almost menacingly at Jinx.

“You can’t make me sleep if I make you sleep first.”

Jinx paused as she conceded that the kid did have a point. “Just you try, Firelight!”

With that declaration, the two resumed their battle and it wasn’t long before Jinx ran out of ammo. Jinx tossed Pow Pow to the side and jumped to the right to avoid a massive blast of fire. Instinctively, she reached for Fishbones before deciding against it.

She didn’t want to kill the kid!

At that thought, Jinx slung off Fishbones as well. Without them weighing her down, Jinx shot toward Annie at unprecedented speeds, leaving only twin pink trails of light in her wake. Surprised, Annie quickly raised her hands in front of her and simply engulfed everything in her sight in a massive inferno.

After all, if she couldn’t hit Jinx, she’d just hit everything instead!

For a moment, Annie thought she won but soon a hand covered in soot shot out from the flames, wielding a strange-looking handgun. Annie didn’t have time to blink before the hand squeezed the trigger and a blue bolt of lightning slammed into her.

Oddly enough, though the electricity hurt, hurt more than anything she had been hit by ever, it didn’t last long as her vision completely blacked out. The last thing Annie was aware of when she fell off a roaring Tibbers shoulder was that she was smiling as she went to sleep.

Today was really fun.

 

-The Next Morning-

 

When Annie came to the next morning, the first thing she was aware of was that her head was resting on something warm. Now, while whatever she was resting on wasn’t particularly soft it was still softer than the ground she had expected. Opening her eyes, she saw a pair of pale legs shooting out in front of her and she could feel long narrow fingers raking through her hair.

Annie rolled over a bit and saw that she had been laying on Jinx’s lap as the woman hummed a song to herself. Their surroundings were a wasteland and the bodies of her earlier playmates were still there but the sunlight shining down on them let Annie know that she had been there the whole night.

And Jinx stayed with her.

When Annie felt the fingers stop moving, she saw Jinx look down at her. Though her smile was there, it seemed a bit more subdued. More gentle than manic like the previous night.

The previous night…

Annie clutched Tibbers, who was now small once more, tightly in her arms as she realized that it wasn’t a dream.

“Rise and shine, Firelight,” Jinx said, her expression surprisingly gentle, and for a moment in Annie’s eyes, Jinx’s image was replaced by the image of her mother who once wore a similar expression. Annie blinked rapidly as the image corrected itself and she once more saw Jinx above her. “Would have woke you up, but I didn’t have the heart with you so cute and comfortable.”

“Did you sleep too?” Annie questioned quietly, noting that while Jinx didn’t appear tired, she didn’t look all too well-rested either.

“Me? Nah, had to be sure you didn’t have any more playmates coming while you were sleeping,” Jinx told her. “Game wouldn’t be fun if they started it before you were awake, right?”

Annie stared at her for a moment, unblinkingly, as she held her bear tighter.

“Are you real?” Annie questioned and though she felt Jinx stiffen, the woman’s smile just twitched before widening ever so slightly.

“Yeah, Firelight, I’m real,” Jinx answered before she felt the wind knocked out of her when Annie latched onto her waist. Jinx found herself squashed with Tibbers as Annie held them tightly. She could feel Annie’s nails digging into her skin and didn’t even have to look to know she was bleeding.

“I had fun last night,” Annie murmured against Jinx's stomach. “Can we play again?”

“I’d like to,” Jinx answered honestly. “But I can’t stay here, I’m just passing through. To be honest, I was waiting on your parents or someone to show up before I left, Firelight. Where are they?”

“Gone,” Annie answered, and Jinx’s smile waned a bit, her heart thundering in her chest for reasons she didn’t know as a sick feeling of déjà vu began to hit her. With a trembling hand, Jinx placed it on the back of Annie’s head and ran her fingers through her hair.

“And your playmates?”

“They only show up after I get myself food or to get away from the rain and snow,” Annie answered. “Everyone wants me to play, but no one wants me to stay. They think I’m a monster…do you?”

“Yeah, I do,” Jinx answered honestly. “But you want to know a secret? I’m one too.” Jinx’s grin threatened to split her face as Annie looked up at her with childlike wonder. Gently, Jinx moved her hand and cupped Annie’s face.

“They say monsters shouldn’t have been born.”

“If that was true, the world wouldn’t have made us now, would it?” Jinx asked and Annie wore a cute frown as she pondered Jinx’s words. “But that’s okay, let them think what they want. It doesn’t matter.” Jinx shifted a bit and gathered Annie in her arms. “I’m glad you were. Born, I mean. Last night was a riot!” Jinx’s expression then softened. “I can’t stay but…wanna come with me?”

The only response Jinx received was the feeling of something wet on her stomach and the feeling of Annie nodding her head.

Resting her chin atop the child’s head, Jinx was taken back to a different time, a different place and for a moment Annie was replaced by a young girl with blue hair that had lost everything. Soon she once more she found herself surrounded by flames as Annie’s grip tightened, but Jinx didn’t mind.

“It’s okay, let it out,” Jinx said as she held Annie tighter.

“We’ll show them. We will show them all.”

 Jinx’s eyes shone brightly as she unknowingly repeated those words that she heard so long ago.

-1 week later-

Jinx was no stranger to being out of her depth but even then, not even she knew just how hard it would be to take care of a child. It had already been a week and Jinx was surprisingly stressed for the first time in years. Which was weird because on paper, the task was simple.

Be better than Vi.

See? Straightforward, not that hard. All she had to do was not leave Annie alone which she was already making sure not to do because people would start going missing if she did. That wasn’t something Jinx particularly cared about, but international travel with a child meant she had to keep the body counts low.

Still, simply being there wasn’t enough. She had to do more than keep Annie company. She’d protect the girl, again like Vi used to do for her, but Firelight could take care of herself…within reason. Firelight was powerful, but despite how it looked while fighting her, Jinx knew that Annie did not have complete control over her power. To put it simply, Annie was a ticking time-bomb-

-wait!

That was it!

Annie was a time bomb!

Jinx slapped herself on her forehead. Duh! It was so obvious now. Annie didn’t need a Vi she needed the same thing her other babies did. Momma! Jinx realized then that she had been looking at this all wrong. At that moment she thought of the musings she had earlier about the nature of daughters.

Daughters were bombs.

They had to be carefully constructed, tested, and primed before they could be let out on the world to erupt with their beauty and change their surroundings forever. Firelight was potentially the biggest, most powerful, bomb she ever had. She required extra special care and nurture before she could be safely let out into the world years from now.

This also explained why the voices had been silent. They always went away when she was working on something extremely dangerous for the first time. Sure, they would pop back up when creating the new explosive became routine but until then, even they knew to shut up or else they all would get blown to hell.

Jinx released a sigh of relief, suddenly this task became much more manageable now that she knew how to think about it.

“Okay, let's start from scratch. Daughters are bombs.” Jinx began to herself. “Which means I, as a former daughter, was a bomb as well. I want her to explode even better than I do, to shake the whole world so what can I give her that I lacked?” Jinx began to pace. “He made me who I am, but he did it alone. All I can do for Annie is what he did for me with my own spin cause that’s all I know. I don’t know how to learn anything else.”

The first step in tackling a new challenge was to lay out the variables and understand your limits. Then you had to adapt, improvise, and overcome.

“All I remember were ‘dads’, what I lacked was a ‘mom’ or at least one that I remember,” Jinx murmured. “Technically I’m her ‘mom’ now but I only know how to be a ‘dad’. If she’s gonna better than me, a better bomb, then the component she needs that I lack is a ‘mom’ that knows how to be a ‘mom’. Shut up guys! That makes perfect sense when you think about it, don’t start talking now.” Jinx muttered, glaring at the guns on her hip and strapped to her back.

Jinx took a deep breath.

“Great, I know what ‘piece’ the bomb is missing, now I need to make sure it’s the correct ‘model’, a good fit.” Jinx mused. Jinx supposed kidnapping someone to play ‘mom’ wouldn’t be an issue, though they couldn’t be from Piltover. Topsider arrogance aside, that would attract Fat Hands and Big Hat and they would want to play.

 And for once Jinx had something more important to do.

“They’d also have to be able to deal with Firelight’s…fire,” Jinx muttered. For now, she could deal with the fire and knock Annie out before they could become too bad to cause her any real issue. That said, Annie was a kid.

Kids grew.

Which meant Annie would get bigger and stronger and so would her flames. Jinx was a lot of things, but a mage was not one. Hacking Hextech and actual magic born from one’s body were two different things entirely. The only one who could teach her little bomb how to control her explosion would have to be a mage themselves.

Which means “mom” needed to have magic.

That or she’d have to stuff Tibbers with Petricite which wouldn’t be fun at all.

Throughout her musings, a picture was slowly painting itself of the “mom” component and when it was done, Jinx froze before a grin split her face.

Of course!

It was obvious.

She knew just who to ask and they were overdue for a playdate anyway. She’d have to gather some blackmail and some ammunition in case of resistance, but Jinx was sure they would come around and be willing to play house.

After all who could turn down building the world’s best bomb!?

With that thought in mind, Jinx removed her teleporter from her satchel and smiled at it, glad to see that it had enough juice for two more trips. If there was ever an emergency, it would be this.

“I’ll wait until I get Firelight settled in Zaun,” Jinx decided before she put up the device.

Speaking of her little Firelight…

Jinx froze when she realized that she was walking down the beaten path in Noxian countryside alone. Startled, Jinx turned to see fire in the distance before she ran off toward it. It wasn’t long before she saw a burning plantation with Annie standing in front of it. The little girl stood unharmed with the smuggest expression Jinx had ever seen on a child.

Tucked under Annie’s arm was a cookie jar, which she dug inside as she giggled.

“I said please.” Annie sang. Annie had noticed Jinx seemed troubled by something earlier and decided to try and cheer her up. Cookies always got her in a good mood, so she snuck off while Jinx was lost in thought to ask the owners of the plantation if they had cookies.

They did.

But they didn’t want to share.

So, Annie decided to improvise.

As the screams of those in the building echoed as they tried to break free, Annie turned and offered a cookie to Jinx. Soon Annie found herself lifted and tucked under Jinx’s arm who ran away from the building like a bat out of hell. Jinx probably should have scolded her but in her mouth was a pretty damn good cookie.

“Okay, maybe not leaving someone alone is a little harder than I thought.” Jinx muttered as she continued to book it while Annie cheered clearly enjoying the “ride”.

Again, the first step in tackling a new challenge was to lay out the variables and understand your limits.

Jinx now knew, without doubt, she would need a little help.

-2 weeks later-

“This is bullshit.” Lux thought as she moved away from the window of her cell where she stared up at the night sky.

Now, one would be surprised to know that such a thought came from none other than one Luxanna Crownguard but given the events that followed Sylas’ attack, her thought was understandable. No amount of nobility or excuse could help her after she displayed her full power in front of so many of the Demacian soldiers.

The whole country knew, quite clearly, that she was a mage.

And now she was paying for her selflessness.

Her honors and accolades?

Stripped.

Her status as nobility second only to the Royal family?

Revoked for the sake of the family if anything. Despite everything, Lux refused to leave the Crownguard name in a worse state than she was born into. She’d likely be erased from the family history but at least she wouldn’t be a stain.

Any goodwill Lux had built up was spent in a single day and remained the only reason she hadn’t been executed immediately. At the very least, she could try to plead for exile. It was either that, life imprisonment, or death. Even the Illuminators couldn’t reach her in this hell she put herself into.

Still, she didn’t regret it. People were going to die and she would save them again and again if she had to. That didn’t mean she didn’t fear what would come next. With her likely disowned by now, she’d still be quite vulnerable to being executed but she would be willing to act despite this fear. Lux didn’t know if that made her brave or a fool, but the former made her feel better about walking into the unknown.

All she wanted to do was help and perhaps make it so that people like her wouldn’t have to fear existing in their homeland. Unfortunately, it was a wish of hers that would remain unfulfilled, at least, in her lifetime. With this sorrowful realization, Lux shut her eyes.

 

-Flashback-

 

“And with that, our no longer resident samurai is back home!” Jinx cheered before turning to Lux. “Alright Flashlight, let’s get you back home.”

“Do you have to call me that?” Lux groaned, her cheeks blazing as Jinx grinned at her. She didn’t know what was worse, Flashlight or Sunshine.

“Yeah, you’re so bright and when night came your powers literally lit up the field so we could see,” Jinx reminded her. “Only reason we won.”

Lux blushed at the reminder of being used as a flashlight by her teammates to win. “Are…are you sure my secret is safe?” Lux asked nervously.

Jinx waved off her concerns. “Yeah, I got blackmail on everybody. How do you think I got everyone to participate? Trust me, Sunshine, yours is far from the worst secret I dug up. Everyone just needed to enjoy the day and keep their mouths shut. Still, I gotta ask, do you want me to take you home?”

Lux frowned. “What do you mean?”

“I mean, it was a bitch getting this thing to work with all the Petricite in Demacia but it did. I got you out without a trace,” Jinx told her. “Sure you wanna go back to a place that hates you?”

At this Lux clenched her fist but nodded. “I have to,” Lux answered softly. “I have my duties as a Crownguard.”

“I don’t get you rich folks,” Jinx shook her head. “That’s just a last name, hell I don’t even have one, why do you let that stop you from being happy?”

“I am happy!”

Jinx looked surprisingly skeptical. “Are you?”

Lux opened and closed her mouth a couple of times before swallowing. “People need me, people like me who are afraid of what they are. If no one else fights for them in Demacia, how can things get better for them? For us? I’m in a position in society to make a change, if I can help even one mage, I’ll be happy.”

Jinx stared at her for a moment before sighing. “You shine too bright for your own good. You’re fighting and risking your life for a world that made me of all people, you know that right?” Jinx shook her head. “And they say I’m crazy. Suit yourself, sister, let’s get you home. Call me if you change your mind.”

It was then that, just like the first time, without warning Jinx grabbed her and teleported her home. Lux would later find it very difficult to explain that she wasn’t sick after Garen caught her vomiting in her study.

-Flashback: End-

“Why am I thinking about that now?” Lux wondered as she opened her eyes. It had been over a year since that almost dream-like day. That day where a criminal, one of the most wanted in Runeterra, gave her a taste of freedom. A day, a single day, where she could be unapologetically her and use her powers without restraint.

Lux hadn’t seen Jinx since, but when things got rough and her spirits were low, she’d go back to that day to get enough joy to push her forward. Whenever the thoughts drifted to Jinx, she couldn’t help but smile a bit. They had never even met before then, yet they fought together and spoke as if they had been doing so for years.

That joy, that unapologetic freedom that Jinx had made Lux more envious than she ever thought herself capable of being but there was no ill will. Whatever came next, Lux would be happy that this cruel world still contained people who could be so happy and live so earnestly. Maybe if she was lucky enough to be exiled, she could run into that crazy woman again. If she did, Lux wondered if she would say “I told you so”.

“Call you if I change my mind?” Lux murmured, repeating the instruction Jinx had given her with an exasperated smile. “Just how would I manage to do that?” After all, Jinx left no way for Lux to contact her. Lux was very good at her job but Jinx eluded capture for a good reason and was practically impossible to find.

At that moment, a sense of foreboding filled Lux, and her ear twitched as she heard something rushing toward her. Eyes snapping open, Lux couldn’t even yelp before the cell simply exploded with enough force to shake the entire prison.

Coughing, a dust-covered Lux shakily rose to her feet as smoke poured out from the now gaping hole in her cell wall. Eyes watering from the smoke, Lux tried to wipe them as a shadow quickly moved to through the smoke.

“Gotcha!” An all too familiar voice said and Lux felt her jaw drop when she saw Jinx gripping her bound hands, already halfway through picking the lock on her shackles.

“Jinx!”

“The one and only!” Jinx said before unlocking the shacks on her hands and moving to the ones around her ankles. “I tried to sneak into your study again, but like, you weren’t there. Wasn’t hard to find out what happened though, the details are on every news report in the kingdom. After that, it was just a matter of finding which cell was yours which wasn’t hard with you moping around looking out at the stars like some sort of princess trapped in a castle.”

Lux flushed. “I was not moping!”

“Oh, you so were!” Jinx cackled as she finished with her legs. “But that’s fine, I’ll play the knight this time. Now come on, we have to go. I don’t have a babysitter so we need to hurry.” Jinx extended her hand toward Lux. “I don’t even have to use blackmail.” Jinx gave her a sad smile. “Shone a bit too bright didn’t you, Flashlight?”

Pain flashed across Lux’s face but she nodded all the same.

Still, she didn’t grab Jinx’s hand.

“Jinx, you’re known for property damage, even here,” Lux told her. “If I go with you, that’ll be a much more serious crime. They won’t stop hunting you, you’ll be an enemy of Demacia.”

Lux didn’t know Jinx well, but she had only done right by her and Lux wanted to repay that in kind. Going with Jinx would only cause the tattooed woman problems and put her in more danger than she already puts herself in.

“Flashlight, come on, I’m me,” Jinx said as if that explained everything. “Everybody wants to be my enemy, what’s one more country?  But if it makes you feel better, I’ll blow something up in Piltover later to make an alibi. Assuming you and the others from our last playdate continue to not spill the beans about my newest toy, this can’t be pinned on me.” Jinx held up the teleporter. “Now stop worrying about others and be selfish for once, it’s time to go.”

To her credit, Lux only hesitated for a moment before grabbing Jinx’s hand.

“Wait…” Lux spoke up as something that was nagging in the back of her head popped to the forefront. “…why would you need a babysit-”

Lux was unable to finish her question as she suddenly found herself teleporting away.

-Zaun: Outskirts-

“And…home!” Jinx said as they popped up in front of one of her safehouses that existed far out into the outskirts of the Undercity, cloaked in the shadows of one of its last remaining, and largest, forests. Lux quickly rushed to the foliage and emptied the contents of her stomach into a bush. “…and it's dead,” Jinx pouted when her teleporter died.

Damn, she really liked that thing.

“You good?” Jinx called out and Lux wiped her mouth after she finished puking her guts out.

“Am I good? Jinx!” Lux hissed. “A little warning next time, please!?”

Seriously, how could she get Jinx to understand that snatch and grab was not good teleportation etiquette!?

“Shhh!” Jinx hastily shushed her which made Lux look at her in surprise.

“Why are you shushing me?” Lux whispered back, still a little irritated.

“Because I just got Firelight to sleep and if my hair gets burnt one more time, I’m shooting someone,” Jinx told her and it was the first time Lux had ever seen Jinx not smiling. It was right then that Lux understood that Jinx took her hair very seriously but that didn’t answer her question.

Or at the very least it didn’t deal with the root of her confusion.

“Who’s Firelight?” Lux whispered and Jinx gestured for the blonde to follow her inside. All in all, the safehouse was neater than Lux expected. Sure, there were gun parts and scrap littered around but it was focused in a single area that Lux assumed was Jinx’s workshop. It also smelled fairly good inside compared to the rest of Zaun thanks to Jinx’s scented candles and a filtration system that Lux could hear humming.

There was also a pull-out couch that had a surprisingly clean mattress and a kitchen and bathroom to meet all of Jinx’s needs.

“You’ll sleep there, sorry Flashlight, had to give up my bed,” Jinx told her as she led Lux down a small hallway and cracked open a door. Something inside the room Jinx open made her smile more, and when Lux stepped inside, she saw the most adorable little girl she had ever seen buried in a mountain of pillows and blankets next to a stuffed bear.

If Lux wasn’t so confused, she’d probably aww at the sight.

“…Aww.”

Never mind.

Slowly closing the door, Jinx turned to Lux with a raised eyebrow. The blonde flushed when she realized she did that out loud and quietly cleared her throat. Soon, she leveled Jinx with an even stare.

“Murders, acts of terrorism, and public nudity are all one thing, but kidnapping children?” Lux just looked disappointed now. “Come on.”

“The public nudity charge was only a four-time thing-wait-did you look up my record?” Jinx questioned and Lux managed to keep her hardened stare even if her cheeks burned a bit more.

“Don’t change the subject. Who is the girl?”

“She’s my bomb, I mean, my daughter,” Jinx answered and when Lux’s jaw dropped as she looked at Jinx incredulously, Jinx realized she needed to start from the beginning. “Let me explain in the kitchen, want a beer?”

Beer wasn’t Lux’s drink of choice, but even she knew she’d need some kind of alcohol for the upcoming conversation.

-Hours Later-

“And now we’re here.”  Jinx finished as Lux downed her fourth beer that night since the conversation started. It was a scary thing, really, learning just how Jinx’s mind worked. Lux’s eye twitched several times as Jinx went down the rabbit hole that she called a thought process that led to her grabbing Lux. “So yeah, she’s my daughter though she’s not at the point where she will start calling me mom or anything.”

Lux took a deep breath and sat back in her seat.

All in all, it was actually kind of heartbreaking. Jinx clearly saw herself in Annie and wanted to make sure she was better than her. Jinx had a lot of flaws, hell she was practically all flaws, but it was clear that she was aware of them. Not only aware, she accepted them all with pride, but even though she wasn’t ashamed she still recognized them as flaws and not things to be celebrated.

“My…my…dad taught me how to survive,” Jinx told her. “He taught me how to accept myself, but he didn’t teach me how to live you know?” Jinx wrung her hands nervously but her smile never wavered. “It’s why I do what I do. I always put myself in situations where I have to survive and not live because it’s all I know how to do, Sunshine.”

Damn, that was sad.

But Lux refused to shed a tear in front of Jinx, she could do that in private. Still, Lux’s expression did shift into one of sadness.

“I…I don’t know how to nurture people, that’s what moms do right?” Jinx asked. “I’m supposed to do that for her but I don’t know how to. I don’t know the first thing about being a mom. I barely even remember mine, but you know yours, right?”

“Jinx, the only thing Lady Crownguard taught me was how not to be a mother,” Lux said dryly.

“Still better than what I got.”

And damn was that the truth, Lux had to admit to herself. Jinx didn’t even have an understanding of what not to do. The best Jinx could do was ensure Annie’s survival which would probably end up turning Annie into another her.

Lux shuddered for the world at the thought of a Jinx that could create explosions with her mind.

Lux, personally, had no ill will toward Jinx. A few more drinks and she’d probably admit to finding some of Jinx’s atrocities amusing. That said, this was a big decision to make and one she needed to make soon. It was then that Lux really looked at her, and Jinx found herself suddenly nervous as she never had someone look at her like that.

Like she was someone worth reading in the first place.

“I can’t make you stay,” Jinx said suddenly. “Not without some prep-time anyway. You’re probably the most dangerous one in this house right now. Still, I need you to complete this bomb with me. You’re the only piece that fits.”

“If I could only help one mage…” Lux murmured to herself and after a while, she made a decision. “There are two beds, where are you sleeping?”

Jinx perked up at that. “Ah, don’t mind me, I’ll grab my sleeping bag and go to my workshop. Wouldn’t be the first time I camped out in there.”

“Around all those scraps, parts, and explosives?” Lux questioned before shaking her head. “No, think about the example you’ll set. Never sleep on the floor of your own house, Jinx.” Lux told her softly. “You’re worth more than that, you can share the bed with me. It’s certainly more than big enough.”

“Are you sure? I mean I don’t mind-”

“Jinx,” Lux smiled at her. “It’s fine. Your chivalrous attempt has been noted but it’s unneeded. You already broke me out of prison tonight didn’t you, my ‘knight’?”

Jinx blinked before she burst out in a barely restrained laugh. “So, you admit it!”

“I’ll never admit to ‘moping’ as you put it, but once again you’ve offered me freedom.” Lux smiled slightly. “I’ll accept it this time,” Lux said before she yawned.

“Damn, it’s gotten late,” Jinx muttered. “Want to crash?”

“Please, it’s been a long day,” Lux said as she stood up. “We can hammer out the details in the morning, but I would be happy to mentor Annie. It’ll do me good to have a purpose after…well…everything.”

“You’d always have a purpose,” Jinx said with a shrug. “People don’t shine as bright as you and get to live without doing something impactful. You’re a light in the darkness, always helping people find their way.”

Lux suddenly stopped, causing Jinx to bump into her. For a moment, Jinx thought that she might have said something wrong. This concern grew a bit when Lux’s shoulders shook a bit but before she could scramble up an apology Lux spoke.

“Thank you,” Lux said, her voice hoarse. Jinx saw her quickly wipe something from her face before she continued toward the front room, never once looking back at Jinx. “I was very lucky to meet you.”

Now it was Jinx’s turn to stand frozen as Lux made her way to the bed.

“Lucky? But…I’m Jinx…” Jinx murmured. Something began to shift within Jinx, something that burned even more intensely than the shimmer but just what it was she still didn’t know. All she could do was continue forward into the unknown as the voices went silent…at least until Jinx checked on Annie one last time.

“Is there anything so undoing as a daughter?”

Jinx clutched at her chest, nails digging into her skin as she continued to watch Annie sleep soundly with her usually impish expression now gentle and befitting a girl her age. They had been together for just under a month, yet Jinx already knew that Annie had carved out a place in her life moving forward.

“No…I don’t think there is.” Jinx murmured. Even now she could feel it, the beginning of her ‘undoing’ but for someone so focused on survival and the thrill of doing so she felt herself become strangely content.

Her little bomb would be the greatest, and if she was caught up in the explosion then so be it.

Silently, Jinx closed the door and got ready for sleep.

-The next morning-

 

Lux was a tried and tested soldier that had fought and seen things some thrice her age would pale at. Despite her gentle demeanor, Lux’s heart was surprisingly hardened against most horrors. That all being said, she most definitely did not shriek like a little girl when she woke up and saw two curious eyes peering down at her no matter what Jinx would later claim.

Heart pounding in her chest, Lux gripped at it painfully as Jinx continued to laugh from beside her. Lux shot her an annoyed look before looking at Annie who continued to stare at her unblinkingly.

“H-Hello…” Lux cleared her throat and smiled at Annie as she sat up. “You must be Annie, Jinx told me a lot about you.”

“Hi.” Annie’s lips curled up into a small smile. “Do you want to play?”

Lux was going to respond but stopped when she heard Annie’s stomach growl.

“How about we eat first, then play?” Lux offered kindly.

Annie tilted her head, thinking it over, before nodding. “Okay.”

“Don’t worry, Flashlight,” Jinx yawned. “I snagged your rod and sword last night as well and put them in my bag. I’ll show you where they are before you go play. Beating her is like the quickest way to get her to warm up to you.”

To her credit, after she nodded, it only took Lux three whole seconds to look at Jinx in confusion.

After all, why would she need her weapons to play with a little girl?

To be continued...  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Chapter 2: Lux's Demon

Summary:

Time flies as Lux thinks about her new lot in life and finds herself exhausted but happy. Jinx's bomb was her little demon, and while she had no idea what the hell she was doing, she'd still give it her all.

Notes:

Thanks for the love and support for the first chapter! I'm also glad the formatting came out okay, uploading ended up being easier than I expected. Not sure how many chapters this will end up being but I'll post as they come to me!

Betaed by: TheUndyingWill

Chapter 2: Lux’s Demon

Lux.

Was.

Tired.

Raising a child turned out to be much, much, harder than she had expected. If she could have, she would have penned a letter to every servant Lord and Lady Crownguard ordered to raise her thanking them for their sacrifice. Though, granted, Lux would like to assume she wasn’t as much of a handful as Annie.

Seriously, if you had ever told Lux she would have used her Final Spark, granted a much lower-powered one, on a child she’d have called you a liar and cursed you out for trying to assassinate her character.

But then she had her first “play date” with Annie and was forced to do just that. When the little girl didn’t get up for a bit, Lux feared she was about to get a bullet in the back of the head from Jinx and be sent straight to hell for killing a child. Instead, Annie bounced back up with proverbial stars in her eyes and Lux found herself gaining Annie’s respect and admiration. Which went a long way in mentoring the hellion.

Annie, to put it bluntly, was a demon.

But she was her demon damn it.

Yes, much to her surprise, Lux found herself attached to the little hellspawn she decided to help raise. Annie ran her ragged but Lux couldn’t help but be charmed by the adorable little girl. Annie really was just an energetic child, curious about the world, that had an intense desire to play.

The problem was that “playing” to Annie was causing destruction to everything around her. She was like Jinx, but worse. Jinx merely found amusement in the chaos itself that she wrought but Annie found pleasure in both that and the pain of those few survivors afterward.

Running into Jinx at the wrong time was a death sentence, but a quick one. Running into Annie meant a much slower, and much more painful experience.

- Flashback-

“Annie, no,” Lux warned as she knelt next to the girl and placed her hands on her shoulders. “Killing people when you don’t get your way is wrong.” 

Annie pouted, flames burning in her Irises, as she stared at possibly the one shopkeeper in the entire nation of Zaun who was willing to not sell a child alcohol.

“Jinx does it.”

Lux felt her eye twitch but took a deep breath. “Only when she’s working.” Lux countered as if that somehow made it better. “Or when someone attacks her first.”

And that was true, Lux was pleasantly (?) surprised to see that Jinx wasn’t running around killing people left and right when she felt like it. Jinx loved explosions, but that was it, the property she destroyed was either empty or the damage she would cause wouldn’t be too harmful to those caught in it. So far, Lux hadn’t seen Jinx take a life, she just knew the potential of Jinx picking up a contract because the Zaunite had told her she had done such work before.

“If she was here, what would she say to you killing this man?”  Lux asked.

“That that would be too easy,” Annie grumbled, digging the toe of her shoe into the ground as she hugged Tibbers. “She’d say trying to steal it would be much more fun. Or that blowing up the building would be more fun.”

Lux repressed a groan but nodded all the same, that was exactly what Jinx would say. Throughout all of this, the shopkeeper just paled at the conversation he was hearing.

“Yes, and why can’t you blow up the building?”

“Because there is too much alcohol,” Annie answered as she drew upon knowledge Jinx had taught her. “Alcohol is flammable so it would all go, then everyone plus her would be sad because there would be no more left.”

“Exactly,” Lux’s smile was only slightly forced as she rubbed the girl’s back who turned to face her. “Now why do you want alcohol?”

“I wanted to give it to Jinx, it would make her happy,” Annie answered and Lux’s heart melted a bit at that.

Annie was a little monster.

But she was a good kid deep down.

“That’s a great idea, you know, I want to make her happy too,” Lux told her. “Tell me, can you think of a way to make her happy that doesn’t involve destroying this shop or this poor man?”

“Uh…” Annie’s brow furrowed in thought, a cute pout on her face as she thought through the problem. Suddenly, she gasped and beamed at Lux. “Can…can you buy it for me?”

“I can! Good girl,” Lux praised and Annie’s smile widened as the blonde nodded toward the terrified shopkeeper to ring up the drink. “You love your games but there is a time and a place for them. This man is working so he can’t play right now. So, while burning this place down might be fun for you, the better option is to just depend on me. Always be willing to ask those close to you for help.”

“Like Tibbers?”

“Exactly, like Tibbers, but try to come to either myself or Jinx first,” Lux advised. After all, Tibbers was an extension of Annie’s power so relying upon him was the same as relying on herself. This wasn’t bad, but Lux wanted to nip Annie’s lone wolf habits in the bud. Lux needed Annie to depend on them as it would be the gateway to teaching Annie to depend on others as well.

Annie was a Noxian mage being raised in Zaun by Jinx and herself.

Lux was actually quite fond of Jinx, but the woman was insane. Still, she didn’t judge because though she would never admit it, Lux herself was almost just as bad. She just hid it better. Lux’s lifetime of hiding who she was, politics, betrayals, and nonstop pressure had done a number on her psyche though she hadn’t reached the point where she would start talking to her weapons.

That was okay though, Jinx said that her sword and rod were poor conversationalists.

Anyway, the point was that peace was never an option for Annie. The little girl would undoubtedly wake up and choose violence each and every day all while wearing that adorable smile of hers. Lux would never be able to stop the explosion that was Annie but she could at least teach said girl how to control it.

As Lux watched Annie jump up and place the money for the drinks on the counter, she felt her resolve deepen. When she grabbed the bottle and heard Annie thank the terrified man, Lux felt vindicated in her actions.

It would be a long a trying battle, but Annie would be able to live in society one day.

She just had to keep taking it one day at a time.

-Flashback: End-

Trying to instill morals into a child that had a bigger body count than some of the most seasoned Demacian soldiers was an uphill battle. Especially when said child fundamentally did not understand the morality of such actions.

Still, it was a battle Lux was willing to fight.

Lux was exhausted but it was the same sort of exhaustion she felt when she did missions for the Radiant. The exhaustion she felt was accompanied by a sense of purpose and duty. Morals did not stick to Annie well but slowly and surely Lux could see Annie turning to someone who could at least exist in society when needed.

Annie’s first response to anything mildly inconvenient was still to burn it down, but at least she would say sorry if she saw Lux distressed by her actions.

On the even rarer occasions, she’d even ask if she could burn something down first.

Progress!

Lux felt her lips twitch a bit as she leaned back in the chair that she was in. Morals aside, Lux saw that Annie was also an intelligent and curious child. Annie had a habit of not just destroying things, but dismantling them. The first time Lux saw this was when Annie snuck into Jinx’s workshop, the one room that Annie was not allowed in due to the explosives, and dismantled Fishbones.

When Lux saw this, she found herself, for once, extremely apprehensive of her current roommates’ reaction. Jinx was not one to get mad easily, but even she would have to draw the line somewhere. Yet, surprisingly, Jinx's reaction was far from being angry.

She was both amused and a bit proud.

-Flashback-

“Wow, you did this Firelight?” Jinx asked as she saw Annie play with a Hextech gemstone that Lux didn’t even know Jinx had in her weapon. Suddenly, what Lux thought was an admittedly cute rocket launcher became a much more fearsome weapon.

“Jinx, I’m sorry, I was making her a snack when this happened,” Lux apologized when she saw Jinx stalk toward Annie.

“No worries, my fault. I need to block off that room with a kid running around,” Jinx said as she squatted down to be eye-level with Annie. “The fact that you took it apart and didn’t break it or kill yourself is impressive, but you can’t just do that.”

“Why?” Annie asked genuinely curious as she continued to play with the gemstone.

“Fishbones…is special, he’s my Tibbers,” Jinx explained, and to Lux’s surprise, she saw Annie’s head whip up as something almost resembling guilt flashed across her face. Jinx tapped the stuffed bear tucked under Annie’s arm. “Would you like it if I took Tibbers apart?”

Annie rapidly shook her head. “No…”

Jinx chuckled a bit and held out her hand expectantly.

“Sorry,” Annie said as she gently placed the gemstone into Jinx’s palm. Now while Jinx expected the stone returned, she didn’t expect the apology. Jinx glanced toward Lux with a curious expression as if asking ‘did you teach her that?’

“Thanks,” Jinx said but she didn’t break eye contact with Lux, so the blonde didn’t know who she thanked at that moment. Still, she nodded with a hesitant smile all the same. Turning her attention back to Annie, Jinx pocketed the gemstone. “Now, I explained to you how explosives work and places where you-being a walking matchstick-should not be. My workshop is the number one place you should not be. So why did you do it?”

“I’m sorry, I just wanted to help,” Annie said and something about her words made a look of pain flash across Jinx’s face. It was brief, oh so brief, but it lasted just long enough for Lux to know that she never wanted to see it again.

It just looked, wrong.

Birds fly, fish swim, and Jinx smiles. That’s how it should be. To see something else felt as though she just saw a crime against nature.

“You’re always working on it, so I thought if I helped, we could have more time to play,” Annie explained. “You’re gone a lot.”

Jinx’s fist tightened as she took a deep breath. “I know,” Jinx answered. “If I could play more often I would, but you see, Firelight, I’m not the smartest person in the world.”

Now both Lux and Annie looked at her in confusion. Jinx wasn’t the most powerful in the household but Lux had quickly realized that Jinx was a true genius. Lux once heard her mumbling while working and when she took a peek at Jinx’s notes, she saw calculations that made her head hurt even now just trying to remember them.

“See, until I met you, I didn’t care about the future. It wasn’t happening now so why bother, right?” Jinx asked and Annie nodded as if that made perfect sense. “I worked to pay for my toys and eat to survive to the next day. Now, though, I have two people to watch out for all of a sudden, and because I never saw this coming, I have to work really hard to make up for lost time. I have to work hard so that you and Flashlight can eat and a bunch of other stuff I couldn’t when I was as small as you.”

Lux felt her eyes burn a bit but said nothing as she watched the scene play out.

“Soon, I’ll be able to play with you until you’re sick of it but I need a bit more time,” Jinx told her. “Sorry I’m so slow, but you can be patient for me right, Firelight?” When Annie nodded, Jinx grinned and ruffled her hair. “Here, take this. Made it just for you,” Jinx said as she handed Annie a toy monkey made out of scrap. “There is a present in it for you, but it’s a bit harder to take apart than you might think. If you can take it apart, get the present, and put it back together I’ll let you help me build some toys. How’s that sound?”

Annie’s eyes lit up at the prospect as she urgently shoved her hands forward. “Gimme monkey!”

Lux cleared her throat and gave Annie a pointed look which made the child sigh. “Please,” Annie added with an annoyed pout which made Lux smirk a bit. Jinx just laughed and handed her the toy.

-Flashback: END-

Lux was just glad Jinx wasn’t forced to use  Zapper  which she, unfortunately, needed to during some of Annie’s particularly violent tantrums. It hurt both of them to have to use it, but it was the only safe way to stop Annie and get her to sleep off whatever put her in that mood. Fortunately, the time between these incidents grew further and further apart.

Since the night Annie dismantled Fishbones, Lux would constantly catch Annie trying to take apart the monkey puzzle to no avail. Whatever Jinx did to it made it almost impossible to open. Annie could have just blown it apart but Jinx’s stipulation of putting the monkey back together meant that Annie couldn’t use her magic to destroy it.

And just like that, Jinx managed to force Annie to learn a lesson Lux had tried and failed to teach her multiple times.

To not always depend on magic.

As a little girl, Annie’s magic was her biggest, and honestly only, weapon in her arsenal. It kept her alive all this time so her dependence on it was understandable. Still, Lux shuddered at the thought of one of the assassins targeting Annie being wise enough to use petricite before Jinx had met her. 

The fact that none had tried that yet was a miracle in itself.

Yet despite trying to teach Annie this lesson, Lux couldn’t help but feel a bit hypocritical as she had to recently be taught a similar lesson.

-Flashback-

“Hey Flashlight! Catch!” Jinx called out and Lux only had a moment to react before she found herself catching a handgun. “That’s yours.”

Lux blinked as she looked down at the surprisingly heavy weapon before looking back at Jinx. “But I have my weapons? I don’t need this.” Jinx laughed at that and before Lux could react, a purple streak of light was the last thing she saw before she found herself with her back slammed against a wall. “J-Jinx!” Lux exclaimed as she found herself pinned in place with Jinx’s Zapper pressed against her temple. 

“Right now, what do you do, Flashlight?” Jinx questioned curiously while gazing into Lux’s wide blue eyes. “You can’t unsheathe your sword or your rod. Maybe you know a spell or two you could use right now but what if I have Petricite? Don’t mageseekers carry that on them?” Jinx grinned. “Tell me, what are you gonna do?”

A chill ran down Lux’s spine and suddenly her mouth felt a bit dry as she felt Jinx press against her body more firmly. Lux could feel the blood rushing to her face as she stared into Jinx’s bright pink eyes and quickly jabbed the barrel of the gun into the madwoman’s side. 

Jinx laughed then.

“Thatta’ girl.” Jinx praised before giving Lux a peck on her cheek and ruffling her hair just like she did with Annie. As Jinx turned and skipped away, Lux slid down the wall, staring after Jinx with wide eyes. Unknowingly, Jinx had awakened something other than a new sense of self-preservation in Lux.

As Lux sat there, still stunned, Annie walked into the room after being alerted by the noise. Looking at Lux, Annie shrugged off her current as the grown-ups being weird again and moved close to the blonde.

“What’s this button do?” Annie questioned, snapping Lux out of her stupor. Lux watched Annie kneel and press a button on the gun before Lux could snatch it away from the child. Only after Annie pressed the button did Lux notice the flashlight attachment on the gun which now lit up a dark corner of the room.

At this, Lux’s face flushed when she realized Jinx gave ‘Flashlight’ a flashlight.

“Really Jinx!?”

Lux’s only response was the sound of Jinx’s cackles.

-Flashback: End-

Jinx.

If there was a single reason Lux was certain that she was only hanging onto her sanity by a thread it was Jinx. Jinx was both everything and nothing that she expected. For Lux, it was very easy to forget that Jinx was only human as she oftentimes seemed like a force of nature.

Jinx was a storm that destroyed everything and reshaped the land itself and the only two blessed enough to be in the eye of this storm were herself and Annie. Inside of it, they knew they were safe even as the world around them was decimated.

Lux may have been tired, but that didn’t mean that Jinx wasn’t carrying her weight. Oh no, far from it. With Lux tasked with teaching Annie how to control her magic and how to be a functioning member of society, Jinx was the sole provider for them.

It was because of Jinx that Lux and Annie could even go out into Zaun with relatively no problem. They’d get odd looks now and then but no one would bother them.

-Flashback-

“Yay! Can you do Tibbers too?” Annie questioned now sporting a small blue cloud painted onto her cheek.

“That would mess up his fur, but here,” Jinx said as she pulled out a small pin that had a blue cloud on it and fastened it onto the stuffed bear's chest like a little badge. “Made it just for him.”

“Thanks!” Annie said, hugging the bear tightly before skipping off. Jinx laughed before returning her attention to Lux.

“Man, you sure squirm a lot.” Jinx mused as she held Lux’s hip tighter so that she could finish painting a decent-sized cloud on the blonde.

“It tickles,” Lux complained, her face red. It wasn’t the quickest process, and Lux was sure her moving around made it take longer. Despite this, Jinx was surprisingly patient and waited for her to settle down before she continued her work on the temporary tattoo she was drawing. “Sorry.”

Jinx laughed. “No worries, it’ll get done eventually.”

“Why are we doing this again?”

“Consider it your way to protect the people of Zaun or whatever equally virtuous reason that would make you happy,” Jinx said which made Lux look at her in confusion especially since Jinx had never shown any sign of patriotism for her people.

“How is painting a cloud on me protecting the people of Zaun?”

“Zaun is full of idiots, people with hard heads that just don’t listen, me included,” Jinx laughed. “Down here, actions speak louder than words. If you just say you two are with me, you’ll be ignored and people will try to get to you. If you show them, they’ll back off.”

“And this shows that I’m with you?” Lux questioned as she looked at the cloud tattoos on Jinx’s body.

“Yeah, down in Zaun marriages are rare and adoption doesn’t require any real paperwork. The bond you have and your interactions should be proof enough.” Jinx explained. “People should be able to take a glance at you and just feel a hint of me there too,” Jinx told her. “If you carry yourself like you belong here with just a hint of my aesthetic, people will leave you alone. It’s just like how the thugs that walk the streets rep whichever Chembaron they work for. Don’t worry though, the tattoo is temporary, not like I’m asking you to marry me or anything.”

So caught off guard by that thought Lux didn’t notice her finish. Jinx then grabbed some eye-liner and moved to straddle Lux on the seat, something that made Lux’s heart pound loudly in her chest.

“Good, now the eyes,” Jinx said before she gently grasped her face and applied the black eye-liner she and Annie used. At first, Lux wasn’t sure how she felt about Annie wearing the make-up, such a thing of a child that young was unheard of in Demacia. That said, Jinx told her that Annie had worn it long before they met and that she wasn’t going to stop Annie from expressing herself.

For a child, Annie appeared quite intimidating but perhaps that was best given that they now lived in Zaun.

“A little girl from Noxus, and a Demacian beauty like yourself? You two are easily the most beautiful things down here,” Jinx continued. “People down here try to take beauty for themselves and while I’m sure they’d be in for a nasty surprise if they tried to hurt either of you, accidents happen.”

Lux frowned a bit at that as Jinx finished applying the make-up. “So, protecting us is protecting Zaun? Sorry, I’m just not seeing the connection though I do appreciate the sentiment.”

Jinx chuckled at this and put the make-up down. ”Flashlight, look at me,” Jinx said as she grabbed both sides of Lux’s face. If Jinx noticed the way Lux’s pupils dilated or how she swallowed nervously, she didn’t say anything. “If something happened to either of you, I would level this whole fucking country.”

Lux swallowed at that, there was no false-bravado, no hesitation, Jinx meant what she said and Lux believed her. Lux didn’t know how, but she knew that Jinx could turn Zaun into a wasteland if provoked.

And given the shocked stares the three of them received when they took a trip into the city, Lux realized that the residents of Zaun knew this as well.

-Flashback: End-

Jinx was a good-no-she was a great provider surprisingly, and when it came to raising Annie an even better partner. Yes she was crazy, an international criminal birthed from one of the worst slums in Runeterra, and everything her family stood against.

Yet…

…Lux had seen her be a parent that put her own to shame. More often than not, Lux would find herself frozen in place as she watched Jinx care for Annie, captivated by the warmth created in a household filled by those written off by society.

The longer Lux spent with Jinx, the deeper Lux felt herself falling into her chaos and Lux had already given up trying to stop her descent. Lux being damn near the closest thing to a princess Demacia had, what with her almost betrothal to the prince, had no shortage of would-be suitors. Yet despite their wealth, power, and influence none of them could give her what Jinx had.

-Flashback-

“Freedom,” Jinx told Lux that very night the three of them had gone into the city for the first time. “That’s what you’re feeling, Flashlight. It’s the most addicting drug in Zaun, and trust me, Zaun has a lot of those.”

“Freedom,” Lux repeated as she continued to stare down at her bowl of…tentacles? Whatever it was looked completely unappealing but the way Jinx and Annie were downing their ‘food’ suggested that there might be more to it than what met the eye. Lux ignored the glances those around them and passing by shot their little family and turned to Jinx. “And by that you mean…?”

“Flashlight, it’s Zaun, there is no one thing freedom can mean,” Jinx told her looking amused. “You’re a mage.” Lux flinched at Jinx's casual admittance of that fact and had to fight the urge to shush her. Jinx hadn’t shouted but she hadn’t whispered it either and Lux knew a couple of people had to have heard her. “No one is going to do shit though.”

And no one did.

Those who had heard gave her shocked glances and seemed to grow fearful. Though the fear seemed to be more from the fact that Jinx had mage wearing her marks rather than from Lux being a mage at all.

“You’re powerful,” Jinx told her. “And you don’t have to hide it anymore.”

It was then that Annie seemed to have gotten a bit bored and decided to amuse herself by having Tibbers dance for her. Fortunately, Annie didn’t make the bear grow, but it was on fire as it danced on the table while she giggled.

One person fainted, again, likely from Jinx having access to two mages now but the rest either shot surprised looks or shook their heads before deciding to mind their own business.

It was…jarring…Lux realized as she felt the apprehension bleed from her body. To go from fearing anyone learning about what she was to simply…existing with her true nature being known. Lux turned back to her ‘food’ and finally took a bite, almost gasping when the explosion of flavors hit her tongue.

Lady Crownguard would have had a heart attack if she saw how fast Lux downed her food while Jinx just looked at her with her ever-present smile.

“Take it you liked it,” Jinx teased Lux while patting her back. “How’s it taste?”

As the warmth of the broth seemed to feel her body, Lux wasn’t sure if Jinx meant the food or freedom but either way Lux answered. 

“Great,” Lux whispered. “Really, really, great.”

-Flashback: End-

And that’s how things tended to go. Jinx took them out every day for a couple of weeks after that. Familiarizing them with Zaun and how to survive in the city in case they went out on their own. While Zaun was known as lawless it did have some rules which varied from turf to turf.

Depending on which Chembaron’s territory you were in, the rules changed. Jinx explained the rules of each Baron to them as well in an almost conversational manner as if she knew them all personally.

-Flashback-

“Yeah, so, the Chembarons in the east and west districts had a deal fall through which is why mentioning either Baron in the other’s territory might get someone shot,” Jinx told an incredulous Lux who had Annie sitting on her lap while Jinx explained the dos and don’ts in each territory. “They do manage to work well enough together not break the alliance but yeah, outside of that it’s a blood bath. That’s the last of the rules you need to know. Feel free to ignore them all though, you’re with me.”

“Wait what?” Lux asked incredulously. Jinx just spent all that time telling her the laws of the land just to turn around and tell her to ignore them.

“Yeah, shit doesn’t matter to us,” Jinx said with a shrug. “I just told you cause’ you seemed like a stickler for rules. You know, being an ex-cop and all that.”

Lux couldn’t help the snort that escaped her. Only Jinx would sum up all of her past duties and obligations into the single role of “cop”.

“So, all these rules, rules that people have been shot in broad daylight for ignoring, just don’t apply?” Lux questioned and she shook her head in wonder at Jinx’s nod. “Just who are you?”

Jinx’s grin widened but somehow it didn’t reach her eyes like her smiles usually did.

“I’m just Jinx,” Jinx answered. “Jinx stands for-”

“Mom,” Annie interrupted. Jinx froze and Lux blinked owlishly before looking down at the girl she held. Annie frowned to herself but nodded as if she had just solved a puzzle that only she knew about. “Jinx stands for mom,” Annie repeated before she tilted her head up and looked into Lux’s eyes with a wide grin. “So does Lux, right?” 

Well.

Shit.

Annie then frowned in thought. “But I already had a mom.”

“It’s okay,” Jinx said, her voice sounding suspiciously tight. “I had three dads myself.”

Annie seemed to perk up at this. “Well now I have four moms,” Annie said smugly as if she had just won a contest. “The second one was mean though. I didn’t like her like you two and had to make her go away. The first one left and never came back, but she did give me Tibbers.” Annie told them, holding her bear tightly. “Will you two go away too?”

Lux somehow managed to find her voice, knowing that she had to speak after seeing Jinx’s mind had seemingly stopped working altogether for the moment.

“We’ll stay as long as we can,” Lux told her honestly. If she promised to be there forever and then something happened to herself or Jinx, she knew Annie would likely lose the ability to trust altogether. So, instead, she just promised to do their best which is all any of them could. Annie seemed satisfied by this and nodded.

After Annie did the impossible task of rendering Jinx speechless as Lux did the even harder task of not crying, Annie leaned back in Lux’s arms and went to sleep. She had been tired from Jinx’s surprisingly long lecture that ended up being pointless.

Quietly, Lux stood up and placed Annie down gently in her seat before moving toward the frozen form of Jinx. Lux didn’t say anything, she didn’t have to, and wrapped the frozen woman in her arms. Annie had once told Lux that Jinx’s blood was pretty…

…But Lux doubted that they were as pretty as the woman’s tears. Though Lux made a silent promise then that she’d do her best to make sure that Jinx would only shed them out of joy moving forward like now.

-Flashback: End-

Any intrusive thoughts that Lux had about possibly going back to Demacia, undercover of course, to see how things were holding up and to let her family know she was okay kind of died that night. It was the only time Annie had called either of them her mother. Now, Annie just called them Jinx and Lux which made sense as they meant the same thing in Annie’s mind and made it easier to differentiate them.

Lux was screwed.

Why?

Because she had an innate inability to do things halfway. Maybe it was the Crownguard in her, but when she set out to do something she did her absolute best to do it, and do it well. Up until this point, she tried to be more of a mentor to Annie. Someone that could help her control her magic, maybe even a sister figure.

This made it easy to clearly define her role in Annie’s life, but since that night things had changed. Everything became much more real and every action she made seemed ten times more impactful than originally.

A young girl, an orphan mage, one that she had helped raise had called her mom.

A little girl that, while a handful to say the least, she adored called her mom.

How was she ever supposed to not go all-in after that?

Lux shut her eyes as she thought about her current situation. To say that time had flown would be an understatement. Days flew past as she focused on taking care of Annie and supporting Jinx, her chosen family. Jinx had kidnapped her at the start of the year and now it was halfway through autumn.

Winter would soon be upon them, and while not as brutal Demacia, Zaunite winters were nothing to scoff at, especially with so much nearby sea. Lux wasn’t an idiot and knew Jinx no doubt had plans to deal with the approaching winter.

Lux never asked and Jinx never told, but Lux knew Jinx had a decent amount of money saved up by now. Jinx had made a passing comment once about there being no issue if they had to relocate on the fly. That said, Lux in good conscience couldn’t let Jinx shoulder that alone.

No.

This had long stopped being about her ‘repaying’ Jinx for breaking her out of her cell. Lux was invested and had been for quite some time in hindsight. Jinx was an endless fountain of energy yet there were times after she would be gone for days just to come back bruised, battered, and run ragged.

Whatever jobs Jinx was taking now were on an entirely different level than the ones she previously accepted for fun. Lux had suspicions that Jinx was working directly with the Chembarons now. Jinx’s exhaustion mirrored how she would feel after the Radiant gave her a difficult task. Some nights, though rare, Lux would catch Jinx drinking but not for pleasure but rather to try and get herself through the night.

Jinx was going to get herself killed at this rate.

And Lux wasn’t going to let that happen.

“Hey Flashlight, sorry for the wait, you won’t believe how hard it is to find blue paint in Zaun,” Jinx said as she entered the room, snapping Lux from her thoughts. “Give me a second to get situated and I’ll paint your mark so you can head out-”

“I’m going to Piltover,” Lux said without preamble which made Jinx pause. “I have an account that I set up there a while ago just in case my secret was ever found out,” Lux explained as gently as she could. “I want to get everything out today.”

“Gotcha, no problem,” Jinx told her and though her voice was as chipper as usual, Lux cursed to herself as she saw some of the light leave Jinx’s eyes. 

Never let it be said that Lux was a bad Illuminator. She was easily one of the best and her ability to read people was second to none, which was why Sylas’ betrayal had been so jarring for her. Still, while she did misjudge him, she did not misjudge Jinx.

No, Lux would gladly say that she was the only one who really knew Jinx even if that was because no one else bothered to try. Jinx had abandonment issues that ran deep and a whole slew of mental issues that would likely never be treated.

She was a mess.

But she was Lux’s mess.

“Jinx, look at me,” Lux told her firmly which made Jinx‘s gaze meet her own. “I’m not going anywhere. I will be right back,” Lux promised. “Once I’m back, we can put my money wherever you keep yours. I know you, I know you have something planned for the winter, but I want to help.”

“But you do help,” Jinx said, her voice filled with an almost child-like confusion. “You make things better. You help shut the voices up and take care of Annie when I’m out.”

Lux forced a smile on her face. “Yes, and while I’m glad to hear that, I want to help out more. If we want Annie to have the best, we both need to give it our all. I need to go to Piltover, but I can’t and won’t go if I know you think I’m just going to run off the second I step out of Zaun.”

“I don’t think that I- shut up-she’s not saying that!” Jinx hissed to whatever voice had decided to taunt the poor woman at that moment. Lux grit her teeth when she heard this as this was what had made her so hesitant to do this.

Annie was a bomb…

…But so was Jinx and Lux refused to be the fuse that set them off. If Lux left and caused Jinx a mental breakdown from her myriad of complexes and insecurities, Annie would get caught up in that and both would end up hurt. The only way to stop this would be to stop Jinx from blowing up altogether.

Lux also didn’t want to bring Jinx with her, Lux was arguably just as paranoid as Jinx was right now, she’d admit it. Lux would never forgive herself if accompanying her to Piltover was the one time Jinx actually ended up caught in the other city. Jinx’s escape rate be damned, she wasn’t risking it. Plus, she needed someone to look after Annie as the girl simply wasn’t ready to navigate a place like Piltover.

People going missing in Zaun rose far fewer eyebrows than people going missing in Piltover.

As Lux watched Jinx’s mental state begin to deteriorate, her voice torn between trying to reassure Lux that she believed her while her very mind told her otherwise, Lux felt her heart break for the woman who was broken by the world.

It was a sad and frightening sight every time Jinx got to this point, and Lux always made sure Annie was far away or asleep when it happened. Lux herself would never get used to it but then again, she never wanted to. Lux would never want to be desensitized to Jinx’s pain no matter how much it hurt her too.

Anyone else that Lux knew would have left a long time ago, way before things could get this heavy, but Lux wasn’t them. Lux had to stay, she had to be there for Jinx and she wasn’t in denial about just why either.

Lux loved Annie.

But Annie wasn’t the only one she loved in this house.

Lux’s eyes burned and she grit her teeth when she realized that even if she told Jinx, who was now desperately clutching at her head, those three powerful words they would simply fall on deaf ears. Or worse, those damned voices in her head would twist those beautiful words into something sinister to use against Jinx.

“Jinx…Jinx…Jinx, look at me!” Lux pleaded desperately, heart thumping loudly in her chest as she managed to get Jinx’s attention. Jinx’s eyes met hers and Lux knew she had her attention for a little bit at least. Lux had to think fast, this was a situation that words alone simply wouldn’t fix. No, Lux needed to act. To offer up something that would leave no doubt about how she felt or her attentions. “Don’t use the paint.”

Jinx’s brow furrowed as she looked at Lux in confusion. “W-what? Shut up Mylo! She’s not ashamed of my mark!”

Lux gritted her teeth and seethed, vowing to find some way to ‘kill’ this ‘Mylo’ voice one day. Out of all of them, this one caused her the most issues.

“She’s right, I’m not ashamed,” Lux said, golden light filling her once blue irises as she felt her temper began to rise. Jinx looked up at her in surprise, no one had ever addressed one of the voices before. People who tried to talk her down would just bombard her with words that hurt while the voices continued their torment uncontested. “Which is why I don’t want you to use paint.” Lux took a deep breath and warm blue eyes met Jinx once more. “Use ink.”

The voices shut up.

“W-what?” Jinx questioned.

“You heard me,” Lux said before she swallowed nervously. If everything she had done up to this point would have managed not to give her mother a stroke, this would. “I want the real thing,” Lux said as she let the significance of that hang for a moment. “I want to be yours.”

Jinx was stunned, struck silent by the declaration as Lux slowly walked forward and wrapped her in a tight hug. Twin trails of bright, glowing, pink tears slid down Jinx’s cheeks before she finally spoke.

“Are…are you real?”

“Yes, Jinx, I’m real,” Lux whispered and she repeated that answer, gladly, each and every time Jinx asked that question while she worked on the tattoo. Even through gritted teeth and hisses of pain, Lux still answered Jinx’s question as the needle dug into her hip.

Lux was going to be sore as hell when all was said and done.

But it was worth it.

Especially after she saw the smile Jinx had when she finished.

Lux winced when she stood up and knew she was going to get some strange looks limping around in Piltover, but she had a plan and she was not going to stray from it. Jinx, still a bit hesitant, bid her farewell when she went to leave but she appeared much more stable than earlier.

Eventually, Annie woke up and it was Jinx who had to do the usual morning routines such as making sure the girl ate and bathed as well as assisting her with some basic lessons Lux usually helped her with much to Annie’s dismay. In Zaun, general education was up to a child’s parents to teach them, and eventually, the kids would find some unofficial mentor to teach them the ropes of whatever trade they decided to get into. Together, Lux and Jinx had made a decision, Lux would teach her general education and magic and when Annie finally figured out the monkey puzzle, Jinx would take her under her wing.

Annie had the potential, intelligence, and not to mention the power, to become whatever she wanted one day. Still, it didn’t hurt to lay out a path for her to walk on until she found her way. Being an inventor would give her the skills and a mindset that could help her anywhere just like they did for Jinx.

“Where’s Lux?” Annie questioned a few hours later after she solved the handful of equations Jinx had jotted down for her.

“Topside, but she’ll be back,” Jinx said nonchalantly even as the corner of her mouth twitched ever so slightly. “She’ll be back.”

Soon, the doorknob to the front door jiggled and Jinx jumped from her chair and blitzed to the door. She opened the door in record time, and sure enough a slightly disheveled Lux. Lux blinked at Jinx’s sudden appearance but soon smiled all the same.

“Sorry I’m late, I was halfway through Zaun with a sore hip and way too much money in my hands before I remembered I could fly.” Lux laughed, her cheeks reddening slightly as she walked in and placed a suitcase down. “Good news, I didn’t have to kill anyone for trying to mug me, bad news, my hair was not meant for flying,” Lux said as she ran a hand through her now messy hair. “Anyway, I’m back!”

“Lux!” Annie cheered before she rushed forward and hugged Lux tightly. “Please don’t let Jinx teach me math anymore, her questions hurt.”

“Hey! They’re not that bad.” Jinx pouted.

Lux giggled before she kissed her cheek. “They kind of are,” Lux said before she froze after she realized what she did. Jinx froze too, for a second, before she gave Lux a large grin that did reach her eyes. “Uh-I-er-I’m sorry-”

“Welcome back, Flashlight,” Jinx interrupted before pressing her lips to Lux’s. Jinx’s hand trailed down to Lux’s hip and traced the sensitive skin where her tattoo was. When they broke apart, Lux was beaming as she rested her forehead against Jinx’s.

“Glad to be back,”  Lux whispered. Below them, Annie looked between the two with a smile that soon shifted into a look of disgust.

“Ew.”

To be continued…

Chapter 3: Their Investment

Summary:

Jinx has to make a decision and she and Lux talk about just how much and what they are investing into their future.

Notes:

Thanks for the support once again, here is chapter 3 of the handful of chapters I have written. Updates will slow down to a normal pace when I finish uploading this batch but in the meantime please enjoy the newest chapter!

Betaed by: TheUndyingWill

Chapter 3: Their Investment

Stepping into the meeting chamber of the Chembarons always hit Jinx with an unwanted wave of nostalgia. When she was a little girl, her dad would bring her along to show her how things worked though he did keep her away from the really important meetings until she got older.

The alliance was filled with Chembarons of equal power, but once upon a time they did have an actual leader, one that gave them their precious nation of Zaun.

They may not have always agreed, not even with him, but they did respect one another and the gift he gave them. Even now, Jinx could see his seat at the end of the table. It was still there and still empty as a sign of respect.

“Hello~” Jinx practically sang as she entered the room unceremoniously, causing most of them to tense. Jinx skipped to the table and placed a briefcase down on it. When she popped it open, they could all see a dozen Hextech gemstones shining within it. “Here you go, I’ll take mine and the rest is yours,” Jinx said as she plucked one from the briefcase and turned away from them. “I’ll be back for the gold later, bye~”

“Jinx, wait,” a voice stopped her mid-skip before she could leave. With a raised eyebrow, she looked back at them and saw the Chembaron, Velveteen Lenare, rise from her seat. Velveteen was a tall woman and whether she had always been or she simply made the prosthetic body her head was attached taller than her original one, Jinx didn’t know.

“What’s up?” Jinx asked both curious and a bit annoyed that she was stopped from going straight home to tell Lux she finally had a replacement stone for her teleporter. “I’ve got you your stones, right? Just drop the money off in the usual spot and I’ll come to pick it up later.”

“Yes, I’m quite aware of the procedure but if you could wait just a moment, we would like to…talk,” Velveteen informed her, piquing her curiosity. After all, she had explosives buried everywhere in Zaun-these chambers included-if they were going to try and pull a fast one, they’d be dead. “We’ve sent multiple of our best men out to get these stones and they are all either dead or in prison.”

Jinx nodded slowly, to show that she was paying attention.

Jinx knew all this.

It’s why they hired her to begin with.

“Yet, you’ve gotten us quite a bounty of them.” Velveteen continued.

“Yeah, like I always do.”

“Yes, though lately, we’ve noticed that you’ve managed to do so without drawing attention to yourself,” Velveteen said and it was true. Unlike their usual dealings with Jinx, there had been little to no collateral damage.

This was unheard of.

“Well, duh, you paid me to work not play,” Jinx said as if it were obvious. Jinx had two rates for her services. One where she was allowed to play which was much cheaper as the havoc she caused was rewarding enough. Then there was one where she worked. This cost more because it meant she couldn’t have fun. She just did the job which was so boring.

Well, unless she ran into Camille. It was a fifty-fifty shot whether or not robo-granny could catch her while she was being stealthy. One notable time she got the drop on Camille was when she kidnapped her with her teleporter a while back to play with everyone.

Ever since then when she ran into the cyborg, Jinx and Camille would play. During the times Jinx would lose and Camille left her for dead, she would swear she saw a hint of amusement in the stoic woman’s eyes.

Camille would also seem a bit pleased to see Jinx pop back up after healing accompanied with new tactics to give her the upper hand on the cyborg.

See, Jinx knew people liked her games!

But back to the matter at hand.

“Right,” Velveteen said with a slow nod. “We paid you to work but we just couldn’t help but notice that you haven’t offered to play in quite some time.” Velveteen pointed out. “It’s as if you need the money which makes no sense. We’ve paid you far more than enough to retire five times over. Not even a complete invalid could spend all of that.”

“What are you getting at?” Jinx interrupted. She was bored with this talk and just wanted to get to the point.

“We know about your family,” Velveteen told her and Jinx paused.

“What? That’s it?” Jinx asked incredulously. “Well duh, I’d hope so, it’s not a secret or anything. We go out to eat like, all the time.” Jinx told her. “What? Do you think you have something on me? If you think they’re a weakness you’re in for a rude awakening, toots.”

Despite herself, Velveteen felt herself smirk a bit.

“On the contrary, instead of a weakness, myself and the others see them as more of…a bridge to communicate so to speak.” Velveteen explained before gesturing toward the other Chembarons with one of her metallic hands.  “We’re all different and have our unique motives and dealings, but if there is one thing that we understand it is family and the desire to do right by them. Which is why we were pleased by this development.”

“Because you think you have something on me?” Jinx guessed with a dry expression.

“Because, we can see you’re human,” Velveteen corrected. “And humans, no matter how lost, can be reasoned with if you know the correct angle. Everyone has a price, and you’ve finally shown us yours which is the well-being of your family.” Velveteen then raised her metallic hands as if to show she meant no harm. “That said, none of us are foolish enough to try and do anything against your family.”

“She’s right,” another Chembaron, Saito Takeda, said gruffly. It pained him to admit it, especially while being one of the more violent and ambitious of the Chembarons. “Luxanna Crownguard’s reputation rivals even yours after she was exposed.  Her medals and honors are plentiful. Attacking a soldier, much less a mage, of that Caliber would be a waste of men even if we had all the Petricite in the world."

Jinx’s eyes snapped to him and he just snorted.

“What? You’re a child of Zaun, Jinx, and one of its most feared. You may have the rest of the world fooled, but we are quite familiar with your work.” Saito told her simply. “Your alibi is sound. I know not how you traversed that much land in an instant especially since there are no Hexgates in Demacia. Still, you may consider that unknown variable another reason we won’t move against you.”

Jinx glanced amongst them apprehensively, her confusion evident in her eyes. “So, what do you guys want?”

Velveteen smiled and gestured toward the empty seat. “For you to finally take your spot. Silco birthed our nation but we all know it would have been impossible without you. All of Zaun knows that. You’re a storm and that storm was his secret weapon, one which all of us Chembarons would like to have with us.”

“That storm killed him,” Jinx reminded her, her expression for once completely void of emotion.

“Indeed, it did,” The Chembaron, Wincher Spindlaw, said with a sinister grin. He was a Chembaron that got his position by killing his predecessor. He was an extremely violent man who saw the carnage as a business.

He was also quite a fan of Jinx’s work.

Well at least someone understood her art, even if it was the crazy Chembaron.

“Silco did his best,” Velveteen said as she shot Wincher a warning glance which only made him chuckle. “But he couldn’t control that storm and neither can we. The only one capable of such a feat is the storm itself, you, and up until recently, you lacked the key component required to control it. The one thing vital to all Zaunites, ambition.”

“Ambition?” Jinx repeated and Velveteen nodded.

“Yes, I’ve heard the tales from Sevika and Silco once regaled me with a few of his own. When your ambition was to please him, you split a nation in two.” Velveteen told her. “Had it not been for your treacherous sister who turned her back on her people, her family, for those who took everything from you who knows how far we would have gone?”

Jinx clenched her fists tightly but said nothing.

“You’re one thing your sister never was, loyal,” Velveteen told her. “Though I’m no fool, I know that your loyalty belongs to your family, not Zaun. Though I do believe that somewhere, deep down in the madness, there remains some loyalty to your father’s dream. So, I offer this, join us and make Zaun the best place for your family to be. You don’t break things that belong to you, you make them better, join us and Zaun will belong to you as it does us.”

“You want to chain me down.” Jinx realized and Velveteen laughed.

“We want to ensure that if someone moves on our nation, you and yours will be here to stop them,” Velveteen revealed. “You may still come and go as you please, we cannot stop you, and you can continue to use Zaun as a haven from your crimes abroad. That said, things are breaking. Things like the machines and filtration systems that allow Zaun to be habitable in the first place. Time is making its effects known to them and we don’t know how to repair them. I’d rather go to you than to ask the damned Topside for assistance.”

Even Jinx, as unpatriotic as she was, felt her lips curve into a sneer at that.

“Most importantly, however, is morale.” Velveteen continued. “Their numbers are few, but day after day those damnable Firelights grow in number. Soon, they will have a force that will split Zaun much like you split Piltover.”

“Every victory that boy and those fools have against us pushes us closer and closer to the edge,” Saito muttered. “The fool doesn’t understand that we maintain order and promote trade. Should he get rid of us, a power vacuum unlike any before will consume this nation. A vacuum that will destroy those lives that he’s trying so hard to ‘protect’. This is why we even bothered to maintain this alliance in the first place!”

Saito slammed his fist against the table and Velveteen sighed before turning back to Jinx. It was an open secret that Saito was using his position as a stepping stone to obtaining even greater glory so they doubted that he genuinely cared about the people more than his foothold. If anything, he was just angered by the sheer stupidity of dismantling a government with no replacement ready.

Jinx understood though. it had always been a joke to her, it was the sheer comedy of it all that had made her want Ekko to succeed if only to see his face when things fell apart.

She could see it now.

Ekko would win, get rid of the Chembarons, and try to take charge. Heimerdinger had already influenced him so much that she knew he would reach out to Piltover for aid even if he hated them. When that happened, they would be positioned to place whoever they wanted in charge of Zaun and soon things would return to how they were before.

With enforcers roaming the streets of Zaun leaving nothing but orphans in their wake.

Ekko would be distraught and Jinx would laugh long and hard at the sheer hilarity of it all as Zaunites would once again kill themselves for Piltover’s scraps.

“The sons and daughters of Zaun deserve more than their runoff, Jinx.”

An image of Annie flashed through Jinx’s mind.

And just like that, the joke lost all of its humor.

No.

That wasn’t right, Ekko was supposed to be the punchline, not Annie.

Jinx could always relocate them now that she had a new stone for her teleporter, but where? Demacia was a no go as was Piltover. She’d be able to work in Bilgewater since she once made an acquaintance of a cool pirate lady during her travels. Problem was that joining her crew and working on the sea would have her away from home even longer than she already was.

Noxus was a no-go as they would continue their hunt for Annie and try to kill Lux on sheer principle even if she was no longer part of Demacia.

Ionia or Ixtal would probably be their best bet as Freljord was way too cold and who the fuck wanted to move to a place called the Shadow Isles? Granted, Annie might feel right at home, but Lux probably wouldn’t like it too much.

Shit.

Zaun was really their best bet as even going to Ionia or Ixtal would be a bitch and a half to get situated logistically. Jinx had gotten lost five times over there tracking down Yasuo, she’d need months at least to get the lay of the land down right.

And that was ignoring the active fighting between Noxus and Ionia.

Suddenly Zaun’s survival became intertwined with the well-being of her family which means that Jinx had to suddenly, much to her displeasure, care a bit about what happened to the cesspool.

“How am I supposed to help with morale?” Jinx finally asked. “I’m Jinx.”

“Exactly, you’re Jinx,” Velveteen told her though her name didn’t sound like a curse from the woman’s lips. It sounded, almost, like a good thing? “You’re a legend, everyone knows and fears or respects you. You’ve run circles around the Firelights multiple times and single-handedly kept their numbers manageable in your earlier years.”

Her earlier years…

…shit! Was she…was she getting old?

Seeing the look of horror flash across Jinx’s face made Velveteen laugh loudly.

“Worry not, my girl, you’re not even halfway through your twenties, you have time,” Velveteen told her. “Still, if you ever want a new body, let me know.”

“Nah, I just got mine how I like it,” Jinx told her matter-of-factly. Jinx wasn’t the standard depiction of beauty but she liked her body even if it pissed shimmer. Lux liked her body, and that was a good enough reason for her to keep it. “You want me to side with you, show the people we’re on the same side.  But it’s not our morale you wanna raise, is it? Nah, you wanna lower the Firelights’.”

“Whether we raise ours or lower theirs, the result is the same,” Velveteen said dismissively but Jinx shook her head.

“It’s not,” Jinx told her. “The people of Zaun have no hope, they have freedom, but freedom without hope is pointless. It’s why you’re losing people to Ekko now. Aren’t you all tired of duct-taping a sinking ship?”

“And how do you propose we do that? Give hope?” Velveteen questioned. “In our society, anything is available to those strong enough and hardened enough to take it. I could be killed tomorrow and my seat would be given to my killer without issue if they had the balls to do the deed.”

“Oh, believe me, sister, I know how the game works,” Jinx told her. “Which is why I don’t get why you don’t understand what you’re asking me. You’re asking me to play a game I already won.”

And this was true.

Jinx was free to do whatever she wanted without restriction. As they said, she was a legend, people whispered her name as if she were some sort of myth. To the people of Zaun, she had become more of a concept than an actual person. The only thing -the only thing-keeping her in this room was Annie who hadn’t gotten a chance to truly play this game yet.

“Tell you what, shelve this for now, and let's just worry about finishing this job,” Jinx told her. “Give me a bit to think about it, I won’t leave you hanging-pinky swear-I just need time.”

“Very well,” Velveteen agreed. “But please do not make us wait long, we did not extend this invitation lightly.”

“Gotcha, don’t worry, I’ll let you know soon.”

And with that, Jinx left, leaving the Chembarons to ponder about the future of the nation of Zaun.

-Later-

“Jinx, this is crazy,” Lux said for the fifth time as she looked through another record Jinx kept of her finances. At first, Lux was shocked to see the first record of a vault Jinx had hidden somewhere in Zaun surrounded by booby traps that contained her money. The amount of gold in it was almost half of what Lux withdrew.

And then Lux saw the second record of the second vault.

And then the records kept coming of more vaults that were hidden away and Lux suddenly had no idea why Jinx had been working so hard in the first place. The madwoman was loaded.

“Jinx, honey, you have a problem,” Lux told her with half-lidded eyes. To say Jinx had a problem was an understatement, she had many, but on top of everything it turned out Jinx was a hoarder. Though, for good or bad, this seemed to only apply to gold. Which made Jinx seem almost like a dragon. “Why do you have so much gold?”

“Huh?” Jinx asked as she played cards with Annie. “Did a lot of jobs, turns out suicide missions pay a lot.”

“Why did you need so much money!?”

“For my babies of course!” Jinx said as if it were obvious. “Scrap isn’t free! Well, most of the time it isn’t! Plus, I have to take care of the both of you.”

“Jinx, the three of us could live off of what you stored well into Annie’s adulthood,” Lux informed her. “We don’t need that much.”

“But I want you to have the best,” Jinx said innocently and Lux felt her expression soften.

Lux sighed. “I appreciate the sentiment but we can talk and decide together just what we need. Also, you’ve had plenty of gold before Annie and I came along. Scrap isn’t free but it’s not expensive either.” Lux continued which made Jinx chuckle.

“And boy is that good! Trust me, Flashlight, I ran out of money once when I was younger and was too embarrassed to tell my dad.” Jinx shook her head at the memory. “Doing a mission with no weapons or ammo was hell and I vowed then to never be put in that situation again. After that, my dad would slip me some coins when he thought I wasn’t looking but I just held on to them.  Even now the gold reminds me of him, you know?”

Lux felt her eye-twitch before she took a deep breath. Great, so Jinx’s hoarding gold was backed by both trauma and some unresolved grief from the loss of her father.

Perfect.

Jinx was terrified of not having money to pay for scrap, scrap she used to make weapons so that she could take on jobs that paid for the scrap used countless times over. This created a vicious cycle of Jinx practically printing gold as she took on high-profile jobs with the lowest expenses Lux had ever seen.

Seriously, Lux didn’t even use bullets when she was in Demacia and still put a bigger dent in the Radiant’s funds than Jinx ever could at this rate. To be fair, Lux normally would be more than okay with frugality in a partner but Jinx’s hoarding of gold was borderline obsessive.

“Besides, we’re in Zaun what else could I have bought with it?” Jinx questioned which was also a good point. In Zaun, besides the food, you only bought weapons, booze, chems, and whores. Jinx handcrafted her weapons, drank just enough to have a good time, confided to her that her body produced one of the most potent chems, and if Lux ever caught her buying a whore, someone would go missing.

“You okay, Flashlight? Your eyes are getting a bit scary,” Jinx said, snapping Lux from her thoughts. Lux calmed herself down and shook her head free of that last thought, allowing her eyes to return to their normal blue.

“Okay, point,” Lux conceded Jinx’s point. It was the main reason she had personally worked on a gift for Jinx. Jinx wasn’t the easiest person to get gifts for, she didn’t have the same material standards as others. Jewelry and flowers meant nothing to her, and as much as Lux wanted to just buy something from Piltover, she couldn’t.

Unlike Zaun, Piltover’s citizens didn’t know how to mind their own business. Withdrawing and walking away with that much gold would already have people looking out for her and the last thing she needed was to be stopped and questioned by Piltover’s Finest.

“But why not invest it instead of letting it all gather dust?” Lux questioned which got a confused look from Jinx.

“Inv-what-now?” Jinx questioned, clearly having zero understanding of the concept which made Lux place her face in her hands. Lux didn’t know what gods were listening but she needed them to give her strength.

For a second, Lux thought she felt a gentle breeze but ignored it.

“It’s how you make your gold make even more gold for you,” Luz explained patiently and Jinx’s jaw dropped as she lost the current game to Annie. Their little gremlin snickered when Jinx pouted at her loss before shuffling the deck again.  “Buy a business, or a few, and have them generate money on your behalf. You could probably buy a lot of small business with what you have.”

“The Chembarons might not like that,” Jinx pointed out. “They are very protective of their territories and the businesses in them.”

“Then don’t buy the entire business, just part of it,” Lux told her. “Doesn’t even have to be the lion’s share either, just enough that when they do well, they’ll give you a decent cut of the profits. This might even be better because then you don’t have to spend any time personally managing them. Also, you have the luxury of being you so I doubt anyone would try not to pay you your share.”

“Wait you mean to tell me that I can just…give people money to help them make more money in return for a bigger amount than I gave them?” Jinx questioned as if this was a foreign concept to her.

“Yes!” Lux said, glad to see Jinx slowly but surely grasping the concept. “How do you think the rich stay rich over all of these years? Not every rich person is a Councilor Talis that can revolutionize the world for a profit. Many are just fortunate to be in families where their wealth generates even more on its own.”

“Wow! Why are we not teaching this to people!?”

“Because Zaun has no schools?”

“Ah, good point.” Jinx nodded. “Huh, I wonder if dad ever tried to teach me this?”

“You don’t know?” Lux asked curiously.

“I zoned out a lot in his lectures,” Jinx said and Lux could see the regret in Jinx’s eyes. “Which is why I need you to pay twice as much attention to us,” Jinx told Annie. “Especially Lux, see she’s really smart, isn’t she?”

“Yeah,” Annie agreed before pouting as she put her cards down. Her hand was terrible, and Jinx won without an issue.

“Ah, see Firelight, you messed up,” Jinx chided. “You gave up too easily.”

Annie frowned in confusion. “But I had nothing?”

“Yeah, but I didn’t know that,” Jinx told her. “Never lie to people you care about, but sometimes you have to lie to others for things to work out in your favor. In a harmless game like this? It’s even okay to lie to me to win. Like this game, life is going to deal you some shitty cards, give you shitty options, and it's up to you to make them work and win, got it?”

Annie nodded energetically. “Got it!”

As Jinx and Annie continued to play, Lux shook her head and looked on with a small smile. When Jinx offered to deal her in, Lux accepted and sat down to play…only to proceed to lose every hand after that.

“I feel bad,” Annie said after a moment and Jinx gave Lux a look of pity which only made her face flush more.

“Some people in this world, Firelight, simply can’t bluff. It’s sad but it's true,” Jinx said despondently.

“I can bluff!” Lux retorted sounding a bit scandalized. Did Jinx forget what her job used to be? Or that she had to spend her free time actively lying about who she was to others?

“That’s true, I guess that means Firelight and I just know you too well,” Jinx pointed out, giving her a lazy smirk and Lux averted her eyes as she felt warmth fill her chest.

Lux gave a small smile. “I guess so.”

Annie looked between the suspiciously, her eyes narrowed ever so slightly. “You two aren’t going to kiss again, are you?”

Both Jinx and Lux paused at that before they both gained mischievous glints in their eyes. Before Annie could react, they both grabbed her and placed exaggerated pecks on her cheeks as she squirmed.

“Ew! Gross!” Annie exclaimed, but she laughed all the same when they pulled back. Jinx laughed when she saw the dark pink kiss mark that she left on Annie’s cheek. With that, they played a couple more rounds before sending Annie and Tibbers off to bed. After they turned off the lights to her room, Lux and Jinx lounged around in the front room for a bit.

“This winter won’t be an easy one,” Jinx told her. “But we’ll move and get through it all the same. Get you two someplace warm and all that.”

“Sounds good, just let me know what the plan is.” Lux’s expression then softened. “Are you okay though? You’ve seemed a bit distant today.”

“Yeah, I’m good, just a lot on my mind like always,” Jinx said with a tired smile.

“Mylo giving you problems?” Lux questioned.

“Nah,” Jinx denied. “He’s been quiet since your tattoo. I think he’s afraid of you.”

“Good,” Lux huffed. “He should be.”

Jinx cracked a smile at that. “I was given an offer today, by the Chembarons.”

“What?” Lux frowned. “You seemed tense, are they asking you to do something even more dangerous? Because you can refuse, I promise you that we have enough.”

“Yes and no,” Jinx told her. “They…they offered me a seat.”

Lux stilled.

Of all the things she expected.

That was not one.

“Jinx…just who are you?” Lux asked quietly and Jinx stared at her for a moment before she answered.

She answered and Lux sat still and listened to each and every single tragic detail.

The sun rose and Jinx was sagging forward in her seat, looking very much like a woman who just confessed all of her sins and was now awaiting judgment.

But what Judgement could Lux give after listening to all of that?

Suddenly it all made sense, the whispers, the stares.

The fear.

And the respect.

“Powder died to save her sister, and I lived to avenge my father,” Jinx whispered as she mimicked pulling a trigger. “Five pounds of pressure. That’s all it took to split a nation.” Jinx gave Lux a weak smile. “I’m sorry I’m kinda worse than you thought.”

“Jinx, no,” Lux said firmly as she stood and moved to wrap Jinx in her arms. Jinx’s body trembled as she fell into the warm embrace. “Stop, don’t cry,” Lux whispered. “Remember what he said, you’re perfect.”

Jinx clutched at her desperately, painfully, but Lux didn’t budge. She knew the only reason that Jinx hadn’t broken down into a sobbing mess was to not awake Annie.

“Please don’t leave me.”

Lux’s eyes stung. “I won’t. Not over this, never this.” Lux promised. After all, Lux knew all too well how fast just trying to help someone could end up blowing up one’s whole world. Jinx tried to help Vander and then Silco and Lux tried to help Sylas. Now here they both were, clinging to each other for support as they worked together to make sure someone else could be better than them.

They stayed like that until Jinx finally calmed down.

“Are you going to accept?”

“I…I don’t know,” Jinx answered. “So much, so much, could go wrong even if the seat is just being a figurehead, you know? It's all politics at the end of the day and I don’t know a thing about those. I’m outta my depth here.”

“Hey look at me, whatever you decide, you’re not doing it alone,” Lux promised her. “I’ll be there for every step of the way. If you don’t know something, it’ll be my honor to teach you.”

“Like investing?”

Lux gave her a wry smile. “Yeah, like investing.” Lux cupped Jinx’s face in her hands. “You know it's not just businesses you can invest in but people too and you can invest more than just gold. Time, energy, love, I’m investing all of that into you and Annie because I see how great you can be.”

Jinx’s eyes blinked rapidly but she smiled wide. “I guess that means I’m investing in you two too. I mean, sheesh, I already beat this game, and here I am thinking about playing again so you two can have everything you deserve.” Jinx then gave her a cheeky grin. “Guess that means I really like you.”

Lux rolled her eyes but smirked all the same. “Good, because I really like you too.”

Jinx kissed Lux desperately and Lux moaned when she felt Jinx’s hands begin to roam but before they could get too far, Jinx broke apart.

“I made you a gift.”

Lux pouted. “It can wait.”

Jinx chuckled at that and gave her a peck on her lips. “Sorry, Flashlight, the sun is up which means Firelight will be up soon too.”

Seriously, the kid woke up at like the crack of dawn. Sometimes she’d play by herself but other times she’d just stare at Lux until she woke up because she thought scaring Lux was funny.

Jinx didn’t have the heart to tell Lux she thought it was funny too.

“Damn tease,” Lux mumbled which made Jinx laugh.

“Don’t worry, I know just the right chem to knock Annie out later so we can have some quality time,” Jinx told her. “She won’t even taste it in her juice.”

“Jinx!”  Lux looked scandalized as she slapped Jinx’s shoulder. “We are not drugging a child so that we can run off and make love.”

“Make love, huh?” Jinx mused. “Not the term I would use for what I have planned for you but sure, we’ll go with that.”

“Jinx!”

“Kidding, I’m kidding, stop hitting me!” Jinx snickered as Lux hid her face in her hands. The tips of her ears were blazing and it was the most adorable thing Jinx had seen in a while. “Seriously though, I do have a gift for you, be right back.”

Lux waited for a moment as Jinx disappeared into her workshop, when she returned it was with a cardboard box that she unceremoniously dropped in front of Lux. Lux blinked at the sight before she reached inside.

“I know it probably won’t replace what you lost, but I figured you probably felt a bit naked without your armor,” Jinx said nervously as she watched Lux pull out the breastplate. Piece by piece, Lux quietly removed the armor as Jinx wrung her hands nervously.

The best way to describe the set would be to call it a Zaunite version of the armor she left in Demacia. What was once silver was now black as was the form-fitting suit she wore beneath the plating. The plating itself was rimmed with gold and the cloth of the suit was cut in a way that would display her tattoo. The suit came with a black hooded cape, the bottom of which was tattered

“There is a mask to cover your nose and mouth in there too,” Jinx told her quietly. “I know your nose hasn’t adjusted to the Zaunite air like mine and Annie’s. Hopefully, the filter I built in will let you breathe easier. This wasn’t for any special occasion either, just wanted to-you know-thank you and stuff for everything. If you don’t like it-”

“Jinx.” Lux interrupted and Jinx’s mouth shut with an audible click. Before Jinx could say anything else, Lux kissed her passionately and when she broke free, Jinx was left dazed. “Thank you, truly, thank you.”

“You’re…you’re welcome, Flashlight,” Jinx murmured as Lux wiped her eyes.

“Still, you kind of stole my thunder,” Lux muttered. “I got you something too,” Lux revealed and now it was her turn to look nervous. In fact, she looked almost fearful. “I did something too, but it was before you told me your story and just…” Lux swallowed nervously. “…I apologize in advance.”

“Lux, whatever it is, I won’t be mad.” Jinx tried to reassure her.

“I’ll hold you to that,” Lux said before she reached from behind the sofa. “With winter coming up, I thought this might help you stay warm even if you said the cold didn’t bother you.” Jinx blinked as Lux held out a jacket toward her.

Not just any jacket, though.

His jacket.

“It was in pretty bad shape.” Lux said as Jinx gently plucked the garment from her hands. “I worked on it while you were gone, if I overstepped, I’m sorry. I really did think it was your jacket that was just in bad shape.”

“You did this?” Jinx murmured looking between Lux and the completely restored jacket. “It looks just like it used to.” Jinx held it closed and closed her eyes when she could still smell his scent on it faintly.  When Jinx opened her eyes, she stared longingly at Lux. “Thank you, Lux, this means more than you know.” Jinx moved the jacket in her arms and a medallion fell from its pocket.

“I saw that earlier when I was fixing it,” Lux said quietly as she watched Jinx bend over and gently pluck it from the ground. “What is it?”

“A bluebird medallion,” Jinx answered. “He wasn’t much of a praying man, but whenever shit seriously hit the fan, he wasn’t above asking for help. And you know? Things always ended up working out until they finally didn’t.”

“Who did he pray to?” Lux asked softly.

“The Storm Goddess, Janna,” Jinx told her. “The only goddess that ever gave a damn about Zaun according to him.” Jinx’s grip tightened on the medallion. “He always told me I was her gift to him,” Jinx cracked a smile that was filled with pain and longing. “The proof was my hair, he’d say. In private when I was as small as Annie, he’d call me his little bluebird every time he braided my hair.”

Lux closed her eye as she felt herself hurting for the woman in front of her.

“Thank you, I really mean it.”  Jinx reassured her before she turned away and Lux watched her walk away, knowing that she would need some space. “You really are a light in the darkness.”

-Later-

As she had years before, Jinx found herself walking back inside a ruined arcade that had been lost in time. Gently, she folded the jacket over one of the broken tables as she once more made her way back to that old boxing machine. The setup took far less time, and soon she found herself placing the metal plate that bore Mylos’ face-and the bullet hole through it-back in place.

Stepping back, Jinx took a deep breath as she rolled her joints, letting them pop and loosen up. She had been working herself ragged in hindsight, and if even she could tell then she knew she was doing too much.

The shimmer gave her near limitless stamina, for her to be tired was no easy feat.

Yet, despite this exhaustion, she felt better than she had in a long time. A warm feeling crept up her chest and soon a giggle escaped her lips as she thought of Lux and Annie. Soon that giggle turned into a full-blown laugh as the lights of the machine turned on, signaling for her to start.

It took so long but finally, finally, she got the joke.

Ducking under a punch, Jinx caught it before it could retract and slammed a vicious punch into the joint, snapping the limb off of the machine entirely before she slammed a kick into that rapidly spinning plate.

Her whole life, Jinx thought that strength came from within, that it was something you could control but that wasn’t true.

Strength only came when you had something you wanted to protect with it. For Vander it was their little group, for Vi it was the same and later it was Big Hat. Even Silco didn’t make any true progress toward his goal until he met her.

Lux once had her entire nation on her back, and she was the strongest person Jinx knew. Even now, Jinx would see Lux’s strength had only grown since she joined their family.

In hindsight, she should have seen this when the little man of all people was able to keep up with her after he made his new friends.

Yet what did she have until recently?

Nothing.

No one.

She was always the one protected, never the protector. She always tried to measure up to them, to win at this power game, but how could she when she didn’t even have all the pieces to even play? Jinx was cackling now at the sheer comedy of it all and the shimmer in her veins burned hotter and hotter as she got more excited.

Jinx didn’t know how long she was laughing or even when the tears started falling. That said, when the laughter stopped and she was finally too exhausted to keep punching, Jinx looked up at the machine found it destroyed.

The faceplate had gone missing at some point, the limbs had all been shattered, and the lights flickered briefly before dying out. Smoke escaped the machine before it began to break down and collapse in on itself.

Placing her hands on her knees, Jinx panted before looking up at the scoreboard. A ding echoed throughout the room, and Jinx just snickered when she saw the results.

JINX-5500

VI-4800

POW-4405

Regaining her bearings, Jinx moved over to the jacket and picked it up before moving the leave. Before she did, she heard a flap and instantly unholstered her Zapper and aimed it at what she now saw was a bluebird. The bird blinked and tilted its head as Jinx tilted hers. 

“Don’t sneak up on people, that’s how you get killed little guy,” Jinx warned before she holstered her weapon and walked away.

-That Evening-

In their chamber, the Chembarons were arguing amongst themselves for the umpteenth time when the doors suddenly slammed open. Startled, they turned to the entrance as their guards unholstered their weapons.

Soon they watched in surprise, some even looking as though they saw a ghost, as Jinx strolled in wearing Silco’s jacket. Her left hand was holding the hand of an energetic little girl that skipped next to her while her right was holding her Zapper.

Behind her, Lux strolled in with her hand on the hilt of her sword while sporting the armor Jinx had made for her. They couldn’t see the lower half of her face, but even they knew that she wasn’t smiling. No, her face was set in a cold expression that would have made Tianna proud.

The Chembarons were suddenly reminded of Jinx’s claims that her family wasn’t a weakness.

And it wasn’t.

Now up close and personal, they could tell that there was something dangerous about even the little girl. The girl unnerved them in an almost supernatural way, and they could swear that her toy bear made eye contact with each one of them.

Moving against them without the preparations would be suicide and likely still was even with them.

When Jinx made it to the end of the table, she pushed the seat out with her gun. For a moment, Jinx remembered attending a meeting with Silco. She remembered and how terrified the Chembarons were even as he sat with a little girl playing with a monkey perched on his lap. Jinx snickered before she sat down and lifted Annie onto her lap.

“Jinx, can I play with them? They look fun,” Annie said as she gazed unblinkingly at the rest of the table with a vicious grin on her face. They’d deny it to their dying breaths but a couple of them were getting scared.

Jinx laughed. “Sorry Firelight, I need them alive for now.”

Annie pouted. “But why?”

“Well, you see, long ago before you were born, Zaun was a much different place,” Jinx explained. “It was cowardly, pathetic, and had its neck stuck under the boots of the Topsiders. Even the air itself was too hard to breathe, but then one day, your grandpa made all those problems go away with my help. He put these people in charge to make sure things never went back to those bad old days even if he died.”

“So, if they die, things will go back to how they used to?”

“Exactly! Smart girl,” Jinx said which made Annie beam at her. “A few losses we can afford but if we lose them all, things will get really bad. Right now, a lot of people want them dead so we have to keep them safe because they’re too weak to do it themselves.”

Annie looked up at Lux. “And we should try to protect the weak, right?”

“There are exceptions to every rule.” Was Lux’s curt response but soon her expression softened. “We have to wait and see if they are exceptions.”

Annie nodded slowly much like a child who was slowly but surely grasping the entire situation.

“Who wants to kill them?”

“The Firelights, to name a few, and many others,” Jinx said which made Annie frown.

“Firelights, like me?”

“Oh no, you’re my Firelight, the only one that matters,” Jinx corrected. “The other ones, the fakes, are who I am talking about. They’re stupid, they can’t even control fire.”

“That is stupid,” Annie agreed with a small scowl and Jinx laughed a bit before kissing her brow and turning her attention to the Chembarons.

“In case it's not obvious, I’ll take the seat,” Jinx told them. “That said, I have some terms. There are three buildings in the lanes that I want, this is non-negotiable. I also want to be able to freely invest in any business in Zaun. I won’t buy any out unless you agree to it, but I do want to be able to put some money in on my own as I feel like it.”

“This all seems…reasonable,” Velveteen muttered. “There aren’t many buildings in the Lanes we care for. The only one is The Last Drop but we all had a feeling you’d want that before we extended the offer.”

“Great because that is one that I wanted,” Jinx told them. “I’ll repair things that need to be fixed and teach some people how to do it themselves. I don’t plan on owning much, in fact, I want my territory to be small enough that you all won’t even notice me.”

The smaller her territory, the fewer things she had to deal with.

“But I want you all to understand this. Keep your shit out of my shit,” Jinx told them bluntly. “A completely neutral and safe zone is my territory. I don’t care at all what they did in your territory. If someone who wronged you enters mine wait until they leave before you kill them, got it? Or at the very least reach out to me and explain what’s happened. The only people killing anyone in my territory are us.”

“A completely neutral zone is…interesting but not unfeasible since it is so small,” Saito grunted. “It would be annoying, but nothing too bad as long as you don’t aid any escapees against us.”

“No problem, I said neutral and I meant it.” Jinx shrugged.

“I have to ask Jinx. Do you plan to bring something to the table besides your reputation and your skills on an as-needed basis?” Velveteen questioned. “I assure you that is more than enough, but given that the rest of us are industry leaders in some way I can’t help but be curious.”

At this, Jinx’s smile widened as she pulled out the medallion and held it up.

“Yeah. Hope.”

To be continued…

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Chapter 4: Jinx's Promise

Summary:

With winter so close, Jinx prepares to move them to their next house, unfortunately she has some demons she needs to face beforehand.

Notes:

I should have one more pre-written chapter after this to get through, hope you all enjoy this chapter while I tweak the last chapter of this batch!

Betaed by: TheUndyingWill

Chapter 4: Jinx’s Promise

 

Before she accepted the seat and made her demands known, Jinx had gone to Lux first. One, because she wasn’t going to set a bad example for Annie by making such a decision without her partner. Two, because she had no idea what the fuck she was doing.

Lux, bless her heart, had more than enough political know-how for the both of them. By spending the better part of the year teaching Lux and Annie how to survive in Zaun, Jinx had educated Lux on Zaun’s geo-political climate. With it in mind, Lux could tell Jinx what moves needed to be made.

“Sounds to me like the Lanes have become the unofficial heart of Zaun,” Lux mused as they looked at a map of the nation that Jinx had once drafted for Silco. “From what you’ve told me you have a strong case to take over The Last Drop without raising any suspicions.” Lux placed a finger on the map. “Here and here, ask for these as well.”

“Huh?” Jinx looked at where Lux had tapped, seeing places that had red X’s on them which indicated that the buildings in those locations had been destroyed. “The arcade and the church?  Those things have been destroyed, like, forever, why are they important?”

“Mind if I draw on this?”

Jinx shrugged and gestured toward the map. “Feel free, Flashlight.”

Lux smiled and drew a line that connected the bar, arcade, and church which created a small triangle in the heart of Zaun. “These three places will give you a nice small area in the Lanes which will be undoubtedly your territory. It's simple, connected, and won’t raise any eyebrows from the other Chembarons.”

“For a good reason, most of this is destroyed,” Jinx pointed out. “Hell, I just broke the last working game in that arcade.”

“But you can fix it,” Lux questioned with zero doubt in her tone. “You can fix both of these buildings, and make them even better than they ever were. The church will remain that, a church, but the arcade can be remade into something better. A community center of sorts. A place where the children can both play and more easily find apprenticeships.”

Jinx blinked at that. “But why?”

 “If you want to control a nation, you control its youth, faith, and vices,” Lux said as she pointed at the arcade, church, and bar. “Both Demacia and Noxus understand this. This is why Demacia had been able to push back Noxus so successfully and why Noxus has been able to expand so much in other nations.”

Jinx blinked at that and looked back down at their map with a thoughtful expression.

“Each Chembaron has a territory that makes up the whole of Zaun,” Lux told her. “As long as they all do their jobs and focus on their businesses and deals the nation prospers. The Chembarons are good businessmen, but none of them are rulers, Jinx. They can’t think beyond their wallets. You need to look at the bigger picture which they are all ignoring.”

“Which is…?”

“The well-being of this nation as a whole,” Lux told her. “Your seat is purely a formality, you’ll be a figurehead with no real power and that’s the lie you need to maintain. Distract them with actions you perform in front of them so that they don’t notice the deals you’re making under the table.”

“Deals with who?”

“Well first, you need at least one other Chembaron. I suggest this Velveteen woman,” Lux told her. “This seems to be her idea so you can work with her under the guise of needing a mentor in all of this without too many questions. Her dependence on Piltover for her body ensures she won’t be too radical in her ventures.”

Jinx nodded at that. “Yeah, she needs them to live so she’s always making some sort of deal with them to make things easier for her.”

“Good, she can be your gateway into making deals with Piltover,” Lux said and she giggled at the look of disgust on Jinx’s face. “I understand your dislike of them, but gold is gold.”

Jinx’s shoulders slumped as she wordlessly conceded the point. “Well, at least they have Robo-granny.”

“Camille?” Lux questioned curiously. “She doesn’t hold any ill-will for you kidnapping her, does she?”

“Nah, at least, she hasn’t mentioned it the couple of times I’ve run into her since,” Jinx shrugged. “Her attempts to kill me have always been business, nothing personal.”

“Interesting,” Lux mused, shelving that info for later. Camille had struck her as a woman that understood the importance of business. For the right price or advantage for her Clan, she could be very useful. “There is also the Dredge. The Prison mines are a valuable resource in gathering raw materials for the rest of the nation.”

Jinx snorted. “Good luck with that, no way they are gonna give me control. I’ve heard the Chembarons fighting over who gets control over it every time I completed a job for them. Plus, that’s way too much responsibility and work to manage. I do want to see my family, you know?”

Lux smiled warmly at that. “And we want to see you.” Lux looked back at the map with a thoughtful frown. “But you’re right, they would never hand over a spot like that to you amicably. What happened to the Chembaron in charge of it?”

“She fled Topside,” Jinx answered. “Urgot chased her out and took control for a bit. Funny enough, I think he lost control of it the same day you uh…you know…” Jinx mimed an explosion with her hands. “Got arrested for saving your people.”

“Really?” Lux murmured. She wasn’t saddened by the memory, not really, she had no regrets for what she did. Lux was just silently surprised about how much time had passed. “How?”

“Fat Hands and Big Hat,” Jinx answered as if it was no big deal. “I guess the dumbass forgot he wasn’t me or something. You don’t fight those two without a plan and expect to win.”

“Your sister is powerful,” Lux mused, having heard the rumors of Piltover’s Finest the few times she went undercover in Piltover.

Jinx scoffed. “She’s okay,” Jinx said petulantly which made Lux smile a bit. “She’s not like you or Firelight, but she’s still a cut above the rest. I consider her one of the legends, but barely. She’s still a cop.”

Lux shook her head fondly before she raised an eyebrow. “Legends?”

At this, Jinx perked up and nodded with a wide grin. “Yeah! When I’m traveling, I keep a record of people that I either meet or hear rumors of that were interesting. It's what I used to make the teams during our playdate a while back.”

“So, I’m in this record too?”

“Yeah! It’s somewhere around here, maybe I’ll find it when we start packing,” Jinx told her. “I got notes on people you wouldn’t even believe.”

“Interesting. I look forward to seeing what led you to choose me,” Lux said and to her surprise, Jinx paused and blushed a bit.

“On second thought maybe it should stay lost.”

“Oh no,” Lux said teasingly, her interest piqued. “Now I have to know.”

“Um-anyway, the mines, yeah, a no go,” Jinx said as she pushed forward, blatantly changing the subject much to Lux’s amusement. “The Chembarons are split and the place is crawling with Firelights. They hate this, of course. But what did those idiots think was going to happen when they permitted Topsider cops to take out the only person running it?”

“Ah yes, the Firelights, you mentioned them.” Lux nodded as she thought about what she had heard from Jinx about her past. “They’re led by your friend Ekko, right?”

“Were not friends,” Jinx reminded her and Lux cursed her slip up when she saw a look of pain flash briefly across Jinx’s face. “He’s friends with a dead girl.”

“Right, sorry,” Lux apologized. Ekko was friends with Powder, not Jinx. People not understanding the difference had caused Jinx no end of pain and Lux refused to be another one of them. The fact Jinx even told her old name was a testament to how much trust she put in Lux.

Trust Lux would die before betraying.

Lux sighed as she thought about Ekko and the Firelight situation. Truth be told she was all for their revolution and making Zaun a better place. The problem was that she currently lived in Zaun and didn’t want her family caught in a civil war.

One could call her selfish if they wanted but she didn’t give a damn, she never claimed not to be.

There was also the other issue that, as much as she disliked the Chembarons from what she’s heard of them, they did have a point. The power vacuum would be devastating and the Firelights were not strong enough to deal with it.  They couldn’t even deal with Jinx let alone some of the others in Zaun Jinx had told her about.

Singed’s crimes in Ionia still gave Lux chills and she counted her blessings every day that she didn’t cross paths with the madman. There were just some monsters one simply didn’t want to see. She didn’t fear him, but rather what he could do. Still, Lux had no doubt she could kill him, and she wanted to after she found out what he did to Jinx but he was still an asset for Zaun, for better or worse.

If the Firelights somehow survived the resulting scramble for power, they would call on Piltover which would ruin Zaun’s relations with Noxus. Lux hated Noxus but she would rather Zaun be their friend and not their enemy while they lived there.

One of the many reasons that Noxus hadn’t made a more desperate grab for Piltover was that it was too close to Zaun and would catch them in the collateral. The last thing Noxus needed was more enemies from the south while fighting wars on both its east and western borders.

For now, Noxus needed Zaun to give them the additional strength needed to deal with both Ionia and Demacia. The weapons, chems, and experiments Noxus gained from Zaun had given the Crownguards no end of headaches.

This is why they would be horrified to know where she was now living.

There were stories Lux had heard that would make her even more frustrated by Demacia’s hatred of magic. There was no way magic could be that much more horrifying than what Chemtech had done.

Still, these atrocities were the byproduct of Zaun’s freedom. For better or worse, that freedom let them roll with the punches and do what needed to be done to maintain their seat on the global playing field.

The Firelights would limit that freedom, the nation would lose its power and be crushed which would mean Lux would lose another home. Though, Jinx and Annie would probably find the devastation beautiful even as Lux literally dragged them away from the fallout.

“You said Ekko doesn’t know what would happen, right?” Lux asked. “If the Firelights won?”

“Nah, he’s the boy savior, he’s too focused on helping the pain he can see to focus on anything else,” Jinx told her. “I’ll admit it, he’s a good leader but he’s still from Zaun. We don’t have people down here to teach us how to look at the bigger picture.” Jinx said with a sad little smile. “I’m glad that you care about me, that you help me so much, but we aren’t the same Flashlight. I’m not as great as you, I really am just a sumprat in the end and he’s only slightly better.”

“Jinx, no,” Lux cut in, actually glaring at Jinx. “You’re greater than you know. The fact we can even have this discussion is because of you. You’re a legend, one that’s made their mark on history and you came from nothing. You’re a lot of things, Jinx, but for better or worse you are great.”

“But-“

“Jinx,” Lux interrupted as she placed a hand over Jinx’s. “Say it with me, you are great.”

Jinx glanced down though her smile widened a bit as she repeated the words. “I’m great.”

“Good,” Lux said before she raised Jinx’s hand and kissed the back of it. “I’ll make you say that every day if I have to to get it through that thick skull of yours. Now back to the matter at hand, if Ekko did know the big picture would he be willing to compromise?”

Jinx looked at her curiously. “What do you mean?”

“Would he be willing to take things slowly if the end goal was the same, a better nation of Zaun?” Lux questioned. “In Demacia we are taught to savor each moment, to endure today’s suffering for a better tomorrow. We take things slow.”

They took everything slow, including progress, Lux thought with disdain.

“However, here? In Zaun? That tomorrow isn’t guaranteed.” Lux continued. “A stray bullet could kill you on your way to the store. You all live life fast and treat each day as if it is your last. That’s a pleasant change of pace for me but that doesn’t mean it's always right. If Ekko takes a step back and is open to slow but steady change to get what he wants without losing what makes Zaun, Zaun, we might be able to pull off something grand.”

“Grand, you say?” Jinx repeated, perking up at that. As an avid connoisseur of all spectacles grand or grander, Jinx was interested. “How grand are we talking?”

“Second only to our little gremlin,” Lux said which made Jinx’s eyes shine both figuratively and literally as her excitement grew. “Honey, how would you like to prank the world?”

Jinx’s jaw dropped as Lux began to detail the plans to what Jinx would one day call the greatest prank ever. When she was done, Jinx gave her a look that Lux had seen whenever she and Jinx woke up each morning. A look that was as if Jinx had met her for the first time and had fallen in love all over again.

“Marry me.”

Lux laughed at that and gestured to her cloud tattoo. “A bit late for that,” Lux said as she kissed Jinx before smiling against her lips. “But feel free to finish the sleeve if you want.”

“You sure? No one will see them,” Jinx said, her brow furrowed a bit. Lux’s armor had been designed to show the first tattoo, but if she wanted the same ones Jinx had they wouldn’t show.

“They’ll see the one that matters,” Lux told her. “I am quite fine with the rest being for your eyes only.”

The light in Jinx’s eyes was blinding as a grin split her face.  Moving forward, Jinx gently pushed Lux back into her seat before sitting on her lap.

“Then we should get these clothes off of you,” Jinx said, her voice sending child down Lux’s spine as she kissed the blonde’s neck. “I need to get familiar with the space I’m working on…”

“Jinx! Can you tell me a story!?” Annie’s voice interrupted. Jinx paused before her shoulders and head slumped much to Lux’s amusement.

“…right after I deal with that,” Jinx said as she stood up. “Mark my words, Flashlight, count your blessings because I won’t be blocked forever.”

“I’m looking forward to it,” Lux said, her amusement clear. “Now go tell her a story, without the bloodshed this time? Please?”

“But those are my best stories!”

“Jinx.”

“Fine, fine, I’ll improvise,” Jinx grumbled. Lux just shook her head as she watched her would-be lover walk away.

In a way it was funny, Lux supposed. She and Jinx had gotten the Zaun equivalent of married and even had a child, yet somehow hadn’t even slept with each other yet. Lux understood Jinx’s frustration, it was one Lux shared, but getting Annie to sleep soundly through the night took precedence.  Besides, during the day, Annie had gotten good at keeping to herself when she played with Tibbers. All they needed was a room with a lock that wasn’t filled with scrap.

Lux bit her lip as she found herself counting down the days until they moved.

-3 Days Later: The Last Drop-

“Hello~” Jinx greeted as she kicked open the door to Sevika’s office. Sevika, who was in the middle of lighting her cigar, froze at the intrusion. Immediately her guards in the office aimed at Jinx who strolled inside as if she owned the place. For a moment Sevika thought she had seen Silco, but the image was shattered by Jinx’s usual large smile.

“Jinx,” Sevika growled out. “The hell are you showing your face around here for, and why are you wearing that jacket!?”

“Well, it’s almost winter, so why not? Girl’s gotta stay warm,” Jinx said as if that one garment changed the fact that she was wearing practically nothing beneath it.

“Give me one reason why I shouldn’t have you blown away right now after everything you’ve done?” Sevika threatened.

“Oh when’s the last time you or your lackeys have ever been an actual threat to me?” Jinx laughed. “Maybe I should just trigger the explosives I have hidden in here and blow you all up for the hell of it.”

Sevika sneered as she saw her men tense, suddenly unsure of the correct course of action. “You’re bluffing.”

“Am I?” Jinx questioned and the scary part was she didn’t even know. She had explosives everywhere and was only like 60% sure the detonator in her pocket was for the explosives in this office. She needed to start labeling them. “Anyway calm your tits, toots, I’m here cause of the Chembarons.”

Sevika’s eyes narrowed as she watched Jinx pull a letter from her pocket and toss it onto the desk. “What the hell is this!?” Sevika questioned angrily after she opened and read its contents. “Under new management!?”

“What can I say, your operations were called immaterial,” Jinx shrugged. “You weren’t putting up the numbers, blame yourself. Silco taught both of us how to deal Shimmer, so if you aren’t selling it’s your fault.”

“So, they’re putting you in charge?” Sevika questioned. “Have they lost their minds? How did you of all people get a seat at the table!?” Sevika slammed her fist onto the desk causing the ashtray to bounce. “After all the time and energy I put into Zaun, they skipped me for you!?”

“Yeah, don’t know what to say other than it sucks to suck,” Jinx shrugged before she sauntered toward the desk. “You do know what the main difference between me and you is, right?” Jinx questioned as she placed both her hands on the desk and leaned forward. Jinx’s smile widened as she peered into Sevika’s hateful stare. “People fear me more. Isn’t that right, boys?”

“Yes, ma’am!” Jinx cackled at the look on Sevika’s face when the men quickly switched sides. “Don’t worry though, I’m taking this office back but your operations are still yours. I won’t even ask for as much of the profits as the other Chembarons did since we’re such good pals! You won’t even feel like you’re working for me!”

Sevika grit her teeth but mulled over Jinx’s words all the same. She hated the psycho bitch and her sister with a passion, but they weren’t liars. Even Jinx, as crazy as she was, kept her word when she gave it.

“What’s the catch?”

“No catch, just count me amongst one of your customers from now on,” Jinx told her. “I’ll be your biggest one. I want to buy as much Shimmer as I can off of you before winter hits.”

Sevika blinked at that. “The hell do you need that much Shimmer for?” Sevika questioned. Jinx had never been one to partake in the supply, the only one who didn’t actually as even Silco needed a bit to treat his eye. After Singed did the world a disservice and brought the crazy bitch back from the dead, Jinx still didn’t use it as she practically bled the shit.

Jinx was unpredictable and her plus that much Shimmer could never result in anything good. That said, gold was gold, and if Jinx was going to line Sevika’s pockets by buying what was essentially her own product, who was she to turn it down? Hatred for Jinx be damned, that would be an easy gig.

In response, Jinx just giggled. “S-sorry, t-that would give away the joke!” Jinx snickered, and Sevika would deny it to her grave, but she had to repress a chill. Hell, one of her men fainted. Nothing good could come from Jinx having all that Shimmer, Sevika almost did the moral thing and refused for the greater good of Zaun.

But in the end, her greed won out.

Besides, the Chembarons chose the psycho over her. They could all burn in the fallout of whatever Jinx had planned for all she cared at this point.

“Fine,” Sevika said as she rose from the seat and she moved so that Jinx could take it. “Is that all?”

“Umm, oops almost forgot!” Jinx snapped her fingers as she remembered what else she needed. “The Arcade and the old church? Those are mine now too, have some of your men rebuild them for me. I’ll give you the blueprints later.”

“Why…” Sevika stopped and shook her head. The less she knew the better. “…Fine. Give them to me before the day is over and I’ll take care of it.” Sevika glared at the guard that was still fainted. “Will someone get this bastard up!??

“O-on it!” Another guard said as they tried to wake up their companion.

“Hop, skip, jump!” another voice chirped and Sevika turned to see a little girl hop into the room. How she managed to do that without spilling any of the drink in her hands she didn’t know. As the girl sipped on chocolate milk through a straw, a masked blonde entered the room behind her.

“Jinx!” Lux exclaimed. “You told me his name was Chuck! Poor Thieram fainted when I called him that, how badly have you tormented him!?”

“What!?” Jinx asked sounding legitimately surprised. “Chuck and I go way back! See he even gave her the Jinx special with a straw might I add.”

Lux rubbed her temples and Sevika almost felt sympathy for the woman. When Sevika’s eyes caught sight of the cloud tattoo Lux wore, they widened as she recalled what she had thought had been a terrible joke.

“Wait, they were serious?” Sevika questioned as she turned to Jink, for once showing visible surprise. “You got your ass domesticated?”

Jinx gasped as if affronted. She looked almost just as affronted as Silco had when she had asked him the same thing when it became clear that he saw Jinx as a daughter and not a pawn. “I have not been domesticated!”

“She really hasn’t,” Lux piped up.

“I am still just as likely to blow shit up as ever, see?” Jinx said before she pulled out a grenade and tossed it out of the window behind her. Fortunately for the pedestrians, it blew up before it could reach any of them. “I just have a lady and kid waiting for me at home when I’m done.”

Before Sevika could respond, she heard a slurping sound and looked down to find Annie staring up at her unblinkingly. “Uh…”

“Hi,” Annie said as she finished her drink. “Would you like to play?”

“No,” Sevika said after she saw Lux frantically shaking her head no behind her.

“Are you sure? Are you afraid your blood isn’t pretty? Because I don’t mind.” Annie reassured her.

What the fuck?

That was her to cue to leave.

“I’m out of here, get me those blueprints, Jinx,” Sevika said as she left the office. She glanced back to add a smart comment when she stopped and saw the child’s stuffed bear turn its head and look her right in the eyes. Blood drained from Sevika’s face as she turned and kept walking.

Yeah…

…fuck that.

Once Sevika and the men left, Lux turned to Jinx. “So what now?”

“Now…” Jinx trailed off as she knocked on the side of the desk twice, revealing a hidden compartment. From inside of it, Jinx pulled out some keys. “…we get settled in.”

-Later-

“…after we fix it up,” Jinx muttered as both she and Lux stared at what used to be Silco’s house with wide eyes. The second Jinx had put a key into the door, it simply fell forward and kicked up enough dust to obscure their vision. Spider-webs and rats filled the place as well as the occasional homeless person which explained the broken windows. Silently, Jinx stepped inside and Lux looked at her worriedly.

“Jinx?”

“It’s nothing, we have a couple of months until winter. I’ll fix it.” Jinx told her quietly.

Lux frowned. “Jinx, I’m willing to help.”

“I know, but Annie takes priority, keep up the lessons, this is my fault anyway,” Jinx muttered. “Shouldn’t have let it get this bad, I’ll fix it.”

Lux’s expression softened as she now understood what was happening. Lux couldn’t imagine the guilt she would have felt had this been the Crownguard estate and she was the only one left who could have taken care of it.

Truth be told it was a rather large house by Zaun’s standards and beneath the destruction, Lux could see traces of hidden beauty. It was positioned next to a massive windmill that Lux assumed was the workshop Jinx had told her about.

“You’ll fix it,” Lux agreed softly as she placed a hand on Jinx’s shoulder. “You can fix anything you put your mind to. Isn’t that right, Annie?”

“Yeah!” Annie agreed as she grabbed one of Jinx’s hands. “You can fix anything, right?”

“Yeah,” Jinx said, her voice a bit tight. “Right.”

Lux smiled and grabbed Jinx’s free hand. She gave it a reassuring squeeze before gently dragging Jinx away from the house. The house would be there tomorrow and every day after that and if it wasn’t then whatever. What mattered was that they were together. As they walked, Lux struck up a conversation with Annie and both paid no mind to the ultraviolet tears sliding down Jinx’s face.

Jinx had managed to stop them before they got into public, but when they got home that changed when Annie handed Jinx Tibbers to make her feel better. Lux shut her eyes as Jinx broke down all over again before reaching forward and grabbing her in a tight embrace as she slid to the floor.

“You didn’t do anything wrong,” Lux reassured a scared Annie who had thought she had messed up. “Jinx just has a lot of bad things stuck in her, bad feelings, that she needs to get out. You helped her, alright?” Lux told Annie firmly. “You helped her, because of you she can get them out and be even happier tomorrow. Okay?”

“Okay,” Annie whispered. “She can sleep with Tibbers if she wants. Nanners will keep me company,” Annie said, referring to the monkey puzzle Jinx had given her.

“Really? That’s great!” Lux said with a bright smile, moving a hand from Jinx so that she could cup Annie’s face. “Thank you, I think that might be just what she needs.” Lux kissed her brow and fought back her tears, “You make me so proud sometimes, Annie, you know that?”

Annie beamed at the praise before moving to give Jinx as tight of a hug as she could.

“I hope you get the bad things out, Jinx,” Annie told her. “You’re prettier when you’re smiling.”

And with that Annie left to get ready for bed as Lux held Jinx tight as if she was the only thing keeping Jinx anchored down into this world.

And it would soon terrify her to realize how right that was

-Early the next morning-

It was just before dawn break when Lux felt something was amiss. When she opened her eyes, she instinctively reached out only for her hand to land flat on the mattress. Jolting awake, Lux cursed when she realized she was alone in the bed and quickly scrambled to her feet.

“She wouldn’t,” Lux whispered to herself desperately. Jinx was arguably one of the strongest people she knew, Lux believed this wholeheartedly. This belief eliminated most of the panic she felt when Jinx was out working as Lux fully believed that the only way Jinx would die would be on her terms.

Which is exactly what she feared at that moment.

Lux was no stranger to Jinx’s meltdowns but yesterday was different. There was actual despair mixed with the usual guilt, anger, and anxiety that had concerned Lux greatly. It was the first time Lux had seen Jinx immobilized by a breakdown and it had happened in front of Annie.

Lux’s eyes burned with unshed tears as she tried not to imagine what Jinx had likely been feeling.

The pain.

The guilt.

The humiliation.

Summoning her rod to her hand, Lux didn’t even bother looking for clothes as she almost ripped open the door to the safehouse. If she had to, she’d turn up every corner of Zaun and Piltover if she had to so that she could find Jinx. To stop her from…from…

“Shit!” Lux cursed, her heart beating loudly in her chest as she couldn’t even finish the thought.

Fortunately, she didn’t have to.

“Jinx,” Lux whispered stumbling forward a bit as she saw Jinx sitting on the front step gazing aimlessly out into the night sky. “Thank you,” Lux whispered to whoever was listening before she shakily moved next to Jinx and sat down. For a moment neither said anything as jinx held a cigarette in her hand. Finally, Lux found her voice. “You smoke?”

“Apparently,” Jinx answered before patting the pocket of her jacket. Lux looked at her, failing to hide the pain in her eyes when she saw that Jinx’s hair was hanging freely. Jinx would never be caught dead outside without her hair in their usual braids, no matter how bad she felt that would be the first thing she did when she woke up. “They were inside the desk with the keys.”

“I didn’t see you grab them.”

“Didn’t want Annie to see, I’m fast with my hands when I need to be,” Jinx told her. “Want one?”

“Please,” Lux almost begged. She was not a smoker, but even she needed something to help kill the edge. Jinx handed her a cigarette and when Lux put it in her mouth, Jinx lit its end with the burning end of her own. The action almost felt as intimate as some of the kisses they had shared. Lux coughed after a moment, almost regretting the decision, but Jinx remained quiet and let Lux figure it out. Soon, Lux got better at handling the smoke and the two sat in silence.

“I fell,” Jinx finally broke the silence. Lux watched Jinx remove her cigarette and winced when she saw Jinx put it out on her thigh. “I woke up with this strong need to sleep, which was weird considering I had just woken up, you know? Everything felt numb and my body just…moved on its own. I got out here and then…I just fell.”

Lux silently watched her, noticing the small shifts in her expression as she recounted the tale.

“I don’t fall,” Jinx whispered as if it were some sort of rule of nature.

“I know,” Lux said and she meant it. Jinx had an incredible amount of control over her movements. The only times she “fell” were on purpose to either dodge something or make her enemies lower their guards by playing the fool. “How did you?”

“Wind,” Jinx answered. “A strong, cold, gust of wind hit me mid-step and I just…fell.”

There were a couple of things wrong with that statement. One, there were no strong winds at all the entire day or even now so Lux had no idea where a gust that strong could have come from. Two, Jinx didn’t feel the cold, or at least not what the average person would consider cold. For Jinx to have felt cold, the gust would have had to have been borderline frigid.

Winter was close but it wasn’t here just yet.

“Well thank Janna then,” Lux said and she meant it. If she was going to end up believing in a god despite her Demacian upbringing then screw it, she’d believe in the one that saved the woman she loved. A gentle, warm, breeze washed over them for only a moment before vanishing and Lux felt herself lean into Jinx’s side.

“Yeah,” Jinx whispered. “Thank Janna.” Jinx then pulled off her jacket and put it over Lux’s shoulders. “When I fell on my ass, something got knocked back into place. Something important that I thought I had lost a long time ago.”

“What was it?” Lux questioned quietly.

“The will to live,” Jinx told her. “I landed flat on my ass and I just…started laughing. I laughed and laughed and cried as I thought of everything that happened up until now. Then I got mad cause’ like, what am I? An idiot? Where the hell was I even going, what was I even doing, when I could have been warm and comfortable with you in bed? I’ve got splinters in my ass, Flashlight, and I deserve each one because I was going to ruin the best thing that’s ever happened to me.”

Lux was silent as she let Jinx speak.

“It burned more than the Shimmer does, you know?” Jinx said quietly. “That pain and anger that I felt toward myself. I couldn’t help but ask was this how everyone else felt toward me? Ekko, Vi, everyone else I’ve screwed over. If so, I don’t blame them for being done with my shit. What the fuck is wrong with me?”

“Jinx…” Lux began hesitantly as she put out her cigarette. “I won’t sugar coat it honey. You do have problems, problems that went unchecked for a long time, too long. Problems that I don’t even know can be treated, at least not in Zaun.” Lux told to her. “But it’s not your fault. Some people…some people are just born different and it's not fair. Not at all, but that’s just how it is. Whatever is going on with you isn’t just a Jinx thing, I suspect Powder had it long before it showed itself and all of the bullshit you’ve dealt with didn’t help.”

Jinx swallowed nervously. “So, what do I do?”

“The only thing you can do, deal with it the best you can,” Lux told as she rested her head on Jinx’s shoulder. “Lean on those who love you, reach out when you need help instead of bottling it up inside and hiding it behind a smile.” Lux released a shuddering breath as she finally let her tears fall. “You scared me tonight.”

“I’m sorry,” Jinx said, her throat tight. “I scared myself too, I think. It just…snuck up on me, I didn’t think seeing that house would do that to me.”

“What happened?”

“I just…all I could see was him, for so long he was the only one that cared for me and I let him down Lux,” Jinx whispered. “I killed him and I just kept thinking that you all would be next. Before you two, he was the only one that really got me. Even Vander was more of Vi’s dad than mine, he tried, he did, but he never had any sage advice for me when things got bad. Only Silco did. I’m scared, Lux, what if this happens again?”

Lux was silent for a moment before she spoke. “I want you to make me a promise. No matter how bad things get, I know you won’t break a promise to me, right?”

“Never,” Jinx swore and it was the surest she had sounded since this mess started.

“Good, then I want you to promise me that next time you feel like this or even when you feel yourself getting to that point, you tell me before doing anything,” Lux instructed. “No matter how far away you and I are from each other, you wait till you talk to me before doing anything. We’ll talk it through and I will literally hold you down until it passes if I have to. No matter how long it takes.”

“Lux-”

“Promise me!” Lux whispered harshly and when Jinx looked into her eyes all she saw was a blazing gold glaring back at her. Lux’s tears looked as though they burned on her cheeks as she held her gaze. “You’ve been alone for so long, and I understand habits are hard to break, but your life isn’t just yours anymore. You, me, Annie? We’re tied and our lives are part of something bigger. Something real. Do you understand me?”

“Yeah…I do…”

“Now promise me.”

Jinx swallowed. “I promise, that I’ll come to you first before things get this bad again no matter how long it takes for me to get to you.”

“That’s all I ask,” Lux whispered before burying her face into the crook of Jinx’s neck, Jinx held her close and tight, closing her eyes as dawn broke in the distance. “You’re that person for me, you know? The only one that really gets me. I can’t lose you.” Jinx closed her eyes at that as a gentle breeze washed over them.

-?-

Jinx shielded her face with her arms, her hair blowing wildly behind her as she found herself standing in front of a massive hurricane. Squinting, Jinx peaked from behind her arms to find herself standing on what looked like water that extended forever in every direction.

With a grimace, Jinx pushed herself forward through the storm, and sooner than she expected she found herself pushing forward into its eye. Once she felt herself escape the wind, she lowered her arms and gasped when she found a lone man standing before her.

“S…Silco?” Jinx whispered, her eyes watering as the man glanced back at her, his hands folded behind him.

“Jinx,” Silco said before turning away. “Come.”

Silently, desperately, Jinx quickly made her way to him and stood at his side.

“I’m sorry,” Jinx said after a moment. “I didn’t mean it.”

“Mean what?” Silco questioned. “I was under the impression that it was Powder who slew me, not you.”

Jinx’s face crumpled. “I…I should have stopped her.”

“Perhaps,” Silco said. “But perhaps I shouldn’t have reached for the gun in the first place. We can replay that night however many times we wish to, Jinx, but in the end one truth remains. What’s done is done, and regrets have no place in the future you’re building, and ah is it a beautiful one.”

Jinx wiped her eyes. “Where are we?”

“A storm, one never-ending much like the ambition of Zaun and its people,” Silco explained. ”There are worse fates for men like me, I shall not complain about Janna’s mercy.”

“What is there even to do here?”

Silco smirked a bit. “Not much, admittedly, ponder about one’s past mistakes. Scream apologies to deaf ears until one’s voice grows hoarse. Now and then the storm clears and I can look back down on those left behind. I see you have a family.”

Jinx blushed a bit. “I…it was a whim, just another thing I did in the spur of the moment. I didn’t…I didn’t expect to lose myself that much in them, you know?”

Silco chuckled warmly. “I do believe I have an idea.” Silco sized her up. “You’ve come a long way since the last time I’ve looked down on you. They’ve changed you, more than you probably know. Though I shouldn’t be surprised, after all, is there anything so undoing as a daughter?”

Jinx looked down but her smile was warm. “No,” Jinx answered. “No, I don’t think there is.”

“Tell me about her, them,” Silco implored. “I had always told myself that I would not allow your partner to be anything but the best. But a Crownguard? Now that even surprised me. Did you drug her?”

The tips of Jinx’s ears went red and she slapped his shoulder which made him chuckle.  Still, with a smile, she told him everything she could. Tale after tale, story after story, she recounted it all as best as she could. Her vision was blurred by the tears that fell when she heard the approaching winds. Before she could break down entirely, Silco gently caressed her face.

“Don’t cry,” Silco gently reprimanded. “As I said before, you’re perfect.” Silco then hugged her tightly. “I love you, Jinx, but I don’t want to see you up here again until you’re at least twice my age plus ten years or so.”

Jinx wiped her eyes. “Most people don’t live that long in Zaun, especially not people with my habits.”   

“You’re my daughter, you’ll find a way,” Silco said matter-of-factly. “Now go on, they need you.”

Jinx nodded and the rushing winds dried her tears before they engulfed her.

-Later-  

Lux grumbled when she felt someone poke her cheek. She swatted at the hand before opening her eyes to find Annie squatting on the other side of Jinx, looking her right in her eyes. Lux’s heart jumped to her throat as she shot up, pushing herself off of Jinx.

Unfortunately, she sat up too quickly on the old wooden porch and soon felt a sharp pain in her rear.

“Ouch, damn it!” Lux hissed as she reached back and pulled a splinter from her ass. “Annie, I thought I asked you to stop doing that!”

“You weren’t waking up,” Annie said as Lux glared at Jinx who was holding her stomach from the full belly laugh that she was releasing. Tears of mirth streamed down Jinx’s face as she continued to cackle and Lux felt her ire fade, content to hear the sound she loved so much coming from Jinx once again. “Jinx, you’re happy again! Did Tibbers help?”

“Haha, yeah Firelight,” Jinx answered while wiping her eyes. “He helped a lot. Thanks so much for lending him to me.”

“You’re welcome!” Annie chirped as Jinx rose to her feet. Jinx cracked her back before helping Lux up. “Do you want to play?”

“I do actually after we eat,” Jinx answered. “After that, I’ll head out to start working on the house.”

Lux frowned. “Jinx, you know you don’t have to if it’s too much, right?”

“Yeah, I know, but I have to do it. I just…it’s something I need to do.” Jinx told her. “Don’t worry, I remember my promise. If it's too much I’ll come home and talk before trying it again, but this has to get done.” Jinx then placed a hand over her chest. “Besides, this is just a guess, but I don’t think that piece is getting dislodged any time soon. I feel…good.”

“I’ll hold you to that.” Lux gave her a hesitant smile. “Just know that I’m here for you.”

“I know, Flashlight, I know,” Jinx reassured her. “And I’ll never be able to thank you enough for that.”

Suddenly Annie’s stomach rumbled and they turned to see her clutching her stomach.

“I’m hungry.”

“Me too!” Jinx agreed. “Let’s get you something to chow down on, Firelight.”

Annie cheered and Lux shook her head as she followed the two inside. As Lux looked at Jinx, she couldn’t help but notice that the woman seemed to have changed again.

Though this time it seemed to be for the better.

To be continued…

 

Chapter 5: Lux's Pride

Summary:

Jinx finds out that it is Lux, surprisingly, that is possibly the most prideful of the Crownguards even if she no longer bore the name. Between the two of them, Jinx really didn't expect to be the one stopping the other from setting the world on fire. Turns out Lux was even better at playing politics than Jinx thought!

Also, a reunion with an old friend might just end up changing the future of Zaun.

Notes:

BEHOLD THE LAST OF THE PRE-WRITTEN CHAPTERS!

I have no idea when the next update is coming so hopefully this was enough content to satisfy you all for a little bit. (I could have released these weekly or something but I decided not to hold on to them if I already had them written.)

Betaed by: TheUndyingWill

Chapter 5: Lux’s Pride

 

“Come on, Flashlight put it back!”

“Wait, wait, wait, what’s this one say?” Lux questioned as she used a hand to push Jinx back while she continued to read her entry in Jinx’s record of ‘Legends’. “Attributes, eyes a girl can get lost in and hair that looks softer than silk.” Lux turned to give an extremely embarrassed Jinx a teasing grin. “Awww.”

“Put it back!” Jinx repeated as she chased a giggling Lux around the front room. Knowing that there was no way she could keep running from Jinx of all people, Lux made a beeline toward the back exit where she flew up just out of Jinx’s reach. Jinx pouted as she continued to hop up repeatedly, trying in vain to reach Lux.

They had been packing for a surprisingly long time all things considered. Of course, most of the stuff belonged to Jinx but both she and Annie had more belongings than she imagined. They had made their nest in that safe house and with time moving faster than Lux realized, she had her fair share of things to pack.

It was as they were packing that Lux had stumbled across the book filled with the various “legends” Jinx had run into or heard of. Some of the entries left Lux very skeptical. For example, there was this weird scarecrow demon that Jinx simply wrote “RUN!!!” In big red letters.

Truth be told, questionable entries aside, the book was a gold mine of information as it had things about some members of Noxus that would probably help out Demacia.

Speaking of Demacia, Lux found info about various members of her homeland, including her brother Garen. Lux shuddered a bit as she recalled the note Jinx had written: “Probably fucking Katarina.”

Lux had heard the rumors that there was some sort of tension between the two in battle, but Lux had struck it up as a rivalry between two seasoned warriors. Which, to be fair, probably added to it but the more she thought about it the more she could see it.

Much to her horror.

Still, though she doubted Garen had ever laid with the woman, she was now burdened with the knowledge that it was within the realm of possibility. After all, if there was one thing that could be said about Jinx it was that she could read people alarmingly well.

Looks like she and her brother both had a thing for women that would get them disowned.

Hell, she was even raising a child of Noxus. No matter how long Annie stayed in Zaun or how well Lux taught her, there was an innate bloodlust that could never be untaught.

Not that it mattered, Lux still adored her.

Lux even saw a note for her aunt Tianna though rather than her feats and strengths it was just a single message: “Don’t let Sunshine end up like her, kidnap her if you have to.”

Lux was both touched by the message and mildly horrified by the idea she could end up like Tianna. Don’t get her wrong, Lux did love her aunt even if they rarely saw eye to eye but the woman was frigid. Tianna was more Crownguard than Lux ever had any desire to be. Between herself and Jinx, Lux was easily the stricter of the two toward Annie but she prayed the girl never saw her like that.

She could be fun too! She just wanted to keep Annie’s kill count low.

Lux shook her head as she looked back at her entry, one that had been scribbled with doodles of hearts and messages that displayed an obvious crush even if Jinx herself hadn’t realized it at the time. Glancing down at Jinx who was now pouting with crossed arms, Lux smiled warmly.

“How did you know I was a mage?”

“I watched you for a long time, Flashlight.”

“Clearly,” Lux said cheekily which made Jinx huff. A small part of Lux, one that admittedly should have been much larger, was alarmed she hadn’t noticed Jinx watching her. Lux wasn’t sure if that said bad things about her situational awareness or good things about Jinx’s stealth.

Probably both.

“But honestly?” Jinx continued. “You really didn’t hide it well.”

Lux gasped, visibly affronted. “I did too!”

“Flashlight, babe, I love you,” Jinx had the nerve to raise an eyebrow. “But most people don’t draw pictures of secrets they’re trying to hide when bored. Flip the page.”

Lux flushed at Jinx’s words and her face only further reddened when she flipped the page and saw one of the said pictures. It was a doodle she had drawn while bored the day she met Jinx. One that showed her using her final spark to blow away her enemy.

Now it was Jinx’s turn to smirk. “I had to snatch that up, you know? I think you forgot about it so I grabbed it before someone could see it lying in your study.”

Lux hid her face behind the book as Jinx cackled.

“Now, are you ready to head out?” Jinx asked as she raised her hand expectantly. Embarrassed, Lux nodded before handing her back the book.

Lux was curious to see how the place had turned out. The weeks since Jinx got the keys had flown by and Jinx had managed to finish it up just in time for winter. It wasn’t easy, fixing up Silco’s house had taken more of a toll on Jinx than any of the jobs she did for the Chembarons.

Still, Jinx kept her promise.

At first, on the really bad days, Jinx would come to Lux and they would talk it out. And, while Jinx had never been as bad as she had been on that night, Lux still wanted Jinx to stop. It hurt her to see Jinx hurt but she held her tongue. She had to show Jinx that she still trusted her and if Jinx said she needed to do it, Lux wouldn’t stand in her way.

And she was glad she didn’t.

Why? Because after the first two weeks, Jinx did get better. She would need to vent less and less until finally going to the house had become routine. Whatever demons Jinx had regarding it she had gotten a grip on and Lux could see that she had come out the other end of the turmoil stronger.

Jinx was…different. A good different. Lux wouldn’t go as far as to say that she was healthy but she was better. Her smiles reached her eyes much more often and her laughter came from deep within now. The voices were still there but the conversations didn’t seem so toxic. They still annoyed the hell out of Jinx, but they didn’t hurt her as often.

When Lux landed, Jinx grabbed her and kissed her on the neck before pulling back.

“Let’s get the hell out of here.”

-Later-

 

“And here we are,” Jinx said as they entered the house.  “I already had Blitzcrank help move my things back into my workshop ahead of schedule, so it is just unpacking your things.”

“How is he doing by the way?” Lux questioned curiously. “Can’t believe it’s almost been a year and I haven’t seen him once.”

“He’s doing fine, he said hi,” Jinx told her. “Protecting the streets of Zaun is a busy job but he managed to take some time to help out. I told him he could come here for repairs if he ever needed it, so you might see him sooner or later.”

Lux smiled. “Sounds good, I do want to see how he’s doing,” Lux said as she did have a soft spot for the mechanical guardian she and Jinx fought alongside. Lux was also curious to know how Teemo and Yasuo had been faring. Perhaps at some point, they could go on a trip to visit them.

“So…what do you think?” Jinx asked nervously as Lux put down a box. Lux stretched her arms as she looked around the house and felt her jaw drop.

“You’ve…been busy,” Lux said as she took in their new lodgings. The beauty she had seen buried beneath all the dirt, grime, and darkness was now on full display. Everything had been cleaned and polished. The house was clean and the darkness was pushed back by the warm golden glow of a chandelier of all things hanging up above them. “Where did you get that?”

“Made it,” Jinx answered. “Had to make most of what you’re seeing. The city of Iron and glass, that’s Zaun, so I figured I’d use some of that broken glass and scrap iron to lighten things up a bit.” Jinx wrung her hands together. “Place was in bad shape. The first step was making it habitable. After that, it was cleaning it. Then it was repairing or replacing what was lost. The final step was, well, I wanted you to like it, Sunshine. It's not Demacia, but well, I figured I could do the Zaun version of what you left behind.”

Jinx fidgeted a bit as she turned to Lux, looking surprisingly vulnerable.

“So, do you like it?”

“Like it?” Lux repeated. “Jinx I love it.” Lux grabbed Jinx’s hands, tracing her thumbs over the scars, burns, and callouses that were definitely new. “Mainly because I know what you did to make it happen and I appreciate it more than you probably understand.”

The amount of effort, time, and resources to make something like this in Zaun was not lost on Lux. Jinx had told Lux that Chembarons had decent places to live, but even then, it took a lot of manpower to build them. Jinx had to do all of that herself as Lux knew Jinx wouldn’t accept help.

Not because she didn’t need it, but because she didn’t want anyone else touching this house. Jinx wouldn’t risk anyone messing up her vision and not getting it just right. When it came to her projects, Lux knew that Jinx was very particular about how she wanted things done and Lux understood why.

Jinx was an artist.

It took Lux a while to draw that conclusion but it made sense. If a bomb didn’t go off just right and turn her surroundings into the destroyed vision Jinx believed the world should have been, Jinx would be disheartened. Her gadgets, the destruction, and now even her creations, everything Jinx did she did to reflect a vision she had and she would see it through without fail.

Even when Jinx painted her mark on Lux, it was never rushed no matter how many times Jinx had to do it. Even now, Jinx would take time and show a surprising amount of patience to apply Annie’s before she went out into the town.

“Jinx, it’s perfect,” Lux reassured her, capturing the nervous woman in a gentle embrace. Jinx tensed in her arms before slowly raising hers and returning Lux’s embrace.

“Wow, Tibbers! It really is better!” Annie said as she ran into the house and looked around with wide eyes. “Jinx! We get to stay here now?”

With a small chuckle, Jinx released Lux and knelt next to Annie.

“Yeah, Firelight, you can stay here as long as you like,” Jinx told her. “Even when you’re all grown up like us, you will always have a place here.” Jinx’s expression then shifted into one that was both less and more. It was less manic than Lux was used to but somehow conveyed more feeling than those expressions ever did. For that one instance, Jinx looked like a woman who hadn’t been fundamentally broken by the world. “We love you, Annie, always remember that.”

Lux found herself nodding as she knelt next to Jinx. “That won’t ever change. You will always have a place with us.”

It was silent for a moment, but soon the sound of sniffling filled the room and both Jinx and Lux watched silently as Annie’s eyes began to water. Gone were her intimidating and vicious smirks, her sadistic glee, even her childish wonder took a back seat. For once, Annie looked like that which she truly was behind the power.

A scared little girl.

A tired one.

It almost took a year, but finally, Lux saw it click in Annie’s head that this wasn’t just some mere detour from the pain. This was Annie’s new status quo. Living in a house of warmth being taken care of by two people that had no idea what the fuck they were doing but loved each other and her all the same.

Their family wasn’t perfect.

Not in the slightest.

But it was theirs.

“I…I…” Annie began, her chest heaving as tears slid down her cheeks. “I love you too,” Annie squeaked out before she found herself hugged tightly by both women as she broke down into sobs. As Annie cried, something white-hot filled Jinx and Lux and they felt themselves tremble with something close to rage.

Sharing a look, shining ultraviolet eyes mixed with a blazing gold as they made a silent promise then and there to not let this world take anything else from them. Even as Annie’s temperature rose to dangerous levels due to her wild emotions, neither of them let go until she got it all out.

“You chased the bad things out of me,” Jinx whispered. “Now let’s get them out of you.”

-The Next Day-

 

When Lux woke up the next morning, she felt a weight on top of her and opened her eyes to find Annie sprawled across both her and Jinx in their bed. Tibbers was tucked under her arms as she snored lightly. Glancing to the side, Lux saw that Jinx had already been awake and was looking at the scene in amusement.

“This might be the first time she’s ever slept in.” Jinx pointed out as Lux snuggled deeper into her side.

“You know, she is cute when she’s not scaring the hell out of everyone around her,” Lux mused.

“Yeah, but I wouldn’t have her any other way.”

“Me either,” Lux admitted. “Don’t tell her that though, not trying to reinforce any bad habits.”

Jinx chuckled but didn’t say anything more on the matter. Instead, she turned to look at Lux with a mischievous glint in her eyes. As always, that look scared Lux but more than the fear, she felt reassured by it as well. Jinx wanted to have fun, and no matter how terrifying her idea of fun was, that was all Lux needed to know that Jinx was okay.

“Ready to continue with the prank?”

“Yeah, but we’ll need a sitter,” Lux told her. “Unless you trust Annie to be alone in a new house.”

“Good point,” Jinx muttered. “Don’t worry I know just the person! They won’t even die, promise.”

-Later: The Dredge-

 

“I don’t like this,” a Firelight lieutenant muttered as they walked alongside Ekko during their routine check-up on the Dredge. The prison mines were dark, almost pitch-black, this time of night so they had to use their night-vision goggles to navigate through them. “The materials have been nice, especially with winter here, but it’s been too silent. You don’t think the Chembarons are still arguing about who will take over this territory are you?”

“I wouldn’t put it past them,” Ekko muttered. “You know how they operate. To them, business comes first. We need to get as many resources as we can from here before they decide to act. Depending on the size of the force we’ll have to either fight or fly.”

At that moment a blinding light erupted from seemingly nowhere that stunned and blinded them as if it was the world’s biggest flashbang. The Firelight lieutenant screamed as he clutched desperately at his face. Beside him, Ekko fell to a knee and blindly reached for his Z-Drive. Activating it, Ekko went back to before the mysterious light appeared.

“Close your eyes!” Ekko ordered, tackling the Lieutenant to the ground while he shut his eyes tight. Even though his eyes were shut and his face was to the ground, Ekko still almost found himself dazed by the sheer intensity of the light. Suddenly, Ekko heard footsteps slowly approaching him, echoing against the metal platform they had been on.

“Sheesh, that was bright. Maybe I can save some time and money on flashbangs moving forward,” Jinx said as the lights in the mines began to turn on one by one. “Hey little man, remember to always look for the backup-backup generator. It’s always hidden somewhere, Chembarons are paranoid like that.”

“Jinx!” Ekko growled out, ripping the mask from his face. “Go check the perimeter!”

The lieutenant tried to protest. “But-“

“Go!” Ekko repeated. “You can’t deal with her.”

“He’s right you know,” Jinx piped up before she picked up Pow Pow. “Takes a legend to deal with a legend, but by all means, you can try.”

The lieutenant tensed before turning and running off, knowing that he was only going to get in the way. Now alone, Jinx continued to smile at Ekko who glared back at her.

“The hell are you doing here Jinx and why are you wearing that Jacket!?” Ekko questioned and Jinx frowned as she looked down at her jacket.

“Why do people keep asking me that? It’s winter, can’t a girl try to stay warm?” Jinx questioned and Ekko scoffed.

“As if you feel the cold, as if you feel anything,” Ekko muttered. “What are you here for? Did the Chembarons send you to do their work for them? I heard the word on the street that you had started doing more jobs for them.”

“Sounds like your info is a bit outdated, we should probably catch up,” Jinx told him. “See I’m not just doing jobs for them anymore. I am one now.”

If Ekko was expecting anything it wasn’t that.

“Bullshit!”

“It’s true!” Jinx said gleefully and Ekko gritted his teeth.

“Really? A Chembaron? After all the damage they’ve done!?” Ekko shook his head. “Just when I think you can’t fall further, you find a way.”

“Careful little man, you almost sound like you care,” Jinx taunted.

“Nah,” Ekko said as he pulled the Piltover clock hand that he used as his weapon of choice from his back. “I’ve learned my lesson a long time ago.”

“That’s more like it,” Jinx said with a grin and despite his words, Ekko couldn’t help but see Powder for a moment before she vanished. “Let’s play!”

With that, Ekko charged forward as Jinx began to release a hail of bullets, laughing the entire time. Fights between Ekko and Jinx had always been chaotic events even when they were younger, but as adults, they were a different level of destruction.

Ekko was the boy who shattered time. His Z-drive was a powerful tool that allowed him to warp virtually any situation in his favor.

On the other hand, Jinx was the loose cannon. Between her arsenal of weapons and the non-stop fountain of shimmer in her body, she had long since shattered the limits of a normal human of her stature. Her reaction speed was so great that she could react to any changes Ekko made to the timeline which greatly limited the effectiveness of his power.

Still, even limited, Ekko would have had the upper hand if it wasn’t for one thing.

Jinx’s complete lack of fear.

Jinx was an opponent who had no problems blowing herself to smithereens and taking Ekko with her to force him to reset the event. Which happened a lot. For Ekko, fighting Jinx wasn’t simply a matter of defeating her, it was making sure that he didn’t die with her.

Back and forth the two played this game with Ekko searching to make the perfect branch in the timeline as Jinx tried to set fire to them all. To an outsider who only saw the perfect paths that Ekko forged it was always jarring to see him face Jinx. Because to them, they saw a man, a leader, who did everything correctly in the first attempt be forced to a stalemate.

This was the dance the two always performed.

And Ekko had long since grown tired of it.

Ekko grunted when he felt Pow Pow slam into his side. Despite what her small frame suggested, Jinx’s physical strength was much greater than it appeared. Ekko slid back from the force and fell to a knee. Panting, Ekko looked up to find the barrels of the minigun spinning slowly in front of his face.

“Come on, you could have got me that time!” Jinx complained. “You need to kill your heart already.”

“Yeah,” Ekko muttered as blood slid from the corner of his mouth. Unbeknownst to Jinx, a temporal grenade rested on the ground behind her. “I know.”

At that moment, the grenade exploded sending Jinx blasting slowly off of the platform and over the unforgiving ground of the mines. Dozens of feet below, the rocks that awaited her were jagged large and Jinx did not doubt that when time resumed at its correct pace that even she would die from the impact.

“Not bad, little man, not bad,” Jinx praised, her smile warm and Ekko cursed as he saw her look so much like that girl he once loved. “Maybe you do have what it takes and that watch of yours will always keep you alive.” Jinx mused. “Oh, that’s right!” Jinx said suddenly as if remembering something important. With an almost childish glee, she grinned at Ekko. “I have a new toy too!”

With that time resumed and Jinx laughed as she fell. Ekko pushed himself up quickly to look over the side of the platform only to see Jinx be engulfed by a blue flash. Eyes wide, Ekko felt a chill as he turned just in time to see a grinning Jinx aiming her Zapper at him. Before he could activate his Z-drive he was hit point-blank by a powerful blast of electricity that made him shout in agony as his vision went black.

-Later-

 

“Little man my ass, he’s heavier than I thought.” Ekko’s vision was blurred and his body was limp as he faded in and out of consciousness. All he could tell was that he was being dragged through the back alleys of Zaun.

“Have you seen the weapons you wield? I doubt he’s that much of a problem for you.”

“He is when I have to carry them too! Can I get some help?”

“Hmph!”

“Come on, I said sorry! You can’t still be mad! I told you before that I was only like 90% sure he wouldn’t try to kill me, I left room for error! Babe! Babe!” As Ekko heard a pair of footsteps briskly walk away from them, his vision darkened once more. “I’m sorry!”

-Jinx’s Workshop-

 

This time, when Ekko came to he found himself strapped to a chair. Off to the side, he saw Jinx handing some gold over to Sevika.

“Never again,” Sevika said firmly.

“Come on, you’re alive, it couldn’t have been that bad!” Jinx said and Sevika sneered at her.

“I said never again, do you hear me?” Sevika growled out. “You keep your hellspawn as far away from me as possible. Better yet, send her back to the Shadow Isles where I’m sure she came from, whatever you do with her, do it away from me.” With that, Sevika snatched the gold from Jinx’s hand and stomped away.

“Bye big lady!” Annie waved and Jinx blinked when she saw Sevika flinch before quickening her pace.

“Huh, thought she was made out of stronger stuff than that.” Jinx mused and it was then that Ekko felt his face being lifted.

“Ah you’re awake,” Lux said with a kind smile, Ekko blinked groggily as she held a bottle to his mouth. “Drink, let’s get you back to your feet.” Perhaps if his senses weren’t fried, he’d have thought more about taking a drink from a stranger no matter how kind they looked, but this time he just drank away.

Soon, after Lux tended to him a bit more, Ekko had regained his senses.

“What the hell is going on? Where am I!?”

“My workshop, duh! Can’t you tell by all the cool toys?” Jinx questioned before she placed Annie on a sofa. “Stay here, I have to talk with an old acquaintance for a bit. You can walk around if you want but be careful, not even you can take that fall.”

“Kay’.” Annie agreed before turning all of her attention to Tibbers.

“For the forty-fifth time I’m sorry,” Jinx told Lux. “Forgive me?”

Lux sighed and rubbed the bridge of her nose. It was one thing for Annie to give her the injured puppy look, but Jinx had no damn business being able to pull that off so well. “Fine,” Lux conceded, already regretting it when she saw Jinx beaming at her. “I’m heading to Piltover, please be alive when I come back.”

“Will do! Bandle Scout’s promise!” Jinx saluted.

“You’re not a Bandle Scout.”

Jinx gasped. “Am too! Teemo made me an honorary member!”

Lux rolled her eyes but kissed Jinx on her cheek all the same before walking away. Caught off guard by the show of affection, Ekko watched Lux leave with wide eyes which quickly lowered when he saw the cloud marking on her hip.

“You better not be staring at her ass, little man.”

“I’m not,” Ekko said dryly, shooting her a glare. “I just can’t believe that rumor was right.”

“Rumor?”

“Some of my scouts told me about a woman running around with your tattoos,” Ekko told her. “I just thought it was another person with a death wish. The last time someone pretended to be under your protection they were riddled with bullets the next day.”

Jinx snapped her fingers as if recalling that. “Yeah, that did happen, didn’t it?” Jinx asked, giggling as she recalled the memory. “Good times.” Jinx giggled a bit more as she unbound him much to his confusion. Ekko stretched his arms and looked at her suspiciously when she sat across from him and began tinkering with the scrap on the table.

“Why tie me up if you were just going to untie me?”

“That was for you, I hit you pretty hard with the old Zapper,” Jinx informed him. “Might have had a seizure or something, but you’re fine. Might be a bit twitchy but it’ll pass.” Jinx then gestured to the scrap. “Besides I’m a bit behind schedule, so I’m going to need an extra pair of hands.” Jinx handed him a wrench.

“If you think I’m going to help you build weapons-”

“Not weapons, heaters, both portable and not,” Jinx told him. “It's going to be cold soon, don’t you want to keep those people you’re always going on about warm?”

Now Ekko was sure he was in some fucked up reality. “Why would you care about them? You of all people? You’re Jinx!”

“Yeah I know, I’m Jinx, it stands for-”

Ekko sneered and slammed the wrench down. “I already know, it stands for Jin-”

“Mom,” Jinx cut in softly before sending a glance over to Annie. “It stands for mom, now,” Jinx said softly, giving the now stunned Ekko a hesitant smile. “I told you, little man, your info was outdated.”

“Mom. A mom, you?”  Ekko questioned incredulously as he tried and failed to comprehend that. “When-how?”

“I took a trip, ran into her in Noxus, she was all alone so I played with her and took her in,” Jinx said as she tinkered with the portable heater. “For once I realized I was over my head, so I kinda-sorta got hitched.” Jinx continued. “Almost a year later, here I am making heaters for the homeless. It’s been a wild ride, little man.”

“But…why?” Ekko questioned, stunned by the revelation.

“Why what? The family or the heaters?”

“Both.”

“The family thing was pretty straightforward, it’s basically what I told you,” Jinx said with a shrug. “But if I had to go deeper, I was…curious? Before I killed him, I overheard Silco ask ‘is there anything so undoing as a daughter?’ to Vander’s memorial. I thought he was going to turn me in at the time cause I’m an idiot.” Jinx continued to work but Ekko saw her hands tremble a bit. “I realized as he was dying that he was willing to give up his dreams for Zaun to keep me safe. That’s why he asked that question.”

Ekko frowned in thought. Everyone knew how far Silco was willing to go, how far he had gone, for Zaun’s independence. Even if Ekko hated the man with every fiber of his being, the idea of someone like that giving up everything showed just how deep his bond with Jinx went.

Why his death killed Powder once and for all.

“It’s a scary thing, little man, loving someone that deeply,” Jinx told him and Ekko saw that Jinx was surprisingly speaking from experience. “It's why I’m making these heaters now.  Zaun is free but it doesn’t have any hope so I want to work on fixing that even if I did more harm than good.” Jinx faced him fully and for once she wasn’t smiling. “The joke stopped being funny when you stopped being the punchline.”

“Joke?” Ekko questioned with a scowl. “What joke?”

Jinx sighed and told him. Told him how she saw the future turning out if he won. The resulting power vacuum, the scramble for power, how-ultimately- he would be forced to turn to Topside for help and how everything would go full circle, going back to how things were when they were kids.

She told him all of this and he listened.

He listened because, deep down, though he loathed to admit it, she was right.

“Fuck,” Ekko hissed out.

“That look on your face…it’s not as funny as I was hoping,” Jinx muttered as she lowered her head slightly. “If everything went down that way, I realized Annie would be caught up in all of it, and the joke just…lost its humor, so here I am trying to compromise.”

“Compromise? You call becoming a Chembaron compromising?” Ekko questioned angrily. “Do you have any? Chems that is?”

“I do, I got barrels of Shimmer right over there,” Jinx said as she nodded her head over toward said vats. Ekko blinked then, despite himself, he released a harsh laugh.

“You’re a real piece of work, you know that?” Ekko questioned. “All you’re doing is accelerating the rot that’s consumed all of Zaun. Pushing chems helps no one.”

“I’m not pushing chems though?” Jinx said confusing Ekko. “This Shimmer is for my use and my use only.”

“But…why? You already have all the Shimmer you’ll ever need.” Ekko said as he gestured toward her body.

“That’s the problem with you little man, you get so blinded by your morals you forget to see things objectively,” Jinx said before she pulled a vial of shimmer from her pocket. “You see a drug, something evil, where I see only what this has always been.” Jinx inserted the vial into the heater and turned it on. Ekko’s eyes widened a bit from the warmth he felt radiating from it. “Power.”

“That power has destroyed a lot of lives, Jinx.”

“How long are you going to blame the tool for how it was used?” Jinx questioned making him pause. “Shimmer isn’t good or bad, it just is. It’s the people that twist it into something else. You want to get rid of this rot in Zaun but don’t you get it? Don’t you see the punchline to that joke? Zaun is the rot. Everything that makes Zaun, Zaun, that freedom is what you’re standing against.”

“I’m standing against the tyranny against the people!” Ekko stood up. “I’m trying to save the people of Zaun!”

“And if they don’t wanna be saved, little man? What gives you the right to make that decision for them?” Jinx questioned and at this point, neither were sure they were talking just about the people of Zaun.

“People are victimized every day, they’re dying in the streets, living like rats in a gutter!”

“And those are the people you should be protecting,” Jinx agreed. “The people that are getting snatched up and experimented on without their consent? Save them. But the people who choose to be a part of those experiments should be left alone.”

Jinx and Ekko said nothing for a bit as they stared each other down.

“We live too fast, little man, Flashlight taught me that,” Jinx continued. “Zaun can keep its unrivaled freedom and have its people be safe and prosperous but it will take time. This middle ground has to be made from the ground up and spoon-fed to the people little by little.”

“The longer we wait, the more people die.”

“And they’re all surviving your battles?” Jinx asked getting a glare from Ekko in response. “You make just as many orphans as any Chembaron, Ekko. You almost have as much blood on your hands as me. Your heart is in the right place but war is and always will be just that, war. Do you really think Zaun needs a civil war right now?”

“So, what would you have me do, huh?” Ekko questioned. “Sit by and do nothing?”

“No, I’d have you take a seat at the table,” Jinx said as she handed him a letter, surprising him. “Flashlight came with me to the mines, she is the one that took out your men but she didn’t kill them. They’re all sore, but alive because we feel like you might need them.”

“The hell is this?”

“All the info you need to know about Saito’s routines and safehouses, I stalked him for a bit,” Jinx told Ekko. “He’s a powerful businessman but he’s no legend. To him, Zaun is just a stepping stone and I don’t feel like waiting for him to sell us out. Take care of him, take over his empire, earn your seat at the table like a true Zaunite and you can start making some real changes.”

“Why…why should I trust you?” Ekko questioned, “After everything, how do I know this isn’t a trap?”

“I already could have killed you and a decent chunk of your men tonight,” Jinx reminded him. “Adding all these extra steps just to screw you over wouldn’t even give me a chuckle.” Jinx then handed him the wrench once more. “But robbing the Chembarons blind? Now that’s funny as fuck.”

Ekko stared at her moment, his eyes flickering between her and the wrench.

Finally, he spoke.

“These heaters, using the Shimmer as power source means they will last long,” Ekko told her. “But you’re giving these to the homeless, many of which who are only homeless because of their chem addiction. What happens when they find out they can juice up from your heaters?”

“Life is filled with choices and everyone has the right to make those choices,” Jinx told him. “If they want to juice up, I can’t stop them but…” Jinx trailed off as she used to wrench to open the heater only for a crack to be heard as a small harmless explosion shook the inside of the machine. “…for some reason whenever these things are tampered with, everything inside them mysteriously gets destroyed.” Jinx frowned thoughtfully as Ekko’s eyes widened a bit. “Damn shame, but I have no idea what is causing this issue. Maybe you can tell me what’s happening while we work?”

Ekko exhaled and shook his head before snatching the wrench from her hand. Sitting down, Ekko pried open the machine and dug around for a bit. Eventually, he saw the remains of a small explosive that was embedded right next to where the vials of shimmer would go.

“Well?” Jinx asked innocently. “You find anything?”

Ekko held her stare for a moment before shaking his head.

“Nah,” Ekko answered. “I ain’t find a damn thing.”

“Bummer~” Jinx said before shrugging. “Oh well, willing to help me build them anyway?”

“I’ll stay if only to make sure you don’t turn these into bombs or something,” Ekko muttered before turning around and looking over the edge of the propeller. “Plus, I’m not entirely sure how to get out of here.”

Jinx snickered but before she could respond she heard a click and a loud gasp.

“Jinx! I did it!” Annie exclaimed as she ran up to the table and put down the monkey puzzle. Jinx looked on with wide eyes as she saw the dismantled monkey. Then, from inside of it, she saw a small green light. Soon a mechanical firelight flew out from inside of it. Annie gasped and looked up with wide eyes as the machine flew around them for a minute.

“Stick out your finger, Firelight,” Jinx instructed quietly and when the little girl extended her index finger, the firelight landed on it, making her eyes widen further. “Thatta girl!” Jinx said before she gently grabbed the robot and fastened it to the side of Annie’s hair, revealing it to be able to double as a hairpin. “A firelight for my firelight, do you like it?”

Annie nodded. “Uh-huh.”

“Good, you know a long time ago an idiot once told me that firelights were signs of good luck in Zaun,” Jinx said which made Annie’s face scrunch up in confusion.

“Why was he an idiot?”

“Well, because he was one of those idiots I told you about. He called himself a firelight even though he couldn’t control fire! Can you believe that?” Jinx questioned which made Annie giggle.

“That is pretty stupid.”

“Right? But you know what? In that one extremely rare, never occurring again, instance, that idiot was right,” Jinx continued. “And that is why I call you my little Firelight. Finding you was the luckiest day of my life. You give me hope, something I haven’t had in a long time.” Jinx then lifted Annie onto her lap. “Now you work on fixing Nanners while me and this guy work our project.”

“Okay,” Annie said before looking at Ekko curiously. “Who are you?”

“An idiot, apparently,” Ekko said as he raised an eyebrow at a smirking Jinx. Annie gasped as she put two and two together and he just shook his head as he continued to work. After a moment of silence, Ekko glanced up a Jinx and noticed the almost peaceful expression on her face. Ekko supposed that no matter how relaxed, Jinx would always have some mania in her. “Tell me about them.”

“Hm?” Jinx questioned with a confused frown.

Ekko rolled his eyes and pointed at Annie with his wrench. “The family. I find silence peaceful but with you, it puts me on edge. So, talk like you always do, tell me how this…” Ekko gestured to the image in front of him. “…all works..”

“Well, that’s a heck of a story but sure and after I’ll tell you about the crazy prank we have planned.” Jinx gushed. “So I was a couple of weeks in when I realized I was in over my head...”

-Meanwhile: Piltover-

 

“I must say when Clan Ferros received a letter with your insignia in the mail, even I was surprised,” Camille said she stood on the balcony of her manor with Lux. “I see now it was forged as you haven’t been a Crownguard in quite some time. That said, my curiosity seems to have won over my better judgment. So, speak.”

“I need information,” Lux told her. “The Chembaron Voss, where is she? I heard she fled up here after she lost the mines.”

“You heard correct, but why would you need me to track her down for you?” Camille questioned. “From my understanding, she was quite the brutal Chembaron so what good is she to you?”

“Brutal but weak,” Lux told her simply. “Her return will stop the fighting over her territory and I will make sure to keep her on a tight leash. She will be able to help make the correct decisions in Zaun much faster.”

“You wish to make her a puppet,” Camille mused. “That is very important information, and yet you simply chose to let it be known? To fully display the true worth that she has to you?”

Lux shrugged and placed a hand on her hip which caused Camille’s cold eyes to glance down at her tattoo. “My crazier half said this would be the better route and I trust her judgment completely. She said you play this game of half-truths all the time and that you would appreciate a change of pace. A new game.”

“Hmph, whether it be business or else, she does seem to enjoy disrupting my routines,” Camille mused. “You know, when she freed you from Demacia and showed up in Piltover I was oh so close to revealing her sudden access to teleportation and exposing that fake alibi of hers.”

“But you didn’t.”

“I didn’t.”

“Why?”

“Because, Piltover and Zaun share a symbiotic relationship even with Zaun’s independence,” Camille revealed. “When one thrives so does the other, now anyway, and when one falls so will the other. It’s why I even bother to have my Clan make dealings with the Zaunites. So, the idea of Luxanna Crownguard residing in Zaun was much more appealing than having her sent back to a country afraid of progress. A country Piltover has no hopes of making any meaningful deals with.”

“But I’m not a Crownguard as you’ve already noted.”

“No, but you are still you though aren’t you girl?” Camille questioned. “The loss of your name does not erase your deeds or your strength, light mage. It also doesn’t erase the drive instilled into you by your blood. I knew it would only be a matter of time before you climbed your way to the top of Zaun’s hierarchy.”

“I assure you, climbing any hierarchy was not my intention,” Lux told her.

“Of course, it wasn’t,” Camille actually rolled her eyes. “You like all foolish maidens were only after affection. That said, being a Zaunite, the only way for the object of your affections to be safe would be to be at the top. So, I knew it would only be a matter of time before you did what needed to be done. Love or power, whichever you desired was irrelevant as the result would still be the same.”

“I see,” Lux said and she didn’t feel the need to argue. It was pointless anyway and she wasn’t going to waste their time debating. “So, Voss?”

Camille waved her hand dismissively. “Just inform me of where to drop her off and when and I will have her delivered to you. In return, I want a favor. One that you will carry out when the time comes. My only promise is that it shouldn’t endanger your lives. It’ll likely be a trade deal or something equally as valuable.”

“Understood.”

“Good, and I will keep your current location and identity a secret.” Camille continued. “I stand to gain more from exclusive access to the new Chembaron for the time being.”

Lux nodded her head. “Much appreciated,” Lux said and she gave Camille the drop-off information before turning to leave.

“Oh, and one last thing, girl,” Camille called. “Do please learn to haggle, would you?”

Lux flushed at that and scowled. Instead of leaving, Lux soon smiled and glanced back at Camille. “Lady Ferros, a question.”

“Hm?”

“The night you were debating exposing Jinx’s alibi, you had already realized the benefits of keeping it a secret, didn’t you?” Lux questioned. “Yet you still debated exposing it though you stood to gain absolutely nothing from such an action.”

“Your point?”

Lux smirked. “You really didn’t appreciate that loss, did you?” Camille tensed and Lux smiled. “For what it’s worth it’s refreshing that you can still be such a cold-blooded clan leader and still be human. That body of yours is powerful but please understand that that part of you is a strength, not a weakness.”

“Are you done with your preaching, girl?”

“I am,” Lux said. “Also know that Jinx isn’t the only one willing to give you a rematch. You know, in case you’re bored.”

With that Lux left Camille alone with her thoughts on her balcony.

“Well-played, Crownguard.”

-Later: Jinx’s Workshop-

 

When Lux arrived, she was pleasantly surprised to see that not only was no one dead but that Jinx and Ekko had finished making all of the heaters. Currently, Jinx was resting on the couch and watching as Ekko walked Annie through some basic tips and tricks on tinkering.

“Now tighten that, and…” Ekko trailed off and as Annie finished tightening a screw on Nanners, she placed it on the ground and watched it move forward and bang its cymbals together. Annie gasped and looked up at him with a grin.

“It worked!”

“Yeah, it did, good job!” Ekko said as he ruffled her hair. Seeing Lux, Annie quickly scooped up the monkey and ran to her.

“Look! I did it!”

“I see! I’m so proud of you!” Lux said as she noticed Annie’s new hairpin. Lux smiled at Jinx. “She did it faster than you thought, huh?”

“Yeah, she did,” Jinx said as she sat up. “Wasn’t too long after you left that she took it apart and she put it back when we were halfway through the heaters. Ekko made a passing comment about one of my old Monkey bombs and she managed to rope him into getting Nanners to move.”

“It was those eyes,” Ekko said. “She looked so hopeful I didn’t have it in me to say no.”

Lux shook her head, knowing all too well what he meant.

“So, you’re the famous Flashlight, huh?” Ekko questioned and Lux shot a smirking Jinx a look before extending her hand.

“Luxanna, formerly Luxanna Crownguard, but you can call me Lux.” Lux introduced herself and Ekko shook her hand with slightly wider eyes before glancing at Jinx

“Huh, so you did blow up Demacia.” Ekko mused. “With that teleporter it all makes sense. So, what’s the deal, Lux? Why Jinx? Just needed someone to bust you out and keep your bed warm or were you trying to make a power grab in Zaun?”

“Neither, I fell in love with her as we raised our daughter,” Lux answered. “And if you accuse me of either of those things again, you’ll be eating your balls for breakfast. I guarantee my light shines brighter than yours, Firelight.”

The best part was that Lux said all that while smiling, much to Jinx’s amusement. Rather than being afraid or taken aback, Ekko laughed, a sound Jinx had long since forgotten.

“Haha, now I get it, you got a little crazy in you too,” Ekko said but he said it in a way that conveyed that he understood Lux’s feelings were genuine. “And a little bit of Zaun with that attitude. Okay, rich girl, keep doing you, it’s making my life easier.” Ekko turned to Jinx and his smile fell but not completely Lux noted. “I can have some of my men distribute these.”

“Hell no, that means they need to come here,” Jinx shook her head. “Your bugs ain’t coming anywhere near my house. I’m a Chembaron now, I have people I can get to move this and I’ll ask Blitzcrank for a favor to move the bigger ones. You and I can’t be seen working together until you make up your mind.”

“Suit yourself,” Ekko muttered and Lux wondered if the two would ever repair that burnt bridge. Lux doubted they would ever be friends again but she was hopeful that they were on the path to not be enemies. That fight Lux saw made her wish for that more than anything else because Ekko was the one thing she feared most.

An enemy Jinx couldn’t beat.

Not without taking herself out alongside him.

Granted she was victorious that night but Jinx lost the element of surprise with her teleporter. If the two seriously went at it again, Ekko would be prepared for it. Jinx’s speed and reaction time were incredible but it was only so effective against someone that could control time itself.

Yeah, no matter how many times it played out in Lux’s head, a true fight between them would only result in both of their deaths. It was for the best that the two could at least have a ceasefire.

“I got some shit to think about. Where’s the exit?” Ekko asked.

“Back that way and to the left,” Lux answered as she pointed behind her.

“Thanks,” Ekko said and he placed a hand on Lux’s shoulder and gave it a reassuring squeeze. “Keep doing you, rich girl.” Ekko’s eyes searched hers and Lux could see the real message.

Keep looking after her.

Lux nodded. “Of course.”

“Wait!” Jinx shot up. “Before I forget!” Jinx moved to her workbench, and lux saw her pull out her record of legends. Jinx flipped through the book before finding the page she was looking for. With a grin, she ripped it out and ran back to them, slamming it into Ekko’s chest with so much force he almost fell.

“Ouch! Jinx, what the hell!?”

“Take this and thank me later,” Jinx told him urgently, her eyes shining with mischief. “If you do accept, you’ll need a second that the other Chembarons will fear like they do Lux or like they feared me and Sevika when Silco was around. Even better, they’re another wanna-be hero like you.” Jinx grinned. “Sorry, but your bugs are kind of weak. If you don’t join us then, well, this will keep the game interesting since there is no way you can beat me and Flashlight.”

Ekko narrowed his eyes but silently conceded the point. Yeah, Jinx was one thing, but she and Lux was an entirely different issue.

Lux was a magical assassin and war hero for fuck sake.

Glancing at the page, Ekko paused before looking at Jinx with wide eyes. “Her?”

“You know her? Even better!”

“It’s a little complicated.”

“Well un-complicate it,” Jinx said with an eye-roll. “Shoot your shot boy savior. Don’t ruin my fun because you’ve got no game. If you want to get steamrolled that badly by Flashlight and I fine, but that’s no fun.”

Ekko narrowed his eyes at her but said nothing and stalked away.

“Were…were you trying to get him back up or get him laid?” Lux asked in confusion. Of course, Jinx just shrugged.

“Both!” Jinx told her. “Have you seen him? The man needs to get laid. I know because I need to get laid,” Jinx said dryly which made Lux sputter in embarrassment. “Aw look at you blushing like the virgin you are.”

“Jinx!” Lux hissed, covering Annie’s ears.  “You’re a virgin too!”

“I know! Which is how you know I need some,” Jinx laughed. “Seriously, though he needs to get his mind off of the past…” Jinx’s smile waned a bit and if the pain in her eyes didn’t tell Lux the true reason behind her actions, her next words did. “...get his mind off of me.”

-The Next Week-

 

“Voss, about time you showed back up,” Velveteen drawled. “Of course, you would wait until after someone cleared your territory for you.”

“As they say, work smarter not harder, dear Velveteen,” Voss said before she looked at Jinx who was playing with Annie. Behind Jinx, Lux stood and her eyes flashed gold for the briefest of moments but it was enough to make the Chembaron pale. “And you, Jinx, I owe you for clearing it of those bugs.”

“No problem, toots,” Jinx said as she gave her a thumbs-up. “I was just tired of everyone fighting for your land so I figured if you came back everything would go back to normal.”

“Such initiative,” Velveteen was impressed. “I daresay you are proving to be quite the asset to our group. That church of yours has been distributing those heaters to our people and the bigger ones to the business in the outskirts. We might have enough people surviving this winter to fully supply our workforce for once. Not to mention, you have found a charismatic priest, from where did you find young Thieram?”

“Who?” Jinx asked sounding legitimately confused which made Lux sigh.

“Chuck, honey.”

“Oh! Why did you call him that weird name?” Jinx questioned. Velveteen shot Lux a look and she shook her head as if to say ‘don’t ask’. “Chuck is the man! Whatever I ask him to do, he does. If he doesn’t know how to do it, he learns, he’s the best.”

He was also absolutely traumatized and scared shitless of Jinx.

But Lux didn’t have the heart to tell her.

Chembaron Karvyq shook his head and shared a look with Chembarons Eramis and Petrok. “So much has changed since Eramis, Petrok, and I went to Piltover to hammer out our dealings. We knew and agreed with your decision to recruit Jinx but we weren’t expecting her to be so…”

“…useful?” Eramis finished.  “I guess Velveteen was right about you, girl. You helped Silco and now you’re proving yourself be worthy of all the praises he sang of you.”

“Aw shucks, you’re making me blush!” Jinx giggled.

“All that aside, have any of you seen Saito?” Wencher questioned. “He’s normally the first one here. I had a deal that I wanted to run by him.”

“I don’t know,” Velveteen murmured. “But we’ll need him if we are to carry on to the next order of business-”

Velveteen was cut off when the door to the chambers was kicked open. The right-hands of all the Chembarons were quickly put on alert and they watched in surprise as Ekko strolled in as if he owned the place.  Behind him was a woman with electric blonde hair. Immediately Wencher stood up and pulled out his shock batons only for their electrical currents to fly from the weapons and be absorbed by the woman.

“Sit down,” the woman instructed as the lights flickered on and off as electric currents danced across her body. She aimed her fingers at him as if they were a gun. “You do not want to do this.”

“She’s right, you don’t,” Ekko drawled before he lifted a bag and tossed it onto the table. From inside of it, Saito’s head rolled out. Jinx whistled in appreciation. This level of brutality was not something Ekko often partook in but Jinx had told him that to be accepted, he would need to show a certain level of brutality to get the respect and fear of the others.

It was simply the Zaun way.

Moving to the sole empty seat in the chamber, Ekko pulled it out and sat down. Kicking his feet up on the table, Ekko crossed his arms behind his head and looked at them all. “Huh, so that’s what you all look like when you listen.”

Velveteen narrowed her eyes. “What is the meaning of this!?”

“What does it look like?” Ekko turned to his companion. “Zeri, what does it look like I’m doing?”

“Looks like you’re taking Saito’s seat,” Zeri answered. “Zaun rewards freedom over everything. Anything is yours if you got the balls to take it.” Zeri glanced at Wencher as a spark danced across her fingers as if daring him to try something. “Isn’t that right?”

Wencher narrowed his eyes but sat back all the same. “You better watch your back girl,” Wencher warned but he said nothing else.

“You know, I’ll admit it, I kind of like this about Zaun,” Ekko mused. “In Piltover, I’d have to have all you assholes vote me in. But here? Well…” Ekko trailed off and Zeri’s eyes shone as the power in the room flickered once more. “…You can try to get me out of this seat. If you’re feeling ballsy.”

“Not my territory, not my problem,” Jinx spoke up.

“A-Agreed,” Voss said, shooting a nervous glance toward Lux. One by one the other Chembarons seemed to think about this and agreed.

“J-Jinx!” Velveteen exclaimed sounding scandalized. “Did you forget the main reason we reached out to you!?”

“Yeah, for morale and stopping the Firelights,” Jinx nodded. “But, why bother if they join us?”

“Chill out lady, I’ll admit it, I had half a mind to storm this room and fuck up everybody inside,” Ekko revealed before he gestured toward Jinx and Lux. “But they convinced me not to. I saw what they did in the mines and I don’t feel like throwing my life away. So, she’s still doing her job of staying my hand like you so obviously planned. I want to change Zaun for the better, but I’ll take my time so you can take your fears of power vacuums and shove them up your ass.”

“You’ll stay off of our lands and not interfere with our businesses?” Eramis questioned and Ekko sneered at him.

“As long as everyone involved in your businesses is doing what they want and aren’t being terrorized or blackmailed so be it.” Ekko told him. “Leave the innocent out of your bullshit and we won’t have any problems.”

Ekko would never admit it but his discussion with Jinx opened his eyes. She was right, the rot in Zaun was Zaun. Getting rid of the gangs and Chembarons would do nothing but open space for new gangs and Chembarons. Ekko needed to attack the systems and conditions in Zaun that sent people down these wretched paths in the first place.

Ekko had to be smart, subtle, and patient.

He had to make enough changes moving forward that his people would see a difference being made but he couldn’t make too many waves or he threatened to topple the entire house of cards that made up Zaun.

For once, he had to take life slowly.

“You know my stance,” Jinx shrugged. “Fight him if you want, but don’t expect me or my girl to intervene and save your asses. It takes a legend to fight a legend, and none of you are legends.”

“I’m in no position to challenge, I just got my territory back.” Voss admitted.

“Well, at least we don’t have to worry about him selling out Zaun to the highest bidder, like Saito,” Petrok muttered.

“His Firelights are better trained than most of our men, loathe am I to admit that,” Karvyq said. “ Not to mention his technology gives him an advantage. I’d rather they be on our side in case we are invaded.”

“I don’t like it, he’ll try to change who we are!” Wencher snapped as he stood up. “Death and mayhem are what makes Zaun, Zaun!  But not just that it’s my business! Without them what are we and what will happen to my empire!? I will not have my time wasted by this farce!” With that Wencher left the room and Jinx began to cackle, getting all attention on her.

“He’ll be dead before sundown,” Jinx snickered before turning to Velveteen. “I actually like you, don’t join him.”

“I…” Velveteen trailed off and sighed. She knew a losing battle when she saw one. “Most of my operations are in Piltover anyway. Fine. When this bites us in the ass, I will not be here to see it.”

“Have some faith, Velvet!” Jinx encouraged. “You lived through the days when Piltover ruled us, nothing can be that bad.”

Velveteen scoffed at the thought. Piltover was good for business but Jinx was right. “I’ll concede that point. Fine, let’s get to business. I trust you’ve familiarized yourself with Saito’s accounts, boy.”

Ekko smirked. “Yep, ready whenever you are.”

-Outside-

 

Wencher grumbled as he exited the chambers with his right-hand right behind him.  He would put a stop to this, he refused to let that boy and his damn bugs interfere with his business! They would make Zaun weak, ruin its thirst for blood which made them strong!

He couldn’t let that happen.

He’d stop them by any means necessary.

So caught up in his enraged thoughts, Wencher didn’t see the cloaked person he had collided into. With a curse, he glared at the person who dared to stand in his way. His expression shifted one into confusion when he saw that it was Sevika. Before he could say a word, a blade shot from her chem-tech arm and pierced his chest. Behind him, his right hand looked on in horror but before they could act, Sevika enhanced her arm with shimmer and ripped it upward causing the blade to release an arc of light that cut through him as well.

With both dead, Sevika snorted as she looked up at the Chembarons chambers and crumpled a letter in her hand.

“I’ll be damned, that crazy bitch came through,” Sevika muttered as she removed Wencher’s head. “Just like that, a seat at the table.” Sevika stalked toward the chamber and scoffed. “Fine, we’re even but I still don’t like you.”

-Chembarons Chambers-

 

Jinx smiled as she always did but it was so much harder to keep it up! She wanted to burst out in laughter, especially when she heard those heavy footsteps approaching the chamber but she couldn’t! That would give away the joke and Lux worked so hard to help her with this prank.

Voss.

A ceasefire and alliance with Ekko.

Sevika.

Not to mention she had Velveteen wrapped around her finger.

These alliances made her the most powerful Chembaron at the table, and the best part was that no one even knew! Jinx was absolutely giddy but she remembered Silco’s words.

“Move in silence, Jinx. Never show your whole hand.”

A hand gently squeezed her shoulder and she looked up to see Lux looking down at her with those warm blue eyes of hers. Suddenly, Jinx felt the strength to push down her jitters. The punchline wasn’t ready yet, she couldn’t ruin the joke. She wouldn’t!

She owed Lux that much.

Still, blondie sure knew how to spoil a girl!

-Flashback-

As Annie slept on top of them, Jinx and Lux stared at the ceiling of their new house.

“You’ve given more to me than anyone else and have asked nothing in return,” Lux spoke up eventually. “If I still had access to my families’ wealth, I would have spoiled you beyond belief.”

“But you already do,” Jinx told her. “With your love, your warmth, your touches, you’re more than a girl like me could ask for, Flashlight.”

“Forgive me, I know that’s all you ask but you have to understand that even I have my pride,” Lux told her. “You give and give and give even when you have nothing left and all I can do is be here for you and take.”

“Flash-” Jinx was silenced as Lux placed a finger over her lips and gazed at her intently.

“Even if I’m a Crownguard in blood only, mark my words…” Lux began and suddenly Jinx felt it hard to breathe let alone talk. It was as if something fundamental between the two of them did a one-eighty. “…as the mother of my child, I promise you that I will give you the world.”

-Flashback: End-  

 

Jinx felt her ears burn just thinking about that. Yeah, she had to talk Lux down to just settling with Zaun. Lux could do whatever she put her mind to, it was the best and scariest thing about her. If Lux wanted to take over the world, Jinx was sure she’d find a way. But as hot as it would be to see Lux fighting her way through Noxus and Demacia, Jinx wanted her nearby and safe first and foremost.

Yeah, it was ironic and made her a bit of a hypocrite considering her habits.

But she was in love damn it!

Besides, owning the world took the fun out of exploring it and the three of them were overdue for a trip when the season changed again and they were settled into their new normal.

Man, time sure was flying! This past year had been great, but for some reason, something kept tickling at the back of her head. It happened every time Jinx thought about how much time she spent with her family but she didn’t know why.

“You okay?” Lux asked quietly just as Sevika entered the chambers with Wencher’s head.

“Oh, you’re fucking kidding, again!?” Velveteen hissed.

“Yeah,” Jinx said, chuckling a bit at Velveteen’s anger. “I just can’t shake the feeling that I’m forgetting something.”

“Whatever it is, it’ll come to you.”

“You’re probably right.”

-Meanwhile: Piltover-

 

“Vi, love, you have to calm down,” Caitlyn said as she watched Vi pace back and forth in her office.

“Calm down!? It’s been a year, Cupcake and there hasn’t been one explosion in Piltover, not one!” Vi ranted and Caitlyn understood. While having no acts of terrorism was good, the fact that Jinx had been so quiet was worrying. “The Council has been having us all over the world for diplomatic bullshit meanwhile my sister could be dead.”

“I’m sure Jinx is fine.” Caitlyn tried to reassure her.

“Do you even believe that?”

“I do,” Caitlyn said firmly. “She and I have our differences to put it lightly but she’s your sister. She’s strong, she’s given us enough headaches to prove that much.” Caitlyn handed Vi a letter. “Look we are being sent to Ionia. This will be the last time we will go abroad for a while, even if I have to tell Jayce to shove the next order up his ass. When we come back, we will both head down to Zaun to find her and you’ll see that she’s fine.”

Vi was strong enough to handle herself, but Caitlyn would always watch her back. And, on the extremely off chance that something did happen to Jinx, Caitlyn would be damned if she wasn’t there to console Vi.

“One more,” Vi said and her voice left no room for argument.

“One more,” Caitlyn confirmed. “Besides, Piltover’s holiday festival is next week and you know she never misses a chance to disrupt that. I’m almost afraid to see how the enforcers handle it without us.”

"Poor bastards," Vi snorted and It was then that Caitlyn saw the smile she loved so much. "I wonder if any of the rookies will cry?"

“We'll be lucky if they don't all quit," Caitlyn mused before she placed a comforting hand on Vi's shoulder. "If we don’t get a report about her next week while we’re out then we can worry.”

-1 week later-

Piltover celebrates its biggest and most peaceful festival in years.

Caitlyn’s jaw dropped as she read the headline.

Okay.

Now she was worried.

To be continued...

 

Chapter 6: Their Family Reunion

Summary:

Lux finds herself with two new house-guests as Jinx goes on a mission that serves as grim reminder that she is only human.

Notes:

Got this chapter written up and ready faster than I expected. Warning but this is NOT a good indicator of my upload speed lol, I just wanted to write this as much as some of you wanted to read it lol!

Also yes, I did wait until chapter VI to fully bring Vi into the story cause I am that basic lol.

Betaed by: TheUndyingWill

Chapter VI: Their Family Reunion

 

-Piltover: Jayce’s Office-

 

“…Lastly, Karma has agreed to maintain the current status-quo of our trade agreement, and Irelia has accepted our offer to increase the security around the Ionian Hexgate.” Caitlyn finished her report while Vi leaned against the wall behind her, clearly impatient with the meeting.

“I see, a successful mission.” Jayce nodded his head as he continued to sign off on some paperwork. “As expected of Piltover’s Finest.”

“Jayce, what is going on?” Caitlyn asked, her voice sounding fatigued. “This all could have been handled with a letter. As could the last few meetings. What are you keeping from me?”

“I have no idea what you’re talking about.” Jayce lied, awfully in Caitlyn’s opinion. “Now we have another trade-”

“If you ask me to go to one more nation, I will be very creative in picking a location for you to shove those orders, Councilor,” Caitlyn told him with a fake smile that sent a chill down his spine. “I refuse to do this dance with you, tell me what’s wrong before I figure it out myself.”

Jayce sighed and his shoulders slumped. “You’re too damn good at your job, Kiramman.”

“No, you’re just lacking at yours,” a voice cut in, and the three turned to see Camille stride into the room. Jayce narrowed his eyes at the older woman but she paid him no mind as she spared Caitlyn a glance. “Sheriff, what Councilor Talis is not telling you is that Noxus has found out about the upcoming trade agreement with the Avarosans in Freljord. The one your Clan is in charge of signing.”

Caitlyn’s head whipped to Jayce. “What!?”

“Are you shitting me?” Vi questioned. “And you just let her roam around out there!?”

“She had you to support her,” Jayce said before he released a long breath, silently cursing Camille. “She was far safer out there with you than she was in Piltover. We’ve apprehended at least three assassins that we could find already. At least with her on the move, she’d be a harder target.”

“Jayce!” Caitlyn snapped. “My life is being targeted and you didn’t think to inform me!? None of the other Councilors thought it best to let me of all people know?”

“You’re a great Sheriff, Cait, but while you’re great at protecting the streets, your own life is a different story,” Jayce told her bluntly. “You’re headstrong and you have a track record of going toward the people trying to kill you rather than away from them.”

“It’s in the Kiramman blood, hunters, all of you,” Camille said as she gazed out of Jayce’s window. “A charming trait, but not when it affects the businesses of the other clans. Keeping you in the dark was put to a vote, all agreed except for Councilor Talis though even he understood our reasoning. So please do cut him some slack.”

Caitlyn’s eyes narrowed. “You had no right.”

“In matters that affect our Clans, we had every right, girl,” Camille drawled. “It doesn’t matter now. Queen Ashe will be finishing reviewing the agreement and have it signed by the end of the week. Your only job now is to survive until then.”

“And what? The assassins will just miraculously disappear?” Vi asked skeptically which just made Camille roll her eyes.

“Not miraculously, it will be a decision made by Noxus,” Camille informed her. “The thing Noxus fears most at the moment is fighting a war on another front. As allies of Queen Ashe, any further moves against us would have her strike down upon them from the North. Not even Noxus can deal with their forces being spread that thin.”

The fact that the southern border would be vulnerable was a discussion for the Council at a later date. Piltover had no true military force and joining a war without knowing Zaun’s intentions would be suicide.

“Noxus hates wasting resources. Instead of you, they’ll tell the assassins to either make a move on Queen Ashe instead or fall back and see if she shows any signs of winning,” Camille continued. “After all, our trade agreement will be useless if she’s dead and her faction loses the war for Freljord. Which is why I must implore you to survive for one last week.”

Jayce nodded. “It sucks, Cait, I know how much you hate being babysat but just bear with it. We’ll send you to Bilgewater-”

“I can’t leave again, Jayce.” Caitlyn refused which made Jayce sigh. He was about to ask why when Caitlyn continued. “I heard about the holiday festival. It was quiet. All of Piltover has been quiet for a year.”

Vi visibly tensed at Caitlyn’s words and Jayce was confused for a second before sneering when he connected the dots.

Now Caitlyn’s hesitance made even more sense.

“Sounds like good news to me,” Jayce muttered and Vi glared darkly at him. “Still, I understand that matter is complicated for you. I’ll even admit that not knowing the status of one of our biggest issues is very worrying. Still, you can wait a week-”

“We can’t!” Vi snapped as she pushed herself from the wall.

“And why not?” Camille cut in smoothly. “You already waited a year. The status of any member of my Clan would never go unchecked for longer than a day let alone a year. Then again, I suppose loyalty to one's family means more up here than it does in the fissures.”

“Camille!”

“You bit-”

“Vi!” Caitlyn snapped, halting Vi’s movements. “Stand down,” Caitlyn ordered as nothing good could come from Vi attacking Camille in a Councilor’s office. Camille’s words pissed Caitlyn off as well, especially knowing that they had successfully hurt Vi, but someone had to keep a cool head. Vi’s chest heaved and her anger was almost palpable but she did as she was told.

Camille just shook her head. “Children,” Camille muttered. “Fine, a compromise. I have a deal of my own I need to finish, which is originally why I even came here. It’s with Zaun.”

This got all of their attentions.

“Instead of being Councilor Talis’ errand girls, you will be mine and get this agreement finalized,” Camille instructed them. “Zaun will take care of informing me afterward, what you do down there is not my problem as long as you stay alive.”

“Zaun?” Jayce questioned. “Did you forget which nation is responsible for helping Noxus maintain its strength in all of its wars? They’ll sell them out as soon as they arrive.”

“I have not, but business cannot be stopped for such trivial matters,” Camille said dismissively. “Besides Zaun has a new Chembaron.”

“What, since when?” Jayce questioned. “Why didn’t you inform the council?”

“Because there is council business and there is clan business. This knowledge only affected the latter.” Camille answered. “Clan Ferros stood to gain more from not sharing this, hence the agreement I drafted. There are actually two more new Chembarons in addition to the one I mentioned. Feel free to share that knowledge as you please, Clan Ferros has already settled its affairs.”

Jayce looked as though he were going to have an aneurism but before he could snap, Caitlyn cut in.

“What about Councilor Talis’ point?” Caitlyn questioned. “The second we settle your affairs how do we guarantee they won’t hand me over?”

“The Chembaron I mentioned is indebted to me,” Camille answered. “They will house and protect you for the week to make us even. Not to mention, if you are going to try searching for anyone in the Undercity you might as well start from the top.” Camille then turned away from the window to face them fully. “So? What will it be? Run an errand for me and then be on your way or go to gods knows where Councilor Talis will send you?”

Jayce didn’t like this, Camille was always playing a long game, seeing a big picture that none else could until it was too late. Her offer seemed too perfectly crafted to suit Caitlyn’s needs. It was the most blatant trap that Jayce had ever seen which made him groan because-

“I accept, I assume Vi will be accommodated for as well?” Caitlyn asked and Jayce placed his face in his hands. Like Jayce, Caitlyn saw the trap laid out before her but she wouldn’t be cowed. The knowledge she’d gain simply from springing the trap would reveal more of Camille’s cards than any careful investigating would.

All she had to do was to come out on the other side in one piece, which wouldn’t be a problem with her partner by her side.

At this, Camille scared them all by giving them a small smile, as if privy to a joke only she knew.

“That can be arranged,” Camille answered. “Pack what you need. I will send out the message and have your escort to the Undercity here by noon.”

“Escort?” Vi questioned. “I’m from Zaun, we don’t need an escort.”

“Call me paranoid,” Camille drawled. “I prefer to know my investments are in capable hands.”

Without waiting for a response, Camille strolled out of the room. Vi’s eyes narrowed as she watched her leave but said nothing. Inwardly, Vi wondered just how the hell Jinx could cause people this high up in Piltover so much stress by doing nothing.

At his desk, Jayce just prayed this worked out. Jinx’s havoc in Piltover was one thing but nothing ever seemed to go right whenever Piltover’s Finest ventured deep into Zaun.

A civil war, an incident with a mutated wolf-man, and a prison break in the Dredge were simply the highlights.

He wasn't sure his heart couldn’t take anything else.

-Meanwhile: Zaun: First Church of Janna-

“…Get Jinxed!” Jinx sang as held a blow torch to a large piece of metal that was finally warping the exact way she needed to finish her latest project. When the song came to an end, she cut off the blow torch and removed her goggles. With the music over, she could now hear those distracting pleas for mercy again. “Are you ladies done yet!?”

“Yeah, we’re done,” Sevika grunted as Ekko just flipped her off. Using her mechanical hand, Sevika swiftly snapped her hostage’s neck as Ekko sneered at the corpse. Stepping back, Jinx turned to her finished project, an iron sculpture of Janna that was identical to her vision of the goddess that had mysteriously come to her in a dream.

From out of nowhere, a bluebird landed on the statue and sang happily, showing its approval which made Jinx grin. When the bird flew off, Jinx returned her attention to a cursing Ekko.

“Sheesh, what’s got you so mad?” Jinx questioned Ekko.

“This,” Ekko said before handing Jinx a brick of what could best be described as white wood that was as heavy as a stone. Ekko and Sevika both had to repress a chill when Jinx’s ever-present smile dropped in an instant.

Petricite.

“They were going to take this with them on their way to attack Zeri’s family, insurance in case she showed up,” Ekko explained, and suddenly his anger made more sense. Zeri had quickly proved her worth as his new second-in-command through her power alone. That said, her ideals and virtues that were so in line with his own had quickly turned her into one of his most trusted comrades.

And Ekko looked after his own.

“There’s more of this shit back at their base apparently,” Sevika continued. “Something tells me it wasn’t just for The Spark. They were going to make a power grab, a big one.” Sevika scoffed. “I knew those loyal to Wencher were idiots, didn’t think they were fucking suicidal.”

Ekko kicked the body in its side. “If Sevika hadn’t killed him, I would have, bastard’s death was almost too quick,” Ekko muttered and it spoke volumes of how angered he was for him of all people to say such words. The fact of the matter was that while things were still complicated with Jinx, he actually liked Lux and adored Annie– even if she was a little scary.

The three most powerful mages in Zaun all had a special place in his heart and he’d be damned if they got hurt.

“And this is why I agreed with Flashlight that schools in Zaun would be pointless,” Jinx muttered. “You can preach all day, but really, some lessons had to be learned the hard way.”

All around her, the voices screamed in fury, attempting to pull her in multiple directions at once but Jinx didn’t as much as flinch. No, she was focused on that rare feeling burning in her breast. The one that burned hotter than the Shimmer could ever hope to.

The voices screamed in pain now, the intensity of Jinx’s rage far hotter than even the flames of the explosion that birthed her. Soon, they went silent and only a single voice remained.

She could feel him.

Hear his voice which sent prickles down the back of her neck.

“It’s time to work, Jinx.”

“They’ll learn,” Jinx said calmly, looking almost sane for once. If it wasn’t for the blinding intensity of the light shining in her eyes, they would have assumed she wasn’t fazed at all by the attempted coup. “And we’ll teach them. Teach them just who the fuck we are because clearly, they’ve forgotten.”

As Jinx’s walked toward the exit, she grabbed her jacket from over one of the pews and tossed it on. Pushing the church doors open, she paid no mind to the bluebird that flew out.

“Come on,” Jinx said. “We’ve got work to do.”

-Later: Piltover: Clan Ferros Mansion-

 

Oh.

This.

Petty.

Bitch.

Perhaps telling Camille to indulge in her humanity had been a mistake.

Lux swore she felt her eye twitch as she did her best to not outright glare at Camille. The woman in question was as cool and collected as ever but Lux knew she was positively gloating behind that façade.

“Please do have your better half sign this for me soon, my dear,” Camille drawled as she handed Lux a letter while both Vi and Caitlyn stood off to the side. They weren’t sure but they could swear they saw lightning spark between the two.

“I will,” Lux agreed as she accepted the letter but her eyes bore into Camille's as if to ask: “Seriously?”

Lux took a deep breath, at least she now understood Camille’s message that it would be prudent to hide her mark. Lux was sure that she looked ten times shadier with her hood up and her body hidden underneath her cloak but she’d take a bad first impression over the “so your little sister is the mother of my child” talk.

“I assume it's safe to say that our exclusive dealings are finished after this?” Lux questioned politely which was also her way of telling Camille to fuck off for putting her in this situation.

At this, Camille smiled a bit. “Indeed, I do believe both of us have milked this arrangement for all it is worth by now,” Camille answered and it was true, they had managed to get a surprising amount of work done. Unlike with others, dealings between Jinx and Clan Ferros were blunt and to the point. They would both say what they needed and why and would hammer out a deal that suited them both. “Still, I do hope we may maintain an amicable alliance moving forward.”

Fuck you.

…is what Lux wanted to say.

“Of course,” Lux said before turning to her in-laws. “Let us head back to Zaun. You’ll stay in my home until the day Sheriff Kiramman needs to sign the agreement. We will take the back-alleys to get there for your safety. I understand you have your reasons for venturing into Zaun but I implore you to stay out of the open, you won’t exactly receive a warm welcome.” Lux warned them.

Which was true, venturing alone in Zaun as a resident of Piltover was almost asking for death.

Likewise, former Zaunites who had moved to the Upper City were seen as traitors.

Even now, people were constantly making moves on Chembaron Voss’ territory because of how she ran off to Piltover. Fortunately, these attempted coups were quickly squashed out by Jinx and Ekko and his Firelights which made Voss even more indebted to them.

“I assure you we are quite familiar with Zaun’s feelings toward anything regarding Piltover,” Caitlyn assured her.

“Good, because I do not need two more people to babysit,” Lux responded, and from how Vi’s stance shifted she supposed that perhaps her words came out a bit more aggressive than she intended. Lux couldn’t help it though. Between Camille dumping this on her, worry for Jinx when she found out, and the worry that Annie and her current babysitter, Zeri, probably blew up her house by now, Lux was stressed. “Let us be on our way.”

This was going to be a long day, Lux just hoped Jinx’s day was better.

-Zaun-

 

Explosions shook an entire city block as the three newest Chembarons made their way through the enemy territory. Sevika grunted as she punched a goon into a pillar with enough force to shatter his back on impact. As the man crumpled, she removed his gun from its holster and tossed it across the room.

“Jinx!”

On a metal bridge that was suspended over a vat of chemicals, Jinx caught the gun and used it and Zapper to shoot and strike down every traitor she could find. When she approached the last one on the bridge with her, she slammed the empty handgun into his face and grabbed him. Using the unconscious man as a human shield, she blocked the bullets that were shot at her from below.

Once the bullets stopped, she tossed the corpse over the side of the bridge and pulled out Pow Pow. The traitors could only scream as the storm of bullets tore through them all without mercy. Brighter and brighter Jinx’s eye shone as the shell casings fell on the ground beneath her.

On the ground below, Ekko fought his way through the backup with unmatched efficiency. It was almost downright demoralizing to the enemy to face him. None of their shots seemed to land as he ran through them with nothing more than a clock hand.

Soon, the ceiling exploded as five heavily armored chemtech soldiers fell and landed with enough force to shatter the bridge Jinx had been standing on. Blindly, the soldiers threw grenades and fired their miniguns at their surroundings destroying everything in sight. One of their grenades bounced and rolled under one of the vats of chemicals before exploding and the resulting explosion engulfed all of their surroundings in an inferno of multi-colored hellfire.

“Shit!” Ekko cursed as the entire warehouse was wiped out in a flash. Fortunately, his hand was already on his Z-drive the second he heard the ceiling explode. In an instant, everything reverted to moments before the Chemtech soldiers made their appearance. “Jinx! Above us, five Chemtech soldiers incoming!”

“Got it!” Jinx called out before she reached to her back and pulled out Fishbones as Ekko brandished two temporal grenades. Once more, within moments, the ceiling exploded but this time Jinx responded by firing a rocket into the explosion at the same time Ekko threw the grenades up. The result was the five soldiers being trapped in a devastating explosion that was locked in time. “Sevika!”

Sevika slammed a woman into the ground with enough force to kill her before looking up to see the blazing ball of fire suspended above her that trapped the soldiers. Sevika’s eyes shone bright with Shimmer before she unsheathed her chem-enhanced blade. With a roar, she unleashed multiple slashes toward the soldiers.

Time resumed and all of the bodies of the soldiers simply began to fall apart before the explosion of Jinx’s rocket scattered them across the factory leaving nothing but flames, scrap iron, and death.

“Pentakill,” Jinx muttered, holstering Fishbones once more. Suddenly, a slight movement caught her eye and she glanced up to the next level of the factory just in time to see a door close. Eyes narrowing, Jinx slowly walked back and disappeared into the shadows of the warehouse.

“Was that the last of them?” Ekko questioned when he reconvened with Sevika.

“If not, it’s close. The only Baron with fewer men than Wencher is Jinx and only a third of them were stupid enough to try and cross me,” Sevika said gruffly. “Which begs the question of how these idiots were able to stage a coup this organized?”

“You think it was an inside job from one of the other Barons?” Ekko questioned but surprisingly Sevika shook her head.

“Doubtful, the only one of them that could get their hands on that much Petricite was Saito,” Sevika explained. “You cut off the head of the snake, but unfortunately for you, it turns out it was a Hydra instead. This is why you have to be thorough, brat! Are you or are you not a Zaunite!?”

“I am!” Ekko snapped. “And I’ve done more for Zaun than you could ever hope but forgive me if my first response to taking over a territory wasn’t to kill everyone in it!”

“Not everyone you idealistic fool, just the top three successors. It’s a rule of thumb that would serve you well to remember,” Sevika practically snarled. “Even Jinx knows that.”

“Jinx was raised by the man who created the Chembarons in the first place.” Ekko reminded her. “So that point you think you’re making? Not that impactful. Make no mistake though, a lesson has been learned. I’ll have my Firelights interrogate the others, if there are any more traitors amongst Saito’s men they will be flushed out.”

“Have them examine mine too,” Sevika said which made Ekko raise an eyebrow. “If anyone has the skills to do it, it’s your men. Besides, it takes an idiot to know an idiot and these traitors are idiots. Your people will be much better at finding kindred spirits than mine.”

“You know there is a compliment in there somewhere.”

“Shame you’ll never find it.”

Ekko snorted. “Jinx, what do you think–Jinx?” Ekko and Sevika looked around the warehouse but saw no sign of the loose cannon. “Where the hell is Jinx?”

“Another lesson that I’m sure you learned by now, never take your eyes off of that bitch.” Sevika said dryly. “Let’s move before this whole block explodes.”

-With Jinx-

 

Wencher’s second lieutenant ran down a corridor with the last of his men following close behind him. The lights flickered on and off as they ran and just when he made it to the rooftop exit, a Flame Chomper attached itself to his leg and knocked him down. He almost didn’t even have enough time to scream before his leg was blown off.

He clutched desperately at where his leg used to be and it was a miracle that he hadn’t straight up passed out as he screamed in agony. Looking up, he saw his men scrambling to their feet and saw that most of them were dazed by the explosion. He was about to order them to help him when he froze in complete terror.

Why?

Because at the end of the corridor was her.

With a single visible eye that pierced the darkness with an unearthly light, she stared him down silently, her body little more than a silhouette. As the light flickered on and off, she appeared closer and closer without showing any signs of her moving.

As he stared down at the sight of his reaper, he couldn’t help but weep like a newborn. It was only when she brandished a knife from her jacket, his jacket, and started to hum what sounded like a twisted lullaby that the others noticed her presence. Stepping into the light, Jinx gazed down at them as if they were less than the dirt beneath her boots.

“Hi.” Jinx greeted before she shot forward leaving nothing but twin trails of ultraviolet light in her wake. Blood splattered on both sides of the corridor and just as fast as it had started, the massacre ended. The lieutenant whimpered when she knelt in front of him. Behind her, he could see the frightened gazes frozen on the dead bodies that clutched desperately at their necks. “Aw, why so sad? Come on, let’s put a smile on that face.”

“Wait!” the lieutenant pleaded as she placed the blade in the corner of his mouth. “I’ll tell you whatever you want, please!”

“Aren’t you a smart one?” Jinx asked as she pinched his cheek “affectionately” which made him grunt in pain from the amount of force she used. “Where’s the guy you’re working for and what is the goal?”

“He’s outside! He’s probably driving away right now!” the man answered quickly. “He’s headed to The Spark’s family, wanted to get revenge on her for helping the Firelights take out Saito. This would lure her to him later and he’d kill her using the Petricite.”

“Sparks sure is strong if he’s going to use all that Petricite on her,” Jinx mused and the man gulped before continuing.

“The…the rest was for your family,” the man continued. “He was going to sell the brat off to the highest bidder but wanted to keep the blondie for himself. Figured he could make her help him just like she helps you.”

“I see, well aren’t you an honest one,” Jinx smiled at him. “Good boy, you know what you get for being so honest? A reward.”

“A reward-” the puzzled man stopped speaking as Jinx delivered to him what was possibly the best gift that he could have hoped for in such an unwinnable situation.

The world’s swiftest death.

It was just three swift cuts faster than the blink of an eye. One to the neck, and one to each corner of his mouth so he could die with a smile like the good boy he was. Swiftly rising to her feet, Jinx kicked the door open and stepped out onto the roof. The sound of an engine roaring caught her attention and she could see a vehicle begin taking off down the street.

Without a second thought, Jinx shrugged off Pow Pow and Fishbones and began running toward the edge of the roof.

-Flashback-

 

“Powder, what did I tell you?” Vi questioned from the roof of the next building.

“That…I’m ready.” Powder said as she tried to ignore just how far of a fall awaited her if she messed up. Powder took a deep breath before she slid down the side of the roof, hoping that she didn’t make a fool of herself…or die.

-Flashback: End-

 

Jinx scrambled up the side of the next building in a blink of an eye and lost no momentum as she continued to the barrel through the rooftop obstacles. From roof to roof she dove, slid, and jumped all while getting closer and closer toward the speeding vehicle. Something the occupants of the said vehicle seemed to notice as they started to fire shots at her.

Still, none of them landed as Jinx avoided them with relative ease. Her heart thundered in her chest and her blood burned.

What the hell was she doing?

She knew the first target and knew the plan. The only place the bastard could have hidden was destroyed so why was she going this far? If Zeri’s family died it wouldn’t affect her in the slightest. The absolute safest bet would be to regroup later and protect her own.

After all, she was the only one who knew the whole plan, if she messed up and died here her family wouldn’t have any idea what was coming. Ekko and Sevika only assumed they’d be targets too but they didn’t know.

No matter how she looked at it, Jinx couldn’t see a way that risking her life now benefited her family in any way.

Yet, still, she kept running.

Why?

Why?

“I knew it! I knew you were going to mess up! Such a Jinx! Like always!”

“They’re going to die just like we did.”

“You need to know your limits Pow Pow, you aren’t me, you can’t protect anyone.”

Jinx’s eyes burned as she made it to the last roof and no matter how she calculated it, she wouldn’t make it. The best bet would be to cut her losses now and not leave those she loved defenseless by trying to play a hero of all fucking things.

She was Jinx.

The loose cannon.

The screw up.

The curse.

She was…

“…My daughter.” Jinx’s eyes widened and she blinked rapidly as she felt the burning of the Shimmer intensify. “Don’t cry. You’re perfect.”

The wind dried Jinx’s tears and the moment she made it to the edge of the roof, despite all logic and reasoning, knowing that the math didn’t come close to adding up…she leaped from arguably one of the tallest buildings in Zaun.

-Flashback-

 

“A bluebird medallion,” Jinx answered. “He wasn’t much of a praying man, but whenever shit seriously hit the fan, he wasn’t above asking for help. And you know? Things always ended up working out until they finally didn’t.”

-Flashback: End

 

“Janna, help me!” Jinx shouted as she began her descent and moved toward the vehicle as much as she could. Still, the moment soon began to die and Jinx wasn’t surprised in the slightest as she had done the math beforehand.

So why?

Why did she jump?

Suddenly a powerful and almost frigid gust of wind slammed into her back which made her eyes widen in alarm. It was so strong that she almost didn’t hear the surprised shout of her name from Ekko as she found herself blasting forward down the street. Even the surprised cries of the pedestrians fell on deaf ears as she righted herself in the air and re-did the math.

Wait.

She could do this.

This could work, she just had to stick the next landing!

Jinx felt herself grin as she landed on a light post and felt it give under her weight just slightly before catapulting her forward where she flipped and landed on the hood of the car. There she came face to face with Saito’s former henchman who looked as though he had just shat himself.

“Hi,” Jinx greeted before brandishing two Flame Chompers and throwing them with enough force to shatter the windshield. Both attached themselves to his chest and neck, drawing blood, before exploding. The explosion of the vehicle shook the street as the car crashed into the side of a building.

-Flashback-

 

“Look kid, I’ll never repeat this but you do have some skill,” Sevika muttered as she sat next to Powder on the bench of their makeshift gym. “But you’re a small skinny thing, you probably always will be. You can be deadly as hell, especially if you keep making those toys of yours work, but you’ll always be the underdog. The little guy. You have to go into each fight not only prepared to lose but expecting to.”

“Why…why would I even fight if I go in expecting to lose?” Jinx questioned. She had been battered and bruised by today’s training session. Yet besides the general annoyance that she had from Sevika’s presence she bore the older woman no ill will.

“Because sometimes, hell most of the time, a fight isn’t about winning but sending a message,” Sevika told her. “No matter who it is, hell even if it's me towering over you, stare them in the eye with your back straight and show them that even if you get knocked down, you’ll get back up. Make them not want to fight you again even if they do win.”

Jinx frowned in thought at that.

“Eventually,” Sevika continued. “People will leave your scrawny ass alone. They won’t even bother to fight you and you’ll have the image of someone that’s won a thousand fights even if you lost every fucking one of them. After that, well, then it just becomes a matter of never letting someone see you bleed. That’s how legends are made, Jinx, and that’s what you’ll have to be if you want to be any actual use to Silco.”

-Flashback: End-

 

“Jinx!” Ekko shouted as he made it to the wreckage with Sevika right behind him. For a moment, Ekko thought that Jinx finally did what everyone had warned her about and had gotten herself killed. “Damn it, Jinx, where are you!?”

“Here…” Jinx answered and they could see her walking out of the flames. “I’m…here…”

“Jinx, what were you thinking!?” Ekko questioned incredulously as he helped her maintain her balance. Something was off, he could feel it, and deep down that terrified him. Jinx wasn’t being as upbeat or energetic as she usually was after surviving a suicidal stunt.

“I wasn’t,” Jinx answered. “He was going for Zeri’s family…” Jinx explained which made his eyes widen. “…couldn’t stop running. Didn’t want Zaun’s…Last…Spark to end up like me,” Jinx rambled. “I can’t let things…go back to the way…they were.”

That was a promise she put on everything she loved and stood for.

“Jinx…” Ekko trailed off and his concern grew when he noticed she was clutching at her side. Moving her coat a bit, Ekko felt the blood drain from his face when saw a large sharp twisted piece of metal sticking out from her side.

“Shit!” Sevika hissed and she grabbed Jinx by her shoulder when the woman kept trying to move with such a lethal injury. “Stop moving, you crazy bitch!”

“Can’t, have to stand up…no matter what…” Jinx muttered and it was clear she was delirious from the shock of losing as much blood as she was. “Can’t let them see me bleed.” Sevika’s eyes widened at the words as Jinx continued to push forward. “Weapons…on that building over there, get them for me.”

Then Jinx did the one thing that would have Ekko cursing her for years to come.

She teleported away.

-Jinx’s territory: First Church of Janna-

 

“Well, shit,” Jinx muttered as she found herself in front of Janna’s statue, her side was in agony and no matter how hot the Shimmer burned, it couldn’t keep off the sheer cold of blood loss. “Forgot to…change…coordinates,” Jinx said and she went to do just that when the teleporter fell from her shaky grasp and bounced just out of her reach. “Huh, it is kind of beautiful,” Jinx murmured when she saw her Shimmer-filled blood pool out toward the machine.

Well, this didn’t look good.

Not at all.

Jinx slid down the statue, leaving a trail of blood behind her until she simply sat in front of it. Looking up, Jinx found herself staring up into the iron eyes of Janna with a tired smirk.

“Really did it this time, huh?” Jinx questioned. “Even with the assist, I still found a way to fuck up.” Jinx closed her eyes as her ultraviolet tears slid down her face. When she opened them, a pair of blue eyes stared back at Janna, Jinx’s tears making it appear as if the Shimmer had simply bled out from her eyes onto her face. “At least I took the bastard out with me. I made a promise to myself a long time ago to not die alone and I kept it.”

Reaching into the Jacket pocket, Jinx pulled out a cigar that was the brand Silco always smoked. She had bought some after Lux had repaired the jacket but not to smoke but rather, she just wanted to remember the smell. It comforted her, especially when all the colors in the world seemed black.

“No wonder people got addicted to Shimmer,” Jinx muttered as she fished out a lighter to light the cigar. With each second, she felt her enhanced strength fade more and more. “Is this what it feels like to be…human? Yeah…I remember now…this shit…sucked.”

As Jinx smoked, she stared out the Church window up above her and took in how beautiful the gentle snowfall looked. Jinx exhaled and her face twitched a bit with barely restrained emotion.

“I’m sorry Flashlight, I think this is it…I’m just…so tired.”

“Oh? So, then you’re just going to break your promise to me, then?”

Jinx’s eyes snapped back open and she found herself face to face with Lux. Though, unlike the woman she loved, this Lux seemed a bit…transparent. She also had a faint glow as if she was made out of the very light she had been filled with.

Her voice didn’t hurt like the others.

Her appearance wasn’t as jarring either.

Yet Jinx knew that just like the other voices and other hallucinations she suffered, this too was but a product of her shattered mind.

“Well, answer.”

“I…I….”

“What? Lost for words? Well, I’m not.” Lux said firmly. “You made a promise that when things got bad, that when you felt like sleeping, you would find me. No matter how far away we were from each other, was that a lie?”

“No…” Jinx whispered but what could she do? She wasn’t sure that promise accounted for mortal injuries. “But…”

“There are no buts when it comes to promises. Either you keep them or you don’t,” Lux's expression softened. “You’re a lot of things, but you’re not someone that goes back on their word. Think of the example you’d set for Annie.”

Shit.

Lux knelt and grasped the sides of Jinx’s face.

“I know you’re tired, your back’s against the wall, and you see no way out but you have to push forward,” Lux told her. “All seems lost but I reckon you still have some fight left in you, use that to come back home. To me. To Annie.”

“You can do it,” Silco told Jinx as his image materialized behind Lux. “I gave you explicit instructions to not return to the storm until you were twice my age, plus ten years. If I see you there today, I will give you a lecture the likes you’ve never experienced.”

Jinx winced.

“Come on Jinx, we still have so many more games to play!” Annie said as she too appeared and gave Jinx the saddest expression she could muster.

“Geez, twist a girl’s arm why don’t you,” Jinx muttered as her eyes began to flicker between blue and pink. Slowly she rose to her feet and it felt as though she were losing blood even faster yet somehow, she had the strength to stand. “Janna, I don’t know how this faith shit works, alright? I’m winging it. Not sure if there is a limit to favors or if you just do what you want when you’re bored. I don’t know, but I’m begging you here, don’t let me die a liar.”

Jinx began to stumble toward the door, leaving a trail of blood behind her.

“Come on, Jinx…don’t…don’t let your world….burn down in front…of your eyes…” Jinx gasped out. “Not…again…”

There was a long silence as Jinx hobbled her way to the door, but just as she reached toward it, the door opened.

-Earlier: Zaun: Chembaron Jinx’s Manor-

 

Neither Caitlyn nor Vi were sure what to make of their “host”. She traversed Zaun as if she knew it like the back of her hand but it was clear that she was a foreigner. Her entire body was cloaked from head to toe but her bright blue eyes and a bit of her blonde hair were able to be seen.

No natives of Zaun had this combination of traits.

Furthermore, she carried herself like nobility, Caitlyn had been around enough nobles to tell the masked woman was one. Granted, she was the wife of a Chembaron but if said Chembaron was new then there simply hadn’t been enough time for her to have recently learned all of these traits and mannerisms.

She was also someone Camille trusted.

That woman trusted no one.

“Welcome to our humble abode,” Lux said as she opened the door.

“Humble my ass,” Vi said as she felt her jaw slacken a bit. “I didn’t even know they made houses like this in Zaun. For a second, I thought we were in Piltover.”

“It is quite a beautiful home,” Caitlyn complimented and she meant it. It was a pleasant change of scenery than what she was used to concerning Zaun and almost felt a bit like home.

“Thank you, it is one of a kind,” Lux said as she led them in. “The Chembaron fixed it up not too long ago. The three of us only just recently moved in.”

Caitlyn frowned a bit. “Three?”

“Lux!” a voice called out before the cloaked woman could respond, and both Vi and Caitlyn saw an energetic little girl run into the scene. “You’re back!”

“Annie!” Lux greeted as she knelt and caught the girl in her arms. “You didn’t give Zeri a hard time, did you?”

“A hard time? She was an angel,” Zeri said as she strolled in behind Annie. Lux’s eyes must have shown her disbelief because Zeri just chuckled. “I’ve had to deal with energetic kids my whole life, hell I was one. A couple of stories and the world’s best snowball fight will keep them happy.”

“Move in.” Lux pleaded.

Zeri laughed. “Sorry, no can do, Ekko needs me with him and I need to be there on the frontlines to protect the people,” Zeri explained. “Still, if I’m free, I won’t mind being the occasional sitter. We had a lot of fun didn’t we, Annie?”

“Uh-huh,” Annie nodded, hugging Tibbers closer to her chest.

“Ekko?” Vi spoke up. “You know Ekko?”

It was then that Zeri noticed the newcomers and they could all visibly see her enthusiasm wither.

“Yeah, I know him,” Zeri said with a small frown. “Vi, right? Heard a lot about you from him.”

“All good, I hope?” Vi said and it was clear that she noticed the change in the atmosphere.

“Yeah, all good, you’re good with your fists,” Zeri mimicked throwing a few punches. “Shame those fists didn’t stay down here.”

Lux wasn’t even sure her mask hid her wince. As one of Zaun’s few protectors, Zeri was one of the people who didn’t look kindly on “traitors” or people who didn’t use their strength to help make a change in meaningful ways.

Hell, the only reason she didn’t mind Jinx was that Jinx damn near made the Nation of Zaun in the first place. That and the abundance of rockets Jinx shot at her back in the day helped her master her powers a bit.

“It’s all good though, you use your strength to protect your home, right?” Zeri questioned and Lux was sure that everyone saw that question for the trap it was. Had Vi said yes, it would be clear that she was a topsider now and if she said no, well, that would open the door to a verbal ass ripping no one wanted to witness.

“I’m sorry, you work with Ekko?” Caitlyn asked, successfully stopping Vi from answering much to Lux’s relief. “But he’s the leader of the Firelights, is he not?”

“He is,” Zeri nodded. “Glad to see you are so well-informed, Sheriff.”

“But you’re married to a Chembaron,” Caitlyn said as she turned to Lux, ignoring Zeri’s jab. “Forgive me, is that not a conflict of interest?”

“I take back what I said,” Zeri shook her head. “No, the Firelights and the Chembarons have set aside their differences. It's actually because of this lady right here.” Zeri grinned at Lux. “If this miracle worker hadn’t pushed her other half into accepting a seat at the table, they never would have found mutual ground.”

Lux waved her hand dismissively. “You’re giving me too much credit.”

Zeri scoffed. “You two have stopped a war, lowered gang violence, brought back a faith, lowered pollution, and I saw kids playing outside the other day. It’s been a few months, rich girl. You two almost have no right to be humble.”

Lux blushed a bit behind her mask. When laid out like that there wasn’t much she could say.

Zeri grinned at Annie. “Your parents are awesome, aren’t they?”

“They’re the best!” Annie agreed. “Lux, where’s J-”

“Your mother is out dealing with an issue with your uncle Ekko,” Lux interrupted before Annie could finish her question. Zeri shot Lux a knowing glance and Lux pleaded with her eyes to get her to help keep the peace for a little while longer.

“Hey Annie, come with me for a second, I want to show you a trick I can do with my powers,” Zeri told her. “Let’s give your mom a chance to change and get the guests situated.”

It was then that Annie seemed to finally notice the other two.

“Hi!” Annie greeted. “Would you two like to play?”

“Uh, maybe a little later, Annie. They’ve had a long trip.” Lux explained which made Annie pout but she nodded her head all the same.

“Kay’…” Annie said before she followed after Zeri.

“Your daughter is adorable,” Caitlyn complimented and Lux could see a hint of…something in Caitlyn’s eyes. Perhaps, longing?

Instead of thinking further on that, Lux just snorted at her words. “Yeah, when she’s well-rested anyway.”

“Forgive me, but is she adopted or did the Baron give birth?” Caitlyn questioned. “Sorry, you just seem so young.”

“I am young,” Lux confirmed. “Both I and my partner are. Annie’s mother adopted her before we got together but that doesn’t make her any less my daughter. It also doesn’t mean she sees us as anything less than her parents. She calls us by our names, but that’s just to help her differentiate us.” Lux gestured for them to follow her. “I’ll show you to the guest room, then I’ll need a moment to change. Please don’t wander around, I can give you an official tour shortly.”

“Sounds good,” Vi said. “Hopefully you can catch us up on everything new in Zaun too.” Vi paused for a moment before continuing. “You wouldn’t…happen to know anything about…Jinx, would you?”

At this Lux visibly stilled which was something that immediately put them both on alert.

“Please,” Caitlyn spoke up as she placed a hand on VI’s shoulder. “If you know anything about her…”

“This is Zaun, Sheriff, who doesn’t know about her?” Lux questioned and they had to concede that she had a point. “I…Jinx is a complicated subject for me.”

Vi was immediately on alert. “So, you do know something? Please I just need to know if she’s alright, to know what happened to her!”

“I have no doubt all of your questions will be answered during your stay,” Lux assured them. “But you must understand this, no one knows better about what happened to Jinx other than the Baron. I implore you to wait until her return so that we can have an adequate discussion.”

With that, Lux led them up the stairs without waiting for a response.

-Later-

 

“Last but not least, this door leads to the Baron’s workshop,” Lux explained. The visual whiplash Lux had given them was jarring, to say the least. When Lux came back from her room, she was wearing boxers and a large white t-shirt along with a pair of slippers.

Was it proper attire with guests from Piltover?

One of which happened to be the Sheriff and acting head of Clan Kiramman?

Probably not.

But it was a long day, and Lux would be damned if she wasn’t comfortable in her own fucking house. She had to be dressed formally damn near every hour of the day in Demacia, even her pajamas had to be “proper for a lady of her station”.

Safe to say she was done with all of that.

Still, her questionable attire didn’t seem to even register to Caitlyn who was doing a remarkable impression of a fish. Lux figured she might as well get it over with before Vi got the wrong idea, Caitlyn hadn’t stopped staring at her since she changed.

“Okay, okay, get it out.” Lux sighed.

“Lux,” Caitlyn shook her head. “I did not expect that to be short for Luxanna Crownguard.”

“Wait you mean that Demacian noble they thought Jinx killed!?” Vi questioned incredulously.

“Former Demacian noble,” Lux corrected. “And wait, what do you mean killed?”

“It was quite the explosion,” Caitlyn told her. “It made world news. It was so spectacular that it was believed that only Jinx could have pulled it off. Many thought it was a hit put out by Noxus or even other Demacian nobility.”

“But Jinx blew up my favorite coffee shop that night,” Vi continued. “So, it was written off as someone else’s doing. After all, Jinx can do a lot of things but teleport isn’t one. We’ve dealt with her for years and not once have we seen a trick like that.”

“But…for you to have ended up in Zaun,” Caitlyn said and her eyes narrowed much to Lux’s displeasure. The Sheriff was much sharper than Lux liked which was why she was waiting for Jinx to return any moment now and help her with this mess. “That is quite the coincidence.”

Vi crossed her arms with a frown. “Is there something you might want to tell us? Before the Baron arrives anyway?”

“Might I remind you both, that we are currently in Zaun where your badges mean, to put it bluntly, shit to me?” Lux countered. “Might I also remind you that I am the Baron’s wife and a light mage? Which is to say any questions you have will be answered on my terms and mine alone.”

Lux allowed some light to bleed into her eyes as she stared down Piltover’s Finest.

Why was she so damn bad with her in-laws!?

“Hey, Lux, I’m going to head out-oh what’s this, a staredown?” Zeri questioned and she grinned as some sparks danced across her body. “Are we about to have a good old-fashioned 2 v. 2? Because I’m so down. Piltover vs. Zaun, Hextech vs. Magic,” Zeri said before quickly appearing at Lux’s side. “I’ll try not to blow the electric grid, rich girl.”

“Please don’t, we just fixed it,” Lux begged.

“Are you all about to play?” Annie questioned which caused both sides to whip their heads toward the sole child in the house. “Can I join?”

Before anyone could respond, they heard a loud banging on the front door.

“Hold that thought, Annie,” Lux said before she strolled over to the door and opened it. Of all the things she expected to see, a frantic Ekko was not one. “Ekko?” Lux questioned as she let the frantic man in. “Ekko, calm down what happened?”

“Mission went side-ways,” Ekko answered as he moved further into the house. Lux felt her stomach sink as she saw Ekko look around frantically, ignoring the surprised forms of Vi and Caitlyn. “Please tell me Jinx is here.”

“Jinx?” Vi questioned and Ekko cursed when he finally registered her. “Why are you looking for Jinx? What did she do?”

“Ekko, calm down,” Lux said gently. “Tell me what happened. You were only supposed to interrogate Wencher’s mole. There should have been no mission at all.”

“That was the plan, at first, but he had petricite on him,” Ekko told her and both she and Zeri paled. “He told us there was more and we assumed the rest was for you and Annie. I had my most trusted men gather it all to be destroyed later. Still, judging by the sheer carnage that Jinx left in her wake it's safe to say that assumption was right. “

“I can confirm,” Lux looked back to see Sevika enter the household, not even bothering to wait for an invitation. “One of the traitors approached me, begging for his life after he saw what we did. They were following the orders of one of Saito’s old lieutenants. That’s who was in the car Jinx chased down.”

“Sevika!?” Vi questioned and Sevika cursed when she saw the enforcer.

“Where’s Jinx, Sevika?” Lux questioned and Sevika tore her eyes from Vi to glare at the ground.

“We were hoping she was here,” Sevika said as she turned her attention to Zeri. “He was going to blow up your family. He wanted revenge for you helping the Firelights crush their empire. He had enough explosives to level a street. I should know, I saw Jinx dive off a building to blow them up and stop him. Said some shit about not wanting you to end up like her,” Zeri placed her hands over her mouth, horrified by the news. Sevika sighed and turned to Lux. “She was run through by scrap iron and bleeding out last time we saw her.”

Damn, delivering hard news was never something Sevika liked.

The atmosphere was always too tense for her liking.

“That girl is a force of nature, but she’s still human,” Sevika told Lux. “If she hasn’t turned up by now then-”

“Ding dong~” Sevika’s words stopped cold and both she and Ekko turned to find Jinx standing in the doorway with a tired smile. Her arm was slung around a terrified Theiram’s neck and a bouquet was clutched tightly in her hand as he held a bottle of wine. “See, Flashlight…I told you...Chuck and I? Go…way back…”

It was clear that Jinx was doing her best to stay conscious.

“Hey…house party…” Jinx said deliriously. “Is that Fat Hands and Big Hat? Damn…I really…am fucked up…”

“I found her bleeding out in the church,” Theiram quickly explained. “A bluebird stole my medallion and flew into the church window. I ran inside and saw her. I…I would have been here sooner but she held me up at gunpoint to get apology gifts. I’m sorry.”

“Don’t be,” Lux said she quickly rushed forward and help him drag Jinx into the house and out of the cold. Jinx was freezing but Lux doubted it was all from being outside. “Lay her on the couch. Jinx, we’re going to fix you up and when you’re better I am going to end you.”

“Huh...but…but I got you flowers…” Jinx droned and Lux just glared at her with bright gold eyes. “Oh, scary eyes…I messed up…but at least…kept promise…”

Lux’s eyes widened at that and she took a deep breath.

“That you did,” Lux muttered before she moved Jinx’s coat to the side and cursed when she saw the scrap iron Sevika had talked about. “Annie, come here honey.”

“Lux….is Jinx okay…?” Annie asked hesitantly as she approached. “Did…did she lose?”

“No, honey, Jinx won. Like she always does, but she will lose if you don’t help, okay? She needs you.” Lux told Annie gently. “I’m going to remove this nasty piece of metal and I’m going to need you to help keep Jinx’s pretty blood that you love so much in her body. Remember, do it just how I taught you, alright?”

Annie nodded with a determined expression. “Right!”

“That’s my girl.” For a moment she debated if she should disinfect the wound but time was of the essence so Lux just prayed that the Shimmer did the trick. Quickly, Lux grabbed the bottom of her t-shirt and tore it apart. She ignored Vi’s startled gasp as she shoved the cloth in a delirious Jinx’s mouth who looked up at her with tired blue eyes.

Shit, Lux had never seen her look so vulnerable…

…so human…

“Alright get ready,” Lux warned as she grabbed the iron. Annie nodded as she sat Tibbers down and raised a pair of flaming hands. “One, two, three!” Lux removed the metal and Annie pushed her hands on Jinx’s wounds. Jinx released muffled screams and thrashed but Lux managed to keep her in place. Still even as Annie seared the massive wound shut, Lux knew she was fighting a losing battle. “She’s lost too much blood and I doubt anyone on Runeterra has a compatible blood type given how much hers has been altered.”

“No, but maybe we don’t need one,” Ekko muttered and Lux turned to him and found his hand clutching his Z-drive.

She didn’t even want to know how many times he reset to buy himself some time to think.

“Do you still have any Shimmer, left?” Ekko questioned.

“There should be one barrel left.”

“Perfect, we can use that. The whole thing about Shimmer is that it can adapt, right?” Ekko questioned already making his way to the workshop. “Even if it’s a different strain, if we can get it in her, her body should convert it. Zeri, be on stand-by if her heart stops, you’re the only one that can keep it going!”

Zeri nodded frantically. “Got it!”

“I’ll whip up a way to get the Shimmer in her, you all just keep her with us for a little longer,” Ekko said before he left for the workshop.

“You hear him, Jinx?” Lux questioned even as she cried. “You’ll be okay, alright? Ekko’s going to save you.”

Jinx spit out the cloth. “Heh…the…boy savior…”

“That’s right, so stay with me, focus on my voice,” Lux instructed.

“Always,” Jinx smiled.

“Jinx…are you going to be okay?” Annie asked quietly. “Are…are you going to leave me too?”

“No, Firelight…not today, not until…I’m like four times older…plus ten years or so…”

Annie’s voice was small. “Promise?”

“Promise,” Jinx whispered and she opened her eyes more and for a little bit, they returned to that pretty color Annie loved so much. Jinx had to pull through now, she’d never break a promise to her little girl.

“M-maybe…maybe we should pass the time with a prayer?” Theiram questioned.

“You can’t be serious.” Sevika scoffed.

“Please,” Lux spoke up. “At this point, I’ll take anything.”

Theiram nodded and began a prayer to Janna, as he spoke, everyone ended up joining him silently. Even Caitlyn and Vi as even though they were very much caught off guard and confused, knew at that moment that just wanted Jinx to survive.

They could interrogate her about what the fuck was going on later.

By the time the prayer ended, Ekko returned with a barrel of Shimmer that was connected to what looked like a large syringe via a plastic tube. Ekko quickly injected it into Jinx’s arm and watched her body convulse when the Shimmer entered her system.

Lux sent Annie away when Jinx began to scream and sent Sevika a thankful nod when the woman went with the girl.

Annie didn’t need to see this.

Especially not if they ended up turning Jinx into some sort of abomination. At some point, Jinx‘s heart had stopped and Zeri came through in getting it to beat once more. All in all, it took a long time to get Jinx into a state that could even be remotely called stabilized. Still, time did pass, and by the grace of Janna, Jinx did stabilize to the point that it just looked as though were sleeping.

Even the wound Annie had seared shut began to fade with each ticking of the clock.

“Fuck…” Lux of all people muttered, exhaling in relief as she slumped in her chair.

“You’re telling me,” Ekko muttered. “You kept a cool head, rich girl, you see a lot of that shit back home?”

“Unfortunately,” Lux answered. “My work was never really the cleanest despite the emphasis on stealth. Still, this was the first time it was ever so…close.”

“She’s your wife, I can’t imagine what you’re feeling,” Zeri murmured. “And she’s like this for trying to help my family when she could have easily walked away. Zaun doesn’t forget loyalty. Not anymore, and neither will I. If you ever need me, I’m here.”

“I appreciate it but for now, keep helping out Ekko,” Lux glanced at them. “I expect to see an hourglass tatted on you at some point this year.”

Ekko choked and Zeri sputtered and Lux just laughed and laughed…and then cried.

“Jinx would have loved that Joke,” Lux whispered and Ekko wrapped an arm around her shoulder.

“Then you make sure to tell her when she wakes up. A good laugh is a terrible thing to waste,” Ekko told her. “Knowing her she should be bouncing back before tomorrow.” Ekko gave her an encouraging smile. “Now, let’s get her to bed. Zeri and I will crash in the front room until we know she’s fine.”

“Thank you,” Lux said and she went to move Jinx only to be stopped by a firm hand on her shoulder. Glancing back, she saw Vi who was staring down at Jinx with a somber expression.

“Let me,” Vi spoke, her voice tight. “Please.”

Lux held her stare for only a moment before nodding. Moving forward, Vi scooped Jinx up in arms effortlessly and Lux led her to their bedroom. Vi laid her on the mattress and Lux gave her some space as she stared at the sister that she had lost multiple times over.

“Is she alright?”

Both Lux and Vi turned to see Annie peeking her head from around the corner.

“Yes, Annie, she’s alright, just sleeping,” Lux reassured her before she climbed onto the bed and gestured for Annie to join them. “Help me with her hair?”

Annie smiled. “Okay!” Annie said before she quickly joined them on the bed. Lux could feel Vi’s stare burning into her as both she and Annie grabbed one of Jinx’s long braids and began to undo them with practiced ease. After a moment, Annie spoke. “Did my fire…save her?”

“It did,” Lux answered quietly. “And I’m so proud of you my brave little girl and if Jinx was awake, she’d tell you the same thing. Your flames will always burn bright, even brighter than my light, but that doesn’t mean they have to destroy. You can do whatever you put your mind to with them, never limit yourself, okay?”

Annie nodded her head looking very thoughtful for a child her age. “Okay.” Annie answered before the two continued to focus on their current task.

“Is this real?” Vi’s voice cut through the silence. Lux’s hands only stopped for a moment as she processed the question before she resumed undoing the braid. Looking up, Lux met Vi’s surprisingly hard stare unwaveringly.

“It is,” Lux confirmed. “This is why I said it would be best to wait until the Baron, my wife, returned.” Lux gestured toward Jinx. “Clearly who else would know better about what happened to Jinx other than Jinx?”

“A Chembaron, her,” Vi released a shuddering breath. “Whose seat did she take?”

“A tricky question, she didn’t take any seat honestly,” Lux explained. “Rather, they gave her an empty seat that was already there.”

“An empty-Silco.” Vi hissed.

“Indeed.”

“Is that why she was wearing his jacket? To honor that…that monster?”

“No, silly, it’s because it's winter,” Annie answered as if it were obvious. Lux snickered as Vi looked at the child in surprise. “Who are you anyway?”

“That, honey, might be your aunt Vi,” Lux answered which confused Vi.

“Might?” Vi repeated.

“Depends on you, really,” Lux shrugged. “Are you Jinx’s sister?”

“I…” Vi trailed off as she understood what Lux was asking. Hurt exploded in her chest as she found herself grieving, grieving the sister she had lost. Vi never wanted to admit it but she knew her little Pow Pow died saving her life from Silco. Vi had mourned the girl that had been lost and loathed the woman that her sister had become.

Yet…seeing how all those people came together to save and be there for her gave her pause. Vi had thought she knew what Jinx was capable of, that she knew her best yet even she didn’t think Jinx was capable of giving or receiving as much loved as she had that day.

“Lady Lux, I have to head out for the midnight sermon,” Theiram spoke up as he poked his head into the room. “Do you need anything else?”

“No, you’ve done far more than enough Theiram…but could I impose on you for a moment longer and ask you a question?” Lux questioned.

“O-oh no worries, ask away?”

“It’s no secret that my wife has terrorized you over the years. She even held you at gunpoint after you saved her,” Lux chuckled when she saw him tense. “Don’t worry, you can speak freely, as you can see, she can’t hear you right now. I just want to know why you came to her aid when you could have easily let her die?”

“I, well, when I saw her struggling to stand despite losing all of that blood and she just looked so…human,” Theiram explained. “It’s, uh, it’s easy to forget she’s human and at that moment all I saw was a fellow human that needed help. I, uh, I don’t think she ever got much help. At least not till you came along. Janna teaches us about forgiveness, and what kind of pastor would I be if I couldn’t forgive the woman that redeemed the faith I preach?”

“Wait, are you actually a follower of Janna?” Lux asked in surprise.

“Yeah, it's why Jinx chose me,” Theiram smiled shyly. “She can’t remember my name, but she remembers the important stuff.”

“Huh, how about that,” Lux muttered.

“You know how much bad Jinx has done over the years,” Theiram continued. “But you’ve seen how much good she’s done in mere months thanks to your influence, your love. Kids can play outside in the lanes, fewer innocents are dying in the crossfire of gang violence, the homeless are surviving winter. Faith and hope are slowly flowing back into the community.” Theiram took a deep breath. “I am afraid of Jinx, but it’s the same as someone being afraid of a powerful storm. That fear doesn’t mean I hate her, far from it. I respect her and admire her ability to enact Janna’s will.”

Vi stared at the man, stunned, and even Lux was pleasantly surprised by his words.

“But, uh, I suppose I should save all of that for tonight’s sermon,” Theiram said sheepishly. “Good night, Lady Lux.”

“Goodnight Theiram.” Lux smiled as she watched him leave before looking down at Jinx as she finished undoing her braid. On Jinx’s other side, Annie finished undoing her braid and they both ran their fingers through Jinx’s hair to help straighten it. Annie laid down and snuggled next to Jinx and instinctively, Jinx wrapped an arm around the girl and held her closer.

“It’s...kay…Firelight…I’m here,” Jinx muttered before placing a kiss on the top of Annie’s head. Annie smiled and closed her eyes, hugging Tibbers close, as Jinx appeared content. For a moment, VI froze as she once more saw Powder but that image shattered and was replaced by a woman that was unmistakably Jinx.

But it was a side of Jinx that Vi had never known existed.

A side she didn’t even know could exist.

“Well?” Lux questioned Vi once more. “Are you sisters?”

Vi swallowed. “We are,” Vi answered. “And nothing will ever change that.”

Lux smiled. “Then it looks like you’re an aunt.”

“Looks like it,” Vi then crossed her arms and gave Lux an even stare. “And best believe we will be talking about this in the morning when she wakes up, as well as that,” Vi gestured toward Lux and it was only then that she realized that tearing her shirt earlier had revealed her mark. “I may not have any jurisdiction here as an enforcer but you still married my baby sister who now has a kid. I don’t care if you used to be the Queen of Demacia, we will be having words, Princess.”

With that Vi turned around and left a stunned Lux behind her.

What the fuck?

Granted she technically initiated their Zaunite “marriage” but Jinx had the kid before they got together damn it!

Hell, they still hadn’t even had sex!

With a groan, Lux just laid back in the bed and cut the lights. This was a tomorrow problem. Right now, she’d just focus on having a peaceful night with the two girls she loved the most in the world.

To be continued…

Chapter 7: Jinx's Errands

Summary:

Jinx has an extensive to-do list to get through before she can take a break and Lux has a heart to heart with Caitlyn.

Notes:

Stupid long chapter, probably should have split it up but couldn't find a good spot so enjoy, had a lot to unpack here.

Betaed by: TheUndyingWill (In fact, shout out and clap it up for this man for going through all of this as well as he did! We've worked on a lot of stuff together on FF, buddy, glad to have you on the AO3 journey as well!)

CHAPTER 7: Jinx’s Errands

 

-Zaun: Chembaron Jinx’s Manor-

 

Jinx’s nostrils flared briefly when a heavenly scent filtered into her room. Her bright pink eyes cracked open when she felt her stomach rumble. Glancing tiredly at the clock on the nightstand, Jinx grimaced when she realized that she had overslept and forced herself up into a sitting position.

Damn, she was tired.

What the hell did she do yesterday?

Whatever it was, if she slept in this late it couldn’t have been good.

With a yawn, Jinx stood up and made her way out of the bedroom, rubbing her eyes as she followed that heavenly scent. Before long she made it to the kitchen where she saw Lux standing in front of the stove. With a small smile, Jinx walked up behind her and embraced her lovingly.

“Mornin’.”

Lux tensed for a moment before responding. “Good morning. Glad to see you’re alright.”

“Mhm,” Jinx kissed her neck. “Can’t remember shit, but sorry.” Jinx could feel Lux relax in her embrace as she continued to cook.

“You don’t remember a thing but you’re apologizing?”

“You let me sleep in,” Jinx kissed her neck again. “That’s all that I need to know that I fucked up somehow. Did you at least like the gift?”

Now Lux couldn’t help but giggle. “You can’t remember a thing but you know you bought me a gift?” Lux questioned and she could feel Jinx’s lips curve up into a small smile against her skin.

“I’m crazy, not stupid,” Jinx told her. “I don’t need to remember a thing to know I apologized. If you accepted is another story. Are we good?”

Lux sighed. “Yes, Jinx, we’re good. You upset me, scared me actually, but I can’t be too mad given the circumstances. You went out your way to save innocent lives yesterday.”

“The hell? I did what?” Jinx almost woke up completely at that news. “You’re lying.”

“Oh no, quite the contrary.” Lux mused. “The near heart attack I had was more than enough proof.”

“Shit, was I high?”

“Jinx, honey, you bleed Shimmer. You’re always high.” Lux pointed out. “I love you for what you did and why you did it, but you scared me and Annie last night. You almost died.” Lux then glanced back at her and Jinx could see the pain in Lux’s eyes.

Jinx grimaced. “How bad was it?”

“Jinx, I had no idea you had blue eyes.”

“Shit,” Jinx muttered fully understanding how bad it must have been. “Who the fuck did I even bother saving?”

“It was Zeri’s family.”

“Oh,” Jinx said and Lux could feel her nod as she rested her chin on Lux’s shoulder. “Makes sense then, she’s our people.”

“Oh?”

“She’s good with Annie and is always down to be target practice for me,” Jinx explained. “Yeah, I can see myself taking a bullet for her.”

“You took a lot more than a bullet.”

“Sorry.”

“Don’t be, just…try to be safer,” Lux pleaded. “Perhaps it's best you keep your social circle small if this is how far you go for them.”

Jinx chuckled. “Told you so. Score one for the anti-socials. People are just problems. Now bombs, those I can get behind.”

Lux shook her head with a smile before kissing Jinx on her cheek. “Breakfast will be ready soon, get some coffee in your system,” Lux suggested and it spoke volumes of messed up Jinx had been if she needed to resort to caffeine to wake up. Usually, the Shimmer was more than enough to keep her alert but she supposed it was too busy keeping her alive after whatever she did the previous night.

“Still don’t know how you drink this mud water daily,” Jinx muttered as she pulled a mug from the cabinet and grabbed the coffee pot.

“Between you and Annie? I need that ’mud water’ injected directly into my veins at this point,” Lux said which made Jinx snort as she sat down at the table.

“Where’s the sugar?” Jinx questioned before a hand slid her a bowl of sugar. “Ah, thanks Big Hat,” Jinx thanked Caitlyn before she proceeded to pour an ungodly amount of sugar into the mug. To her credit, Jinx had only taken a couple of sips of the sickening sweet sludge she concocted before she realized something was off.

Eyes snapping open fully, Jinx felt the Shimmer in her blood burn before she did a spit take. Jinx pushed herself back from the table and fell to her back so that she could roll backward off her chair and onto her feet.

“Flashlight, gun!” Jinx exclaimed as she noticed Vi sitting at the table as well. Without hesitation, Lux opened up a cabinet and removed one of the many guns they had hidden around the manor before tossing it to Jinx with practiced ease. Cocking the gun, Jinx aimed it at Vi who held up her hands defensively. “The fuck are you doing in my house?”

“We’re staying here for the week,” Caitlyn said as she calmly sipped her coffee. Jinx watched as the Sheriff gestured toward a sealed letter on the table that Jinx could see bore Clan Ferros’ insignia. “Lady Ferros said that this would make you even.”

“Oh, that petty bitch,” Jinx cursed and she grimaced as the memories began rushing back to her. Shit, she had thought she was tripping from the blood loss but Big Hat and Fat Hands were actually in her house yesterday.

“Right?” Lux said dryly and Vi shot her a look.

“What gives, Princess? You already knew this, why did you give her a gun!?” Vi asked incredulously and to Jinx’s surprise, her normally upbeat and bubbly wife just scoffed.

“Force of habit,” Lux said dryly and it was clear that was not the case. Deep down, Lux had a feeling it was going to be this way the moment Jinx had first told her about who she truly was. Lux tried to give Vi the benefit of the doubt. Really, she did, but after the woman had the unmitigated gall to try and pull the protective big-sister act in her house, Lux was done.

She and Vi? They were going to be the bitter in-laws that never got along.

When she was younger, she thought her parents were just being childish whenever they made snide remarks to their in-laws at the big family gatherings and feasts. Such passive-aggressiveness simply made no sense to her, after all, they were all family.

Oh, how young and naïve she had been.

She’d play nice for the sake of Annie. Despite how Lux felt, being on good terms with Clan Kiramman would be nothing but an asset politically and personally. That was simply a relationship that would benefit her little girl in multiple ways and Lux would not deprive Annie of that.

That said, she only needed to get along with Caitlyn for that, which was a much easier feat as she liked the Sheriff.

Perhaps it was because of their backgrounds, but Lux found a kindred spirit in Caitlyn as a fellow noble that fell in love with an idiot. Lux and Caitlyn loved their partners to death but that didn’t change the fact they were idiots.

Lux knew Jinx’s feelings toward Caitlyn were complicated, to say the least, but Lux was optimistic that the two would be able to bury the hatchet. In a, hopefully, non-aggressive environment Jinx would see that Caitlyn was a victim of circumstance. The Sheriff had just been caught up in the wild ride that was the tragic tale of Jinx and Vi. Caitlyn could have been anyone else in that same situation and Jinx would have still hated them.

“Cupcake, help me out here,” Vi pleaded as she saw Jinx’s eyes narrow.

“You made this bed, you sleep in it,” Caitlyn told her dryly. “Hopefully, my lessons on decorum will stick now. Honestly, Vi, what were you thinking?”

“It was a joke, I just wanted to scare her a little, make sure she wasn’t up to anything,” Vi responded.

“A joke? You told Flashlight a joke?” Jinx questioned as she cocked the gun. “I love jokes, sis, how about you tell it to me too, I could use a laugh.”

“Hey, it’s lively in here what’s-” Ekko froze as he took in the scene. “Oh, the guns are out and that means so am I.” Ekko nodded at Jinx. “You’re still kicking, cool, I’ll let the other Chembarons know. Bye,” Ekko said as he made a hasty retreat knowing better to get caught in the middle of any mess that involved Jinx and Vi.

“Oh shit, we about to have target practice, Jinx?” Zeri questioned aiming her fingers at Vi as if they were a gun. Electricity danced in Zeri’s eyes as a spark coursed on her fingers.

“Seriously!?” Vi asked incredulously.

Lux sighed. “Zeri, please don’t blow a fuse,” Lux said which made Zeri smile at her sheepishly before lowering her hand.

“Zeri!” Ekko’s voice called out and Zeri shrugged.

“Well, duty calls,” Zeri said before quickly running up to give Jinx a brief hug. “Seriously, Jinx, thanks again, I owe you.” Zeri grinned at a surprised Jinx before she rushed off.

“Jinx, please do not shoot my wife,” Caitlyn sighed. “I assure you she’s learned her lesson about bad jokes, haven’t you dear?”

“But-”

“Vi.”

“Fine, for the tenth time, I’m sorry, damn,” Vi said and to her relief, Jinx lowered the gun. Picking up her chair, Jinx sat down and began to read the contents of Camille’s letter as Lux served them breakfast. Lux put Vi’s food on her plate with a bit more force than what was probably necessary but she kept a smile plastered on her face.

“Annie! Food!” Lux called out and soon they heard the rapid pitter-patter of Annie’s feet as she rushed into the kitchen and took her seat at the end of the table.

“Jinx! You’re awake!” Annie said and both Caitlyn and Vi saw Jinx’s annoyed expression shift into one filled with love and warmth.

“I am, and it's all thanks to you, Firelight,” Jinx grinned and ruffled Annie’s hair which made the little girl beam at her. “You helped me win, thank you.”

“You’re welcome!” Annie said before she began to shovel the food into her mouth.

“Annie,” Lux said warningly and Annie paused before swallowing and quickly apologizing before eating at a much slower pace. “Honestly, you’d think we never fed you.”

Jinx snorted. “Considering she feeds all her vegetables to Tibbers, I’m not surprised.”

“What?”

“Jinx!”

Jinx smirked at Annie. “Sorry Firelight, I told you if I caught you doing it again, I’d tell her, it’s your fault. Besides I killed too many people and dodged too many bullets so that you could have vegetables to eat in the first place. You need to eat them. You don’t want to be a pipsqueak forever, do you?”

Annie grumbled as Lux shot her a look.

“We’ll be having words later, Annie.”

“Yes, Lux…”

Jinx just chuckled and continued reading the letter. “Damn, Big Hat, assassins from Noxus?” Jinx questioned. “Seriously, how the hell do you and Firelight manage to get their attention when I can’t even get a bodyguard sent my way when I blow up their countryside?”

Caitlyn blinked, Jinx’s voice snapping her from the stupor she succumbed to upon seeing Jinx being parental. “I-er-wait, you blew up their countryside?”

Jinx shrugged. “I blow up a lot of things, kind of my M.O. you know?” Jinx said before she set the letter down. “So, you picked a side in Freljord’s war?”

Caitlyn nodded. “Queen Ashe’s ideals are the most in line with Piltover’s.”

Jinx nodded. “Good.”

“Good?”

“Yeah, it means I don’t have to bother making the alliance and pissing off Noxus,” Jinx said and that reminded both her and Vi that Jinx was a Chembaron now.

“How does Piltover making a deal affect you?” Vi questioned and Jinx shot her a surprised look.

“Because even though we’re separate we still rise and fall as one,” Jinx told her, sounding as if she were telling Vi something that she really should have known. “Come on, Fat Hands, you’re built on top of us. Ever since the ‘split’ both Piltover and Zaun have made a shitload of money.”

“Between Piltover’s Hexgates and Zaun’s free market, the twin cities have a tight grip on the global economy,” Lux spoke up. “It's why they can both survive in this world without a military, these cities are the invisible hands that control the gold and can make the other nations fight for them.”

“Wait, for real?” Vi questioned Caitlyn who nodded.

“Though I wouldn’t say we make the other nations fight for us-”

“Yet,” Jinx pipped up and Caitlyn frowned.

“Yet,” Caitlyn conceded as she knew if the council ever voted to call upon the other nations, nothing would stop them from doing so.

“Flashlight, you see this shit?” Jinx asked as she showed Lux a part of the letter. Lux’s eyes widened when she read the last paragraph.

“What in the world?”

“Right? If I could, I’d blow up Robo-Granny’s house.” Jinx looked up at Caitlyn. “You know, I really hate that our cities need each other.”

Caitlyn grimaced as the feeling was definitely mutual. “An unfortunate truth. It’s why the Clans of Piltover and the Chembarons of Zaun do their best to make their deals in tandem.”

Jinx sighed. “Which we’ll have to do at some point,” Jinx muttered as she sketched a monkey on the letter, her signature. Caitlyn’s eyes widened at that, clearly not expecting such an offer from Jinx.

“Don’t look so surprised, Big Hat, “Jinx said dryly. “There’s playtime and then there’s work. Even I know that. Gold before grudges, no matter how deep they run,” Jinx said as if she were repeating the words of someone else. “Besides Robo-Granny and I have milked our relationship for all it’s worth.” Jinx handed the letter to Lux who put it to the side for later. “I’ll give her some of my weapon schematics and she’ll give us what we need to start cleaning up our sewers.”

Lux frowned. “And what about the Zaun gray?”

Jinx paused. “We’ll talk about that later,” Jinx told Lux and it was clear that wasn’t a conversation Jinx wanted in front of the present company. Lux nodded and said no more about the subject. Lux wasn’t surprised either. Whenever she had brought up the gray before Jinx would change the subject, claiming she needed to do more research before deciding on a course of action.

This was the first time Jinx offered to talk about it.Jinx must have found a breakthrough in whatever she was researching.

“I need to go pick up something from the Doc,” Jinx told Lux who repressed a shudder at the mention of Singed. Jinx turned to Vi and Caitlyn. “I don’t like it, but as Robo-Granny decrees, my house is your house until the end of the week. Stay out of my workshop and keep your jokes to yourselves,” Jinx said the last part to Vi. “Don’t agree to play with Annie unless Flashlight can supervise and if you need me, I’ll be in my office at the Last Drop this afternoon. If you need to see me, please keep it low-key, you know, with the assassins after you and shit. I also, can’t have you Pilties cramping my style.”

With that, Jinx focused her attention on her meal. It was too early and she was too tired to deal with this shit.

Unbeknownst to Jinx, she made both of Piltover’s Finest repress shudders as she quietly ate her breakfast. Up until then, they had no idea how much they preferred the hyperactive and manic Jinx over the current one that looked so tired and run ragged.

Yes, the Jinx they knew was chaos incarnate but at least that one didn’t look so much like him.

“Jinx,” Lux spoke up, gently placing a hand on her wife’s forearm. “Can you not take the day off?”

Jinx gave her a small apologetic smile. “Sorry Flashlight, yesterday wasn’t planned for but it set me back a bit. Today was supposed to be the start of some time off but I have to play catch up now. I should be done before evening then you got me for the rest of the week at least.”

“I’ll hold you to that,” Lux told her. “You have a bad habit of overworking yourself. You having near-unlimited stamina is not a challenge for you to try and use it all, understood?”

Jinx gave her a cheeky grin. “Yes dear,” Jinx teased which made Lux roll her eyes. “Tell you what, when I get back, I’ll finally finish your sleeve. If we’re lucky your squeamish ass can stay still long enough for me to get it done.”

“Shut up!” Lux swatted at a cackling Jinx. “I’m just not good with needles, that’s all!”

“Sure,” Jinx said before shooting a smirk at Annie. “Can you believe it, Firelight? Scariest one in the house and she can’t take a little needle.”

Annie giggled but she had enough sense not to comment while Lux pouted.

“Um, excuse me,” Caitlyn spoke up and Jinx paused, stopping her fork in front of her mouth. Jinx raised an eyebrow but said nothing as she waited for the Sheriff to continue. “But what exactly is the significance of the tattoo?” Caitlyn questioned curiously before glancing at Vi. “You had a notable reaction to Luxanna’s last night.” Caitlyn’s eyes narrowed when she saw Vi visibly wince. “Vi?”

“Seriously?” Jinx questioned, her eyes glancing between Caitlyn and Vi’s hands where she noticed a pair of gold bands. The look on Jinx’s face was one Vi hadn’t seen from her sister in years since she had somewhat come to peace with Caitlyn and Vi’s relationship.

Pure.

Unadulterated.

Disgust.

“Wow, Violet,” Jinx muttered as she placed her fork down. “Just wow. Sorry, Big Hat, for once I am not pulling the pin on that grenade,” Jinx said as she rose to her feet. Jinx’s eyes bore into Vi’s who suddenly found it hard to meet her sister’s gaze. “Talk to your wife, Piltie,” Jinx said before she turned to Lux. “Sorry, Flashlight, I lost my appetite so I’m going to head out.”

Lux nodded as Caitlyn’s question even made her stomach churn a bit. “Your jacket is hanging up by the door, Zeri cleaned it last night while we were sleeping,” Lux told her and Jinx gave her a quick peck on the cheek as she left to start her day.

Lux sighed and placed her fork down.

“Well then, I’ll give you a moment, I’ll come back for the dishes,” Lux said and she was grateful to see that Annie had finished her food. “Come on, Annie, let’s help Jinx with her hair and then get you ready for the day.”

“Kay’!” Annie hopped from her seat, completely ignorant of the tense atmosphere.

Caitlyn’s eyes narrowed when Lux and Annie left and she turned to a very nervous, Vi. “Vi, what just happened?” Caitlyn questioned. “What haven’t you told me?”

Vi closed her eyes and released a long breath before she decided to explain. “So, remember how a while back I suggested we get matching tattoos?”

Caitlyn blinked as she vaguely recalled the memory, it had happened not too long after she first proposed to Vi. Caitlyn had thought it had been an ill-timed joke as Vi had a lot of tattoos. “Yes, I believe so? We were a few glasses of champagne in when you made that joke.”

Vi winced again.

Caitlyn frowned. “It…It was a joke, correct?”

“Yeah, about that…” Vi trailed off. “…Zaun kind of has this custom…” Caitlyn’s eyes widened as Vi explained to her the significance of Jinx and Lux’s matching tattoos.

-Later: Singed’s Lab-

 

Singed was inspecting the glowing contents of a test tube when he suddenly paused. Setting the test tube down, he turned his chair around to see a figure standing at the top of the stairs that led down to his lair. The top half of their body was obscured by the shadows of his lab but between the pale skin of their legs and the piercing ultraviolet light of their eye, Singed was able to identify his guest.

“Baron Jinx, an honor.”

“Please, Doc, let’s not act like we don’t go way back,” Jinx said as she descended into the lair. For a moment, Singed couldn’t help but silently admire just how much the Loose Cannon reminded him of her father. “Resurrecting me from the dead kinda means we can throw away the formalities.”

Behind his large collar, Singed’s scarred lips quirked ever-so-slightly.

“Apologies Baron, but your station requires that a level of respect is given.” Singed drawled. “Your father would haunt me from beyond the grave if I treated you with any less respect than you deserved.” Jinx wasn’t sure if Singed truly respected how Silco would feel or if he just wanted to annoy her, probably both knowing the old coot. “Besides, your rule that all test subjects must be willing participants has done me no shortage of favors.”

Jinx raised an eyebrow. “That rule was little man’s.”

Singed scoffed. “If it weren’t for you, that boy would still be playing the hero in his little treehouse. Anyone with an IQ above room temperature can tell you gave him his current station, that you showed the boy what it means to be a man of Zaun. You have the table held tightly in your grasp which is why out of all the Chembarons, you deserve the most respect.”

“Even if I don’t want it?”

“Especially then,” Singed said and Jinx knew that if she could see his face, he’d be smirking at her.

“How does that rule even benefit you?” Jinx asked curiously. “I thought out of everyone, you’d be the most pissed about that change.”

Singed shook his head. “Quite the contrary, I have more than enough coin from my dealings with Noxus to have an endless supply of willing test subjects. All that rule did was get rid of the ‘competition’ that was too poor to afford such assets. I dare say as it stands, I might even have fewer headaches than you at the moment.” Singed said as he looked at Jinx’s tired expression. “You look so much like your father right now that it is uncanny. Is everything alright? The Shimmer should stop you from feeling something so banal as exhaustion.”

Jinx shrugged. “Everything’s fine, Doc, body is bursting with energy as usual.”

“Ah, then the exhaustion is mental,” Singed nodded before gesturing toward a pot. “Might I interest you in a personal concoction? It was freshly brewed.”

Jinx strolled to his desk and picked up the pot. She opened the lid and took a whiff.

“What the hell kind of chem is this?”

“Coffee, my dear.”

A look of disgust flashed across her face. “I’m good, still waiting for my last cup to kick in,” Jinx said before she sat down across from him and kicked her feet up on his desk. Singed didn’t seem to mind as he poured himself a cup. “Doesn’t matter. I’m tired, but it’s not something a day off won’t fix. Sorry I missed our appointment yesterday, Doc.”

Singed waved off her apology. “I got the gist of what happened through the proverbial grapevine. You’re a tad bit more resilient than even I had hoped. Something to add to your file,” Singed said before he grabbed a thick folder from beneath his desk and dropped it next to her feet. “There’s the research you requested.”

“Nice,” Jinx said as she grabbed the folder and began flipping through the contents. “What’s the damage?”

“Consider this on the house,” Singed told her. “It’s rare for people to come to me for research and even rarer for said research to be interesting. From what I determined I believe it safe to say that I won’t be relocating from Zaun for quite some time.”

“Yeah, well, the old man’s lessons didn’t always stick but I was taught better than to be in your debt or even,” Jinx told him and it was true. The key to an amicable relationship with the mad scientist was to always have him in your debt, no matter how small.

“One could argue that I am still indebted to you for the whole Warwick fiasco.”

“One could,” Jinx agreed. “But that would make you indebted to Vi as well and I’ll be damned if one of Zaun’s best assets owed a fucking thing to a Piltie. Call it national security or whatever, but that whole situation is settled,” Jinx said as she continued to scan the contents of the folder. “You wanted to know if my body would be able to convert different strains of Shimmer into the one you gave me, right? Go ahead and take some of my blood.”

Singed raised a non-existent eyebrow. “I’m afraid that to test that would require a transfusion, not a sample.”

Jinx rolled her eyes. “Well duh, I’m crazy, not stupid. I lost a lot of blood yesterday, little man pumped me full of Shimmer I bought from Sevika.” Jinx removed her feet from the desk and leaned forward, extending her arm to him. “If there was ever a time to get an answer it's now. If my blood has the strain that you gave me then cool, it converted. If not, we can try to find out why I’m not fucking dead.”

“Hm, very well, consider my curiosity piqued,” Singed said and it didn’t take him long to find a syringe. “Consider me in your debt.”

“Perfect,” Jinx said and she didn’t even flinch as Singed stabbed the syringe into her arm and began to draw her blood. “So, give it to me straight, Doc. Is it correlation or causation? Is the gray an asset or a liability?”

“You’ll be pleased to know that your hunch was correct,” Singed informed her. “At least, from all the trials I ran and samples I received. I had to dig up more than a fair share of graves, but it was worth in the end.”

“Huh cool,” Jinx mused as Singed removed the needle. Jinx then reached into her pocket and pulled out a box of bright pink bandages. Singed looked on in amusement as she simply slapped one over her new wound which had no doubt healed already. “I’ll read this over closer later but I doubt I have to tell you to keep quiet about this. Besides you, the Chembarons and our right-hands will know but that’s it.”

“Oh? You’re telling them?” Singed questioned.

“Got no choice, can’t have them making deals that might fuck up the gray.” Jinx shrugged. “Clan Ferros is responsible for the gray and I’ll be damned if I let Robo-Granny realize she gave us an asset or have one of those other idiots try to clean it up. If they want to see a clear blue sky they can walk their lazy asses a few miles out of the main city, I will not let anyone fuck this up.”

Jinx then gave Singed an even stare.

“I’ll also be testing the gray regularly,” Jinx informed him. “Do not tamper with the composition to try and speed shit up, things will continue to snowball on its own, The Spark is proof of that.”

“Are you positive you do not wish for me to speed up the process a little?”

“Doc, no, the last thing we need is to accidentally mutate the city,” Jinx told him. “We got a good thing going here, don’t make me turn this lab into a parking lot because you’re a little impatient.”

Singed sighed but agreed. The Baron had proven to be as much of, if not more, of an asset to him as her predecessor. He could wait a few additional years for the sake of their fruitful relationship. Not to mention a war between her and him would no doubt destroy Zaun which was a loss he simply could not afford. She might have been the sole human he couldn’t predict and she had explosives everywhere in Zaun.

Besides, his ability to research to his heart’s content was not something he would ever jeopardize.

“Very well, I will leave things as they are,” Singed conceded. “I’m sure I can find more experiments to keep me occupied in the meantime.”

“Good, then that’s another thing I got off my list today,” Jinx said as she rose to her feet. “I’m going to head to the Chambers, got an execution to carry out and all that.” Jinx gave him a lazy wave as she walked away. “Be safe Doc, and remember, no more wolfmen.”

“Yes, yes, of course,” Singed agreed as he watched her depart.

Honestly, he wondered if he would ever live that down.

-Later: Council Chamber-

 

“This all of them?” Jinx asked Sevika as she strolled onto the scene. In front of the Chembaron Chambers were all of Wencher’s men who had decided to participate in the coup. They were bound in place by iron chains, blindfolded as the citizens of Zaun looked at them in confusion.

“Jinx.” Sevika nodded toward her. “For a second I thought we’d have to save your scrawny ass from that mad doctor. Yeah, this is the last of them.”

“Aww, you do care.”

“You fucking wish,” Sevika grunted which just made Jinx snicker. “I just don’t feel like dealing with your family if you went and got yourself killed after just barely coming back from the brink.”

“Yeah, yeah, love ya too,” Jinx rolled her eyes, and Sevika mimed gagging. “What happened to the petricite?”

“Destroyed, all of it,” Sevika informed her. “As a show of solidarity, the other Chembarons added a rule to their turfs that anyone caught with the shit moving forward without their Baron’s express permission is getting tossed in the Dredge or a bullet to the head depending on the amount.”

“What’s this…strange…alien feeling in my chest?” Jinx questioned as she placed a hand over her heart. “Am I…am I touched?”

“Fuck off.”

Jinx snickered. “I do appreciate it and I’m glad you all didn’t outright ban the shit, can’t have the other nations thinking we’re getting soft by having actual laws. Our researchers and hell, even some of our families might need it in the future. An emergency supply wouldn’t hurt.”

“Seriously? You’re telling me that now after we already destroyed the shit!?”

“Yeah…talk about shit timing am I right?” Jinx questioned and Sevika just rubbed the bridge of her nose.

“Damn I hate you.”

“Come on, don’t be like that we almost had a moment there,” Jinx said with a grin before strolling forward toward traitors. “Alright, listen up!” Jinx called out getting everyone’s attention. Many looked at her with wide eyes, a surprising amount of them have never seen her in person. “Things have been going well lately but yesterday it seems that some of you forgot just who the fuck we are!”

Everyone watched as she lifted her mini-gun.

“We are the nation of Zaun, a nation with only one true law which is to not interfere with someone else’s freedom.” Jinx reminded them. “We’re not like the Pilties, we’re a tougher breed. The Chembarons run this town but even we can be taken down and replaced by any one of you who has the balls to put a bullet in our heads. These people right here? They tried to take over which is their Janna given right as a Zaunite. As you can tell, they failed and now they are going to pay the price.”

Everyone watched with bated breaths as Jinx addressed them.

“These idiots charged headfirst into the storm yesterday,” Jinx continued. “Whether it was from bravery or stupidity, the sheer nerve they had must be applauded. That said, if you charge into the storm, you must be prepared to not make it through to the other side,” Jinx’s grin widened. “Each of you lives under this banner because of me and my old man. I gave you this nation which means that I can take it away from you just as fast if you cross me.” Jinx turned her head to the steps of the Chambers where Theiram stood. “Chuck read these men their last rites.”

“Ah-O-oh, of course!” Theiram stuttered out. “As voyagers of the storm, we pray to Janna to look down up you all and your next journey with mercy-”

“Fuck their rites!” Jinx interrupted before she spun around, the barrel of her minigun spinning quickly. In mere moments, the traitors were mowed down and the steps to the chamber were painted red with their blood. “Haha, oh man did you all think Janna would give a damn about their souls?” Jinx questioned as Theiram looked at her stunned. “She’s the Storm’s Fury, she’s not going to waste her time with people who stood against her nation out of greed and failed.”

Seriously, Janna was kind goddess but kind and merciful didn’t always go hand in hand.

“Thanks for the help with that joke, Chuck you can head back to the church. Can someone clean up this mess?” Jinx called out before turning to the crowd. “Now, I hope we have an understanding. I’m down to play whenever you are but know that I play for keeps.”

The crowd parted for Jinx as she walked through them, mentally checking another box on her to-do list.

-Later: The Last Drop-

 

“Flashlight is gonna flip when I show her this,” Jinx murmured as she continued to read through Singed’s research. It was when she flipped to the next page that the door to her office slammed open with so much force that Jinx swore, she heard something crack. Spinning her chair around, Jinx raised an eyebrow at a very pissed of Vi.

“What the hell was that!?” Vi hissed and Jinx’s brow furrowed.

“You’re going to have to be specific, Piltie.”

“Don’t call me that!” Vi stalked forward and slammed her hands on the desk. “And I’m talking about that...that massacre!”

“Not narrowing it down, Fat Hands.”

“Just now!” Vi snapped. “The one that happened not even twenty minutes ago!”

Jinx blinked before a lightbulb went off in her head. “Oh! You caught that, huh? You’re talking about the public execution.” Jinx nodded her head as she recalled the events. “Massacre? That was law and order, you should know all about that. Those idiots staged a coup and paid the price. They did it in Sevika’s territory, broke her rules, she called for death but she let me be the executioner.” Jinx placed the folder down. “Hardly the first time I took a life, what’s got your panties in a bunch, Piltie?”

Vi grit her teeth and bristled as Jinx looked at her as if she didn’t understand why she was mad. “That wasn’t justice, that was cold-blooded murder!”

“Uh, they attacked the head of state and died for it,” Jinx leaned back in her chair and kicked her feet up onto her desk. “Sounds like justice to me. I know it's hard for you and your enforcers to tell the difference but as someone who has killed in the name of justice and for the hell of it, take my word for it.”

“You made a show out of it!”

“I’d call it…making an example out of them, gotta teach the masses somehow,” Jinx said nonchalantly. “You might not remember, but Zaunites are hard-headed. Love them to death, I do, but they do not listen.”

Vi just shook her head as she looked at Jinx in disgust. “Is that how you run things down here? Through fear?”

Suddenly, Jinx frowned and her head whipped to the door with narrowed eyes. “Wait, you hear that?”

“Hear what?” Vi questioned and after a moment, Jinx shook her head before smirking at Vi.

“The sound of you bitching. Fear? I call it tough love,” Jinx countered. “They play nice, I play nice. They don’t, I don’t. Not rocket science, I know, I have to do that daily for my weapons.”

“I…” Vi clenched her fists closed her eyes and took a deep breath, when she opened them, Jinx could see that they were filled with pain. “I can’t believe I thought you changed. That you might finally be going in the right direction.”

“Oh please,” Jinx said and Vi could see her wearing the same expression of disgust she had earlier that day. “I did change, I’m always changing it's just never in the way you approve of. What’s right for me is always left for you and I’m sick of it, Piltie.”

“I said don’t call me that!” Vi snapped as she slammed her fist onto the table.

“It’s the truth!” Jinx snapped and show swiftly moved her legs and stood up, glaring up into Vi’s eyes. “You’ve been fucking a Piltie for years, married her, and she doesn’t even know what it means to be married in Zaun. You couldn’t show your shame more if you tried!”

“I’m not ashamed of where I came from!”

“Oh, you so are!” Jinx scoffed but then her smile returned and it was a bit cruel even by her standards. “But that’s fine, know why? Because this is Zaun, a Chembaron’s word is law down here. Up top, you might need a mountain of paperwork to update one’s citizenship, but here all I have to do is wave my hand.”

Jinx then made a show waving her hand dramatically in front of Vi, wiggling her fingers playfully.

“There, just like that, by the power invested in me you are no longer a Zaunite,” Jinx said as Vi's eyes widened. “Congratu-fucking-lations, you’re officially 100% Piltie, Piltie.”

“What? You can’t just do that.”

“Uh, did you miss the part where I just fucking did?” Jinx questioned skeptically. “You may not be a Zaunite but you sure are as hardheaded as one that’s for sure.” Jinx then narrowed her eyes. “Seriously, where the hell do you get off, storming into my office in my bar and start yelling at me?”

“This isn’t your bar!”

“Yes, it is!” Jinx snapped and this time she was the one to slam her fist on the desk. “Newsflash, Vander? He’s gone, he’s off chewing on criminals in a dark alley somewhere. You? Aren’t down here, so yes, this bar is mine.”

They were reaching a dangerous point now, even Jinx could tell. Right now, they were on the precipice. Of what? Jinx didn’t know but what she did know was that if she kept pushing, she and Vi might enter a territory they would not be able to come back from.

She could stop this.

She could be the bigger person for once and just give Vi some space to cool off.

That’s what Lux would want her to do, that was the responsible thing to do.

“He did it, didn’t he?” Vi asked quietly, visibly saddened as she stared at her sister. “That monster turned you into him.”

Okay.

Fuck it.

“You know something? You’re a class act sister,” Jinx cackled. “They think I’m crazy, but they ignore just how crazy you are.” Jinx gestured toward Vi. “You build yourself up to be some sort of protector, some sort of bridge between Piltover and Zaun and somehow you got people believing that lie. Bravo, even I can’t manipulate people that well.”

“What the hell are you talking about?”

“You! Duh, I mean look at you, who have you ever protected in your life that matters?” Jinx asked sounding honestly confused. “Your family is dead. Your first family was killed by the very people you joined. Your second? You couldn’t even protect from your baby sister who is-guess what-also dead because you couldn’t protect her. Tell me, who the fuck have you protected?” Jinx questioned. “Your wife? Newsflash, she protects you. Without her, you wouldn’t last a day Topside and she’s only alive because I let her. Even now, you’re in my house because you can’t keep her safe.”

Honestly, Jinx saw the punch coming a mile away.

The emotion behind it was so raw.

So visceral.

It was just like that night when Vi left Powder.

The night Jinx was born.

Still, Jinx was a different breed than Powder, a different person. Where Powder broke down into a blubbering apologetic mess, Jinx just laughed.

She laughed hard.

“Look at your face!” Jinx cackled even as a trail of blood slid from her nostril. Vi looked so horrified by her actions, no doubt she remembered that same night as Jinx popped her nose back in place and let it heal. Something was liberating about this, about finally getting everything out into the air.

For so long, her fragile relationship with Vi was the only thing that kept her going.

That gave her hope.

But things changed.

Now she had something solid.

Something real.

And the time, effort, and energy she focused on maintaining it had left her with none to spare on a relationship that was barely even there. Oh, how easy it was to paint her as the villain, hell most of the time she was the villain but this idea that Vi was somehow better than her? That she wasn’t just as fucked up in her own way?

It was sickening.

“Five.”

Vi blinked, snapping out of her memories as she looked at Jinx in confusion. “W-what?”

“That’s how many secret and ancient passageways there are into Kiramman estate,” Jinx told her and Vi felt her blood chill. “You wouldn’t believe how many times I escaped Piltover’s Finest by hiding in the Sheriff’s basement. You know, you have the cutest snore when you sleep.” Jinx strolled from behind the desk. Jinx stopped right next to Vi and beamed as she looked up at the enforcer. “As I said, she’s alive because I let her live.”

Oh, how often Jinx had dreamed of the moment she would hit Vi with that particular punchline.

And oh, was her face every bit as hilarious as she thought it would be.

“You protect no one,” Jinx told her. “All you do is lay in bed with Topside and maintain the status quo. You protect nothing, you change nothing. You’re pathetic. Like father, like daughter.” Vi spun around quickly, anger burning in her eyes but found herself frozen when she felt a blade against her neck. “The first punch was free,” Jinx told her while a drop of blood slid down the edge of her blade. “The next one’s gonna cost you.”

“You’re a monster.”

“Of course, I am. You were too weak to chase them away,” Jinx smiled. “It was either become one or get eaten. Speaking of games we played, let's play a new one.” Jinx removed her blade. “You came into my office, attacked me, a Chembaron, that seems like a declaration of war to me.”

Vi’s eyes widened.

“You wouldn’t.”

“Oh, but I would,” Jinx’s grin was downright diabolical. “But that said, I don’t like anyone fighting my battles for me, messing up my vision. It’s why I barely have any goons of my own as it is. So, a compromise, there will be a war but it’ll just be me and you. Without your wife around, neither one of us will have to hold back. We’ll play for keeps.”

Vi swallowed and shook her head. “No. I’m not fighting you to the death. You’re-”

“-what?” Jinx interrupted. “I’m what? Because you can’t say I’m your sister after you just called me a monster. Not to mention Powder is dead and even if you somehow got it in your head that I’m your sister, you sure as hell aren’t mine.”

“Jinx,” Vi whispered and she shook her head. “No, I won’t do this.”

“Hm, that’s too bad, maybe I’ll see if any Noxian assassins want to play instead,” Jinx mused. “I’ll even offer them a cupcake as a peace offering.”

“You wouldn’t.”

“Ah, I knew that would get you to act,” Jinx grinned. “How many times do I have to tell you that it’s me that decides if she lives or dies before it sinks into that thick head of yours?” Jinx questioned. “Let me say this so that even you can understand. You will fight me and you will fight to kill.”

“What about your wife? Huh? Your kid!? You’re willing to risk all of that by laying down your life!?” Vi questioned incredulously.

“Yes, but only because you don’t see the punchline yet!” Jinx laughed. “But that’s fine, you always were a bit slow.” Jinx snickered. “I might die, but you know what? That’s a risk I’ve known all my life.” Jinx’s smile never wavered. “I came from nothing and look at me now! One of the biggest bounties in the world, leader of a nation I helped build, got an amazing wife, and a kid that will take up the legacy I left behind. Hell, I even found religion. What did you do? Get locked up and spread wide by Topside?” Jinx questioned. “Maybe that’s why you’re so scared because unlike me you won’t die without regret?”

Vi ignored that last jab. “I don’t care what you say to get a rise out of me, I’m not fighting you.”

“You don’t have a choice, Piltie,” Jinx told her, and her expression almost seemed a bit saddened. “Meet me at the bridge. We’re getting too old for this, it’s time we put an end to this sibling rivalry.”

And with that, Jinx strolled from her office

-Meanwhile: Zaun: Outskirts-

 

Small blasts of fire narrowly missed floating orbs of light as Annie aimed her fingers like a gun and attempted to shoot down Lux’s targets.

“Calm yourself, deep breaths,” Caitlyn instructed as she sat on the hood of an abandoned vehicle with Lux. “It’s not a race, work on your accuracy first and the speed will follow.”

To Lux’s surprise, Annie-who had been growing increasingly frustrated- actually listened to Caitlyn and took a deep breath. Her eyes were narrowed as she aimed at one of Lux’s targets before firing another “bullet” at the orb. Annie gasped when the shot landed and popped the target, causing particles of light to rain down.

“Lux, I did it!” Annie cheered.

“I saw, good job!” Lux praised. “Now what do we say?”

“Thanks, Aunt Cupcake!”

“It’s Cait-” Caitlyn stopped and shook her head with a small smile. “Never mind, you are very welcome, Annie,” Caitlyn said much to Lux’s amusement. Caitlyn had been trying to get Annie to call her by her actual name all day and finally it seemed as though the Sheriff understood that it was a losing battle.

“Sorry about that,” Lux apologized though her smile never wavered. “She gets that from her other mother.”

“It seems to run in the family,” Caitlyn sighed as Annie aimed at the other targets. “Sometimes I wonder if…”

“…if?” Lux urged her on.

Caitlyn shook her head. “Sorry, I should not bother you with my issues. It’s improper, especially seeing how we just met.”

“Caitlyn, you’re living in my house to hide from Noxian assassins,” Lux reminded her. “I think you’re allowed to vent to me. Besides, I might be the only one you know who gets it. Might as well get it off your chest. We’re family even if our wives would rather pretend that we aren’t.”

Caitlyn barked out a short laugh at that. “You speak the truth.” Caitlyn’s smile dropped a bit. “Vi and I have been married for a few years now. We did so soon after Jinx gave us her blessing.”

“Jinx?” Lux repeated skeptically. “I love her, but Jinx gave you her blessing?”

“In her own way. She stopped outright trying to murder me,” Caitlyn explained and Lux knowing Jinx figured that yeah, that was Jinx giving her blessing alright. “Of course, with marriage comes the idea of children but Vi and I are too vital to Piltover’s defense to take the time off for pregnancy.”

“You two are legends,” Lux mused and at Caitlyn’s curious look she explained. “Sorry, Jinx keeps a record of interesting people she meets in her travels, calls them legends. They tend to be some of the most powerful, noteworthy, and influential people in their respective nations. You and Vi being Piltover’s Finest, made the cut even if she won’t ever tell you to your face.”

“Flattering,” Caitlyn mused. “Who else made this list from Piltover?”

“Let me think,” Lux tried to recall what she read in the Piltover entries. “Besides you and Vi there’s Councilor Talis and Professor Heimerdinger, of course. There is also some manner of female automaton named Orianna and there is Camille.” Both Lux and Caitlyn grimaced at the mention of Camille. “Oh! Jinx also seems to think she needs to keep me away from someone named Ezreal and she seems to be avoiding a woman named Seraphine like the plague.”

At this, Caitlyn surprised Lux by barking out a loud laugh

“You know something about this?” Lux questioned. “Please fill me in! it’s been driving me crazy! She won’t tell me a thing!”

Caitlyn wiped her eyes as she took a moment to compose herself. “Well, her wanting you to avoid Ezreal is no surprise, his crush on you is well known in Piltover. There was even a brief rumor that you two were a couple.”

“Excuse me!?” Lux asked in surprise. “I don’t even know who he is. Don’t tell me she’s…jealous…of some guy I don’t know!”

“It’s Jinx,” Caitlyn said with a raised eyebrow and Lux supposed that did explain, well, everything right there. “Believe me, for his sake you’re better off continuing not to know him. No one deserves to be on the other end of a jealous Jinx,” Caitlyn said and she shuddered from recalling her own experiences.

Lux shook her head at that and felt a touch of sympathy for the woman. A jealous Jinx would not be a pretty sight. Hell, Jinx’s own account of her past told her that much. “What about the other one, Seraphine? Her name sounds familiar.”

Caitlyn nodded. “She’s a resident of Piltover, quite the famous singer. Her parents were from Zaun and she tries to bridge the gap through her music.”

“I kind of feel that songs aren’t enough, but I won’t disrespect her attempt,” Lux said with a shrug. “What’s the issue with her? Does Jinx hate her music?”

“Well, Jinx has somehow got it in her head that she is a stalker.”

“What?”

Caitlyn shook her head in wonder. “I don’t know much, it seemed very farfetched and Jinx’s delusions are well known…but…”

“But?” Lux asked with a frown.

“Vi and I did see Jinx running from her once,” Caitlyn admitted. “Seraphine said something about loving the sound of Jinx’s soul? Either way, the incident stuck out because it was the first and only time Vi and I had seen Jinx give up on a heist. Ever since then, Jinx seemed to make a point to cause havoc in Piltover as far away from her as possible-are you okay?”

“Hm? What do you mean?” Lux questioned and Caitlyn pointed to her eyes. Lux blinked and soon the gold light melted into a familiar blue. “Uh, sorry about that.”

“It seems a jealous Jinx isn’t the only thing to worry about,” Caitlyn said, almost sounding amused. “I assure you, it's likely a big misunderstanding.”

“Yes, I’m sure you’re right,” Lux said with a smile. After all, Lux was sure that there were a million different ways to interpret someone loving the sound of one’s soul. Yep. A misunderstanding was all it was. Yes, Jinx was notoriously good at reading people but everyone made mistakes. Lux would be cool, calm, and collected like always.

She had to be.

Or else that singing bitch was going to be found in a ditch.

“Anyway, we were talking about children,” Caitlyn swiftly changed the subject when she saw Lux’s eye flicker gold once more. “Adoption was the other route I thought of. When we get a little further in our careers we could fall back and also try the other route then as well.”

“I can’t help but notice you said ‘I’ and not ‘we’,” Lux said carefully.

“Vi hasn’t been as…cooperative in the discussion,” Caitlyn revealed. “Truth be told, the idea of children terrifies her and for a good reason.”

“Yeah, that’s true,” Lux said and she meant it. After all, everyone Vi was supposed to look after is either dead, had actively tried to kill her, or resents what she had become. Her track record with family was terrible to put it lightly. Vi wasn’t completely at fault either. Yes, she had been rash and made a human mistake one night with her sister, but it was easy to forget she was just a kid herself.

Lux herself was on the younger side of the spectrum when it came to motherhood, and magic aside, simply nurturing another being stressed her out more than her hardest missions. Every single action, every word, was being monitored by a pair of curious eyes and would lay down the very foundation of the person Annie would become.

Yeah.

No pressure.

Safe to say, Lux would never wish this responsibility on someone even younger than her. Vi irritated the hell out of her, but Lux still respected the attempt.

Did Vi make mistakes? Even now?

Hell Yes.

But it wasn’t like she had a stellar example of what to do either. Just like Jinx, Vi also didn’t even have the idea of how not to be a mother, let alone how to be one.

“Honestly, it’s why I was so surprised, why I’m still surprised, at how well Jinx has taken to it,” Caitlyn told her.

“Jinx is different,” Lux told her as if that wasn’t the understatement of the century. “She views Annie as a project, a bomb, but trust me that sounds much worse than it is. Jinx loves her weapons more than she loves most people. It’s the only love she knew and she takes care of her weapons better than many parents take care of their children. By thinking of Annie as another weapon…”

“…she was able to process how to take care of and love another being,” Caitlyn murmured as the pieces fell in place. “In her own misguided way, Jinx had more experience than she knew about ‘caring for others’ whereas Vi…”

“…only had attempts that ended in tragedy,” Lux finished solemnly. “That’s not to say Jinx doesn’t have her scars too. The idea of Annie having a sibling terrifies her,” Lux confided to Caitlyn who grimaced.

“She thinks history would repeat itself.”

“They both do,” Lux sighed.

“Do you? Want another child at some point?” Caitlyn questioned.

“I don’t know.” Lux answered honestly. “It would have to be me, we decided, if we went the more natural route. Would probably end up asking Ekko for a donation,” Lux sighed. “Jinx doesn’t trust her body at all with all the chems in it.” Lux looked up at Annie who was happily chatting with Tibbers while she shot the targets. “Not to mention there are still so many things to teach and unteach Annie. We agreed to revisit the topic when Annie is grown. I’d still be young enough and Annie would be old enough to take care of a sibling should something happen to us.”

“You talked about this?” Caitlyn questioned, her expression showing nothing but complete surprise. “With Jinx?”

Lux nodded. “That’s the thing Caitlyn, the difference between Jinx and Vi? Is that one can hide how broken they are much better than the other,” Lux told her. “Jinx is shattered but she’s getting better. Every day she gets so much better and I love her so much for just waking up in the morning. However, being so obviously different forces us to have the hard talks. It always hurts and there are always tears, but if you love someone enough to marry them you can’t tiptoe around the things that matter.”

Lux released a shuddering breath.

“Forgive me if I offend, but just like me you need to unlearn how you were raised,” Lux told Caitlyn and her expression was firm. “I know how it is for nobility. Out of sight, out of mind, keep the peace for a happy home but that shit just doesn’t work. Not if you care about your spouse.”

Caitlyn closed her eyes and Lux watched as a single tear escaped the powerful woman.

“The Kiramman way is all I know,” Caitlyn whispered. “Embrace the hunt, show no weakness, keep the peace.”

“You’re talking to a former Crownguard, believe me, I know just how much of a cage a name can be,” Lux told her gently. “But Jinx told me something when I told her I had no idea how to be a mother. She told me that at least I knew what not to do.”

Caitlyn’s eyes snapped open and she turned to Lux in surprise.

“They don’t even have that luxury.” Lux shook her head. “You’re the Sheriff of Piltover, and I know that role isn’t one your family would have approved. So, I see a little rebellion in you when it concerns the ‘Kiramman way’. Leverage that.” Lux gave Caitlyn a hard look, one that the Sheriff wasn’t sure if it came from being a Crownguard or a Chembaron’s wife. “Fuck the peace, Caitlyn, it’s useless if your home is unhappy. Have the hard talks, cry, yell, scream, and then thank yourself later when the issue ends up resolved.”

“What if she just goes along with it to keep me happy?” Caitlyn questioned and Lux understood immediately what she meant. Jinx and Vi hated any confrontation that wasn’t in a physical fight. “She takes so much pride from being raised in Zaun but she downplayed their very marital rites because I thought she was joking.”

“Blessings don’t come often in Zaun,” Lux sighed. “At least, not yet. To those two? We’re miracles to them and they would do anything for us. My former and your current nobility do not help in the power dynamic they perceive. We see them as equal, sometimes even more than us because of how strong they are but as much as we love them, Zaunites are hard-headed. I had to get married just to show Jinx I wouldn’t run off when I went to withdraw my funds from Piltover.”

At this, Caitlyn chuckled. “So that was you, I was curious about the blonde that legally withdrew enough gold to refurbish my estate and ran to Zaun.” Caitlyn looked at the younger blonde with a knowing smile. “You’ve been through a lot, haven’t you? Do you think we’ll ever get it through to them that we don’t think less of them? That they have worth?”

“Yes, one day, because Crownguards and Kirammans are very persistent,” Lux told her with a smirk. “That being said, Jinx once told me actions speak louder than words in Zaun. When we got married, I made her tattoo me right there on the spot in the same conversation. Since then, even though I make sure to tell her I love her, I’ve focused on doing things that showed that more. That seems to work a lot better. Show, not tell.”

“Show, not tell,” Caitlyn murmured to herself and Lux nodded.

“Everything will work out,” Lux said as bright and optimistic as always. “Even though I can only stand Vi probably as much as you can stand Jinx, she’s good for you.”

Caitlyn chuckled at this. “Yes, Jinx is the bane of my existence on a good day but she seems to be just what you need just as you are what she needs.” Caitlyn rose from the hood of the vehicle and Lux hopped off as well. “Come, Lux, let’s find our wives before they kill each other.”

-Piltover & Zaun: Bridge-

 

Jinx smiled to herself as she sat on the bridge, watching the gentle snow fall down upon one of the main structures connecting the twin cities. Beside her, a bluebird landed, and she turned to it as it sang her its sad little song. Silently, Jinx watched as the bird flew up into the sky her eyes never once leaving the majestic creature.

“I knew you’d come,” Jinx said after a while and she turned to see Vi standing at the edge of the bridge in her full uniform. Her arms were covered by her gauntlets which released a blue glow due to the Hextech gemstones empowering them.

“It doesn’t have to be this way.”

“It does,” Jinx denied. “Just because we had a chance to cool down doesn’t make what we said any less real. We keep putting this off, doing this dance so close to the edge, but the fact remains that we are holding each other back. We bring out the worst in each other and the only people that get hurt by it are the ones we care about. The only way for one of us to live is if the other dies and what better place for a funeral, eh Piltie!?”

Jinx gestured wildly around her and it was silent except for the frigid waves moving beneath them.

“This bridge hasn’t seen any real use since that night I killed all of those enforcers.”

Vi grimaced at the memory.

“They say the damage is too severe to keep using it, but no one on either side wants to fix it,” Jinx told her. “I have half a mind to just be the bigger person and blow up and rebuild it. After I’m done with you, of course.”

“I’m not letting you kill me, Jinx.”

“It’s funny that you think it’s a matter of you letting me do anything,” Jinx snickered before she looked around at the scenery once more. “It was below us you know,” Jinx said as she stood up. “In these waters, where two brothers died. A betrayal that the world has been reeling from ever since. I mean look at us, we are just a product of what happened that night. We inherited their fight and only we can end it.”

Vi shook her head furiously. “There has to be another way, Jinx.”

“Oh, there probably is,” Jinx agreed wholeheartedly. “I just really don’t care enough to find it,” Jinx said as she lifted Pow Pow. “The only people I put that much effort into are family.”

Jinx’s message was clear.

They weren’t family.

They weren’t sisters.

“I’m a Chembaron,” Jinx told her. “And you’re just about to be another dead enforcer. Take your spot.”

Vi stared her down, looking, hoping to find just a glimpse of that little girl she once knew. A glimpse of Powder that usually would plague her nonstop when she dealt with Jinx. Yet, as she looked at her, no traces of Powder could be seen. All she could see was Silco.

And her blood burned.

“I’ll say this, at the very least, if there was a spot for us to do this, it makes sense that it’s here,” Vi said as she strolled forward. “I play that night on this bridge over and over in my head, probably even more than the night I was taken by Marcus.”

“Really?” Jinx asked curiously and Vi released a hollow laugh.

“Yeah. I made a mistake by leaving you when Vander and the others died,” Vi told her. “But I also messed up by leaving you here on the bridge. I should have made Ekko take Caitlyn, maybe I could have stopped you.”

“Maybe, but let’s be real. Bare fists versus a minigun isn’t exactly a fight in your favor,” Jinx told her. “I’m the crazy one, remember? You not taking those odds makes sense.”

“Yeah, well maybe I should have been a little crazy,” Vi said as she stopped walking. “Being so safe, being so afraid of failure, it’s cost me more than you know.” The metal plates on Vi’s gauntlets shifted a bit as she turned around. Jinx saw tears fall from Vi’s eyes, but her expression was as determined as ever.

Jinx grinned.

“There’s the Fat Hands I know,” Jinx’s grin was vicious. “You finally got the nerve to kill me.” Jinx aimed her minigun at Vi as the enforcer raised her fist. Behind Vi shone brightly the almost golden ethereal light of Piltover and behind Jinx were the shadows of Zaun, shadows that Jinx seemed to drown in.

No.

Not drown.

Thrive.

The story of the twin cities was a tale of two brothers and later two sisters. A tale of dynasties and dystopias, of hope and despair. A tale…

…that had gone on for far too long.

Jinx began to laugh as the barrel of her gun began to spin while Vi cracked her neck and slammed her fists together. For one moment they were replaced by Vander and Silco and in another, of two sisters who laughed joyously. However, these delusions were shattered as a Shimmer-filled pink gaze mixed with a Hextech empowered blue.

The first few bullets left Jinx’s minigun and Vi pounced.

-Flashback-

 

“Well, never let it be said you don’t have heart, even if your form needs a little work,” Vander mused as he watched Vi swing at the punching bag. “Keep at it, you’ll get it down sooner or later.”

“I just don’t know what I’m doing wrong,” Vi admitted. “I’m trying to do it exactly as you said.”

“It’s your fists, you gotta grow into them, you’re still a growing girl,” Vander told her. “Your body’s changing constantly and until it slows down a bit, you’ll always be a bit off. It’s the same reason Powder is always stumbling everywhere. The girl must have grown two inches in the last month.”

“Well, my body needs to hurry up,” Vi muttered. “I want to be able to keep her safe, keep them safe, like you!”

Vander sighed. “Listen, don’t be in such a hurry to grow up. You think you know how tough it is in the lanes, but you don’t. There’s a lot of evil out there that you kids are going to have to face one day. Savor these moments, your youth. There are monsters out there you couldn’t even comprehend.”

“Monsters?” Vi frowned as she stopped her punching. Though for a moment she thought of the game she and Powder played, now that she was older, she knew what Vander meant. The real monsters. People. “Like the enforcers?”

“Some of them can be monstrous,” Vander said and his eyes seemed to be looking at something far away that she couldn’t see. “But the worst monsters aren’t the enforcers, no I’m afraid the worst monsters will be the ones you end up making.”

“What? Me? Make monsters.” Vi asked in surprise.

“You got a good heart, you’re a leader that the others look up to,” Vander told her. “But the road to hell is paved with good intentions, and those that follow you, those closest to you, might end up becoming the worst demons in that hell.”

Vi was silent as she saw Vander bow his head a bit, brooding like he always did when he thought of his legendary past that he still refused to tell them about.

“Let me give you some advice,” Vander began. “When that day comes, hopefully, you will have grown into those fists of yours. Figured out your form, and maybe even learn how to finally guard.” Vander smirked a bit when she glowered at him. “You’ll have people you love, that you cherish, and they might be one day targeted by these monsters you made. Don’t hesitate.” Vander stood up, showing a bit of effort due to his age. “Be better than me, use those fists to protect what you hold dear. Save those you love, and save those you once loved from themselves.”

-Flashback: End-

 

As Vi descended upon Jinx, the open palm of her right gauntlet blocked the storm of bullets Jinx fired at her. Jinx’s cackles echoed around them as Vi shot toward her like a rocket. However, before she could hit Jinx, the Loose Cannon jumped back just in time to avoid her.

The resulting shockwave made Jinx’s grin widen as even though Vi had missed her, the concussive force still knocked her back. Jinx slammed her minigun down into the ground, its barrel digging into the concrete to halt her movements.

“I knew it!” Jinx laughed as she slid to a stop. “You were holding back!” In an instant, Vi rocketed to her and Jinx found herself bobbing and weaving around the massive blows, any of which would have crippled her or worse if they landed. When one blow got too, close, Jinx raised Pow Pow to defend herself and Vi grabbed the minigun and crushed it in her powerful grasp in an instant.

-Flashback-

 

“You made him a memorial? Why?” Jinx questioned as she saw the finished statue of Vander. Silco had commissioned her to make it but she had thought it was for target practice. “I thought you hated him after he stabbed you in the back.”

“I hated the coward he became, yes, but I still respect and mourn the brother that I lost,” Silco told her as they stood in front of the memorial. “He forgot our cause, abandoned our mission, and became complicit in our suffering. He licked the boot that pressed down upon Zaun’s neck and for that, I had to kill him.” Silco glanced down at her. “Tell me, do you know what separates us from the likes of Vander or your sister?”

“Uh, we’re skinny?”

Silco’s uninjured eye glinted with amusement. “An astute observation,” Silco drawled. “No Jinx, we were blessed with something called intelligence. A rare thing in the Undercity, unfortunately. Yes, we are ‘skinny’ as you put it, but we have the only ‘muscle’ that matters. We stand above those who don’t see the bigger vision. We operate at a different speed. We lure our enemies into traps and crush them before they even realize they were fooled.”

Silco turned to face her fully. “We were born from betrayal, Jinx, but the pain of that betrayal is not something we can afford to cling on to. It clouds our judgment, weakens our greatest advantage. It’ll take time, but the day will come when you will learn the ability to simply let go for the greater good of your cause, whatever it may be. Vander was an obstacle that needed to be removed and I removed it for that was my duty, what I had to give for the nation of Zaun to become a reality one day. That, however, does not mean I do not mourn him.”

“This is one of those… ‘gray’ things, isn’t it?” Jinx questioned with a perplexed frown and Silco chuckled.

“Indeed.” Silco placed a hand on top of her head. “Most things in life, I’m afraid, are.” Silco looked up at the statue once more. “One day you will find something that gives you as much purpose as my dream does for me and you will do anything to make sure its beauty is untouched. Such a grim resolve may terrify you at first with its intensity…but do not run from it. Embrace it and destroy any obstacle in your way.”

“What if…what if it's you that’s in my way?” Jinx asked hesitantly and Silco paused for a moment before doing something Jinx hadn’t seen him do before.

He laughed.

He laughed loudly.

It was a rich, full-bellied, sound that warmed her heart and she found herself smiling as he wiped a tear from his good eye.

“Then I pray that I accomplish my dream first,” Silco smiled at her. “For I fear there is nothing that can stand in your way.”

-Flashback: End-

 

Though her primary weapon had been destroyed, Jinx didn’t bat an eye as she dropped a group of Flame Chompers on the ground around her and Vi’s feet before she bolted away. Due to her speed, she made a decent amount of distance before they exploded and the concussive force released knocked her forward even more.

Jinx slammed into the cold unforgiving ground but didn’t let the pain distract her as she rolled onto her feet and brandished Fishbones. Jinx raised a hand as she stared at the cloud with a smirk while the rocket launcher rested on her shoulder. When the dust settled, she could see Vi unharmed, protected by her barrier.

“There’s the shield!” Jinx cackled and Vi glared at her from behind her crossed arms only for her eyes to widen when she saw a bright green cloud of firelights flying behind Jinx. “Hey! Let’s stress test it!” Jinx lowered her raised hand made a gun with her fingers which she aimed at Vi. “Bang!”

The cloud of mechanical firelight swarmed the barrier as Jinx aimed with Fishbones. While the firelight bombs erupted in a green blaze of hellfire, Jinx fired rocket after rocket into the growing explosion. The force of the explosions shook the entirety of the bridge and blew Jinx’s braids back while she bit her lip. Jinx’s body trembled from the excitement and pleasure from the cacophony of explosions. As she saw the myriad of bombs fly at Vi in staccato, trapping her in her symphony of death, Jinx felt her eyes water.

Though it wasn’t from sadness.

No.

It was from bliss.

Jinx couldn’t even remember the last time she got to fully scratch this itch, this need for destruction, to share her art with the world and bring her visions into reality. A trail of blood slid down her chin from how hard she bit her lip and when the explosions ended, Vi still stood protected by her barrier.

Though the light of her shield began to flicker and her chest was heaving from withstanding so much kinetic force, Vi was relatively unharmed.

“Cute…show…” VI muttered, her blue eyes shining bright. “Was that it?”

“Of course not!” Jinx said as if affronted before she gestured toward Vi’s feet. Vi blinked and looked down and paled when she saw that the explosions had set fire to the bridge. A bridge that had been doused with something flammable beforehand as Vi saw the Jinx’s monkey signature burning into the bridge around her. “We can’t forget about the refrain!”

With that, the eyes of the burning monkey seemed to glow moments before the concrete erupted from the force of a massive explosion that split the bridge in two. Jinx laughed hysterically as she skipped toward the explosion while Fishbones began to crackle with what appeared to be blue electricity. The runes in Fishbones began to shine as Jinx stopped at the edge of the bridge and took aim.

“Sheesh!” Jinx said as she saw Vi down on one knee, her limbs trembling as her barrier began to flicker more rapidly. “I’m calling bullshit on those things being meant for mining, I don’t care what Councilor Hammer says,” Jinx said as she placed her finger on the trigger of the weapon that split a nation. “Time for the finale! Hey, if you see our parents in the storm, tell them I said hi, would you?” Jinx said before she pulled the trigger.

Fishbone’s roar was deafening as Jinx and her surroundings were engulfed in bright blue light. From within Fishbone’s maw, her ‘Super Mega Death Rocket’ clawed itself free with its ever-present smile and fire down upon Vi who shut her eyes and released a roar of her own as if trying to will as much Hextech magic into her barrier as possible.

The sound itself seemed to be sucked from the world surrounding them as the rocket slammed into Vi’s shield. However, that silence was short-lived as a bright blue dome of pure Hextech energy erupted from the explosion and engulfed everything in sight while Jinx bowed as if she finished performing for an unseen audience.

-Flashback-

 

“Hey, are you okay?” Violet asked Powder who was sniffling as she laid curled up on her side the bid.

“I’m…fine.”

“Doesn’t sound like you’re fine,” Violet sighed. “Did I scare you again? I’m sorry, maybe we should stop playing that game.”

“I said I’m fine!” Powder hissed as she whirled around. Violet recoiled at the tone and Powder’s eyes widened. “Sorry…I’m just…I’m so tired of being scared. You always protect me.”

Violet blinked at that. “Well duh, it’s my job, I’m your big sister!”

“But I don’t want to always be protected,” Powder grumbled. “I want to be brave too! Sometimes I want to scare the monsters away from you too.”

“Pow Pow,” Violet whispered. “No matter what happens, it's my job to keep you safe not the other way around silly! As long as I’m bigger it's my job to keep you safe.”

“Then...then I’ll get bigger too! Bigger than you so it’ll be my turn,” Powder declared and Violet raised an eyebrow as it was no secret that Powder took after the smaller one of their parents. Seeing this, Powder flushed. “If not bigger, then stronger! That way you don’t have to keep protecting me!”

“That’s not how that works,” Violet rolled her eyes. “You can’t be smaller and stronger, dummy.”

“Uh-huh!”

“Nuh-uh!”

“Can too!” Powder shouted and before Violet could respond, they heard a banging at their door.

“Girls, go to sleep!”

“Sorry, mom!” Violet called out before narrowing her eyes at Powder. “See what you did?”

“Me? You were yelling too!”

“Girls!”

“Sorry!”

-Flashback: End-

 

When the light faded and the dust settled, Jinx could see that the part of the bridge that led to Piltover had been replaced by a mountain of rubble. In front of the rubble, Jinx could see Vi on her hands and knees panting. Her uniform was in tatters and one of her gauntlets completely busted. Violet heaved and coughed-up blood into frigid water as her goggles fell from her head, its lenses shattered.

“Huh, you know, all the way down there, you finally look smaller than me,” Jinx mused and Vi forced herself to look up Jinx, her hair matted down on her face. “Looks like this whole time, who was bigger was just about perspective, ain’t that a hoot?”

“Jinx…” Vi muttered and when she found herself unable to move her busted gauntlet, she removed her hand from it. Jinx snickered as she saw Vi stumble a bit, still a bit dazed, before catching her footing. Jinx stretched a bit before shrugging off Fishbones and removing her jacket. From her hip, she unholstered Zapper and in her free hand, she brandished her knife.

His knife.

The blade that was stained with Vander’s blood.

“I spoke too soon, now it's time for the finale,” Jinx said before she hopped down into the frigid water, creating a splash large enough for Vi to be forced to shield her eyes. When the ice-cold water settled, Jinx visibly trembled. “Brr! It’s freezing down here! Just kidding.”

It was no use, as it stood, Vi no chance of defeating Jinx by outgunning her. In a clash of weapons, Jinx would always win. Vi had been playing on Jinx’s terms, if she wanted to win this, she’d need to bring the Loose Cannon into her playground. Raising her bare hand, Vi gestured with her fingers for Jinx to come at her.

A challenge Jinx all too happily accepted.

Though not as fast as Jinx, Vi’s reaction speed was enough to avoid any lethal injuries as they fought back and forth. Vi still wasn’t able to land a solid hit on Jinx, but Jinx was only able to land glancing blows against her. Vi knew she had to control and limit her movements. She was tired and there was no beating Jinx in a battle of stamina.

Jinx was agile but she was the smaller of the two and light, in close combat, Jinx’s position was not something she had the luxury of controlling. Whether she knew this or even cared, Vi didn’t know as she subtly pushed Jinx back toward a large piece of stone that stuck up out from beneath the water.

It was a process that seemed to take forever but eventually, she backed Jinx into the debris, and as expected Jinx stumbled backward with wide eyes, tripping over the unseen obstacle. Vi charged her remaining gauntlet with as much power as she could muster and shot forward with the intent to end this nightmare once and for all. Vi was upon Jinx in an instant but before the blow could connect, Jinx grinned and spun out of the way of the attack at the last minute.

Using Vi’s overextended blow to her advantage, Jinx stabbed her blade into the fractured plating of the gauntlet and used it to pop out the gemstone. In an instant, the gauntlet’s weight became too much for Vi and she was brought down to her knees with a large splash.

Jinx caught the gemstone and laughed at Vi.

“Jokes on you, I don’t fall unless I mean to,” Jinx told her as she tossed the gemstone at Vi before aiming at it with Zapper and pulling the trigger. This resulted in an enhanced electrical current that exploded into the frigid waters and electrocuted them both. Vi’s eyes snapped open as she screamed in agony while Jinx cackled manically even though she took the brunt of the attack as well. Her Zapper, now overloaded, fell from her hands and into the waters while the powerful current rushed through both sisters.

As fast as it started, the storm of electricity stopped and both Jinx and Vi found themselves on their hands and knees in the water.

“Damn,” Jinx said as her body twitched sporadically just as Vi’s did. “I was banking on my pain resistance, but I’m still messed up.”

“Shit,” Vi cursed through gritted teeth as she forced her arm to be free of her gauntlet. Vi crawled forward and latched on the broken piece of the bridge for support. Vi’s body trembled in pain as she forced herself to stand while Jinx did the same, still clutching her blade in hand.

“You’re fun as hell to fight, Piltie, I’ll give you that,” Jinx panted. “But damn you’re predictable. Do you think you’re the first person that tried to stall until I burned through my weapons? My kid thinks of better strategies than that.” Jinx extended her arms wide. “I’ll never run out of weapons because I am a weapon, genius.”

“Yeah, well that makes two of us,” Vi grunted as she raised her fists. Vi turned her head and spit out some blood while Jinx flipped her blade in her hand and held it in a reverse grip. Jinx’s smile grew as she took in the ragged form of Vi.

Without her gauntlets, her blows lost most their lethality, but in turn, her attack speed would increase dramatically. Even like this, as tired as she was, too many of Vi’s blows would turn the tide of the fight if they connected.

“Let’s end this,” Vi said and she rolled her shoulders, popping them as she felt her muscle spasms come to a stop. “I still have a few tricks.”

“Oh yeah?” Jinx questioned, her eyes shining with glee while Vi took a deep breath. “That’s exciting,” Jinx said and, in an instant, she was mere feet away from Vi. A moment later, Jinx was forced to move her head when a powerful blow rocketed past her and grazed her cheek with enough force to draw blood. In response, Jinx swiftly slashed at Vi’s arm, the wound wasn’t too deep but it did draw blood.

Jinx and Vi swiftly separated from each other before charging forward again, locking themselves in close quarters combat. Vi’s eyes moved rapidly as she tracked flickers of pink and like a cannon, she’d release a blow that could shatter stone toward where she believed Jinx was. One of these blows in question barely missed Jinx and hit a piece of rubble, shattering it even further.

Vi hissed when she felt a cut on her shoulder blade and turned just in time to graze Jinx with a devastating left hook. All around her, Vi could see trails of pink and hear Jinx’s laughter which sent prickles down the back of her neck but she stood firm against her opposition.

A punch and a stab, that’s how the fight continued, over and over again the two repeated this vicious cycle until finally, finally one of them fell. On her knees, Vi fell as Jinx stood in front of her, panting as her Shimmer filled blood fell from her wounds.

Weakly, Vi looked up at her, her face filled with pain and sorrow while Jinx gazed down upon her and raised her blade. Vi looked to be on the verge of passing out but just when Jinx stepped forward to end the fight, Vi suddenly rose with far more speed than her earlier appearance suggested and Jinx’s mind exploded with pain when Vi delivered a powerful upper-cut that launched her up into the air.

Cease and Desist.

Jinx couldn’t believe that she let herself get baited into being hit by Vi’s infamous combo. A shadow covered her body and soon Jinx saw Vi above her, fist cocked back before she released it and slammed a visceral blow into Jinx’s chest that sent her back down into the frozen waters. Straddling Jinx, Vi trapped her beneath the waters and grabbed her around her neck with both of her hands.

-Flashback-

 

In those cold frigid waters, Vander held Silco down, intent on killing him and ending this nightmare for the sake of the Lanes. For those who depended on him. Only due to a quick slash to his arm did Vander release his target and once more the fight began anew.

They were tired.

Angry.

Exhausted.

And both knew there was no coming back from this for them. Still, they fought, and, in the end, the only loser was the potential nation of Zaun. For those two brothers, the mind and heart of a people broken would be forever parted.

As Silco made his escape, delving into the Shadows of Zaun, and leaving behind a brother that would forever remain tormented by this day as a bluebird sung in sorrow.

-Flashback: End-

 

Tears fell freely from Vi’s eyes as she felt Jinx’s struggles weaken more and more. Memories of what was, and dreams of what could have been, were set aflame as she realized this was it.

The end of their story.

Yet, when Jinx’s arms sunk beneath the waters and her body went limp, Vi didn’t even have the chance to loosen her grip when those same still arms shot back up, bursting from the water’s surface. Around each of Jinx’s fingers were metal rings, pins to grenades. Vi couldn’t even blink before they exploded.

But it wasn’t fire and death that erupted from the grenades but rather a sickening gas that forced Vi to release Jinx as she clutched at her own throat while trying to back away. Weakly, Vi rose to her feet as she coughed and gagged while stumbling back. As Vi’s lungs searched desperately for fresh air, Jinx rose from beneath the water with a gasp, her eyes piercing through the sinister fog.

“You’ve never experienced this before, have you Piltie?” Jinx questioned as Vi watched her silhouette kneel and fish her blade from the waters. “Believe it or not, this isn’t poison. It’s just the air of Zaun, or rather the air Zaun used to have way before our time. In the deepest parts of the city, this stuff still exists.”

Jinx strolled from the cloud inhaled deeply through her nose before exhaling the tainted air from her mouth. With her free hand, Jinx brushed her wet hair back out of her eyes.

“Vander never told you about this on his little field trips, did he?” Jinx questioned curiously. “My dad showed me every one of Zaun’s dirty little secrets, its tortured past. Said it would make me into a real Zaunite and it looks like he was right.” Jinx strolled forward. “Even Annie has built up enough of a resistance to not be affected as bad as you are now. You should have visited more,” Jinx said before ramming her blade into Vi’s side.

Vi lurched forward, blood spilling from her lips as Jinx twisted the blade. Placing her hands on Vi’s shoulders she pushed the enforcer back onto the mountain of rubble.

“Cute trick, faking defeat like that to catch me off guard, it’s something I would do. Something a Zaunite would do,” Jinx praised. “But you aren’t the only one who has learned new tricks.” Jinx clenched her fists tightly before raising them. “See, recently, I’ve learned your secret. The secret to true strength,” Jinx said and, in her eyes, Vi had vanished, replaced by that old punching machine in the arcade. “Let me show you.”

-Flashback-

 

Blow after blow Jinx rained down upon the machine, laughing and crying as she finally understood the true meaning of strength. What it meant to protect and go as far as needed for the sake of someone else. As she punched and kicked away, the sound of her points rapidly racking up echoed throughout the building.

500

860

970

Combo: 1400

1890

Combo X2: 3780

4200

4500

5000

5250

5500

JINX- 5500

VI-4800

POW-4405

-Flashback: End-

 

When Jinx stopped her onslaught, she knew the fight was over. Vi’s blood dripped from her knuckles while she approached the battered enforcer who looked to have been barely clinging on to life let alone consciousness. Jinx placed a hand on the hilt of her blade and leaned forward. Jinx whispered in her ear before she placed a kiss on Vi’s temple and ripped the knife free. Impassively, Jinx watched as Vi's head fell to the side, looking every bit as lifeless as she should have.

“Show’s over, hope it was entertaining,” Jinx said as she turned to find nine cloaked figures standing in the water.

Noxian assassins.

“It was,” the leader said as he stepped forward. “Baron Jinx, your reputation precedes you. I see now why our great General shows you so much leniency in our lands. You were always a particularly favorite mercenary of his to employ.”

“Leniency?” Jinx muttered. “Is that why I can’t get one of you to attack me?”

“It is.” The assassin answered.

“Well damn, I'll have to write birdman a letter,” Jinx mused. “What do you want in my city? If they wanted me dead, they should have sent Katarina, not a bunch of no-names.”

A few of the assassins bristled at her casual dismissal of them though the leader pressed forward without a care. “I believe you are already aware,” the Assassin said as he gestured toward Vi. “We’re looking for Sheriff Kiramman. For a moment we thought you were housing her but we could find no trace of her in your abode.”

“You went into my house?”

“We…tried…” the assassin told her. “There were twelve of us, but your traps took down some of our men. We thought you might be protecting her, but seeing what you did to her main protector, your sister, we realized our mistake. We should have approached you first to find an ally in our search.”

Jinx gave him a dry expression. “Yeah, you really should have. So, what’s the deal, huh? You think the Sheriff is hiding in my city? What my sister and I just had was a personal dispute that had nothing to do with Kiramman.”

“Clearly,” the assassin mused. “Coincidence aside, we know that she’s here. A contact in Piltover informed us. It's why we stopped our search in the other nations.”

“I got you,” Jinx nodded as she approached him. “I don’t know where she is but I can help you find her.”

“Appreciated, name your price.”

“Ten thousand gold and, well, this is a bit strange but the Sheriff and I go way back you see,” Jinx began. “In Zaun, reputation is everything so someone else killing her would hurt my cred you understand?”

“You wish to make the kill?” The assassin questioned.

“Yeah! Or at least give me the credit, you know, her life is kind of my territory.” Jinx extended her hand. “I’ll give you the Sheriff and you give me the gold and her head.”

The assassin chuckled. “Very well, taking the blame of her death off of Noxus will only serve to be a good thing.” The assassin grabbed her hand and they shook on it but when he went to remove his hand, he found it trapped in a vice-like grip.

“Wow,” Jinx said as she looked at him in wonder. “You’re actually this stupid. They really should have sent Katarina instead of you clowns.” Jinx shook her head. “In the next life, learn to haggle.”

With that, Jinx pulled him toward her with her Shimmer enhanced strength and spun around, throwing him forward and right into Vi’s right hook.

-Flashback-

 

“You hear that?” Jinx questioned quietly with her mouth right next to VI’s ear. Vi’s eyes widened at Jinx’s words and from behind Jinx, Vi could see nine cloaked figures. When Vi recognized them as Noxian assassins she felt her stomach sink. “Took them long enough, get ready for the punchline. Trust me and play dead, we’re going to do this just like Mylo and Claggor would,” Jinx said before she pressed a kiss to Vi’s temple.

With that she ripped the blade free but quickly, using her fast hands, Jinx sliced her palm and pressed the hand over Vi’s wound, letting her Shimmer-filled blood stitch the enforcer back together.

-Flashback: End-

 

“You’re fucking insane!” Vi said as she raised her fists and stood side by side with a now cackling Jinx. Vi grabbed the destroyed top of her uniform and ripped it off, leaving her in her white tank top which showed her tattoos. Tattoos of a mechanical skeleton that was covered with blue clouds.

“You can’t be just now figuring that out!” Jinx said as the two of them launched themselves at the eight remaining assassins. “Ah yeah, nothing like a good old-fashioned long con. That was like a 500 IQ play at least, admit it!” Jinx said before running to an assassin Vi caught in a choke-hold and stabbing him multiple times in his side.

“I thought you were going to kill me!”

“If I haven’t done it by now, Vi, I’m not gonna. Come on, use that brain," Jinx said as they fought the assassins back. “Contrary to what everyone thinks, I know you got one buried behind all that muscle. If I wanted you dead, I’d just blow up your house,” Jinx told her. “I heard one of them sneaking outside of my office earlier when you came and knew I had to lure them all out. These assholes were probably tracking you all day, you stick out like a sore thumb.”

“Why didn’t you tell me!?”

Jinx stopped and glared at Vi. “Cause’ you can’t fucking act! You never could! You only know one role and that’s big tough Zaunite which doesn’t even count because that’s what you are.” Jinx didn’t even bother looking back at the assassins as she dodged their throwing knives. “I needed to sell this, and I wasn’t going to have your inability to follow a script mess up my vision!”

“Vision!? You fought me to the death!”

“No, I didn’t!” Jinx said before ducked under a sword swing. Vi stepped forward and punched the assassin to the ground and Jinx rolled back and straddled them before repeatedly stabbing them in the chest. “Now this lady? This lady I fought to the death.”

Jinx then turned and caught a throwing knife in her teeth before spitting it out. Glaring at the assassin that threw it, Jinx aimed her fingers at him as if they were a gun.

“Bang!” Jinx shouted and suddenly the assassin’s head exploded. Vi felt her jaw drop before she turned and looked up to find Caitlyn aiming from atop Zaun’s half of the bridge.

“Cupcake knew!?” Vi asked looking personally offended. “She’s even worse than me at acting!”

“Oh, I know, she can’t keep a secret from you either,” Jinx said as she rose to her feet. “I told Flashlight to fill her in whenever you two got separated. Of course, the only way to separate you lovebirds was to do a live execution! Seriously, it’s been years, get the fuck out of the honeymoon phase already!”

“That’s why you killed them!?” Vi asked incredulously.

“Of course, it is!” Jinx said as if it were obvious. “If I made a show out of personally killing everyone that’s tried to screw me over, I’d never stop shooting bullets.”

Jinx tilted her head to avoid a shot from Caitlyn which slammed into an assassin that had tried to sneak up on her.

“Hey! Watch the hair, Big Hat!”

“Apologies!” Caitlyn called back.

Vi found herself stunned by the picture that was beginning to piece itself together. “But…all those things you said...”

“What about them?” Jinx asked. “Look, I meant everything I said, every hurtful thing, and so did you but it doesn’t matter. It needed to be said, out in the open. We had to get the bad things out because if we didn’t, we’d never heal.”

Jinx took a deep breath.

“There are things we’ll never see eye to eye on but I have a wife and kid now, Vi.” Jinx continued. “I can’t let that crap hold me back and neither should you. Our pasts, our losses, our differences, just charge it all to the game of life and keep moving forward.”

“You just want to what…forget about it? Everything?”

“No dummy, if we forget we’ll repeat it all,” Jinx told her. “But like, think about how much different our lives would be if Vander and Silco just got the fuck over it. I love Silco just like you love Vander, but let’s not pretend like they didn’t fuck up. They both made mistakes just like we did.”

Jinx and Vi now stood back-to-back as the remaining assassins charged them from all directions. Suddenly, a bright light caught their attention and they could both see Lux above them prepping her Final Spark.

Vi didn’t even need to see the attack to know it was dangerous. With practiced ease, Vi spun around and scooped Jinx up and placed her over her shoulder before running away from the explosion. The power of the beam created large waves and released a force that knocked Vi and a cackling Jinx forward into the water.

“And just like that, suddenly you two make sense,” Vi said as she and Jinx pushed themselves up to their feet. Seriously, someone that could cause that much damage with her mind? Vi had no doubt Jinx was smitten at first sight.

“Sorry! That was stronger than I expected!” Lux called out, looking very embarrassed. “You two moved in front of me when I was casting, I couldn’t stop it!”

“It’s okay!” Jinx called out. “That was amazing!” Jinx beamed at her. “By the fury, I love that woman.”

Vi stared at her and it was as if it were the first time that she had seen Jinx. “You really do, don’t you?

“Duh,” Jinx said but she grinned at Vi good-naturedly. “Look I get it, I do, letting go of all of that sounds impossible. Might even seem terrifying since so much of that drama made us who we are, but Vi we can’t keep letting the decisions of girls shape the women we are. Flashlight taught me that.”

Jinx gestured to the water.

“Just before you got out of jail, I freaked because I ran into a Firelight with pink hair,” Jinx told Vi. “That one encounter turned me from Silco’s biggest asset to his biggest liability. I have never been stable, but I was a mess even by my standards. I couldn’t even build. Because of that, Silco brought me here to these waters. The same waters where he and Vander had their big fight. He told me that he let a weak man die here and a stronger one took his place.”

Jinx raised a hand toward Vi.

“I blame Powder for killing Silco, but deep down I know that’s not true. Killing him was the mistake, but stopping him wasn’t and I did that for you.” Jinx’s expression was pained yet she still had the strength to smile. “The truth is, Powder died that night when she was submerged in these waters. Jinx had no idea who she was so she clung to what was familiar, things that belonged to Powder. I didn’t let go like I was supposed to, like he wanted, and everything went sideways.” Jinx’s expression was surprisingly firm. “Be better than that Vi, it’s time to let Violet die. Send her along into the storm with her sister so that I can be with my sister.”

Vi was silent as she stared at Jinx’s hand but eventually, she grabbed it. Jinx smiled as she gently moved toward Vi and embraced her just like Silco had done for her. Jinx looked deep into Vi’s eyes and gave her a gentle smile.

“Goodbye, Violet,” Jinx said and a tear fell from Vi’s eyes as she let Jinx lower her into that cold frigid water before pulling her back up. Vi cough a bit as she brushed her hair back out of her face. Vi looked as though she needed a moment to regain her bearings but when she did, she turned Jinx with a hesitant expression.

“Are…are we sisters?” Vi questioned and Jinx grinned.

“Nothing is ever going to change that,” Jinx promised her. Lux landed next to Caitlyn on the bridge above them and wiped her eyes at the scene. Even Caitlyn quickly rubbed her eyes and turned away from the sisters.

Finally.

That wretched story could come to an end and a new one could take its place.

Suddenly, something caught Caitlyn’s attention.

“Wait a second…everyone!” Caitlyn called out. “I only see eight bodies!” Caitlyn said as unbeknownst to her, the first assassin Vi had decked, the leader, had managed to sneak up behind her but before he could deliver a fatal blow…

“Bang!” Annie cheered, her flame bullet hitting him the head. He screamed in agony as the fire spread across his body which made him tumble off of the bridge and back into the water. Jaws dropping, they all turned to giggling Annie who was riding on Tibbers’ back. The bear carried her into the water with Jinx and Vi but kept her above it to keep her dry. “Jinx! Aunt Vi, I hit him! Did you see!?”

“Holy shit, kid, nice shooting,” Vi said and Jinx scooped Annie into her arms and began to gush over how proud she was while Tibbers went to go “clean” up the bodies. Vi blinked as she placed a hand over her chest while watching Jinx and Annie interact. “Do…do I want kids?” Vi asked herself incredulously.

Shaking her head clear of that thought, for now, Vi looked up and in the corner of her eye, she thought she saw movement. Turning, she saw a young pink-haired girl holding the hand of an even younger blue haired girl. Both wore matching smiles and waved at her enthusiastically. Vi quickly rubbed her eyes and when she looked again all she saw was a single bluebird flying up into the air singing loudly.

-Later: Chembaron Jinx’s Manor-

 

“Honestly, relax, you’re making me dizzy,” Lux said as she handed Vi a bowl of soup. Lux’s voice still held a bit of annoyance toward Vi but that was just how they interacted. Vi was a Zaunite and compared to what she used to deal with, conversing with Lux was downright friendly.

Not to mention actions spoke louder than words. Lux was going out of her way to nurse her back to health after she got sick from spending so much time in that cold ass water.

“And sit down, you’re sick,” Lux said as she practically forced Vi into a seat.

“Sorry Princess,” Vi sighed knowing she was not making herself any healthier. “It’s just Jinx and Caitlyn alone never ends well for either of them. The fact that Caitlyn dragged Jinx aside and I haven’t heard anything besides loud ass music for hours has me worried for both of them.”

Lux’s expression softened. “I understand, but part of this healing and moving forward thing is trusting your wife and sister not to kill each other.”

Vi sighed. “That’s fair, I need a distraction. Maybe I should start thinking about who leaked our location to Noxus.”

“Oh, that?” Lux moved to the kitchen and came back with Camille’s letter. “No need. Here, read the last part.”

Vi frowned and took the letter.

Though I sent them to you to hide from the assassins, I know better than to think I am not merely adding fuel to the fire. So, I struck a deal with their acting leader to give them your location in exchange for a handsome amount of gold. I am aware of just how much you’ve been longing to fight Noxian assassins, so I might as well fill Clan Ferros’ Coffers while you indulge in your target practice. This will also have the added benefit of getting rid of all of them at once.

Enjoy the family reunion.

-Camille

“Seriously?”

“Right?” Lux asked with a shake of her head. “I hate her.”

Vi gave Lux a thoughtful expression. “You know what, Princess? You’re alright,” Vi said before raising her hands defensively. “And I don’t mean that as if you need my approval or anything. Just ,seriously, you’re good people.”

“Yes, well, you’re not as insufferable as I once thought either,” Lux admitted.

Vi grinned. “That runs in the family, we grow on you, like a rash.”

Lux barked out a laugh. “Seriously, that was the best analogy you had?”

“Hey, it’s true, Princess.” Vi shrugged before she ate the soup Lux made for her. Suddenly, the music cut off, and Jinx emerged from her den. “Jinx? Where’s Cupcake?”

“Give her a moment, she’s just taking a moment to appreciate my awesome skills,” Jinx said as she opened the fridge. “Anyone want a beer?”

“I’ll take one,” Vi said while Lux politely refused as she sat next to Annie on their new, non-bloodstained sofa, and began brushing her hair. Jinx entered the room and handed the drink to Vi. “Hey…Jinx? Sorry it took so long to check in on you. I should have come down here sooner.”

“Don’t be, seriously, if you came here earlier I probably wouldn’t have all this,” Jinx told her. “Besides it’s not like I didn’t completely forget you existed either. We have tunnel vision when it comes to our wives, I get it now, we just need to get better at that.” Jinx made her way to the radio. “Councilor Hammer had you protecting her across the whole planet, she comes first. I know because I’d put a bullet in your head in a second for Flashlight or Firelight. Is it right? I dunno, but it’s us.” Jinx shrugged while adjusting the dials. “In Zaun, we protect our blessings. Now, do you still listen to the fights, sis?”

“I do, there should be a match tonight,” Vi answered as Jinx fiddled with the radio, soon they could hear the play-by-play of the match echo throughout the room. “You listen to them?”

“Nah, but I’ll never miss an opportunity to bet on the little guy just to spite you,” Jinx smirked. “Can’t believe I kicked your ass.”

“Yeah, yeah, enjoy it,” Vi pouted. “I’ll give you that win but best believe I’m hitting the gym again when I’m back Topside.”

“Good, cause’ you need to.” Jinx taunted which made Vi flip her off in response.

“Now, now, none of that. If that is what a fight between you two starts devolving into, I’ll have to change Vi’s shifts,” Caitlyn said as she finally emerged from the den. Though she still had on her uniform pants, her top was noticeably bare, her modesty covered only by a white towel Jinx had given her.

“Cupcake, why were you topless with my sister?” Vi questioned with a disturbed expression.

Jinx rolled her eyes. “And this, Vi, is why it’s accepted that I’m the smart one,” Jinx drawled before grinning at Caitlyn. “Come on Big Hat, show her! I want to see her flip.”

“Honestly,” Caitlyn shook her head, her cheeks flushed a bit. Soon she moved her hair over her shoulders and turned around. Vi felt her jaw drop when she a copy of her mechanical skeleton and cloud tattoos down Caitlyn’s back and the back of her arms. On her lower back, she had “VI” tattooed just above the waistline of her pants. “When I said that I wanted you to be my partner and my equal in every way, I meant it.”

Vi’s eyes burned, and she placed her food down so she could stand up and embrace the taller woman. Caitlyn held her wife with a small smile as she cried into her neck.

“When the match finishes, you’re next,” Jinx told Lux. “Might as well finish while my muse is still burning.”

Lux grimaced at the thought of the needle but nodded all the same, the heartwarming scene was more than enough motivation for her to go ahead and have her sleeve finished.

“Who would have thought that Vi was such a girl,” Jinx snickered quietly. “Big Hat totally tops her.”

“Clearly,” Lux nodded. “Though it’s adorable that you think you won’t be in the same position,” Lux said so that only Jinx could hear. Lux gave a now wide-eyed Jinx a gentle smile, though her eyes seemed to shine with ill-intent. “Crownguards take what they want when they want. Remember that, honey.”

With that Lux kissed a petrified Jinx in the corner of her mouth before getting off of the sofa with Annie to get her ready for bed.

“Well, shit,” Jinx murmured as she opened her beer while Vi released Caitlyn. Jinx grinned at Vi. “Hey, sis! Here’s to the new us!”

Vi chuckled at that before moving to grab her beer and toasting Jinx. Vi sat down with Caitlyn and soon Lux returned and sat with Jinx. The two pairs simply relaxed in their partners’ company and the company of each other.

Apologize to the wife: Check

Tell Annie you’re proud of her: Check

Complete deal with Clan Ferros: Check

Collect research from the Doctor: Check

Deal with traitors: Check

Deal with Assassins: Check

Fix family: Check

All in all, it had been an eventful day and Jinx managed to get through her to-do list. Flashlight was right, she really could do anything she put her mind too! Finally, she could enjoy some time-off with her loved ones.

It really was a productive day!

To be continued…

 

 

Chapter 8: Lux's Light

Summary:

Jinx vs. Lux.

Cupcake's a troll and Vi fights a losing battle.

Oh and also Annie makes a friend.

Notes:

As you can see we now have a tentative idea of how many chapters will be in this story and are currently gearing up for the final arc. Thanks for all the support! I have no idea how to gauge how well a story is received on this site, but thank you all for sticking around!

(Also we're bumping up the rating a bit from teen to mature)

And shoutout to those of you who have made fanart of this story (I saw that pic Cornmayonnaise (@MayoCornART) It was sick). Also the couple of fics that this story managed to inspire that are linked to this work. Jadetea in particular made me laugh to the point of tears and I dedicate the collateral body count jar to you!

Betaed by: TheUndyingWill

Chapter 8: Lux’s Light

 

-Chembaron Jinx’s Manor-

 

“Alright, gather around, it’s time to explain something to all of you,” Jinx said as she sat in the front room and dropped her research on the table. Lux sat next to her on the sofa while Caitlyn and Vi sat across from them. Annie hummed to herself as she laid down and did the “homework” Jinx had written up for her. “It’s time you all learned about why I don’t want to mess with the Gray.”

“Finally going to let me in on the secret?” Lux teased. “I was wondering why you didn’t want it dealt with along with the sewer issue.”

“Didn’t want to get your hopes up, it was a stray thought that made me look into it more,” Jinx told her before turning to Caitlyn. “What I’m about to tell you is a secret only the Chembarons will know. It eventually hit me that to ensure success, I’ll need at least one person high up in your neck of the woods to keep things going. It was either you or Robo-Granny and I don’t trust her to not try to take advantage of this.”

“You trust me?” Caitlyn asked sounding a bit surprised.

“We’re getting there,” Jinx shrugged. “One thing I do know about you besides you being the head enforcer is that you do want to change shit. You’re just blocked by the Council. I’m hoping that sometime after we hammer out a deal here, that won’t be a problem. If things go smoothly your Clan will be the top Clan in time. By the time they figure out what’s happened, it’ll be too late.”

Both Caitlyn and Vi looked at Jinx in surprise at this along with Lux.

“Damn, Jinx, what the hell did you find out about that murky ass cloud?” Vi asked incredulously.

At her question, Jinx grinned. “Okay so check this, the Zaun Gray is made out of two things. The pollution from all of those chems we produce and the smog from Clan Ferros’ production of Hextech Crystals. On paper, this is a deadly combination, toxic, and should be killing Zaunites left and right. Lux, what’s the top three leading causes of death in Zaun’s main city?”

“Gang violence, you, and overdosing on chems,” Lux answered and she blinked when she realized what Jinx was getting at.

“Exactly, death by pollution doesn’t come until much later, and even then, its pollution from the sewers,” Jinx revealed. “Believe it or not, if you can manage to keep your head low or if you know how to walk these streets, you can live a long life and that’s with our rampant malnutrition.”

Caitlyn blinked at this. “But how?”

“Shimmer,” Jinx answered. “Even though I haven’t repaired any of my old man’s plants, it's still the main chem pushed in Zaun. Shimmer is all about making you adapt. It speeds up the time it takes to evolve and so much exposure to the fumes has made our people able to adapt to the other toxins in the air.” Jinx turned to Vi. “This is why I said you need to visit more, that polluted air that even Annie can breathe put you on your knees.”

Vi grimaced as she remembered how helpless she felt after being exposed to unfiltered Zaunite air.

“But it's not just the other toxins produced by chems the people are adapting to, is it?” Caitlyn deduced with a thoughtful frown. After all, if that was the case there would be no need for her to know any of this.

“Nope,” Jinx said as she popped the P. “The exhaust produced from making those synthetic Hextech Crystals still contains some power though it's so small it damn near doesn’t even matter. Still, that exhaust is toxic and with Zaunites adapting to deal with all that bad shit in the air, something interesting is happening. Which is why I had to rope in the Doc.”

Jinx flipped open the file and gestured for Lux to read it. With a small frown she did so and soon both Caitlyn and Vi saw their sister-in-law's jaw drop at what she was reading.

“Oh,” Lux said before she shakily placed the file back down.

“One of the biggest jokes in the world is this idea that magic and science are separate which somehow is still believed despite Hextech being a thing,” Jinx said with a shake of her head. “Mages are rare and powerful, but they’re still people. They still have bodies and biology is still a factor to them. The ability to be a mage? To cast magic? Has been and always will be a mutation. It’s a random gene that pops up in those fortunate to be blessed with it.” Jinx saw the understanding begin to dawn on everyone. “It’s a gene that’s appeared more and more since Zaun’s industrialization.”

“Gods,” Caitlyn whispered. “The Gray is making mages, isn’t it?”

“You tell me.” Jinx shrugged as she pushed the file over to Vi and Caitlyn. Despite her jokes to her sister and her belief that she was the smarter of the two, Jinx knew that Vi was intelligent. It was Vi’s intelligence that gave her an edge against those who underestimated it. Even research as complex as this was something her sister could read and comprehend.

And comprehend she did if the look on her face was anything to go by.

“Since the Robo-Granny’s family started producing Hextech Crystals, Zaun went from having no mages to a bunch of no-names, to finally Zeri,” Jinx informed them before she shuddered briefly. “Part of me even thinks she-who-shall-not-be-named might be a mage, given that her parents are from Zaun.”

Confused by that last part, Lux turned to Caitlyn who silently mouthed: “Seraphine.”

Lux’s eyes narrowed and miles away in Piltover a certain pop star had to repress a chill.

“Not only that, but since we moved here, Firelight has gotten a lot stronger,” Jinx continued. “That little fire bullet she shot yesterday is proof of that, it did way too much damage to that assassin.” Jinx turned to Lux. “For a brief moment, I thought it was just because she’s a growing girl but you got stronger too, didn’t you? You said it yourself yesterday that your big-flashy-spell-of-epicness was stronger than you planned.”

“It was,” Lux admitted. “The flood that is my magic has grown but it’s also become much easier to control. I thought it might have been from the constant use when mentoring Annie and the freedom of not repressing it anymore.”

“Which probably plays a big role.” Jinx nodded. “But I also think you might be getting a little extra help too. You might not be breathing in as much as us with your mask and the filters in the house, but the toxins are still on your body, your skin.”

“Jinx…if this is true then how long do we have?” Caitlyn questioned. “How long until Zaun is nothing but mages?”

“We have some time, just because you have the gene doesn’t mean you’re suddenly a mage,” Jinx told her. “I’m sure I probably have the gene too, Vi as well,” Jinx gestured between her and Vi. “Our hair isn’t exactly normal, but that’s a small mutation. I can’t, like, shoot lasers from my eyes which sucks because that would be sick. Having the gene is almost a non-factor. What you need to be a mage is to be a kid of two people with the gene or the child of a mage, and even then, it's only like a 25% to 50% chance to hit the magic jackpot depending on which you are.”

Jinx leaned back on her sofa.

“That all said, the damage has been done. The gene has been introduced into our population,” Jinx told them. “The Gray could be cleared today and Zaun will still be shitting out mages, it’s just a matter of when. With the Gray I give it two or three generations, without it, I’d give it about four times longer. The point is that this future is coming and there's no stopping it.”

Caitlyn swallowed nervously at that, the news was enough to make even her lose her composure a bit. A Zaun that birthed mages would be a force unlike any seen in Runeterra. Their lack of regulations and freedom to experiment would potentially make forces that could shake the very world.

“I know you said that if you could help one mage, you’d be happy,” Jinx said as she turned to Lux. “You’ve done an amazing job with Firelight. Now, I have to ask, would you be willing to help others when–not if–they pop up. Mages like You, Zeri, and hell, even Annie will determine if Zaun can weather this storm.”

Lux, to put it simply, was floored. All her life, all she wanted was to help the mages of her home. Now, her home changed but that didn’t mean the mission had to. Lux could be at the beginning of history for this nation’s mages and stop the persecution before it could begin as it had in Demacia.

With that thought alone, Lux nodded, her eyes shining bright with both her power and determination.

Jinx grinned.

“Told you.” Jinx chuckled. “Lights that shine as bright as yours? They don’t have the luxury of living without making an impact.” Jinx turned to Caitlyn. “Here’s my deal. In exchange for selling Hextech Crystals to me, Robo-Granny requested Clan Kiramman’s support in reducing the regulations around their production. Something she probably thought I would never be able to get.”

This was true, Clan Kiramman was the main Clan that made those regulations in the first place to stop Clan Ferros from getting even stronger than it already was. Not to mention the idea of Zaun getting legal access to the Hextech Crystals given their past was nothing short of terrifying.

“So, in exchange for getting you to help her, my deal to you is this, your Clan will have your pick of one out of every five mages that pop up from this point forward,” Jinx told her. “That includes the ones we currently haven’t detected yet. Zaun will pay for the relocation of their family while you sponsor their future. Hextech Crystals are one thing but having actual mages under your family’s name is another. The world is changing fast and before you’re even close to retiring, your Clan will be the strongest and then you can finally make a change.”

“What’s the end goal?” Caitlyn asked and Jinx shrugged.

“There isn’t one.”

Caitlyn scowled. “Let me correct the question, what is the punchline?”

Jinx chuckled. “Now your learning sister, Piltover and Zaun are twin cities with one mission, survival,” Jinx explained. “We rise and fall together no matter how much we hate this fact. I want to get us in a position where we are hoarding gold and magic. Since we have no military, this would cement a position for us so that no matter if Noxus achieves global domination or is successfully pushed back, we remain untouched.”

It was then that Caitlyn understood. Jinx was trying to set up Piltover and Zaun to be the very heart of Runeterra. Make it so that it was in everyone’s best interest that they remained untouched. If this was successful, Clan Kiramman wouldn’t just be synonymous with Piltover’s hope, it would essentially be Piltover and she knew for a fact that when concerning Zaun the same would be said for Jinx’s family.

Which was also her family.

And that was the joke.

The punchline.

One family born from nobility and the slums, of law and crime, sitting atop as arguably one of the most powerful forces in Runeterra. For a moment, Caitlyn wondered if Lux had any idea what kind of monster she created when teaching Jinx, a woman raised by Silco, how to play the political game.

Stupid question, a look a Lux’s current gobsmacked expression answered that.

It was also with that look at Lux, that Caitlyn understood the joke.

All she had to do was stop thinking about this as a rational human being and instead look at it as someone who was both insane and as notoriously petty as Jinx could be.

Caitlyn laughed.

Something that startled them all but Jinx.

“I get it, the joke,” Caitlyn told her before turning to Lux. “Demacia took everything from you, and if this works then Jinx will have you positioned in a place that’s much higher than what you lost. A position where regaining your last name would be doing the Crownguards a favor and not you. Demacia will come seeking our aid as their wars against Noxus and the Mage Rebellion continue and they will be either turned away or aided by your choice and yours alone.”

“Damn, I knew you could hold a grudge sis, but shit,” Vi muttered as Lux looked at Jinx incredulously.

“Is…Is that true?” Lux questioned quietly and Jinx nodded.

“I don’t give a damn if Demacia falls or not and I know that Vi doesn’t either,” Jinx said and Vi shrugged as she had no stake in it. “Even Big Hat is probably tired of all the talks with brick walls she’s had after years of trying to hammer out any kind of deal with that stubborn nation. Demacia has no Hexgate, therefore Piltover doesn’t care about them. If they come looking for help, it really will be up to you.” Jinx then grinned and said something that shook Lux to her core. “You get the last laugh, happy anniversary.”

Lux froze and quickly did the mental math in her head before realizing that it had been an entire year.

Lux swallowed.

That was it.

That was the moment, Lux knew there was no turning back.

Fuck the Crownguards and Fuck Demacia.

They could all burn if she ever had to choose between them or the woman next to her.

Speechless, Lux tried to form words as Caitlyn cleared her throat.

“I’ll accept on two conditions of my own,” Caitlyn told Jinx and the look Caitlyn gave Jinx let Vi know that this was no longer Sheriff Cupcake but the Clan Head. This was an entirely different beast to tangle with and as much as Vi liked to think she knew her wife, she was almost as unpredictable as her sister when she got like this.

“Shoot,” Jinx said, taking Caitlyn’s change in demeanor with stride.

“I know that in Zaun there is not much weight in one’s family name.” Caitlyn began. “This is a nation that rewards one’s own merit, which is something I’ve been admittedly envious of. That said, the same cannot be said for the world as a whole.” Caitlyn told Jinx firmly. “A powerful name, a legacy, will open far more doors than you even know. If not for you, then for your daughter. So, I offer this. Take mine.”

Jinx straight up choked and Vi looked at Caitlyn as if it were the first time that she had seen her. Even Lux was shocked out of earlier stupor just to fall into another one.

“I’m sorry, what?” Jinx questioned.

“Long ago, the Clans of Piltover learned that their illegitimate children could be assets, free agents if you will,” Caitlyn explained. “There can be multiple families in one Clan. Though these lesser houses would never have the same prestige as the main family, they’re still viewed as a step above the common folk. Clan Kiramman is a very loyal family. This system has not seen any use from us which is why we sponsor so many lesser houses. To keep up, if you will.” Caitlyn gestured to Jinx. “As my wife’s sister, I see no better candidate to extend this offer to than you.”

“You want us to join your family?” Jinx shook her head in wonder. “Okay, I can think of like a thousand ways to use this for my benefit but what the hell is in this for you?”

Caitlyn smirked. “Well, first off is your reputation, you and Lux are two generally feared individuals. So many generations of Clan Kiramman being decent, if not a bit prideful, people seem to have confused the other Clans into thinking we are weak and predictable. Your joining would serve as a…reminder…that weakness and predictability are not traits we possess.”

Jinx started to grin darkly. “You want me to scare the Council straight.”

“Not scare, terrify,” Caitlyn corrected. “They’ve gotten in the way of my attempts to change things for the better one too many times. The fact they had the nerve to send me globetrotting when my life was in danger without telling me is a level of disrespect I will not suffer again. Having you officially in the Clan might cause them to reconsider a few things.”

“Or else their properties might mysteriously go ‘boom’,” Jinx mused. “Wait, officially?”

“Again, you’re my sister-in-law. I might not have liked you on a good day, but I always viewed you as my family for better or worse,” Caitlyn told her. “I just let you spend hours tattooing my back. The first rule of the Clan is to never show your back to enemies. Of course, joining the Clan would mean no more blatant acts of terrorism and if you can do that then I could see us getting along.”

“Hm, it would suck to give up my favorite pastime but there are a lot of things in the world to blow up besides Piltover,” Jinx thought out loud. “I guess having someone high up in Zaun in your family would help future deals too?”

“It would,” Caitlyn admitted. “But honestly? It would be nice to have a branch family that isn’t treated as second-class citizens in a Clan. You and yours will be here in Zaun as a prominent force which on the global stage would put both of our families on equal footing. Having all of the benefits of a branch family with no internal blood wars to take power is a great advantage for both of us.”

Caitlyn gestured between the two of them.

“Piltover and Zaun, two nations with one mission like you said,” Caitlyn began. “We can be two families and one Clan. Something to solidify the symbiotic relationship of our nations.  Zaun has its independence which was, unfortunately, in hindsight, a necessary war but I would like to at least try to stop any unnecessary ones moving forward.”

“Ugh, you’re such a bleeding heart,” Jinx groaned but her heart wasn’t in it. “No more terrorism, some fear to enhance your families’ respect, political power to make your changes, and unlimited potential in future trade deals with Zaun. Not to mention you’ll be the first to know my deals and vice-versa so we don’t accidentally screw each other over. All good things to get on your end to warrant this and I have just as much to gain if not more on my end.”

Jinx narrowed her eyes.

“But there’s something else, isn’t there?” Jinx questioned which made Caitlyn tense. “Spit it out, Big Hat, what else do you gain from this?”

Caitlyn surprised them by blushing slightly at being caught. Finally, she sighed. “Okay, yes, I also thought that it would be funny to see you being called Baron Kiramman by foreign diplomats.”

Jinx, Vi, and Lux all jaw-dropped at that admittance, and Caitlyn felt her blush deepen.

“Oh, you bitch,” Jinx said breathlessly though her lips were twitching as she placed a hand over her chest. Jinx could see it now, everyone calling her Baron Kiramman when she traveled away from the cities which would drive her crazy. It was possibly the most blatant “Fuck you” from Caitlyn she ever received…yet…“What…what is this feeling in my chest? Do…do I actually respect you now!?”

To think, at the end of their bitter rivalry it would be Cupcake that got the last laugh.

Jinx almost refused on sheer principle.

But then she thought of how much Annie would benefit.

Janna’s tits, she’d be plagued by Silco’s damn question forever.

Caitlyn chuckled a bit at the look on Jinx’s face. “Well, what do you think?”

“That you might be the craziest one in this family,” Jinx answered honestly which was saying something because she had doubted anyone would top Vi in that category. Seriously, Vi once tried to block Pow Pow’s bullets with her bare arms. “As apparently one of the saner people in this family, I’d be crazy to agree without asking Flashlight.” Jinx turned to her wife. “What do you think?”

“I see no reason to say no, this is just a win-win for both sides,” Lux mused. “But that depends on the second condition.”

Jinx snapped her fingers. “Oh yeah! See, this is why I asked you, completely forgot about that,” Jinx said sheepishly before turning to Caitlyn. “Well? What’s the second condition?”

Caitlyn winked at Lux. “You let Vi and I have a day out in Zaun with our adorable niece today while you two celebrate your anniversary.”

Lux knew then and there that she and Caitlyn weren’t friends.

They were sisters.

How she made it this far with just Garen, she would never know.

Jinx blinked at that. “Uh, sure, I don’t have any problems with that. Annie, did you finish the homework?”

“Yes, the last question was bullshit.”

“Annie!”

“Sorry, it was really hard,” Annie corrected herself before fishing a coin from her pocket and tossing it to an amused Jinx to put in Annie’s swear jar. It rested right on the coffee table next to the family’s collateral body count jar.  Annie had started to pick up bad words and while Jinx thought it was hilarious Lux didn’t so Jinx made an Annie-only swear jar for the kid.

It was getting surprisingly full.

She was so proud.

Annie hated losing her candy and toy money but Jinx knew she would appreciate it when she gave the kid the money back when she was grown.

“Alright, I’ll paint your mark on and you can head out.”

Caitlyn whispered something in Vi’s ear and Jinx saw her sister's eyes widen before she smirked. “Wait, sis, I’ll do it, I’m not as good at drawing as you but I’m not too shabby.” Vi smiled at Annie. “Come on Kitten, we’re going to have some fun today.”

“Yay!” Annie cheered as she unceremoniously dropped Jinx’s homework. It was only because she wasn’t allowed to start fires in the house without permission that she didn’t incinerate it.  “No more numbers!” With that, Annie practically bolted from the room.

Vi chuckled and looked back at Jinx and winked. “Make me proud sis!” Vi said before Caitlyn looped an arm through Vi’s and dragged her from the room.

“Well, I can’t say she didn’t haggle but that was a weird last condition, right Flashlight?” Jinx mused while scratching the back of her head. “Uh, Flashlight?” Jinx asked when she realized she had gotten no response. When she turned to her wife, she froze at the almost predatory look on her face and began to sweat a bit. “Hey are you-whoa!”

Jinx’s eyes were wide when she found herself scooped up by Lux.

Suddenly, she recalled Lux’s warning about Crownguards the day before and paled.

Though her heart was now thundering in her chest as everything started to make sense.

“Uh…” Jinx trailed off looking uncharacteristically nervous. “…be gentle?”

“Do you really want me to?”

Jinx swallowed. “…no.”

-Flashback-

 

Lux could hear the madwoman’s laughter echo throughout the battlefield. Even though the night had come and darkness filled the area, Lux knew she was close which provided some comfort as she found herself unable to see their opponents. Landing on the battlefield, Lux soon felt a weight on her back and even though she couldn’t see her, Lux knew, that it was Jinx behind her.

“Hey blondie, think we can get a light? Not sure the others can see shit,” Jinx questioned. “Give us something big, don’t worry, I’ve got your back!”

And despite all reason, Lux believed her.

“On it!” Lux said before she tossed her rod high in the air and outstretched her arms. “Get ready!” Lux warned and soon an explosion of light engulfed the area, Her magic acted like a massive flashbang which stunned the other team while Jinx cackled and began unloading her minigun which soon quickly secured them the victory as she mowed down the remaining members of the opposition along with Yasuo.

Lux was grateful that Jinx opted to use rubber bullets and that Yasuo used the flat of his blade or else it would have been a much more gruesome scene.

They had won.

And she…had fun…possibly for the first time in years.

She never felt so alive and it was all because of the insane woman who spontaneously entered her life with all the subtleness of a hurricane. Jinx blew down her carefully built walls and forced her to experience a side of herself she didn’t know existed. Today had truly been a journey of self-discovery for Lux and part of her heart clenched knowing that it would soon come to an end.

Soon she would be back in that ivory cell she called home and though she knew it had to be this way, she couldn’t help but selfishly hope that the blue-haired criminal would one day pick the lock on that cell again.

Perhaps next time, it would be Lux who would lead her on a journey to the unknown.

-Flashback: End-

 

Lux pressed her forehead against the cold wooden door of their bedroom and when she heard the front door of the manor close, she locked the door with an audible click that seemed to echo throughout the room.

“I...uh…I guess I’m ready.” Jinx’s voice spoke up and when Lux turned around, she felt both her breath and heart get stuck in her throat. The lights to the room had been shut off and the curtains had been pulled closed to block out the sunlight which left Lux alone in a darkened space with a blushing Jinx who had undone her braids.

It was a darkened space that only highlighted Jinx’s beauty.

For, beneath Jinx’s skin, Lux could see it.

The Shimmer.

Jinx’s excitement and nervousness had the Shimmer burning brightly beneath her skin and within her veins, causing her body to glow with ultraviolet light. Jinx was so worked up that within this darkened room Lux could see her very heart pulse rapidly.

It was the single most beautiful sight, Lux had seen.

“Are…are you okay Flashlight?” Jinx questioned when she saw Lux’s golden eyes pierce through the shadows of their room. So swiftly and elegantly did Lux stride across the room that Jinx was sure she would have thought Lux glided had she not been watching her movements so closely. Jinx swallowed nervously when Lux cupped the side of her face, tracing her thumb over Jinx’s now burning skin. When Jinx saw stray tears fall from those burning golden orbs, she repeated the question.

“I’m not sure,” Lux answered honestly. “Right now, you are the single most beautiful thing I’ve ever seen, and knowing that you’re mine feels me with a love that borders obsession.” Lux’s eyes burned brighter. “And the idea that I could have so easily not have had you in my life fills me with a rage that is getting dangerously close to hatred.”

All of those suitors and galas.

All of those lessons about what was and was not becoming of a woman of her station.

All of those premade paths to supposed happiness that Lux would have continued down on had it not been for Sylas’ betrayal.

Every single one of these factors, so fundamental in her upbringing and who she was played on repeat in her head with growing intensity as she thought about how it all would have led her astray from this moment.

From this woman.

From her wife.

If Lux wasn’t currently so captivated by her wife, she probably would have destroyed something in anger at the sheer thought of it all by now.

“You once said that freedom was the most addicting thing in Zaun,” Lux murmured. “But you’re wrong. For me? It’s you.” Jinx’s eyes widened at that. “Money, power, chems, all of these addictions I never understood. Even freedom, as nice as it is, hadn’t meant that much as I was born and raised without the need for any of it. But you?”

Lux laughed lightly.

“You? You taught me what addiction was, what desire was,” Lux told her. “The few thoughts in my head that aren’t filled with Annie are consumed by you. I feel you beneath my skin, in my very blood, and every time I think that I found it, the limit to which I can possibly love another person, you do something that makes me love you even more.” Lux gestured toward Jinx’s glowing body which had gotten a bit brighter since Lux began speaking. “And many times, it's not even something you try to do.”

Lux kissed Jinx.

Then she kissed her again.

Over and over, deeper and deeper, the two kissed as Lux gently moved them back to the bed. When Jinx backed up into the end of it, she sat down on the mattress as Lux stepped forward in between her legs. The two quickly disrobed, and after taking a moment to admire each other, they pressed on.

Lux grabbed Jinx’s wrists and pinned them above her head. Jinx’s eyes widened when bright constructs of light formed around her wrists and bound her hands to the headboard. Lux smiled at the look on Jinx’s face before she pressed her lips gently on the side of Jinx’s neck and bit down.

Jinx moaned and closed her eyes when she felt Lux’s teeth break the skin.

Jinx had told Lux not to be gentle and she meant it.

Jinx’s shuddered in excitement when she felt Lux lick the side of her neck and paid no mind to the few drops of her blood–that her family was becoming dangerously captivated by–that appeared from the wound.

“You said you’re a bomb, right?” Lux whispered into her ear. “I think it’s about time someone made you explode.”

With that, Jinx’s shining eyes shot wide open and her body began to emit a light strong to light up the room as Lux’s head disappeared between her legs. When she felt Lux’s breath hit possibly the only place on her body that Jinx would even consider remotely sacred, her body trembled with anticipation. Then when Jinx felt her lips, she feared her body would stop working correctly altogether.

Her mind certainly did.

-?-

 

In a realm devoid of light, Jinx sat alone, curling into herself while her tears streamed down her face. Clutching desperately her head, her body trembled as the voices boomed at her. Never had the intensity been this bad, had they tried so desperately to rend what remained of her sanity. It was almost as if they were scared. It was as if they were fighting for survival.

“Jinx!”

“Murderer!”

“Monster!”

“Failure!”

“Pathetic…pathetic…pathetic!”

Though they tried to defend her from the onslaught, Zapper, Pow Pow, and Fishbones were useless without her wielding them. All they could do was rest around her as if some sort of physical barrier between her and those horrible voices.

Throughout it all there was only one voice that was on her side.

“Jinx, this cannot go on,” Silco told her. “You have to push them back, you have to weather this storm.”

“I can’t!”

“You can!” Silco tried to get through to her. “You’re my daughter and I…I…oh Janna, I’m part of the problem too aren’t, I?” Silco muttered, realizing this when he saw his words slam into her just like the others. Jinx’s only response was a whimper and his heart seemed to break at the sight. “Such, lofty expectations I set for you,” Silco muttered. “But you must understand, it's only because I believe in you, see your potential, and wish for it not to be wasted by such pathetic insecurities!”

Even though he tried to reach out to her, the very kindness in his words seem to distress her.

Where was once the sole voice a comfort, there was now just another amongst the multitude that caused her grief.

What could he do to pick her up?

To stop her from breaking?

Jinx had to save herself, she was the only one who could!

People like him? Like her? They didn’t have saviors,  they only had their Janna-given strength to push through the storm.

“Give it up already!” Mylo snapped. “You think you can keep them safe? Protect them? We were your family too and look what happened! It’ll only be a matter of time before they see you for what you truly are! A Jinx-”

Mylos’ voice stopped cold and when Jinx forced herself to look at him, she saw him looking down at his chest in horror much like he had that fateful night. Only instead of a piece of rubble, there was a single beam of light that pierced him like a blade.

Eyes trembling, Jinx hesitantly looked up to see a bright gold crack in the darkness. Bit by bit, the crack grew as more and more beams of light shone through and pierced those voices that tormented her. Now she understood their fear, their pain, what had finally sent them over the edge.

It was her light.

“Jinx,” Silco began, his voice soft as he looked at her with a resigned smile. Jinx looked at him in confusion as he chuckled warmly. “All this time I pushed you more and more to be the woman that I knew you could be.” Silco looked up at the growing crack with a smile as it continued to spider-web despite knowing that that light would doom him like it did the others. “But that was wrong. I should have let you become the woman you should be.”

“I…I don’t know who that is…”

“I know,” Silco said, his voice filled with that same level of understanding that it had on the night she killed him. “But that just makes you the same as everyone else, doesn’t it?” Jinx’s eyes widened at that while he smiled at her.

Jinx choked out a sob. “I don’t want to lose you again.”

Silco shook his head, his smile never wavering. “You’re my daughter and I will never forsake you,” Silco told her. “But you’re her wife, and you’re our little Firelight’s mother. That takes precedence, don’t forsake them by letting these ghosts haunt you. Even me.” Silco told her before gesturing to her weapons. “Besides it's not like you will be alone. Lean on those when you need to, they’re more than enough to protect you.”

“He’s right you know! I’ve got your back, even though you have been getting me wrecked lately.” Pow Pow told her.

“I created a nation, protecting your family is child’s play,” Fishbones huffed.

“I just want some more wiggle room,” Zapper chirped. “Your head’s way too crowded, boss!”

At their words, Jinx shut her eyes tightly and when she opened them, she gazed back at Silco with eyes filled with sorrow…

…and resolution.

“Goodbye, dad.”

“Farewell my little bluebird,” Silco turned away from her, his hands folded behind his back. Never one to hide his scars from her, he glanced back with his wounded eye and she saw his scarred lips turn up in a smirk. “Though I know not what woman you will be, what woman you are, I do know they are not one to be toyed with. Make sure to remind them all of that.”

With that parting message, the darkness of the realm shattered like glass, and the light came flooding in, washing away all those that had pained her. Even as he was engulfed by the light, Jinx never saw his composure waver, not even once.

-Jinx & Lux-

 

“Come on, focus on me,” Lux whispered as she cupped Jinx’s face, desire clear in her eyes. Lux rocked her hips once as she straddled Jinx and the sensation made Jinx’s eyes snap open. “There you are,” Lux said as grinned down at Jinx whose eyes shone with an ominous glint.

It was then that Jinx’s body thrashed, something that almost made Lux lose her balance.

“Whoa! Honey? Calm down,” Lux said as she saw Jinx’s wrists struggle against her light bindings. For a moment, Lux thought that maybe she had messed up somewhere. Mistaking Jinx’s sudden restlessness for panic, her concern for her wife cut through her lust-filled haze. “Wait, let me undo the spell–”

Lux’s voice cut off and she looked on in surprise when with one mighty pull, Jinx tore off the headboard and snapped the bindings. An ultraviolet flash was all Lux saw before she found their positions switched. A loud crash could be heard throughout the house when the legs of the bed broke from the sheer force of Jinx's move. With her back planted firmly on the mattress, the earlier haze returned with a vengeance when she saw the almost feral look on her lover’s face.

Lux felt her throat go dry.

Gently yet firm enough to send a message, Jinx placed a hand around Lux’s throat. This was an act that awakened something in Lux that she didn’t even know was there but Jinx did if her knowing look was anything to go by.

“Crownguards might take what they want when they want,” Jinx began before leaning forward and gently grazing her teeth against Lux’s ear. “But this is my house.”

Lux didn’t even try to repress the shudder that quaked her body as Jinx pinned Lux’s wrists above her head with one hand and kept them there with nothing but brute strength. Jinx’s smile was downright sinister as she watched a blushing Lux bite her lip before moving her hand between the blonde’s legs. Lux let out a moan when she felt Jinx’s fingers enter her.

“You wanted to see me explode, and you will, but I’m curious about something too,” Jinx mused as she began to move those long fingers of hers. “See, I wanna know just how bright you can shine, Sunshine.”  

Lux bucked her hips with almost enough force to knock Jinx off of her as Jinx increased the speed of her ministrations. To this, Jinx just laughed and rocked her hips in tandem with Lux’s as they both rode the waves of pleasure that washed over them. Soon, a faint light appeared over Lux’s body and it grew brighter and brighter with each wave that hit Lux.

Lux’s body quaked but Jinx held strong, her grin widening with each passing moment as she brought them both closer to the brink. After what seemed like forever as Jinx kissed and whispered sweet nothings in Lux’s ear, she brought them both to the edge of the unknown.

“Come…on…” Jinx grunted, her face glowing brightly. “We’ll take…this next step…together, and every step after that.” Jinx panted as she gazed down at Lux. “Show me just how bright you can shine…It’s okay,” Jinx said as she knew that despite everything and how far Lux had come, there was still some ingrained fear toward her power, her potential, that she had yet to overcome. “I want to see every part of you.”

“Jinx…I…” Lux’s ability to speak left herself she felt herself become undone. Lux’s body thrashed as a flash of light erupted from it which was all that was needed to set light to Jinx’s fuse. Along with her wife, Jinx felt herself explode with pleasure. So much so, that Jinx had feared that she had finally reached the limit of how much excitement her heart could take.

For one, very intense moment, Jinx had feared that her heart had seized completely for she could no longer feel its pulse. However, one slow but loud beat echoed in her ears and when Jinx looked up, she could see her ocean of blue hair float up above her along with countless bright particles of light.

Like the countless stars which filled the night sky outside of the Undercity, the small lights filled and illuminated their darkened room. Awed, Jinx looked down and noticed just how slow everything was moving. For a moment it felt as though she had gotten hit by one of Ekko’s temporal grenades, but she knew that this was just the speed at which she could perceive things at the moment due to the ungodly amount of Shimmer rushing through her.

Like a dying bulb, the gold in Lux’s tear-filled eyes flickered on and off and Jinx absentmindedly moved to rub the tears of ecstasy from Lux’s eyes as she committed every moment of this to memory. A wave of something left Lux’s body but Jinx shrugged it off even as the nearby window shattered from its force.

Beautiful.

Lux was beautiful.

And just as fast as the moment started, it came to an end as Jinx’s heart resumed its rapid pace as both her and Lux’s hair once more submitted to the laws of gravity. Lux’s chest heaved as she greedily took in the air while Jinx removed her hands and collapsed next to her. Jinx’s body twitched as if she had been hit by Zapper as she looked up at the ceiling with wide eyes.

Jinx soon felt the mattress shift and felt something soft press up against her as Lux somehow found the strength to roll over and embrace her. This amazed Jinx to no end because she wasn’t sure she could move at all.

“That…” Lux began, trailing off as she couldn’t find the words. This was fine because she didn’t need to.

“Right?”

“I…”

“Yeah.”

“Wow.”

“Mhm,” Jinx hummed and she felt Lux’s hold on her tighten, her nails digging deeply into her skin though Jinx didn’t mind. Not when she could both feel and hear Lux cry.

“I need you,” Lux whispered as if she had just discovered a new fundamental truth about herself. Though, again, Jinx understood as she was going through the same thing as Lux. It was no secret that they loved each other, but this was different.

This was deeper.

The two of them were both notoriously independent people despite their love and their family. Often, they had each dove headfirst into the absolute worst the world had to offer alone and had nothing but their own wits and skills to persevere. The idea that either of them would need someone was not lacking in significance as it stood against everything they thought they knew about themselves on a fundamental level.

But it was true.

“I need you too, Flashlight,” Jinx said, and somehow by the grace of Janna, she found the strength to return Lux’s embrace. Lux buried her face in Jinx’s neck and Jinx just rubbed small circles on her back. “I need you too.”

-Meanwhile: Zaun: Lanes-

 

Oh.

Dear.

Janna.

It was true.

Vi couldn’t help but think in silent horror even as she remained as cool and confident as she usually was on the outside. Internally, Vi was completely freaking out because what she had thought was a passing intrusive thought, temporary insanity brought about by blood loss, was true. It was a truth that shook the very foundation of who she was.

Vi.

Wanted.

Kids.

How could she not after spending hours watching Caitlyn dote over her new niece? And Vi was no better. Don’t get her wrong, the kid was scary which was expected of her sister’s daughter but she was still a cute kid.

A little devil.

But her little devil, damn it!

Annie's small size, cuteness, and childish voice made it easy for her to worm herself into someone’s heart but Vi was from Zaun, she knew a predator when she saw one! Despite her new parents raising her to the best of their abilities, Annie carried herself like a Noxian. It was clear that the kid had a high body count, even if her actions yesterday or the “collateral body” jar hadn’t tipped her off.

Vi truly didn’t know if her sister’s mark was to protect the kid or to protect Zaun.

Regardless, the kid had clearly survived a hard life and that got Vi’s respect. That respect then opened the floodgates to Vi’s repressed motherly instincts, something she had thought had been locked away after Violet lost Powder.

Even now as she sat at the memorial for Vander & Silco–something she had to force herself to come to peace with for the greater good–she couldn’t help but understand why Caitlyn had been so unsubtly pressing the issue for Clan Kiramman to have an heir.

Something it really needed now.

Vi loved her sister and her family to death, but the idea of the Clan and all of its resources now falling to Jinx should something happen to her and Caitlyn scared her. Not because she thought they would misuse the power, but rather, because of how efficient they would be with it.

Vi could practically see it now, the one true nation of Zaun and her sister cackling diabolically as the rest of the world submitted to her will. When her sister found her own unique way to view something she was unfamiliar with, she was able to master it almost instantly.

Caitlyn had opened her eyes to this truth before they went to bed yesterday. Motherhood? Jinx viewed her kid as a weapon and somehow became the mother of the year. Politics? Princess taught her how to treat it like a joke, or even a game, and all of sudden she practically owned Zaun.

It was because of this that Vi made the (fortunate?) mistake of trying it herself, changing her perspective on some things. As she toyed with the idea of motherhood, she stopped thinking of it as making history repeat itself and instead tried to see it as a way to stop it from doing so.

And boy was that a mental rabbit-hole to go down.

Why? Because it forced her to look at her childhood, to look at Vander and think of all the great things he did but also think of all of his mistakes. Vi loved the man, idolized him to this day, but she had to come to terms with the fact that he was human. Vi looked at how he treated Violet and how he treated Powder and was forced to understand Jinx’s perspective.

The man did his best and raised her right, but–though she would never admit it–she could see why Jinx wasn’t as close to him as she was, why it was easier to accept Silco as her father. If she and Caitlyn had more than one child–Vi had already privately accepted the fact they would have at least one–Vi would do what she could to be there for all of them equally.

Even if it meant asking Jinx for help.

Though, unlike Vander, Vi had her Cupcake who she trusted to pick up any slack on her part just like she would do for Caitlyn’s. Vi loved her wife with all her heart but she had a nasty habit of saying yes to more responsibility even when someone else could do the job and it was stressing her the hell out. The only reason Caitlyn even had free time was that Vi, sometimes literally, dragged her away from work.

Vi heard all the stories Caitlyn had about her parents and her feelings toward them and had a small suspicion that it would be up to her to make sure any kid of theirs wouldn’t be in the same boat with Caitlyn. Vi knew her wife like the back of her hand and knew she was incredibly sweet, but there was a coldness she possessed that could even fool Vi from time to time.

There was no small number of misunderstandings between them early in their relationship and Vi knew already that there would be times she would have the extend her duties as Cupcake’s emotional translator to their heirs.

Shit.

“I can’t believe I’m really thinking about this.” Vi rubbed the bridge of her nose.

“Thinking about what?” Vi looked up to see a confused Caitlyn holding two ice cream cones in her hands. Next to her was Annie who had two of her own. Vi still couldn’t believe that either. Fresh and good ice cream? In the Lanes?

Maybe Jinx ruling the world wouldn’t be too bad.

Nope!

Intrusive thoughts!

Come on Vi, don’t sell out your fellow man for dairy sweets.

“Just the future,” Vi answered and Caitlyn smiled knowingly at her. Vi couldn’t help but chuckle at that, as Caitlyn could always see right through her.

“Well, I’m sure it will be a lovely future,” Caitlyn said before she offered Vi one of the cones which she accepted.

“Dang, Kitten, two cones?” Vi asked before winking at Caitlyn. “Glad to know who Cupcake likes more, I guess.”

“Oh please,” Caitlyn rolled her eyes while Annie beamed at them. “She had the most heart-breaking pout, how was I supposed to say no?”

“Easy, don’t look directly into her eyes,” Vi answered. “Trust me, she gets that shi-er-crap, from Jinx,” Vi said, making sure to watch her language around Annie. Like Jinx, she didn’t care and thought the kid cursing was fucking hilarious.

But Cupcake and Princess did not.

Jinx was the insane one for a reason, Vi would be playing it safe.

“Well, kitten, let’s hit up the arcade,” Vi said as she stood up.

“Yay-wait, do you hear that?” Annie suddenly had a small frown on her face. “What was that, Tibbers?” Annie questioned the bear that’s head was poking out of her backpack. “The alley?” Annie looked up at her confused aunts with a sinister smile that reminded them far too much of Jinx. “Come on! Someone’s playing, we don’t want to be late!”

With that, Annie ran suddenly ran off and Caitlyn and Vi quickly chased after her, neither of them wanting to deal with the likely fatal consequences of losing their niece in Zaun.

Fortunately, it didn’t take long for them to catch up as Annie had run into an alley nearby and slowed to a stop. As soon as they caught up, they froze when they saw two men standing in front of a hooded girl whose only exit was blocked by a dumpster.

“Hey!” Vi’s voice boomed as she threw down her cone. “What do you think you are doing!?”

“Huh?” One of the men questioned before he turned to see them. It only took a moment for him to register who Vi and Caitlyn were. “Stay out of this Pilties! You have no jurisdiction here!”

“Y-yeah!” The second, more hesitant one said. He was fearful for a reason, everyone knew about Piltover’s Finest. They were the only ones crazy enough to tangle with the Loose Cannon and live. Still despite his common sense, a rare thing in Zaun, he was emboldened by his friend’s stupidity. “I-If anything you should be on our side! This little rat stole our money!”

“It’s Zaun,” Vi scoffed. “If you were dumb enough to lose your money then it wasn’t yours to begin with.”

“Don’t act like you know how it is down here, traitor,” the first one sneered. “I’m warning you, leave before this gets messy.” He went to brandish a knife only for the blade to be shot from his hand. “W-what?” The thug looked up and paled when he saw Caitlyn aiming her rifle at him.

“That was a warning,” Caitlyn said coldly. “Next one will be between the eyes. Zaunites don’t lose sleep over dead enforcers, likewise, the loss of you will not hinder my rest.”

“Y-you can’t do that!” the thug stuttered out. “This is Baron Jinx’s turf! You spill blood here, you’re dead, you hear me? Dead!”

“I’ll take my chances,” Caitlyn drawled as she aimed at him.

“No auntie Cupcake!” Annie interrupted as she stomped her foot, looking up at a surprised Caitlyn with a pout. “That breaks the rules of the game! Jinx said that in her turf only we can play!”

Suddenly, the two thugs seemed to pale even further as they registered the cloud marking on Annie’s face.

“Oh sweet Janna, it’s her.” The thug whispered and Vi felt her jaw drop when she saw his friend lose control of his bladder while his knees quaked in terror. “The Dark Child.”

Annie giggled at his words “Hey! That’s what they called me in my old home!” Annie smiled at him, and it spoke volumes about how much she must have terrorized the lanes if her Noxian title was earned again in Zaun. “You must really want to play!” Annie said but soon she pouted when she looked at her occupied hands. “But my hands are full…oh! I know! Tibbers!” Annie cheered as she turned around. “Go play with them!”

The bear hopped out of the backpack and grew tremendously as flames filled its body. The two thugs screamed as the bear chased them down. Even Caitlyn and Vi couldn’t help but flinch at the sheer fear they saw on the men’s faces before they were pounced on.

“Holy shit,” Vi whispered with wide eyes, this was the second time she had seen Tibbers in action and she doubted she would ever get used to the visceral carnage. It was as if her niece had her own personal Warwick to sick on whoever she wanted.

Ignoring the blatant screams that echoed throughout the alley, Annie approached the hooded girl.

“Hi!” Annie greeted, making the child tense a bit, not sure what to make of Annie. On one hand, she looked like any other girl if not a bit intimidating, but on the other hand…

“Janna help-agh!”

That.

But though she was young, the hooded girl wasn’t stupid. As horrified as she was by what was happening she wasn’t about to risk offending the shorter girl who controlled the big evil scary bear of doom!

“U-uh…e-erm, hello,” the girl greeted softly which made Annie’s smile widen.

“Sorry I interrupted your game,” Annie apologized looking sincerely troubled by her actions. “But they were cheating! There were two of them and one of you! I wanted to help, but Lux says I should ask for permission first before playing. Sorry.”

“Uh…it’s…fine,” the hooded girl squeaked out nervously. Though she would probably have nightmares about the sheer massacre she witnessed just now for the rest of her life, the scary girl did help.

“Want one?” Annie asked as she offered one of the cones.

“I…yes…thank you,” the girl asked softly as she took the cone. Truth be told it did look good and though she was extremely hungry and she doubted the frozen treat would help with that too much she figured it was better than nothing.

“Want to play?”

“Oh, dear Janna no,” Vi whispered, a look of horror on her face as Caitlyn quickly moved to stop the potential child murder.

“That…that might not be for the best,” Caitlyn spoke up. “She’s…she’s probably not ready for your games.”

“What do you mean, Aunt Cupcake? We’re going to the arcade, aren’t we?” Annie questioned sounding legitimately confused. Caitlyn blinked owlishly at that because they were going to the arcade.

“I-er-yes we are, silly me, it slipped my mind.” Caitlyn forced a smile on her face as Annie giggled.

“It’s okay Aunt Cupcake, I forget lots of stuff too but when I remember them, I get happy!” Annie told her. “Like when I forget the smell of blood!”

The hooded girl whimpered.

“Oh! Sorry, I’m Annie!” Annie stuck out her free hand before licking her ice cream. “You want to play? It’ll be fun!”

“R-Ren,” the girl introduced herself quietly and both Caitlyn and Vi froze at that, a troubled look shared between them. “And…s-sure?”

“Yay!” Annie cheered. “We’re going to have so much fun! I’ll show you all of my favorite games!” Annie said as she grabbed the older girl’s hand. “Can she come with us, Aunt Cupcake? Please?”

“Yes, but in the future please ask before giving the invitation,” Caitlyn said which made Annie look down with a sheepish expression while digging the toe of her shoe in the ground.

“Sorry, Aunt Cupcake.”

“Is…is your name really, Cupcake?” Ren questioned before freezing when she saw Caitlyn fully. The Sheriff did not doubt that Ren was very familiar with the uniform she wore. Ren swallowed the lump in her throat. “You’re from…Piltover…”

“Well first, my name is Caitlyn and yes, I am from Piltover,” Caitlyn said, not bothering to hide it. “And so are you.”

Ren trembled.

“Don’t worry we can discuss that later,” Caitlyn said with a tone that pretty much said they would be having words at some point and that running away was simply not an option. “Right now, we’re enjoying a day with our niece and would truly appreciate your company.” Caitlyn knelt in front of Ren in the dirty alley of Zaun without a second thought. “I fear she might not have any friends her age. Though I can’t imagine why.” Caitlyn whispered so that only Ren could hear. When she moved back, she gave the girl a wink.

Ren smiled despite the situation.

Even she could guess why that would be the case.

“So will you come with us?” Caitlyn questioned and Ren nodded.

“Yes.”

“Cool!” Vi spoke up with a bright grin on her face. “Cause’ I’m interested in learning more about you kid. Seriously, a little thing like you managed to get from Topside to the Lanes and steal those chumps’ gold?” Vi laughed as she clapped her hands approvingly. “I’m impressed. Nice payday, huh?”

“Vi!” Caitlyn exclaimed sounding scandalized which made Vi wince.

“I mean, uh, stealing is bad and…stuff.” Vi tried to recover as Caitlyn narrowed her eyes. “Ah, come on Cupcake, it’s not like they’re going to use that gold anymore!”

Ren couldn’t help but giggle at the absurdity of the conversation.

Vi shot her a look before smirking. “Besides, might as well let the kid keep it, first round of snacks can be her treat.”

Ren looked at her in surprise. “H-hey!”

Both enforcers looked at her with raised eyebrows and she winced before digging her toe into the ground much as Annie had.

“I mean…sure…”

“Really?” Annie asked as she turned to look up at Ren. “You’re nice!”

“T-thank you?” Ren said though it sounded more like a question.

“Come on Tibbers! Take us to the games!” Annie called out and Ren paled as she saw the demon bear return. So paralyzed with fear she couldn’t even scream as the beast picked them up in its arms. “Don’t be scared! Tibbers is nice and warm and fluffy, see?”

Annie gave Tibbers head a big hug and beckoned Ren to do the same.

Terrified but still sane enough to not want to offend the flaming murder beast, Ren hugged its head-making sure not to stain Tibber’s fur with her ice cream. Ren’s eyes widened when she realized that the beast was warm and fuzzy.

“Y-you’re right!”

“See?” Annie said looking smug. “Tibbers is a friend! Come on Tibbers, to the arcade!”

With that, the girls rode the bear to the arcade as the shell-shocked forms Caitlyn and Vi followed closely.  Both were currently wondering just how the hell they were going to explain bringing the daughter of a man Jinx had slaughtered into their house.

Or that she was currently shaping up to be Annie’s first human friend that was around her age.

If Caitlyn’s math was right, from what she knew of her predecessor, Ren should have been just over a year older than Annie though their heights suggested a bigger gap. Annie was really short though just like her mother, Jinx, Annie more than made up for her seemingly frail stature with her larger-than-life presence.

As it was, Caitlyn was one of the few people in Piltover who didn’t fear Jinx.

After someone tries and fails to kill you for the tenth time, you start to develop some resistance.

That said, Caitlyn would be a liar if she didn’t say that the times she faced Jinx with Vi didn’t make her feel better.

“Why do you think the kid is down here?” Vi questioned, snapping Caitlyn from her musings.

“The better question is how?” Caitlyn muttered. “Marcus didn’t have much family if any. With his death, she should have been taken to an orphanage to be cared for. That little girl was adorable, still is, it’s a wonder she wasn’t adopted.”

“Yeah, but Topside is still Topside, Cupcake.” Vi reminded her. “They gossip and cast judgment on everything. How many people give you the side-eye when you’re with me? How many times has it been implied if not outright stated that the only reason we haven’t caught Jinx was that we let her go?”

Caitlyn scowled at the reminder of the rumors, the implications that she let love cloud her judgment.

The truth was quite the contrary, she knew, she and Vi had many fights that left them in tears because she didn’t let love cloud her judgment.

Too many fights.

Too many heartaches.

Hell, that was part of the reason she was so willing to extend the offer to Jinx. Caitlyn was no fool, she knew how it would look but honestly, there were only so many times one could be falsely accused of doing something before they said fuck it and just did it.

She was already paying the price, might as well commit the crime so to speak.

Especially when she now stood to gain as much as she did.

“My point is that once Marcus’ scandal went public, who would want the traitor’s daughter?” Vi asked rhetorically which made Caitlyn grimace. “And don’t get me wrong, I’m all for what you’re planning with my sis, even after everything you’re sacrificing more parts of you for them. To keep Jinx from destroying more of Topside, but they won’t see that, not even if you explain it. Are you ready for that?”

“Piltover’s continued blocking of any of my proposals have left the enforcers lacking,” Caitlyn began. “I could join Jinx in blowing up the streets and they still wouldn’t remove me because the only other person in the whole city capable of leading our law enforcement is you. So, my job is secure. My job is my passion, my vocation, but it's not a necessity. Clan Kiramman has more than enough wealth to last multiple generations.”

Caitlyn stopped outside of the arcade and watched the girls run inside with Tibbers thankfully in Annie’s backpack. “Most importantly, everyone can call me a villain, a traitor, whatever, but it doesn’t matter as long as I can still go home to you.”

Vi’s expression softened at that.

“When everything is out in the open, I will be hated right until the moment they see just how ‘dangerous’ your sister is now,” Caitlyn continued. “And when that happens, they will see just what I did, what I gave up, to protect them all and their tones will change. And guess what? It still won’t matter because the same things they’ll be afraid of will be the same things giving our niece endless opportunities.”

Caitlyn cupped Vi’s face.

“So, if you ask me if I’m ready. I am. Especially with you by my side,” Caitlyn smiled a bit. “I’m trying to protect Piltover and protect my family, all of it. I love my city, Vi, our home but make no mistake. I am no different from the other Clan Heads. At the end of the day, my family comes first.”

Vi shook her head with a fond smile. “All these years, Cupcake and you still know how to make a girl swoon.”

“Well, I did learn from the best,” Caitlyn teased before she kissed her wife.

“Ew!” A voice startled them and they looked down to see a look of disgust fade from Annie’s face before she grabbed both of their hands. “Come on! You two have to play too! I bet we can get all the prizes!”

Vi and Caitlyn shared a look before laughing as they let the girl drag them toward a smiling Ren.

-Later-

 

Time seemed to fly by as the four of them had fun. Vi gave credit where it was due, Jinx had not only fixed up all of the games to be as good as new but also added a bunch of new ones along with prizes that kids would enjoy.

Prizes that weren’t run down or hastily made, but actual dolls from actual manufacturers in Piltover.

The scariest part was that both Vi and Caitlyn were sure that these prizes were obtained legally.

Prizes aside, the food was good too!

Having a small suspicion, Vi left the others briefly so that she could step outside and see the other two properties.

Her first stop was The Last Drop which she didn't pay much attention to the day before. While it was still a complete one-eighty from what Vander had, it seemed cleaner.

And bigger.

It was, quite frankly, a very lively nightclub. The music was loud, the drinks looked good, and the air was clean. Yet, it was accessible to anyone. Vi had strolled in with no issue and after doing a quick survey, and grabbing a quick beer to go, Vi made her way to the second stop.

The church.

Vi’s breath was caught in her throat when she saw the handcrafted statue of Janna. Her heart ached as she recalled how Caitlyn said Lux described Jinx.

An artist.

Vi knew it was true too. Ever since they were little, Powder was always building something, crafting something, trying to bring her visions to reality. It was just unfortunate that the one time she succeeded, it led to…well…everything. Jinx’s art never went anywhere, but it did change, was twisted by life and in hindsight, Vi could see how Jinx’s terrorist acts were just another outlet for that art.

But now?

Now, she had to take a moment to sit down at one of the benches and take it in. If all of the violence and destruction had been what it looked like when Jinx’s art was twisted by darkness, then this church was what happened when it found the light.

And Vi was no fool, she knew exactly where the light came from.

Flashlight and Firelight.

For a brief moment of weakness, Vi mourned the sister she lost but that was quickly replaced by joy and hope for the sister Jinx was becoming.

The one she had already become.

“Oh! Vi, ma’am, is everything alright?” Theiram questioned when he noticed Vi. “Is something wrong with Baron Jinx?”

“No, she’s…” Vi trailed off and briefly wiped her eyes. “…she’s perfect.” Vi stood up. “Sorry, was just taking a look at her properties.”

“Ah, understandable.” Theiram nodded. “It’s a wonder that’s been compared even to the likes of Baron Ekko’s Firelight base. An oasis in the slums. Baron Jinx doesn’t have much territory but she takes care of it and the citizens of Zaun often flock to it rest, drink, maybe even pray. She’s given Zaun-”

“-Hope, yeah I can see that,” Vi interrupted with a genuine smile. “Though I know she’s had plenty of help which I am grateful for. Keep it up, Chuck,” Vi said though it was clear that she was teasing. Theiram chuckled and shook his head as he watched her depart with a small wave.

Before long she made it back to the others and saw that Annie and Caitlyn were exhausted.

“Whoa, I was only gone for a few minutes, what happened?”

“So…much…fun…” Annie gasped out with a wide smile. Caitlyn just shakily rose a hand, and Vi turned to see a mountain of prizes.

“I’m banned from the shooting game,” Caitlyn chuckled and Vi could only wonder what financial horrors a doting Caitlyn could have brought in an attempt to appease two little girls’ insatiable thirst for presents.

“Where’s Ren?” Vi asked curiously.

Caitlyn frowned before pointing at the final game. “She’s…working through some issues.” Now it was Vi’s turn to frown and when she looked over toward the last game, she swallowed.

“Oh.”

There at the punching machine, Vi saw Ren punching away with an unbridled fury that no child that young and sweet should have possessed. A fury that Vi could, unfortunately, recognize from personal experience. The kid’s form was terrible and she looked as though she didn’t care about the blows the machine fired back at her but she appreciated the spirit. Ren fought as if she had something to prove. When Vi looked at the leaderboard, though, she realized that maybe the kid did.

JINX- 5500

VI-4800

POW-4405

When the game ended, Ren was punched back onto her rear and when the points finished racking up, Vi saw her score.

REN-950

ANN-700

That…actually wasn’t bad given the girls’ sizes and ages, hell, Vi was surprised Annie could even reach the machine enough to land that many blows. Vi watched Ren pant as she grimaced at her score, or rather, how far away she was from her.

“Well,” Vi began, startling Ren who now looked embarrassed that she had spectator for her little outburst. “Your guard could use some work.” Vi raised an eyebrow. “Form too, flailing around like that, you’ll never reach her.”

“What do you know? You didn’t reach her either!” Ren snapped and if Vi was surprised by the anger, she didn’t show it. If anything, she just smirked. As if just realizing what she did, Ren began to stutter. “I…I’m sorry I didn’t mean to–”

“Kid, first rule, never apologize for saying something you meant,” Vi told her. “Step aside, for a second.” Vi moved to stand in front of the machine as Ren scurried out of the way. Now on the sidelines, she watched Vi insert a coin into the machine before cracking her neck. Once the machine came to life, Vi stepped forward.

Vicious.

Violent.

Victorious.

Ren was positive that Vi probably stood for any of these words as she watched Vi decimate the game. Ren felt the blood drain from her face after she realized she had just yelled at this one-woman-wrecking crew. Within no time, the game to an end and Ren saw Vi rolling her shoulders.

VI-7000

JINX-5500

VI-4800

“There now we’re even for yesterday,” Vi said to herself before she smiled down at Ren. “I think that will give my little sis something to work toward and get her to work on her form. I can’t let her get complacent after all.”

“S-sister?” Ren squeaked out. “S-she’s your sister?”

“And Annie’s mother,” Vi told her which…actually didn’t surprise as much as it probably should’ve. That actually made sense, unlike the Piltover enforcer being related to Jinx. “So, be straight with me, you hate her, don’t you?”

“I…I…” Ren trailed off as she thought about it. Did she hate Jinx? Ren knew that she should have but even then, Ren found it strangely hard to say. “I don’t know,” Ren answered. “She killed my daddy but everyone in Piltover just says that he was a bad man, a traitor. They hate me and look at me with mean eyes in the orphanage. One of the caretakers even said she did the world a favor.”

Fury burned in Vi’s eyes at the thought of anyone saying that to a child.

A child that was now openly crying in front of her.

“I just want to know why. Why was he bad? Why did she kill him? Why did he leave me?” Ren wept. “I don’t even remember him much. I just remember being happy! I want to go back to those days before I lost him!” Ren rubbed at her eyes. “Did you know him? Was he a bad guy? Why did she hurt my daddy?”

Vi released a long breath before she sat down at the edge of the platform.

“Look, kid, I sympathize, I still look for answers about why enforcers killed my parents,” Vi said and Ren looked at her in surprise. “So, I won’t let you go through the same. Even if it hurts, because I’ll be honest, not knowing hurts a lot worse.”

“Enforcers killed your parents?” Ren asked incredulously.

“Enforcers killed a lot of parents back in the day, kid,” Vi told her. “But not in Piltover, they hurt those here in Zaun which is where Jinx and I come from. The main reason I even joined them besides to keep my wife safe, is because I believe this is the best place for me to find some answers and to make a difference. To stop the enforcers hurting more people and change them for the better even if those where I once lived hate me for it.”

Vi’s shoulders sagged.

“When we were kids and lost our parents, a man took me and Jinx in,” Vi told her. “He helped keep the peace between the cities and gave us a home, a family. Still, even with that family, Jinx and I? We were sisters and I always looked after her, gave her special care because as much as I loved her, she was always different. She needed my care and I was happy to give it.”

Vi released a shuddering breath.

“Until the one day I couldn’t. Our new father was kidnapped by his brother, and the rest of our family went to save him after telling Jinx to stay back.” Vi continued. “Things happened which led to Jinx and I being alone again, but this time…this time I blamed her for us losing everything. I hurt her,” Vi told Ren and though she glossed over the unnecessary details she didn’t sugarcoat it.

The kid was bright.

She understood every word that came out of her mouth.

“I realized I did a bad thing and left to cool my head.” Vi shook her head. “Big mistake, when I did our dad’s brother took her. I tried to help but…” Vi trailed off and stared Ren right in her eyes. “…your dad knocked me out and threw me into prison for years for his own benefit.”

Ren gasped.

“Without me, our dad’s brother turned Jinx into the woman she is today,” Vi explained. “We all had our roles that night, played our parts, made our mistakes that led to Jinx becoming who she was. I never liked your dad, he was a shitty person.” Vi said bluntly and Ren’s head bowed as she felt her body tremble. “But it doesn’t matter.”

Ren’s head whipped up and Vi nodded her head.

“Your dad could be the worst person ever, but it doesn’t matter. He was still a pretty damn good dad, wasn’t he?” Vi asked rhetorically. “Your pain is valid. What he did to others doesn’t erase the good he did for you. He loved you. It's okay for you to mourn him and it's not okay for others to treat you like trash because of him. You’re you and he’s him.” Vi sighed. “Don’t hate me for this, but you have more in common with Jinx than you think.”

“W-what?” Ren asked in confusion.

Vi did her best to fight back the sneer that came instinctively when she thought of Silco. “My father’s brother?” Vi began as she refused to call him uncle or anything related to her. “The one that killed him and took Jinx? He was probably one of the biggest monsters in the world but…he was a good dad to Jinx.”

Oh, did it ever hurt Vi to say that.

But it was true.

“Jinx killed him to save me, and even as he died, he still told her how much he cared,” Vi revealed. “Remember this. Death is the ultimate test of a person’s character. You will always see just who a person is in their final moments. He was a monster but he was her father first. So many people, including me, curse him, but Jinx? She loves him and wears that love proudly.”

Vi gestured to Ren.

“And so should you.” Vi leaned forward. “I can’t tell you why Jinx killed him, but you will see her today,” Vi revealed which made Ren freeze. “I’m sorry but there’s no other spot for you right now. She won’t hurt you, I promise, and I’m sure she’ll answer any question you have. I can’t tell you how to feel toward her. Jinx and I have hurt each other a lot over the years, hell, we hurt each other a lot yesterday. But she never hurt me like she hurt you.”

“And be grateful, it’s not a pleasant feeling,” Caitlyn said as she got their attention. “I was curious about what you were talking about.”

Vi smiled sadly. “Where’s Annie?”

Caitlyn chuckled and gestured toward the table they left. Beside it, they saw Annie sleeping on Tibbers’ back.

Yeah, she was safe.

“Jinx took someone precious from me too,” Caitlyn told Ren as she knelt in front of her. “My mother,” Caitlyn revealed which made Ren gasp. “I wanted to hate her, honestly part of me did, but I was too close. I saw too much of her pain, and thanks to Vi I understood too well of how she became who she was.”

Caitlyn placed a hand on Ren’s shoulder.

“When you look in the eyes of your enemy, your prey, and find yourself able to see yourself in them?” Caitlyn began. “It becomes so, so, much harder to pull the trigger when you have them at your mercy. I could have hated her, that was what she wanted, that’s what she was used to and understood. Instead, I forgave her and took her out of her comfort zone. I regained control of my life and that control has let me survive against her when she was at her worst. That all said, that doesn’t mean I got rid of the hate.”

“Y-you didn’t?” Ren asked curiously, enthralled by the story revealed to her.

“No,” Caitlyn smiled. “I took that hatred, all of those bad feelings, and channeled it toward the world that made Jinx in the first place. The conditions between Piltover and Zaun, the injustice that creates a pain that births monsters. I dedicate my life to making this world a better place for both cities. That is why I am Sheriff, and I like to think I’m a good one. Jinx is currently the only stain on my record.”

“Nice humblebrag,” Vi said with a smirk.

“What?” Caitlyn asked innocently. “I am good at my job.”

Vi smiled. “The best.” Vi paused before looking at Ren with a wince. “No offense.”

“No,” Ren said softly as she shook her head. “She is a better shot than my daddy was. I remember that much.”

Both Caitlyn and Vi looked at each other in surprise before bursting out into laughter.

“Come, let’s get you some answers,” Caitlyn said as she offered Ren a hand which she accepted with a hesitant smile. However, all three of them paused when they realized that waking Annie up would mean approaching Tibbers. “Who wants to do the honors?”

“I say we sacrifice the kid,” Vi said bluntly. “She yelled at me.”

“What!?” Ren squeaked out.

“Vi!”

“Kidding, kidding, sheesh.” Vi held her hands up defensively. “Though the kid did ride the murder bear here, fine, I’ll bite the bullet.”

With that, Vi made her way to her niece and prayed she was able to wake her up with her limbs intact.

-Later: Chembaron Jinx’s Manor-

 

“Uh…you did have windows, right kitten?” Vi asked curiously as they saw trash bags covering every window in the manor. “You all stay here. I’ll make sure there wasn’t an attack or anything.”

Vi saw them nod and with that, she entered the manor. Inside, Vi noticed that everything seemed the same and that there hadn’t been any signs of a fight or struggle. Hearing the sound of someone humming, Vi strolled forward into the living room and saw Jinx sitting back on her sofa wearing nothing more than an oversized t-shirt. Sprawled across her lap was Lux who was in a similar state of dress and absentmindedly playing with a lock of Jinx’s hair.

Vi whistled. “Well damn, aren’t you two cozy?” Vi smirked. “Good time?”

“Yep,” Jinx said before she opened her eyes and stretched her arms. Vi could see multiple glowing pink bite marks on Jinx’s skin and shook her head.

Princess was lethal.

“Redecorating?” Vi questioned as she gestured to the nearby window which was also covered by a trash bag.

“Nah, it was…a casualty of war?” Jinx said though it sounded more like a question.

“Casualty of-Jinx, what the hell did you two do?” Vi questioned in morbid fascination before quickly raising a hand to silence Jinx who had opened her mouth. “Nope, wait, don’t want to know. Ew. TMI.”

Jinx closed her mouth.

Lux just giggled, still obviously lost in whatever world she had fallen into.

Vi shook her head. “I said make me proud not break your wife.”

“She’s fine…” Jinx poked Lux’s cheek and the blonde squirmed and gently swatted her hand away with a small laugh. “…See? She’s responsive.” Jinx said dismissively. “How was the day out?”

“Good, and I’m assuming you had a good anniversary?” Vi asked and Jinx nodded. “Cool, so are you…uh…done?”

“Yeah, it was a good time but we miss our kid,” Jinx said before her eyes narrowed as she saw a slightly sheepish expression on Vi’s face. “Sis? What the hell did you do?”

“So, uh, funny story.” Vi began. “Annie made a friend.”

Jinx sighed. “I’ll get the jar.”

“No, wait, the friend is alive,” Vi quickly explained which made both Jinx and Lux pause. “And the friend is around her age.”

Now, this was enough to snap Lux back into reality as she quickly sat up, accidentally bumping her head on Jinx’s chin. Both of them winced at that but soon looked at Vi in disbelief.

“Bullshit,” Jinx whispered though there was a hint of hope in her voice.

“No, seriously, she made a friend with an actual child,” Vi told them. Tears filled Lux’s eyes and soon she buried her face in her hands crying happily and saying something along the lines of “my baby can socialize.”

“Wow,” Jinx said with a shake of her head. “Shit. If she can make friends then that means that one day she might even start dating.” Jinx grimaced. “I need to find some new weapons she won’t be able to trace back to me.”

Vi really felt bad for whoever Annie’s future lover was.

But hey, if they lived, they would have to be tough as hell.

“So, what’s the catch?” Jinx questioned knowing very well how her life worked. “Come on, spit it out, let the other shoe drop.”

“Well, she was an orphan runaway…from Piltover.” Vi began. “We found her being cornered by some thugs whose money she stole.”

“It’s Zaun, that was her money at that point,” Jinx muttered which made Vi smirk.

“That’s what I said.”

Jinx chuckled. “Still, she made it here from Topside? Kids tough, or crafty. Maybe both.”

“Both, definitely both, shy little string bean but she’s got fire in her.” Vi chuckled. “Anyway, kitten saved her and gave her some of her ice cream to make her feel better. She even gave her a ride on the murder bear. They’ve been glued to each other’s side ever since. The kid was scared of Annie at first, but she’s gotten over most of it.”

Jinx’s jaw dropped and Lux cried harder.

“Well…shit,” Jinx muttered. “What can we do though, sis? We have the resources, but we can’t raise another kid when we still gotta work on Annie’s…situation. That is what you were leading up to, right? Us adopting her?”

“Uh…no, actually,” Vi said as she tried to ignore the pang of…something…she felt at the thought of her sister adopting Ren. “Protocol dictates we bring her back to the orphanage Topside. You know Cupcake, she just won’t turn a blind eye to an orphan from her city disappearing into Zaun.”

“Then what’s the…ah shit,” Jinx cursed. “I made this orphan, didn’t I?” Jinx grimaced and Vi nodded with pursed lips. “Is the kid a new orphan or was…”

“No, she was orphaned…back then during the split.”

“Fuck.”

“Jinx?” Lux asked as she wiped her eyes.

Jinx sighed. “I don’t just take lives for nothing anymore, but back during the split? When the pain was fresh and my mind completely out of whack?  People, in general, were just obstacles in my way. Numbers to add to my body count. Faceless people with names I didn’t bother to learn. They were all cannon fodder. At least…at least if the kid was a new orphan, I’d at least know who their parents were.”

“Oh, you do,” Vi told her. “It’s Marcus’ daughter. The old Sheriff.”

“That dick?” Jinx questioned with a sneer. “Damn, I can’t even pretend to be sad about that one. Fuck, okay, what does the kid know?”

“Everything on my end, she knows…she knows that Marcus wasn’t a good man.”

“Doesn’t matter,” Jinx muttered as she bit the nail of her thumb nervously. “He was a good dad, even I knew that. Let me guess, she hates me?”

“She doesn’t know,” Vi answered which was arguably worse because now Jinx wasn’t sure how to approach this. “She wants to know why you did it. For better or worse, she was too young to remember him all that well, all she truly remembers is that she was happy. The orphanage didn’t treat her well.”

“Of course, they didn’t, she’s the daughter of a traitor.” Jinx sighed. “Alright bring them in, it’s probably cold out there. Our windows are busted but at least we have heat.”

Vi nodded and left, before long she returned with her wife, Annie, and Ren.

Janna, the poor girl looked terrified when she saw Jinx. The mere sight of the Loose Cannon made Ren freeze before she desperately hid behind Vi, clutching the woman so tight that Jinx saw her sister wince slightly but she ignored it.

Jinx could only imagine how it felt to have a face to go with who knows how many nightmares the kid went through.

“Hello little girl, I hear you have a question for me,” Jinx said as she stood up. Jinx kept her nerves calm and her mind clear. She could do this. She would be damned if Annie’s first real friendship ended because of her. Jinx moved in front of the coffee table and sat on it. Jinx made a show of showing her empty hands. “I won’t hurt you, ask me anything and I’ll try to answer.”

Ren trembled but swallowed and steeled her nerves as best as she could.

Jinx smiled a bit at that, the kid was braver than most enforcers.

“Did…did you kill my daddy?”

“I did,” Jinx answered plain and simple, not bothering to sugarcoat it.

“W-why?”

“Well, isn’t that a question?” Jinx mused. “Well kid, I wish I could give you a good reason. That I did it because that same night I saw him shoot an innocent man, an old friend me and Vi’s.” Jinx saw Ren’s eyes widen in horror. “That I did it because he stole my sister away from me, that he tried to kill Caitlyn to cover up his crimes, that I wanted to send a message to his enforcers who terrorized the streets of Zaun.”

As Jinx continued to list all of Marcus’ offenses and her possible motives, Ren became paler and paler.

“All of those reasons would at least have some logic, but the truth?” Jinx continued. “The truth is your daddy died because he was there. I am a monster, kid but I was worse back then. I was a storm of pain and hate that destroyed everything around me and your daddy made some pretty bad decisions that led to him being in front of that storm.”

Jinx laughed hollowly.

“He was another body added to the endless pile I was making. I won’t apologize for what I did, I can’t say sorry for something I’d do again,” Jinx said with a shake of her head. “But I will apologize for the pain you went through because of me. That is what I am sorry for even if my apology means shit to you. I will answer for my sins one day, and when I’m in hell I’ll make sure to tell your daddy about the brave little girl he left behind.”

Jinx then reached to her side, and they all looked on in surprise when they saw the knife held in the waistband of her underwear. Faster than anyone could react, Jinx pulled out the blade and aimed it at Ren.

The girl was scared, but her eyes never left the blade’s cold edge.

“You’re braver than him, that’s for sure,” Jinx said before she flipped the blade in her hand and offered it to Ren. “Let’s play a game. I’ve been honestly curious about just what I can survive and what I can’t. One shot, as a handicap I won’t move at all. You have one try to make us even. There is no time limit on this offer. You can do it now or ten years from now, doesn’t matter.”

Caitlyn frowned. “Jinx that’s enough-“

“Cupcake.” Vi interrupted her wife. Caitlyn’s eyes met Vi’s and when Vi just shook her head, silently telling her not to intervene, Caitlyn forced back her feelings and remained silent. Caitlyn would trust Vi as she always did.

“But, full disclosure? I’d do it now,” Jinx told her. “See, kid, if you kill me now. Well, only you will die when my Firelight inevitably gets revenge.”

Ren glanced at Annie and she could see Annie looking at her impassively, unblinkingly, watching her every move like a predator that was stalking its prey.

“Yeah, you dying would suck but at least it would just be you dying,” Jinx explained. “You can also wait until you’re older and strong enough to deal with Firelight but that’s another problem. Time. In time, you will find people you love, maybe have your own family. You and Firelight both will. You kill me, maybe even stop her, but then her loved ones will go after yours now and instead of you a bunch more people you love will die. People you’ll love far more than your daddy.”

Jinx outstretched her arms after Ren accepted the blade.

“That’s not me persuading you not to do that. I’m not a hypocrite, I’ve gone down that path and won,” Jinx chuckled. “I’m just giving you all of the facts. All of the pieces to play this game. So, what do you think? Want to play? It’ll be fun.”

Ren stepped from behind Vi, clutching the blade so tightly that her knuckles turned white. Tears streamed down her face as she glared at the Jinx whose smile never faltered. Ren wasn’t stupid, she knew that if she aimed right Jinx would die, Annie wouldn’t be watching her so intently if she wouldn’t.

Annie also wouldn’t interfere until after Ren did the deed.

Ren would die but she could take the monster out first…

…the monster her daddy helped make.

Ren thought about Jinx’s words, how she was a storm of pain and anger, both of which she felt right now. If she did this, would she end up like Jinx too? If she somehow survived that is. Ren gazed into Jinx’s eyes and within those bright orbs, she could see her reflection.

“When you look in the eyes of your enemy, your prey, and find yourself able to see yourself in them? It becomes so, so, much harder to pull the trigger when you have them at your mercy.”

Ren began to sniffle as she thought about what Caitlyn said earlier that day.

-Flashback-  

 

Caitlyn smiled. “I took that hatred, all of those bad feelings, and channeled it toward the world that made Jinx in the first place. The conditions between Piltover and Zaun, the injustice that creates a pain that births monsters. I dedicate my life to making this world a better place for both cities.”

-Flashback: End-

 

Ren silently handed the blade back to Jinx and wiped her eyes. “This game is stupid,” Ren muttered. “It wouldn’t make us even. You killed your dad just like you killed mine. Killing you won’t make you feel what I do, it would just make Annie and Vi sad. I…I don’t want to hurt them…” Ren’s shoulders shook. “I…I just want my daddy!” Ren sobbed and Jinx closed her eyes.

“I know, kid, I know.” Jinx rose to her feet. “This world is a lot of things, but fair has never been one. I can’t change that, but that’s why we have kids in the first place, to change what we can’t. The secret to this game of life is that there is no winning it, you just do a little better each time.”

Jinx sighed and placed a hand on Ren’s head, she smiled a bit when Ren didn’t even flinch.

Strong kid.

“You’re filled with a lot of bad things, bad thoughts and feelings, I know because I‘ve been there,” Jinx told her. “It sucks, but one day you will find the light you need to chase away that scary darkness.”

“Do you…do you want to hold Tibbers?” Annie questioned curiously as she offered Ren the bear. “He helped get the bad things out of Jinx.”

Ren looked very concerned about holding the bear so Vi intervened.

“I uh, don’t think that’ll work, kitten,” Vi told her gently. “Ren’s uh-like me, yeah! We need something to punch rather than cuddle.”

“Is that right?” Jinx questioned before grinning at Ren. “Then instead of killing me, do that. Give me your best shot and try to get out all of that pain.”

“Uh…Jinx…” Vi began, her concern had not faded in the slightest when she saw Jinx squat in front of Ren. “That might not be the best- “

“Come on kid, just- “

Jinx was caught off guard when she heard and felt the crack of her nose after the string bean of a girl hit her in the face with enough force to make her see stars. Jinx fell on her ass and clutched her face desperately as her blood began to leak all over her shirt and the floor.

“Holy shit what the fuck!?” Jinx hissed as she fell to her side, curling into a ball.

“Jinx!?” Lux exclaimed before she rushed off the find a towel.

Ren gaped at the damage she caused before turning to a shock Vi and Caitlyn with proverbial stars in her eyes. “Vi!” Ren exclaimed. “Did you see that? Did I do it right this time!?”

“Uh…yeah kid, good job!” Vi said with a smile. “Great form, told you it's all in the waist movement!”

“Vi what the fuck!?”

“I tried to stop you!” Vi defended as Annie knelt and rubbed her groaning mother’s side. “Kid needs to work on her guard, but she’s got a hell of a right hook. You’ll be fine, you’ve shrugged off worse than a broken nose.”

“Shit!”

“Honestly Jinx, this is the third day in a row you’ve gotten yourself injured,” Lux said as she tried to help clean up the blood. “One day without you injuring yourself, that’s all I ask!”

Though everything around her was now hectic, Ren could help but look down at her fist in awe. The pain wasn’t gone, but it had lessened a bit.

Maybe…

…maybe things could get better.

 

-Days Later: Piltover: Council Chambers-

 

 

Caitlyn Kiramman.

 

Caitlyn wrote her name down and stamped the trade deal with her Clan’s sigil.

“There, it is done,” Caitlyn said and she swore the entire council sighed in relief that the matter could be finished without any real issue. Behind her, Vi stood guard at the door and didn’t bother hiding her scowl as she knew most of the council was more relieved at the fact that their future income was secured rather than the safe return of her wife.

Out of those who did care, it was only Jayce that cared that she was healthy while the others were just happy that their protector would be able to continue protecting them from the criminals of Zaun.

“Now if you would excuse me, I have a more pressing matter to attend to,” Caitlyn said as she prepared to leave.

“Wait! Hold on!” Jayce spoke up.

“Yes, Councilor Talis?” Caitlyn questioned coldly as she clearly still hadn't forgiven him for making her run around the planet.

Jayce winced at her tone, knowing he’d have to apologize later. “We still would like a debrief, what did you find in Zaun? Did you find her?”

“I must admit, I am a bit curious myself,” Camille mused and Caitlyn's gaze was frosty when she looked at Camille.

“I did,” Caitlyn said knowing damn well that Camille was having fun with this. Still, she could have fun as well. “You’ll be pleased to know that Jinx will be no longer instigating any acts of terror in Piltover.”

Jayce and a few others gaped at that while Camille simply narrowed her eyes.

“Oh?”

“Wait-did you…did you kill her?” Jayce questioned.

“I’m afraid that’s confidential, Councilor.” Caitlyn drawled. “The Council is privy to all matters except Clan matters and through my wife, Jinx is Clan.” Caitlyn saw Camille’s eyes widen ever so slightly but she gave no other reaction to Caitlyn’s words. The other councilors were simply too relieved by the news to pick up on the hidden implications of Caitlyn’s words.

“I suppose that’s true,” Camille said, always a firm believer in keeping the Council out of family business. “Every clan has its shadows, and with Jinx,  Clan Kiramman is no different.”

“This is true, though I admit I grow tired of pretending my Clan’s shadows don’t exist.” Caitlyn continued. “Perhaps it’s time to embrace them.”

Camille inclined her head ever-so-slightly. “Perhaps.”

“Now if that is all Councilors?”

“Now wait a sec-”

“Yes,” Camille interrupted Jayce. “That is all. Councilor Talis, the Sheriff is not the only one with more pressing matters to attend to. So please, talk with her on your own time, mine is actually valuable. We need to finish our list of invitations to extend to the foreign dignitaries for the Progress Day gala.” Camille glanced at Caitlyn. “Clan Kiramman is notorious for keeping most of its dealings within the city but I’ll make sure to include the few mutual acquaintances we share.”

Caitlyn nodded her head at Camille’s words. “Thank you, Lady Ferros.”

Camille just waved her hand dismissively and Caitlyn left the room with Vi.

“What are you smiling about?” Jayce questioned Camille suspiciously when he saw her smirk. It was a sight that sent chills down the backs of everyone in the Council.

“Nothing, boy,” Camille said, her smirk fading. “I am just appreciating how…eventful this year’s Progress Day gala will be.”

-Later: Piltover: Orphanage-

 

“Honestly, what were you thinking?” The matron hissed. “You beat that poor boy senseless!”

“I told him to leave me alone and he didn’t!” Ren snapped back, clutching a stuffed bunny tightly to her chest. Her back was sore from the whipping the matron had given her but she refused to cry. Someone tried to take the gift she was given and she was done being everyone’s punching bag.

-Flashback-

   

“So, you two brats won a mountain of toys but do you think the orphanage will let you keep them?” Vi had asked Ren one evening, a couple of days into their stay with Jinx, Lux, and Annie. Annie had quickly become one of Ren’s favorite people, she was scary, but she wasn’t mean like the other kids.

She was unique and actually pretty funny too!

Lux was also one of the sweetest people ever and Jinx had stopped being as scary now that she got to know and talk to the woman. Jinx was pretty silly and funny and though Ren knew that didn’t make her any less dangerous, it did make her easier to be around.

Yet as much as she loved that family, the ones that stole the show for her were Vi and Caitlyn. They were just so cool, and they were enforcers just like her daddy had been, but good ones! They were actual heroes! Piltover’s Finest had been something Ren had heard a lot about, but she never had faces to put to the names and with all the drama it hadn’t clicked that she had been around them the whole time.

Every day was like a dream and she feared the day she would wake up.

A day that was coming all too quickly.

“Not that many,” Ren admitted sadly. “Even if they did, the matron would just steal them to give to the other kids. I could keep and hide one, but that’s probably it.”

“Hm, tell you what, in that case, take this,” Vi said before handing a surprised Ren a stuffed bunny. “Little guy was my best friend when I was your age. I gave him to Jinx when I got a little older and she kept him safe. She cleaned him up nice for you too when I told her I wanted to give it to you. The other toys we’ll keep here, for now, you can play with them with Annie when you visit.”

“Will I? Be able to visit?” Ren asked hopefully and Vi smiled at her.

“Sure kid,” Vi told her. “If I have time I’ll pop in and bring you down here myself. Can’t have you sneaking around again. You’re Annie’s best friend too, so I already know Jinx is more than willing to kidnap you if she has to, but let’s not let it get to that.”

Ren grabbed the bunny and hugged it tightly, desperately, as tears fell from her eyes.

“I don’t want to leave.”

“I know kid, I know, but have faith,” Vi told her. “As long as you have that guy right there, we’re tied, and I promise to help you find a better future. You might not know this, but promises in this family mean something.”

Ren broke down as Vi wrapped a comforting arm around her.

-Flashback: End-

 

 

“You’re a disgrace, just like your wretched father,” the matron hissed. “Where did you even get that? Give it here!”

“No!” Ren shouted which made the woman even more livid but that didn’t matter. The matron didn’t scare her anymore, not after she lived with people one hundred times scarier.

“What did you say you little–” the matron was cut off when she heard a knocking. Glaring at Ren, she turned to open the door to her office and paled when she saw Piltover’s Finest at the door standing behind a trembling caretaker.

“M-ma’am? Your f-five o’clock is h-here.” The caretake stuttered out and the matron had no illusions that the two hadn’t heard all of the screaming moments earlier. Feeling the tension, the caretaker swiftly fled the scene. The matron glanced at the clock, cursing Ren for making her lose track of time, before paling when she understood the caretaker’s words.

These two were her five o’clock appointment.

The same two that had brought the little runaway scamp back the day before.

It was then that the matron remembered that besides being the two most skilled and dangerous enforcers in Piltover’s history, one was the leader of Clan Kiramman and the other was the sister of the Loose Cannon….

…they were also a married couple.

A married childless couple.

“Hey kid,” Vi spoke up with a small smile. “I see you kept my bunny safe.”

Oh shit.

Ren nodded her head, looking at them with wide eyes, completely caught off guard by their sudden reappearance in their life.

“Good, how much stuff do you have here?” Vi questioned. “We’re going to pack your bags. You’re coming with us.”

Ren swallowed while hope filled her chest. “T-to visit Annie?”

“We can later this week if you want, but we were thinking you could come to stay with us,” Vi said with a bright grin. “For about, I don’t know, long enough for you to move out and get your own place if you want. You like that?”

“Y-yes…” Ren answered, tears falling down her eyes as Vi’s grin widened.

“Great! Let’s go pack your things!”

“I…I don’t have anything else,” Ren said looking a bit embarrassed. Vi’s smile almost faltered but she kept it up for Ren’s sake.

“Oh great, even better! It’ll be easier to move you in then,” Vi said as she gestured for Ren to come to her.

“Wait,” Caitlyn spoke up for the first time, her voice cold as she finally moved her glacial gaze from the matron. Caitlyn placed a hand on the back of Ren’s shirt, her scowl deepening when she saw the welts on her back. Caitlyn’s eyes slid back to the matron who swore she felt her heart stop. “Go.”

Ren did not need to be told twice.

Neither did Vi, if how fast she picked Ren up and left the office was any indication.

“There are so many broken laws I could put you away for. The girl doesn’t even have a good dress for potential parents for fuck sake.” Caitlyn hissed.

“I-“

“Silence.”  Caitlyn extended her hand. “Give me the bloody paperwork.” The matron shuddered and quickly did so. As Caitlyn quickly began to fill it out. “I understand your hatred for the late Sheriff Marcus, your husband died under his watch due to his dealings with Silco.”

“T-then you understand–”

“I didn’t say you could speak.” Caitlyn cut in and the other woman’s mouth shut with an audible click. “What I don’t understand is how you could look at such a sweet girl and think she was an appropriate outlet for your anger.” Caitlyn finished the paperwork and picked it up. “I’ll personally see to it that this gets into the right hands. You wouldn’t be able to deliver it even if I trusted you.”

The matron paled.

“Are…are you g-going to kill me?”

“You’re a citizen of Piltover.” Caitlyn sneered. “I am it’s Sheriff, of course I am not going to kill you.” Caitlyn turned and made her way to the door as the woman sagged in relief. She would probably still go to jail, but at least she would be alive. “That said, I am currently on vacation and am off duty.”

The fear came back with a vengeance.

“I won’t kill you, but I won’t save you either.”

With that cryptic warning, Caitlyn left the terrified woman alone. The matron was confused until she heard a thump behind her. Turning her head, the woman felt her blood freeze at the sight of Jinx sitting with her legs propped up on the desk.

“Scream and die,” Jinx said as she aimed Zapper at the matron, its voltage set to its most lethal setting. “So, word on the street is you like to hurt my niece,” Jinx mused. “My fault, I know, I did kind of splatter your husband all over the streets of Zaun but like, can you blame the storm when those it kills refused to evacuate beforehand?”

“Y-y-you–”

“M-m-Me,” Jinx mocked her terrified stutter as she rose to her feet. “Tell me, you got any kids?” When she didn’t answer, Jinx tapped her nail on the desk impatiently. “Hurry up.”

“No…”

“Good, that means I won’t be adding any more tenants to this building,” Jinx said before she pulled the trigger, frying the woman instantly. “Huh, so you can find pleasure in your work.” Jinx mused as despite not being as explosive as she would have liked, killing the woman was a little enjoyable anyway.

-Clan Kiramman: Estate-

   

“Vi and I will do our best to have at least one of us here for you, but if we’re both on the field we have no shortage of butlers and maids to attend to your needs,” Caitlyn said as she and Vi gave Ren a tour of the estate. As they walked a few of the aforementioned servants smiled at the sight of the girl and bowed. “I trust them with my life. This home is yours now but please try not to explore it alone. There are still things about it that even I don’t know.”

“We really need to get Jinx to show us those secret entrances,” Vi muttered and Caitlyn nodded with a grimace. It had been years and she was still a little sore about being kidnapped in her bathroom. Vi telling her that Jinx had seen them sleeping did not make her feel any better. “Your room will be down the hall from ours, and across from what is quite frankly the best shower ever. Seriously. It’s like a waterpark made out of gold or something.”

“It’s not that extravagant.”

“Cupcake, it’s even extravagant by Camille’s standards,” Vi told her. “I love it, don’t get me wrong, but you’re lying if you think it’s not a bit much.”

Caitlyn sighed and something dangerously close to a pout appeared on her face. “I like my shower, don’t judge me, okay?”

Vi laughed at that before kissing her wife’s cheek. “I’d never judge you, Cupcake.”

“Are…are you two real?” Ren’s question stopped them cold and they turned to look at the girl who watched them hesitantly as if she were afraid they would vanish any moment. “This, this isn’t a dream, is it?”

“No, I’m afraid you’ll be stuck with us for the time being,” Caitlyn told her.

“Yeah, and we owe you an apology,” Vi told her. “I don’t think we got a wink of sleep last night after we sent you back to that orphanage but we had to do things by the book and get this trade deal mess behind us first.” Vi smiled at her. “This is real life, kiddo, and we took the rest of the week off to make sure we can get you situated. We’ll buy you some clothes, find you some tutors, and start working on your trash ass guard.” Vi teased.

“Vi!” Caitlyn swatted Vi’s shoulder which made Ren laugh.

“And then on the weekend, we can go pick up some of the toys you left at Jinx’s.” Vi continued. “We can buy you some more, and let you have some fun with Annie, how’s that sound?” Vi asked and soon she and Caitlyn found themselves being hugged by Ren.

“Good, it sounds really good,” Ren told them which made them smile.

-Flashback-

 

“So, you’re totally going to do it right?” Jinx questioned as she and Vi sat in her workshop while she stitched the bunny she had crucified by the window back together. There was a cartoonishly bright pink bandage on her nose Vi knew that Jinx’s broken nose had long since healed but her brat of a sister still wore the bandage to make Vi feel guilty.

“Do what?”

“Don’t play dumb,” Jinx said rolling her eyes. “You’re going to adopt the kid. I see it all in your face, hell, you even got me piecing this little guy back together.”

“I…I want to.”

“Good, then do it,” Jinx said bluntly. “Let me save you some time. Real talk, sister to sister, you think you have a choice in this but you don’t.”

Vi frowned. “What do you mean?”

“I mean that Ren is already living rent-free in your head,” Jinx told her. “You think you still have a choice to make but your heart already made it. You’re scared, I know, oh Janna do I know, and that fear ain’t going anywhere. But it’s worth it.”

Jinx placed the bunny down.

“For once in your life take my advice,” Jinx told her. “Motherhood isn’t for everyone, it's stressful and scary, and it keeps me up at night even more than the Shimmer, but if you want to do it, then do it. Just know that it's not a matter of what you’re willing to sacrifice because it's gonna take everything you have. It’s a matter of when you’re willing to sacrifice it all.”

Vi chuckled. “I thought you were going to reassure me.”

Jinx laughed. “No, I’m just going to let you know what you’re getting your ass into. There is no reassuring when it comes to this. Kid is either going to be happy, dancing naked on a pole, or dead. Everything you do determines which. Just do your best and remember you two aren’t alone. Flashlight and I are in the same boat, we can help each other out.”

“I…I like the sound of that.”

“Good, then let me tell you something,” Jinx began. “It’s a question, actually, one that’s going to be in the back of your mind for the rest of your life now.”

-Flashback: End-

   

“Is there anything, so undoing as a daughter?”

Jinx’s question popped up in Vi’s mind then and she began to understand why Jinx had told her that question. It was because now she could feel it as she hugged Ren with Caitlyn, now that it was real, she could feel the start of it much as Jinx had.

Her undoing.

And she felt no desire to stop it.

Caitlyn suddenly chuckled.

“What’s up, Cupcake?”

“Nothing, I just remembered that the children of the dignitaries are also expected to attend the Progress Day gala,” Caitlyn informed her. “It helps build political alliances if the children are friends.”

“And none of the Council will even know you have a kid now, let alone about the rest of the family,” Vi said as she could already see the chaos unfolding. Caitlyn was then reminded that Vi and Jinx were related due to the grin on Vi’s face “Oh…this is going to be great.”

This progress day was going to be felt across Runeterra.

Vi could feel it.

To be continued…

   

Chapter 9: Their Progress (Part 1)

Summary:

Jinx faces her toughest opponent to date.

Notes:

Yeah, so I got like 50K words of content to drop on your heads between today and tomorrow so get comfortable. Gonna post this, and give it some time to breathe/ let it marinate in your heads for a bit before dropping the second half after I go through it once more (the next chapter is THICK).

Betaed By: TheUndyingWill, Can everyone thank this mad man? The fact he betaed this while being busy as fuck IRL is insane, he's truly the unsung hero of this adventure lol.

Happy Valentines Day (Or Single's Awareness Day)

 

 

Chapter 9: Their Progress (Part 1)

 

-Zaun: Chem-Baron Jinx Kiramman’s Manor-

 

“Hey sis, thanks for being able to stop by at the last minute,” Jinx thanked Vi as they and Lux stood at the entrance. Annie and Ren chatted animatedly in the front room, both excited to spend time together officially as cousins. “Normally, I’d bring her with me but this is gonna be a bit too serious to have a kid around.”

Which was saying something as any meeting filled with gang lords and killers should be too serious for a kid to be around. That said, considering that Annie was one of the more dangerous people in the chamber, there was some leeway there.

“Honestly, I’m not sure why you’re so tense,” Lux said though it was clear she was concerned about her wife’s well-being as was Vi. If there was one thing Lux and Vi had in common besides a love for Jinx, it was that they both had wives that seemed to love working themselves into early graves.

Though Janna forbid that either of them told their other halves that.

“Just tell them what you told us.” Lux continued. “It’s the same people we see on an almost weekly basis, you know what to expect.”

“But that’s just it, Flashlight, it’s not the same people we see,” Jinx told her which made Lux look at her in concern.

“What? Did someone get replaced?” Lux questioned. “It wasn’t Baron Karvyq, was it? I like him.”

“Nah, no one got replaced but this is the first time every Chem-Baron is going to be together since I joined,” Jinx said and Lux’s confusion only grew when she heard Vi’s sharp intake of breath which was followed by a quiet curse. “Babe, how many Chem-Barons do you think there are?”

“Nine,” Lux answered simply. Jinx didn’t even need to teach her that. Though they rarely did business with the twin cities, the Crownguards kept tabs on every nation. Except for Baron Veraza who Lux had only seen leave her Cultivar once, she had seen every other Baron at least twice. Yet for some reason, something uneasy began to tickle at the back of her mind.

“Flashlight, I took an empty seat, remember?” Jinx reminded her wife. “My old man’s seat was kept out of respect.”

At this, the pieces fell into place for Lux after she did a quick mental headcount of all the Barons she knew. So often, Lux had seen nine Chem-Barons in the Chamber at most that she was blinded to the fact that Jinx was not the ninth Baron.

Jinx was the tenth.

“Who…who was missing?” Lux questioned apprehensively.

“Glasc,” Jinx answered with a small grimace. “Renata Glasc, she owns Glasc Industries and is easily the richest and most powerful of the other Barons,” Jinx informed Lux. “Until Big Hat brought me into the family, Glasc was the only Chem-Baron whose name meant a damn thing on the global stage.”

“She’s a Chem-Baron!?” Lux questioned incredulously. Like many, she had heard of Glasc Industries and had seen its revolutionary Chemtech first hand. Their creations rivaled that of House Talis yet despite them being based in Zaun, the Glasc name had only been tied to legal transactions. It was clean and free from any criminal ties and only known for its philanthropic actions toward both of the twin cities.

“Yeah.  The fact that you are surprised shows just how good she is at this game,” Jinx said with a shake of her head. “She’s our Robo-Granny and until I came along, she practically owned that table.”

“And now?” Lux questioned but it was Vi who answered.

“It’s split,” Vi told her. “Jinx has Ekko, Sevika, Velveteen, and Voss while she has the rest.”

“It’s five on five and unlike that time we had a Chem-Baron that was just several yordles in a trenchcoat, all of them are the real deal now. “Jinx said which got their attention.

“Wait, there was a Baron that was what now?”

“Several yordles in a trenchcoat,” Jinx repeated and to Lux’s horror, she was not joking. “Zaun’s government has never been the best.”

That was a fucking understatement.

“It's much better now though,” Jinx continued. “That was a weird time, even for me. Anyway as it is now, we’re looking at a five-five split. If something isn’t dealt with soon, we’ll be at war.”

War.

Everything always came down to war.

“Zaun’s the city of Iron and Glass,” Vi spoke up. “If Jinx is the iron, Renata is the glass. A war between them would split Zaun like Jinx split Piltover but there would be no good coming from the aftermath. Just pain and death.”

“Do you think it would come to that?” Lux questioned. “War?”

“I don’t know,” Jinx answered. “She wants war as much as I do which means she doesn’t. The only reason I know this is cause’ the city would be gone by now if she did. Hell, despite how much Velvet likes to think she’s responsible for me, I wouldn’t even have this seat if Glasc didn’t approve.”

Jinx sighed.

“We also need each other,” Jinx admitted. “Voss’ mines supply her business, her creations are needed for my projects. I’m a great inventor if I do say so myself, hell, Glasc has tried to offer me a permanent job before, but scrap only goes so far in keeping the people alive.”

“Wait, you think she knows about Voss?”

“Come on, Flashlight even Vi figured it out.”

“Hey!”

“That’s true,” Lux conceded.

“I hate you both.”

Lux sighed. “So, in a way, you and she are like Piltover and Zaun,” Lux realized which made Jinx nod.

“Even I can’t find any dirt on her, and though I didn’t accept the office job, she has hired me before, multiple times,” Jinx revealed. “But it was only to destroy abandoned buildings in both cities for reconstruction. The only thing I do know is that she wants Zaun to prosper,” Jinx continued. “If that’s because she’s a bleeding heart or if she has something big planned, I don’t know.”

And it was telling for Lux to see how dangerous this woman was if she had Jinx this uncertain.

Jinx was stressed and that was with her putting on a brave face.

“The only thing I know is that the table is full.” Jinx sighed. “It’s like a dam getting ready to burst and if we don’t find a way to divert this flood, to get rid of some of this pressure, we are fucked as a nation.”

“Hey,” Lux said softly as she placed a hand on Jinx’s shoulder. “It’s okay, we’ll figure it out.”

Jinx looked uncertain but it was clear she wanted to believe that. “How…how do you know that?”

“Because you’re Jinx,” Lux answered with a smile. “You’re my good-luck charm, it’ll all work out.”

Vi smiled when she saw Jinx’s nerves calm and saw the fear bleed from her body. “You got this,” Vi added with a nod. “I mean you’ve gone from nothing to having the whole world know your name. I think you can handle working with Glasc to make sure Zaun doesn’t explode or something.”

Jinx’s shoulders sagged. “Yeah, I guess you’re right,” Jinx murmured. “Alright let’s head out. We don’t want to be late to being early. That woman worships her time more than little man does.”

With that, she tossed on her coat and headed out with Lux. Uncertain but still a bit hopeful for the future.

-Later: Zaun: Chem-Baron Chambers-

   

“Baron Jinx, I must say this is unexpected,” Velveteen said as she took her seat. “Normally it is I who calls for such large gatherings, and even then, it’s when something has gone wrong.” Velveteen raised an eyebrow. “Should we be worried?

“You should always be worried, Velvet, it’s how you stay alive,” Jinx said but soon she shook her head. “But no, it’s not bad news, great news actually, news that affects the entire nation is which is why I called all the Barons.”

At this news, Sevika, Ekko, and Zeri saw the other Barons and their right-hands tense.

“I’m sorry, did you say all the Barons?” Veraza questioned as she suddenly stopped playing with the flower in her hand.

“She did.” The Barons all turned at the sound of the new voice and saw Renata stroll in with a hand in her pocket. Lux’s eyes widened ever-so-slightly as she took in the sight of the final Chem-Baron. Renata was a tall woman with a solid build that wore black dress shoes, white slacks, and a matching jacket over her shoulders. Her torso was covered by a sleeveless purple dress shirt which was worn beneath a black vest and tie. Renata’s long black hair fell to the middle of her back, yet despite her very healthy build, streaks of gray hair betrayed her age.

Lux knew then that the woman was dangerous.

A Zaunite older than forty was a Zaunite that knew how to survive. They knew how to take the worst that the Slums had to throw at them on the chin and push forward. They didn’t just know the streets they mastered them.

Owned them.

Idly Lux noted, the woman seemed like an amalgamation of both Sevika and Camille, an idea that was only reinforced by Renata’s prosthetic right arm. However, unlike Sevika’s arm, Renata’s looked far sleeker and much more advanced as it pulsed with a Chemtech ultraviolet glow. Like Lux, the woman wore a mask over the lower half of her face but Lux didn’t know if the woman actually needed it or simply wanted to look intimidating.

If it was to look intimidating, it worked on a few of the other Barons.

However, despite all of the things that made Renata stand out amongst the other Barons, the one feature that stood out the most was the woman’s Shimmer-filled eyes that were so much like Jinx’s it sent a chill down her spine.

Why?

Because if anything gave Lux an idea of what kind of woman her wife would be after she got older it was Renata. Like Jinx, Renata carried a presence that was much larger than she was which was honestly quite impressive considering how large of a woman she already was. Also, like Jinx, the woman’s eyes held a slightly mischievous glint in them as if she knew something that no one else did.

As if she were playing a game the no one in the room knew they were a part of.

The only difference, really, between Jinx’s gaze and Renata’s was that the whites of the older Chem-Baron’s eyes were black.

Now Lux understood why Jinx was so nervous.

She was probably looking at the only other person in Zaun besides Jinx who had played the game and won.

Lux cursed herself mentally when she felt her body tense slightly on reflex as if she perceived a threat when the woman hadn’t done a damn thing but stand there.

Hell, she walked in alone.

Though almost as soon as Lux realized that, did she see a slight movement, and from behind Renata she saw a mechanical contraption float next to the Baron. The machine was a very advanced piece of Chemtech that looked like some sort of massive staff. It had to be a weapon of some sort, one strong enough for Renata to put her faith in it as her “right hand”.

“Baron Jinx, I must admit, I am surprised to see you reach out to me,” Renata’s voice rasped out. “Normally it is I who contacts you, though I do appreciate you going through the official channels to reach me in my office.”

“Something told me you wouldn’t appreciate me just popping up out of the blue,” Jinx spoke up. “I mean, last time I did that you threw me out of your office window which was fifteen stories up.”

“I apologized for that,” Renata drawled waving her free hand-dismissively. “You should have known better than to sneak up on a woman my age. Besides, you survived and have grown both stronger and wiser from the experience. After all, you’ve recently taken another dive off of a building, haven’t you?”

“I did,” Jinx admitted not even surprised that Renata knew while those who were there tensed at the memory of Jinx’s near-death experience. “And I’ll admit that I hate that the experience you gave me prepared me for that.” Jinx then gestured toward the end of the table where Renata stood. “Sorry, there aren’t enough chairs. Want mine? They told me they saved this in honor of my dad’s memory but if they just gave me yours then, well, that’s a pretty dick move.”

At this, Renata barked out a laugh.

“No, no. It is, as they say, that seat was left alone in honor of Silco’s memory,” Renata told her. “If I wanted a seat, believe me, girl, I would have one. No, I prefer to stand, much healthier in the long run. The back can only take sitting down in so many meetings.” Renata strolled toward a window, her weapon dutifully floating behind her, and gazed out at the undercity.  “Though enough of the idle chatter, please tell us why you deemed it necessary to put this meeting on my calendar.”

“Alright, I’ll get straight to the point,” Jinx said before she stood up from her seat and tossed the research down onto the table. “I did some poking around and worked with the Doc and found out that the Zaun Gray is making mages in our city. Left alone, we will be pumping out mages with the potential to be as strong as if not stronger than my wife, my daughter, and Zeri left and right. I’d even say that Zeri and, ugh, Seraphine might be some of the first children of the Gray that matter. Pinky shows all the signs of being a mage.”

“Wait, what!?” Ekko questioned as Zeri’s jaw dropped. Velveteen swiftly grabbed the folder and began flipping through it. The other Chem-Barons were all showing various degrees of shock, even Sevika dropped her cigar before she could light it. Throughout it all, however, Renata gave no visible reaction to the news.

“Unbelievable,” Velveteen muttered before she began to pass the folder around.

“Well, Baron Velveteen?” Renata spoke up. “Do her words have any merit?”

“They do,” Velveteen answered. “The evidence is staggering, to say the least. Baron Jinx has done us no small favor by informing us of this before we made the mistake of working to have the Gray removed.”

“Oh, I see how it is, I’ve been telling you all to leave it alone for years.” Veraza sneered as the Gray had been beneficial for growing her most deadly of plants. “But as soon as it starts helping people instead of my plants, it needs to be saved?”

Baron Petrok sighed. “With all due respect Baron Veraza, mages are much bigger war deterrent than your plants, as versatile as they may be.”

Veraza scowled but didn’t argue the point.

“Mages…I see, then I will peruse the information on my own time after the meeting,” Renata glanced back at Jinx. “If you don’t mind?”

“Keep it, I made sure to make a copy,” Jinx told her. “Normally this information obviously wouldn’t be allowed to leave this room but I did have to inform others besides the Doc who knows for obvious reasons.”

“Who else knows?” Renata questioned.

“Clan Kiramman’s head, Caitlyn,” Jinx said and she raised a hand before the other Chem-Barons could protest or question her judgment. “I know, I know, why her? Well, the key component in the Gray that is making this possible comes from Topside, more accurately from Clan Ferros.”

“The Hextech Crystals,” Renata muttered.

“Exactly.” Jinx nodded. “Clan Kiramman will loosen their regulations on Clan Ferros’ production and in exchange, we will let them sponsor one out of every five mages we find moving forward. This will let us keep the Gray for as long as we can without letting Clan Ferros know what they’ve given us.”

“And what will be told to Lady Ferros when she no-doubt questions Clan Kiramman’s sudden heel-turn?” Renata asked.

“I’ve been talking with her for a while now,” Jinx revealed. “As far as she’s concerned, I found a way to get Clan Kiramman to agree to this in exchange for legal trade for her Hex Crystals.”

“Hm, and when she asks what deal you made with Clan Kiramman to work this miracle?” Renata questioned and Jinx shrugged.

“I’ll tell her the truth,” Jinx said simply. “The truth being that Clan Kiramman accepted under the conditions that I officially join their Clan as a branch family thanks to my sister and stop blowing up Piltover.”

“Wait,” Velveteen spoke up as she looked at Jinx with wide eyes. “That means that you’re…”

“…Baron Kiramman,” Jinx muttered with a look of disgust on her face.

“Of all the Clans, you chose that bitch of a Sheriff?” Veraza questioned dryly. Though Jinx had a rivalry with Piltover’s Finest, Veraza and Caitlyn were enemies. Unlike Jinx, Veraza wasn’t always able to escape and often had to wait in a cold cell until the paperwork for her release was finished thanks to her diplomatic immunity.

Jinx sighed. “Believe me, the blow to my pride and the loss of my favorite pastime was not a small price to pay.”

“But paid you did,” Renata said as she turned around to face them fully. “And now you crawled your way up to stand on the same stage as me.” Renata walked back to the edge of the table. “To think what started as a plan to keep both you and the Firelights busy and away from disrupting my affairs would turn into this. To think that a scrawny psychopath like yourself would be able to stare me in my eyes.”

Renata placed both hands on the table and gazed intently at Jinx as her eyes began to shine.

“I always found you entertaining,” Renata admitted. “But to think that the day would come where you would finally stop wasting your time and talents.  Come, Baron Kiramman, let us cast aside this useless chatter and get straight to the point,” Renata began. “This table is too small for ten Barons.”

The Chamber went silent as Jinx sat back in her chair. Jinx’s eyes began to shine as well as she never broke Renata’s gaze.

“It is, but I don’t want war,” Jinx told her honestly.

Renata nodded her head as a sign of respect. “Neither do I, a war between us would be bad for Zaun and business but something has to give.” Renata tapped a mechanical finger on the table. “Or perhaps not. Tell me, Jinx, would you like to play a game?”

Jinx grinned. “Depends on what kind it is.”

“A simple one, the winner gets the crown. The Underground Crown, if you will,” Renata told her. “This table only fits nine Barons but it does have just enough room for one Queen. This idea of an Underground Queen is something I’ve toyed with for years but never deemed necessary. Not when your father ruled this city or when the Barons managed to rule so effectively together. Yet, this sudden influx of power into our city demands reconstruction, and elevating one of us is the only way to do so without bloodshed.”

“Why…why not put it to a vote?” Baron Eramis suggested and everyone went quiet before all the Barons including Ekko and Eramis himself burst out into laughter.

“Oh man…did…did you seriously suggest that?” Ekko laughed as he wiped a tear from his eye. Ekko had to fight countless battles and kill a Chem-Baron just to stop scientists from snatching civilians off of the street. There was no way in hell something like this was getting settled by a fucking vote.

Hell, even Sevika laughed before she picked up and lit her cigar.

“I know, I know, just wanted to break up the tension,” Eramis chuckled as Renata wiped a shimmer-filled tear from her eye.

“I needed that Eramis, thank you,” Renata chuckled. “Seriously, democracy? This is Zaun. No, here is what we’ll do. Progress Day is coming up, you and I have both given Zaun more than any other Baron, Jinx. During Piltover’s annual Gala we’ll do what we do best and make deals. Whoever brings home the bigger prize gets the crown,” Renata explained. “You’ve proven yourself capable of solving problems without explosions, now let’s see just how skilled you are at that.”

“Wait, does that mean you’ll attend this year?” Velveteen asked incredulously.

“I will,” Renata answered. “Me being a Chem-Baron has to be the worst kept secret on Runeterra, you’d have to have been born and raised in the fucking boonies to not know that.”

Lux did not blush and pout beneath her mask.

Jinx still squeezed her hand reassuringly anyway though.

“It’ll give me a chance to reunite with an old acquaintance anyway,” Renata continued before gesturing to Baron Karvyq. “I’ll even ask Karvyq to even the odds, especially since he won’t be attending like every year.”

“Karvyq?” Jinx questioned as she turned to the silver-handed Baron. “How can he help me?”

“Baron Jinx, despite what you might believe I respect you, I do, especially when you apply yourself,” Renata began, placing a hand in her pocket. “Your father’s coat is a step in the right direction but ‘daddy issues’ is not a suitable look for a formal Gala no matter how much your wife may like it,” Renata said as her gaze landed on Lux. “Repressed rich girl with a dangerous obsession for things her parents would hate? I’ve been there before. I know the situation all too well.”

“Amen,” Baron Karvyq muttered.

Lux choked as Jinx felt her jaw drop at how they were both called out.

Sevika smirked and Zeri averted her eyes but said nothing while Ekko had to silently come to terms with the fact he might have liked a Chem-Baron.

“Matter of fact, all of you kids need an update for the Gala,” Renata told them before she turned to Ekko. “A man needs to at least own one good suit, remember that boy. You’re not a resistance leader anymore, you’re a Baron,” Renata turned to Karvyq. “Hook them all up so they don’t embarrass me.”

“Of course, Baron Glasc, it would be my pleasure,” the silver-handed Baron agreed. “Though I will admit I will miss having someone to ditch this gala with me this year.”

“I’m not going,” Petrok spoke up. “I have had my fill of Piltovans for a while.”

“As have I,” Eramis added. “My affairs are in order.”

“I don’t even have any business up there,” Sevika added.

“If I went, I’d just end up fighting Jinx’s family,” Baron Veraza rolled her eyes. “I’ll stay home and work instead. I have much to do and ideas of how to facilitate the inheritance of the mage gene into our people.” Veraza suddenly smiled. “True change in the body begins with the correct diet, some small alterations to the little food we do grow shouldn’t hurt.”

“You will be running that by me,” Renata told her. “I will not have you mess this up by accidentally mutating our people.”

“That’s the same thing I told the Doc, seriously what is up with you mad scientists?” Jinx asked incredulously.

“You tell us, you and most of this table are mad scientists,” Sevika reminded her.

“Hey!” Ekko said looking offended.

“You time travel for fun you don’t get to speak,” Sevika told him bluntly. “You’re arguably the craziest one.”

Seriously how many timelines has Ekko destroyed? Just thinking about his abilities gave Sevika a headache and an existential crisis that the alcohol almost couldn’t drown out.

“I need a drink,” Sevika muttered.

“Amen,” Voss said as she placed her head in her hands, idly wondering if it was too late to try and hide Topside again.

“Tell you what, I’ll give you the keys to the bar before we head out,” Jinx told Sevika. “Everyone staying back can have all the free booze they can drink on me.”

“Now, jinx, this isn’t up to a vote remember? You aren’t trying to bribe them, are you?” Renata questioned.

“Well, it's working,” Karvyq joked which made Renata shake her head.

“Free you say?” Veraza murmured. “Well, I’m sure I can stop by for a moment or two.”

A Zaunite, no matter how successful, never turned down free booze from The Last Drop.

That was like…a cardinal sin in the book of Janna or something.

Renata chuckled. “Well looks like that’s settled.”

“Not yet, one more thing I want when I win,” Jinx began as she met Renata’s gaze. “I have a question I want you to answer.”

“A question?” Renata repeated, honestly not knowing what Jinx could want her to answer. “I take it you won’t be telling me what it is?”

“Not until I win,” Jinx told her. “If I wait until then, when you have to answer,  I’ll be able to tell if you’re lying or not. You’re too good at lying when you have time to prepare.”

Renata shrugged. “Very well.” Renata looked at the Barons. “Surprisingly productive meeting. With all of that out of the way-”

“-Meetings over, you’re all dismissed,” Jinx interrupted Renata with a cheeky grin which made the older Baron snort.

Cheeky brat.

With everything out in the air, there was no point in playing coy. Two Barons now ran this table and after this Gala, that number would drop to one.

Let the games begin.

“Oh Janna, there’s two of them,” Velveteen muttered, a sentiment that seemed to be shared by the other seven Barons and their right-hands.

Maybe she should stay back with the others and join them in drinking away the terror.

-Days Later: Baron Karvyq’s Manor-

   

“So, give it to me straight, Karvyq,” Jinx began as the silver-handed Baron led her and little family along with Ekko and Zeri through his manor. “Is there some rule I don’t know about that says every Chem-Baron’s house has to have something over-the-top? I mean little man lives in a tree.”

“Hey!”

Jinx ignored him. “Glasc lives in her office, which is also like the tallest building in Zaun, and you have an entire boutique in your front room.”

And not just any boutique but a very good one, Lux noted privately.

Suddenly, the suspiciously high-quality jacket Silco had made sense. The fabrics and clothing Lux saw would have even made her mother commission more than a few garments. Not that she’d be able to, this wasn’t an actual shop, as Jinx said, this was the Baron’s front room. Everything she saw was for his personal use.

“And don’t get me started on Veraza’s glorified greenhouse.” Jinx shook her head. “I got lost in there once, almost got my ass eaten by a flower. Am I the only one with a normal house?”

At this, Karvyq chuckled. “Normal? My dear, need I remind you of the massive windmill your father demanded his house be built next to so his precious daughter could play?”

“Play?” Jinx repeated with an exaggerated gasp. “I’ll have you know I did great work in there!”

“I’m quite aware,” Karvyq chuckled. “Even when I was little more than a humble tinkerer who your father tasked with updating his closet, I saw the same spark in you that he did. Had Glasc taken his offer to be a Baron then I have no doubt she would have kidnapped you.”

At this, Lux looked at him in confusion. “Baron Glasc wasn’t always a Baron?”

“No. I doubt I have to tell you but she is a prideful and shrewd woman.” Karvyq glanced folded his hands behind his back, nodding at his maids who opened the doors to the boutique. “Though he was a Baron, Silco was above the rest. To accept the title would be to accept being a glorified lackey,” Karvyq explained. “She wanted to obtain her power on her terms, to make her name matter so that when she did accept the position, she would be his equal. The only one that admires him more than her, is Jinx.”

“No one will be as good as my old man.” Jinx frowned. “But, I’m not blind. She came through for Zaun. After the split, she ran this nation from the shadows and utilized the opening I gave her to keep Zaun’s independence.”

“Ah, is that respect I hear?” Karvyq questioned though there was no teasing in his voice, only curiosity.

“Hey, I’m not sure if I like her but I never said I didn’t respect her,” Jinx pointed out. “Anyone that can successfully throw me out of their window without hesitation gets my respect. I see why you’re on her side and I’m not taking it personally.”

“Then why, if you don’t mind me asking, are you challenging her?” Karvyq questioned as they all came to a stop within his boutique.

“Gotta admit, I’m curious too,” Ekko said and Zeri nodded in agreement. “The fact that the future of Zaun is up between you two is fucking terrifying but I’m willing to bet on a familiar face, the Jinx I know now, instead of the woman that’s been pulling the strings all these years. At least I know how to fight you.” Ekko smirked.  “All that said, though, your only concern is keeping rich girl and the pipsqueak safe,” Ekko said as he ruffled Annie’s hair who giggled at the gesture. “You can do that without taking over Zaun.”

“Aw, I’m touched,” Jinx joked but soon the smile fell from her face. “Why am I doing this? Lots of reasons. One, I promised Flashlight here the last laugh and I keep my promises,” Jinx nodded toward Lux. “Even if I didn’t though, becoming a Baron put me in my old man’s shoes. Shoes that are much bigger than I expected but…but I want to finish his work.”

At this, everyone looked at her in surprise, even Annie, after all, Jinx hated work!

“We’re reaching a tipping point, for the first time the table is filled with strong Chem-Barons,” Jinx told them. “There used to always be three or four clowns that managed to claw their ways up, but now there are none. Even Eramis is one cold-blooded son of a bitch when he’s not gorging himself on Topside’s food. Don’t get me wrong, they aren’t all legends but they’re good enough to run this city.”

Jinx’s ever-present smile faltered a bit then.

“Zaun is stronger than ever, and it’s because of that that I can’t let her win,” Jinx said and this was perhaps the most serious any of them had seen The Loose Cannon. “After seeing her in person today and trying to get a good read on her, I know that for a fact.”

“Ah. So, you noticed,” Karvyq said and Jinx nodded.

“Her eyes are like mine,” Jinx began before shaking her head. “Or, that is, like mine during the Split. I thought she was a philanthropist for both cities, but no. I know that look in her eyes too damn well, I can see the hunger in her. If she takes charge, Piltover will be destroyed.”

At this Ekko, Zeri, and Lux looked at her in alarm.

“What?” Lux questioned with wide eyes and the fact that Karvyq said nothing made her blood chill.

Jinx nodded. “She hates Piltover doesn’t she?” Jinx asked Karvyq and his lack of a response was answer enough. “I don’t blame her, I hate it too. Joining Clan Kiramman, making peace with Vi, all of it was for the sake of myself and my family. That doesn’t erase a damn thing that the Topside has done. I want Piltover destroyed too.”

“Then why not join her?” Karvyq questioned. “Surely if you bent the knee to her, the two of you could deal with the damn Topsiders once and for all. You’re valuable, you could make a deal to protect your sister and the Sheriff.”

Zeri looked at him in disbelief. “You…you want Piltover destroyed too, you want war, that’s why you’re sided with her.”

“Nah,” Ekko denied, his eyes narrowed. “He doesn’t want war, but he does want Piltover destroyed. War is just the only way for that to happen.”

“The Topsiders have taken more from me than you know,” Karvyq muttered before he raised his silver hands. “They took my hands but the loss of those pale in comparison to everything else they’ve stolen from me.”

Jinx looked at him knowingly. “They took your light.” Jinx gestured toward the open collar of his shirt where they could see a bit of a tattoo on his chest. “That tattoo is made from her ashes, isn’t it?” Jinx questioned. “I don’t blame you a bit, if it was me Piltover would have been wiped out.”

“But it wasn’t you,” Karvyq said with a small frown. “Your love is still with you, alive and because of that you’re able to ignore your hatred whereas mine, Glasc’s, and the other Barons have no such filter.”

“I’m not going to lie to you, she does help with that unending rage toward Topside,” Jinx confirmed. Lux had always known Jinx disliked Topside but this was the first time she had spoken about her feelings so openly. “Every day I try to pretend it doesn’t eat me up inside, try to stop myself from becoming that girl who created the Split for their sakes. Maybe if I keep pretending, keep smiling, I’ll actually feel that way. That's what I tell myself, but it’s a lie Karvyq. I want Piltover destroyed too.”

“Then why not join-”

“Because she doesn’t know what Piltover is!” Jinx interrupted Karvyq, her voice strong and her gaze stronger. “The people? The buildings? Hell, even the land it's founded on, none of that is the Piltover you hate. Piltover isn’t any of those things, it’s a mentality. A disease born from the arrogance of people who forgot where they came from!”

Jinx took a deep breath to calm herself, for her family’s sake.

This was what she feared most, Annie had once let her start getting the bad things out of her but that was a continuous process and the worst thing of all within her, her rage, had yet to leave.

But that was fine.

Deep breaths.

Calm.

She could do this.

“It’s so infuriating being the only one who gets the joke,” Jinx said, her voice tight with an anger that was now seen on her face, in her very posture. Yet despite what most would expect from the walking bombshell that was Jinx, the rage was quiet and demanded their full attention.

It was a rage that Karvyq hadn’t seen in years.

“I didn’t bomb the Council just for the sake of bombing it, to do damage,” Jinx said sounding very much like a frustrated artist that was unable to find a single person that understood their art’s true meaning. “I did it to humble them. To remind them that they are just like us, no matter how successful, how powerful they think they are, they can still die in an instant like the rest of us. I did it to let them know we are done letting them steal from us, and guess what? Things got better. They were humbled.”

Jinx squared her shoulders and with her hair covering her face, she gazed at him with a single blazing eye.

“Glasc is going to destroy Piltover, the actual city, and that will endanger us all because even if we win, war is war,” Jinx explained to him as if she were speaking to a child. “She’s going to destroy, for better or worse, the very home of that woman you loved. The place where you shared who knows how many good memories before it all came crashing down.”

Karvyq averted his eyes, unable to meet Jinx's gaze as she stared him down unblinkingly.

“I want to destroy the disease that took her from you without harming the body,” Jinx told him. “Keep that in mind moving forward.” Jinx glanced at Annie and saw that her daughter was looking at her cautiously, clearing not knowing how to act as she had never seen Jinx angry. Jinx closed her eyes and took another deep breath. “Now, get them some clothes, I need a moment.”

Jinx walked off and Lux moved toward her but was stopped by the cold, yet gentle, silver hand Karvyq placed on her shoulder.

“She needs…space,” Karvyq said. “Jinx’s anger is not the most pleasant thing to see. She gets it from her father, I’m afraid. It starts cold, eerily so, but then it’ll erupt with a blinding fury.”

“I’m her wife.” Lux almost hissed.  “I don’t care if it's pleasant or not when she’s not alright.”

Karvyq smiled a bit a that and stared at her briefly as if he were both looking at her and someone else. “You complete each other so well that I forget you are still in the honeymoon phase,” Karvyq mused with a sad smile. “I understand your feelings, but-” Karvyq stopped when they heard a crash. “Anything she’s feeling now will pale in comparison to if she hurt you while lashing out. Save yourself the stress and heartache, Luxanna, and let her vent. The time to talk things out will come.”

Lux held his gaze for a moment before relenting.

Lux had learned to deal with all of Jinx’s moods besides anger and idly, she realized that the same could be said for Jinx regarding her. Going in blind would help no one, Karvyq was right, they would have to talk and learn together how to deal with such emotions moving on.

“Conversation got tense, but I didn’t expect it to set Jinx off like that.” Zeri frowned. “She must be more stressed than she let on.”

“You’ve seen how I get with our territory, our men,” Ekko said with a small frown. “Even with all of our help, even though it's Jinx, trying to lead all of Zaun would get to anyone. Especially given who raised her. I might not like him, but I can’t imagine the toll the weight he carried is taking on her already compromised mind.”

Ekko and Zeri then shared a look and nodded before turning to Lux.

“I know, she just came off of a break, but when this Gala mess gets settled, take another one,” Ekko told Lux, surprising her. “Your territory is small, Zeri can cover for her. Whether she wins or loses, either outcome just means more stress for her and I don’t want to see her break. Not again.”

Lux nodded gratefully. “Thank you.”

Whether Jinx acknowledged it or not, it didn’t matter. Ekko and Zeri were great friends of theirs. Though they didn’t say it, as was the Zaun way, they more than showed it through their actions alone. If Jinx won the crown, they would need a large family gathering-including Ekko and Zeri who earned a place in their family by now-to discuss how to get Jinx through this new role with the little sanity she had left intact.

“Lux, is Jinx, okay?” Annie questioned.

Lux forced a smile on her face. “Yes, she just needs…” Lux trailed off when she heard another crash. “…to get some more things sorted out on her own this time. Now let’s get you a lovely new dress,” Lux said returning her attention to Karvyq. “Send me the bill for the clothes and-” Lux winced when she heard another crash. “-er, everything else.”

Karvyq nodded, his smile growing. “Of course. Now let’s get you all situated, I already have Baron Jinx’s attire prepared.”

“Really?” Ekko questioned, surprised by that. “Why?”

“Regardless of how well Jinx performed at being a Baron, we were going to request her attendance to the Gala,” Karvyq explained. “Giving Piltover a friendly reminder of why they shouldn’t underestimate us wouldn’t hurt. No to mention, this is far from the first time I’ve handled Jinx’s aesthetic.”

-Flashback: Ten Years Ago: The Last Drop-

   

“I’m back!” Jinx chirped as she burst into Silco’s office with Karvyq right behind her. As always, Silco’s chair was turned away from his desk allowing him to enjoy his view of the Lanes while going through whichever report required his attention this time.

“Ah, Jinx, welcome back, did you get a haircut suitable to your liking?” Silco questioned. Over the years, Jinx’s hair had grown a considerable amount but she had never seemed to mind. That is, until recently anyway. Spontaneously, Jinx had declared that she wanted to change her style a bit and while Silco had been caught off guard by the sudden request he enlisted Karvyq’s help as Jinx had never taken much interest in her appearance which meant she would need some help.

Silco had offered his assistance but Jinx refused which made him chalk the entire situation up to Jinx now being a teenager.

Which was a terrifying reality for Silco, he had to admit.

The first time Jinx had her “monthlies” he made it a point to have Sevika watch over her and not return home until he was sure his daughter was asleep.

Was he scared of his daughter during this time?

Hell yes.

Though he’d never admit it and have anyone who thought otherwise killed.

“Well, uh, not exactly,” Jinx answered which made him pause in his reading, wondering which stylist he’d have to kill for messing up Jinx’s hair. “There wasn’t exactly much cutting.”

Now curious, Silco turned his seat and around, and when he saw Jinx’s new hairstyle he froze. Where there was once one long braid that reached the middle of her back there were now two and bangs had been restyled to cover up the right side of her face.

For once she was quiet as she nervously waited for Silco’s opinion.

“Jinx recently learned about the importance of one’s aesthetic in Zaun, sir,” Karvyq informed him and Silco noted that Jinx was now beginning to wear make-up. Even her wardrobe, which she seemed to only deem necessary to update every two years, finally stopped looking like rags. He tried to spoil her with clothes, he did, but Jinx was an inventor and thought it was pointless to buy nice clothes that would get messed up while she worked.

 He had tried to stress the importance of multiple outfits for different occasions but the lesson fell on deaf ears and he had long since given up on it. Though he truly did wish this habit she seemed to have developed of showing more and more skin with each update would stop while she still had her decency.

“It’s…it’s stupid, I know but you’re the Eye of Zaun,” Jinx began. “I like my eyes though and didn’t want to mutate one of them, but I figured…this might be a way to show I’m on your side. Always.”

“Hm, your vision will be compromised,” Silco told her, and he saw her visible eye roll in annoyance at his concern for her well-being. Jinx released a breath and blew the bang from her face easily.

“See? A quick fix if needed.”

“Hm.” Silco leaned back in his chair, his face was as unexpressive as ever especially as they were not alone, but still, he nodded in approval. “You’re as beautiful as always,” Silco said which made her beam at him as he turned his attention to Karvyq. “You will be compensated appropriately for your time.”

“Think nothing of it, Sir,” Karvyq reassured him. “It was a nice break from my usual routine, I need no compensation.”

“Then a deal then,” Silco drawled. “You’re a man of refined tastes which is rare in Zaun. I want you to find me some music so that I may teach Jinx here how to dance,” Silco said, confusing both of them. “Her inventions are growing more impressive by the day and while Sevika has reported improvements in her combat skills, the poor girl still trips over her own two feet.”

“Hey! I do not!” Jinx interrupted her cheeks red. Silco’s untainted eye shone with amusement briefly before they hardened once more as he gazed at Karvyq.

“Do that, and I will turn a blind eye to your dalliances with your Topsider mistress,” Silco told him which made his heart freeze at the not-so-subtle reminder that the Eye of Zaun saw all. “You show promise despite this lapse of judgment with Lady Tariost. I trust you to keep your feet grounded and to not be seduced by Piltover’s light.”

“O-Of course, sir!”

“Good.” Silco turned to Jinx. “Get started on your studies, Jinx you’re almost done with my library. When you finish you will begin your lessons with me and once I deem that you’re no longer a liability to yourself, you will begin to go on missions.”

Jinx gasped. “R-really?”

“Yes, I have faith in you,” Silco told her. “And at the very least, I have faith that you won’t die alone if it ever comes to it.  I refuse to let your talents be wasted a moment longer than necessary.”

Jinx nodded her head rapidly as she grinned before rushing out of the room, stumbling and almost falling on her face once. Embarrassed, she didn’t even look back at the amused men as she quickly left the office.

“Watch out for yourself, Karvyq,” Silco warned him. “You’re a good man, and an excellent Zaunite but stories like yours always end in tragedy.”

Karvyq said nothing but he did clench his hands tightly until his knuckles turned white and nodded his head in acknowledgment.

-Flashback: End-  

 

It was funny how Silco had been so right yet still possibly so wrong.

Yes, his story with his dear sweet Aurelie did end up in tragedy, he had lost both his hands and his love by the end of it all. Yet, before him, he could see another story so similar yet so different to his unfolding. A story that had left him surprisingly optimistic for the first time in years.

Even now, as he saw the radiant Luxanna assist his maid in gathering Annie’s measurements with her smile that was too often covered by her mask, he couldn’t help but sometimes see Aurelie in her. This had given him a soft spot for Jinx and her family and had he been a weaker man his loyalty to Renata might have faltered.

But he wasn’t a weak man, not anymore and whatever lessons in loyalty Silco hadn’t scared into him, were reinforced by Renata. Though compassion had begun returning to his frozen heart, it paled in comparison to the hot flames of vengeance that demanded that Piltover paid for what they had done.

Yet still, though he would never falter on his path if Jinx did find a way to get the upper hand he would not be dismayed. He wanted Piltover gone but he didn’t want a war and after hearing Jinx’s frustrated words he had begun to wonder exactly what was the correct Piltover to unleash his anger upon.

Was it the city as he had previously thought?

Or, as Jinx said, was it the mentality that birthed so many tragedies in the first place that he despised?

He didn’t know, but for better or worse an answer would be handed to him when the Gala ended.

A giggle took him out of his thoughts, and Karvyq saw Lux holding her ticklish daughter in place as his now amused maid continued to wrap measuring tape around her. Briefly, an intrusive thought entered his mind as he thought about what could have been had he managed to keep Aurelie safe.

Had she been alive, what would she say about this? She hated her family almost as much as he had but she was also a gentle soul. Would she despise what he had become?

Karvyq shook his head, clearing it of such thoughts. No, the time for what if’s was over, and when not if Renata won, he would be on the frontlines of her revolution…

…that said maybe he would make sure that the kids were dressed as well as possible, perhaps share with them his private collection? At the very least it would make sure Renata’s image wouldn’t be harmed if her entourage at least looked the part.

…and if it made deals easier for Jinx then, well, that would be an unintentional mistake on his part.

Yep.

A complete accident.

- Days Later: Progress Day: Zaun: First Church of Janna-

 

Jinx sighed as she sat in the pew of the empty church, her arms propped up on the back of her seat where her jacket rested. Her left braid hung down in front of her shoulder as she tilted her head back and closed her eyes.

“Alright, Janna, tonight’s the night I set the fuse,” Jinx began. “Been working on my bomb for a while now, longest I ever worked on something. It’s not done, but the foundation is ready and this is like, the longest fuse ever, so by the time it's ready to blow I should be done.”

The church was silent but Jinx found that silence comforting.

“So why am I hesitating? I never hesitate its why I’m alive, hell it’s why others are alive,” Jinx continued. “Did I ever thank you for that by the way? Good looking out when I made that jump, didn’t want to be splattered on the pavement.”

Jinx chuckled.

“Am…am I scared?” Jinx questioned with a small frown. “It’s been a long time, Janna, I can’t remember what that feeling is like. Why would I be scared? I already beat this game once, just gotta do it again for my kid. Hell, I already got a nice routine going, shed blood, sweat, and tears during the day and get a good night’s sleep with Flashlight in my bed. Over and over, it’ll go until my bomb’s ready.”

It was that simple.

“It’s a simple routine, one I’m good at, hell people even like me now,” Jinx mused. “But I’m crazy, not stupid, people only like you when you’re shining, you know? Can’t let it get to my head. Gotta stay grounded. Getting cocky is how you lose.” Jinx cracked her eyes open and stared at the ceiling. “Gotta be humble, which is why I’m here, having conversations with the sky, meaning every little word that I’m saying while begging for help.”

Jinx’s eyes closed once more.

“The hardest thing to get in Zaun isn’t power or wealth, it’s a legacy, something to leave behind,” Jinx continued. “In time, my legend will disappear but I don’t want my legacy to. It’s why I gotta respect Glasc so much, you know? She did it, she obtained true immortality, how could anyone forget the one business in Zaun that managed to rise high enough to pierce Topside’s oh so illustrious gates?”

Jinx frowned.

“I don’t think that’s something I can do, to be honest, gotta admit my limits you know?” Jinx questioned rhetorically. “I can’t, but Firelight can. Just gotta push her up high enough and who knows maybe I can get a footnote in her story after I’m finally dead. Yeah, that’d be pretty great.” Jinx chuckled. “I love her, you know? Of course, you do, you’ve seen how far I’ve gone to make her smile.”

-Flashback-

   

Jinx placed the last of the Hex-Tech Gemstones in her briefcase as dozens of House Talis’ security guards lay unconscious around her.

Finally.

This would cover all their expenses for some time, Annie would be able to eat and sleep comfortably for years from the extra gold she’d make from not killing anyone or destroying anything of note.  All she had to do now was leave.

Suddenly, Jinx froze when her ear twitched and turned to find Camille crouching up above on the rafters. Jinx sighed at the sight and pulled out Zapper.

Of course, she managed to jinx herself.

There was no banter, not this time, Camille was above such things and Jinx was here to work not play. Besides, both knew that it wasn’t anything personal, Camille was simply part of the machine that Jinx actively tried to destroy. These were the roles given to them in life, and they had to play their parts.

Jinx forced a smile on her face and Camille pounced.

-Later-

 

A battered and bloodied Jinx limped her way through the alleys of Piltover, she had managed to get the upper hand this time and tied up the unconscious Camille in one of the building's closets. By the time they realized she was there, she’d be back in Zaun.

She just wished these massive cuts Camille rendered into her flesh would finish stitching themselves up already or else they’d be able to follow the blood trail back to her safe house at this point. As Jinx moved through Topside, a light caught her attention and she turned to see a toy store. Jinx looked down at the prosthetic hand she had ripped off of Camille for a moment before throwing it through the window like a brick.

Eventually, when she made it back to Zaun, her first stop was to go back home and shower her daughter with gifts in honor of her managing not to kill someone for an entire month. Jinx refused to show her growing exhaustion, especially when it seemed to vanish every time, she saw that precious smile on Annie’s face.

-Flashback: End-

“Nah, she’s worth it, I regret nothing,” Jinx mused. “If anyone will blow up the world it’s her and I have to make sure she can get there. The streets I walked were filled with killers, chem-fiends, and hookers. She deserves better than that, she deserves better people to stand above or at least a higher quality of them, Zaun will always be Zaun, you know?. She doesn’t need to work herself up as I did, I spent enough time in those trenches for the both of us. “

-Flashback-

 

Jinx was fifteen when she went on her first mission for Silco and as she ran through the streets of Zaun, her heart burning in her chest, she promised herself not to fail him.

She couldn’t fail him like she failed the others.

She wouldn’t betray his trust as Vander had.

She’d make him proud.

She’d show them all she was strong.

Behind her, she could hear the angered shouts of the two enforcers chasing her as she carried a satchel filled with gold that she got from distributing Shimmer to his business partners. Jinx was supposed to be the lookout and she did a good job, but on the way back from the last drop-off, Sevika was chosen for a “random” search by the enforcers.

Which was bullshit.

Sevika was a powerful woman, big and intimidating, and to those damn Pilties if you weren’t someone they could strike fear into, you were a threat. This was why she had initially asked to be the one doing the drop-offs but that would send the wrong message to their allies.

It was bad to be physically intimidating to a Piltie but it was also bad for business to not be intimidating to other Zaunites.

Jinx really couldn’t win.

Hopping a fence, Jinx quickly dove behind a dumpster. Soon she heard the enforces make it over the barricade and when they walked past her hiding spot she jumped out, gun raised. Startled, they turned around and the alleys were lit up by the flashes of her gunshots.

Small frame or not, a bullet was a great way to even the odds.

As fast as it started, it was over and Jinx stood over the first two bodies she had ever made intentionally. Two more families were now ruined as she stood and stared down at them with wide eyes, her chest heaving. The back of her throat burned as did her eyes, she quickly moved to the side of the alley to vomit, pressing her hand against the cold brick of the nearby wall to support herself.

From behind her, she could hear Sevika tearing the gate open and heard her curse when she saw the bodies.

Jinx didn’t blame her.

Silco hated killing enforcers for all it did was bring more problems for his business. Jinx waited for the verbal lashing Sevika had always given her but it never came. Hell, the woman looked more…sad than anything as she stared at the petrified form of Jinx. Soon a familiar glower appeared on her face when she ordered Jinx to leave with her only to see that the girl’s legs were frozen in place.

With a growl, Sevika picked Jinx up with her robotic arm and slung her over her shoulder before making a hasty retreat.

As expected, despite the success of the mission, Silco was not pleased by the news of the dead enforcers. To, Jinx’s surprise, however, Sevika took the blame. Why? She didn’t know, especially when it was so obvious that Silco hadn’t believed her.

No.

Silco knew exactly who caught those two bodies that day yet for some reason Sevika’s lie seemed to extinguish his anger rather than add more fuel to the fire. Silco ended up giving Sevika a pass, and hell he even promoted her to be his right-hand after everything was said and done.

Jinx, for one, thought that was the last of her missions and that Silco would disown her yet she found herself with another task not even a week later. “Practice makes perfect.” He’d tell her and one day after confirming that yes, he knew that she killed the enforcers, he surprised her by saying she would be allowed to get her tattoos on her next birthday.

“You’re a woman of Zaun now,” Silco told her. “You’ve more than proven that. I, for one, will not stop you from getting your marks…just…please don’t share them with anyone until you’re much, much older.”

Jinx released a shocked laugh at the pleading look she saw on his face but agreed.

Silco gave her a rare smile. “Good, you are perfect and I refuse to accept anyone but the best as your partner.”

-Flashback: End-

 

Jinx sat forward and bowed her head, clasping her hands together so tightly that they shook.

“Please, don’t let me fuck this up.” Jinx prayed.

“You know, they say it’s a bad sign when your wife goes to another woman with her problems,” a voice spoke up and Jinx’s eyes snapped open but she wasn’t startled. After all, there was only one person who could sneak up on her.

For some reason, her uncanny ability to sense danger never seemed to register around Lux.

“Though I guess I can’t blame you,” Lux said as she sat down next to Jinx. “If that statue you made is accurate then…” Lux trailed off and whistled appreciatively. “…I’d spill my heart out to her too. In Janna’s faith, is infidelity a sin if it’s with the entity in question? Asking for a friend.”

At this Jinx snorted and barked out a laugh.

“Ah, there she is, I was wondering what happened to my wife,” Lux teased. “You’re so much more beautiful when you’re smiling, yes, even when you’re smiling at chaos,” Lux told her before she frowned. “I admire how good your stealth is, but not when you use it against me. We were surprised when Baron Karvyq told us that you not only came back and got fitted and dressed but that she also left as well. Annie had a surprise for you.”

At this Jinx winced and turned to face her.

“I’m sorry, I just-” Jinx froze when she saw Lux. The woman’s golden hair was brushed back and her ever-present headband was gone. Her armor had been replaced by an elegant one-sleeve black gown that had a surprisingly risqué slit going up its side that almost left the full extent of her tattoos visible. Her arms and feet were covered with matching black gloves and heels respectively and attached to her ears were a pair of diamond earrings that shone almost as brightly as her eyes did.

Lux tilted her head, her red painted lips curving into a concerned frown. “Something wrong?”

Jinx swallowed. “No, uh, you’re…you look good, great, uh-not like you don’t always do but…damn, they don’t make em’ like you down here that’s for sure.”

At this Lux laughed. “Well, you clean up good yourself,” Lux told her and she meant it. Lux was a bit nervous about trying out Zaun fashion for it made a point of being asymmetrical on purpose which was the exact opposite of fashion both in Piltover and back home.

Yet, when looking at Jinx she had to appreciate the beauty in the chaos.

Jinx wore a pair of black pinstripe dress slacks and a pair of black polished shoes. On the waistband of her slacks, there were a pair of suspenders that rose and attached themselves to the bottom of her short sleeveless black dress shirt that had stopped just below her ribcage. The shirt was also accompanied by a purple tie that matched her visible eye and on her right hand, there was a black fingerless glove.

All of this along with the slight way she changed how she wore her hair as well as the open-winged style she opted to use for her eyeliner had Jinx cutting an asymmetrical yet dashing look.

“I’ve never seen you put anything in your hair,” Lux said as she noted the gold accessories Jinx wore around her braids.

“My proofs,” Jinx told her, and her confused expression, Jinx explained. “Between ten and eighteen, moms give their daughters little trinkets to mark a respectable feat each year.  We call them proofs of mettle, when you get eight you’re a grown woman. Most girls get them on their birthdays since surviving a year in Zaun is a feat in itself. Wearing them is the closest thing the average girl down here can do to dressing up.”

Jinx shook her head.

“You don’t see them much, down here. Zaun doesn’t have a lot of moms,” Jinx told her. “They either get killed or kill themselves at some point. Hell, you’ve seen how hard I work and I’m pretty well off, not uncommon for a kid to not see one of their parents until they’re grown as they work so hard. Still, the fact the kid is even alive is all the proof they need that they’re loved. Hell I think little man was almost grown before he saw his folks again. Told me he uses his watch to spend as much time as possible with them when he can.”

Lux shook her head at that, it never ceased to surprise her just how hard life was in Zaun. “So does Vi have something similar?”

“Nah, Vander didn’t bother with this and Vi didn’t care so she doesn’t,” Jinx answered. “Zeri has a necklace though.”

“I see, so I take Silco decided to give you these?” Lux questioned but Jinx didn’t answer and she chose not to press the issue. Silco was always a complicated matter. Deciding to change the subject, Lux smiled at her. “You clean up nice,” Lux praised. “Almost makes me a little jealous, I tried, I did, but I could not pull off the pinstripe.”

“It’s really for those who were born down here, so you’re fine,” Jinx reassured her. “You got the asymmetry down. It’s either be asymmetrical or pinstripe, doing both is optional.”

“That’s good, Baron Karvyq said the same but with his allegiance to Glasc, I wasn’t entirely sure,” Lux explained. They sat in tense silence for a moment before Lux spoke. “Would she do it? War that is.”

“Yeah, she would,” Jinx answered. “And it’s not like I of all people have a leg to stand on to try and stop her. It’s not like I don’t understand either, Karvyq explained it to me while we were working on my clothes, Topside killed her parents. Camille killed her parents.”

Lux cursed at that, knowing then and there that there was no talking Renata off of this path.

Even if Jinx won Renata would likely still start a war once Zaun reached its full potential. Piltover was powerful, technology-wise it was even superior but Zaun was a different breed with little to no morals. Zaun was home to the brightest and most twisted minds and soon it would be home to mages.

And that wasn’t even accounting for its alliance with Noxus.

A war with Piltover was a war Zaun would win.

“Camille killed mine too,” Jinx continued and Lux felt her heart fall into her stomach.

“Why,” Lux swallowed as her eyes burned gold. “Why is that bitch alive then? We can take her out without leaving a trace while we’re at it.”

“Cause, Zaun would get blamed anyway,” Jinx told her. “I meant what I said, Piltover is a sickness, one that almost claimed Vi and Big Hat. Piltover wants a war almost as much as Glasc does. They’d never miss a chance to show us sumprats our place, our independence was the biggest bruise to their ego and the whole world saw it.”

Jinx sneered.

“They have to nerve to act all high and mighty as if their success, their nation, wasn’t born from climbing on top of our backs and leaving us to die.” Jinx sighed. “There was once a time I didn’t care about any of this, when my old man died, the world could burn for all I cared. Things are different now though. Even if we ran, the war would still affect us, and worse it would make me a liar.”

That was the worst part in her eyes. The idea that she wouldn’t fulfill all the promises she made.

“That’s why I’ve been so mad lately, so scared,” Jinx revealed. “I have an idea, an ace in the hole in the works that will win me this bet and give me the leverage needed to get a grip on Glasc but to do it might make me break my promise to you. The promise that you will get your last laugh and you’d hate me if I did it without your approval so I’ve been bending backward and jumping through hoops trying to find another route.”

Lux blinked at that. “What?” Lux questioned. “What do you mean?”

“I can’t say, trust me even if we are alone right now, we can’t risk some things,” Jinx said, her constant paranoia on full effect. “Not that it matters, I’ll find a way. I always do. You’ll get your laugh, trust me.”

Lux did trust her.

And that’s why she knew exactly what she had to say.

“How could I ever laugh when I see how much pain this is putting you through?” Lux questioned. “You do realize that I love you as much as you love me, right?” Lux’s gaze softened. “Do what you have to do to win Jinx.”

Jinx snapped her head toward her, her surprise evident.

Lux gave her a sad smile as she cupped her cheek. “I need you and you need me, but honey, Annie needs us both even more. As parents, we can’t pick each other’s happiness over hers.”

“But-” Lux stopped Jinx’s words by pressing a finger over her lips.

“The whole point of this joke was that it would be my choice while simultaneously giving Annie an untold number of opportunities moving forward, right?” Lux questioned curiously. “Then let this be my choice, tonight, you do whatever is necessary to win. Relieve yourself of this burden you made for yourself, Jinx, you’ve suffered enough.”

Jinx was tired, Lux could see that, and Lux herself was tired of seeing Jinx work herself to death.

Lux never wanted Jinx to feel as though she were babying her. They both knew Jinx needed help but she also knew that she was walking on a fine line between treating Jinx as an equal or as a dependent. As long as Jinx was happy and relatively safe, Lux had no issues letting Jinx be free as she always was.

That said, the smile she loved so much on Jinx’s face had become fake and she had been too blind to realize it until Jinx could no longer pretend. Only when the weight had started to become too much did Lux realize she should have put her foot down on this business long ago.

Yet how could she? Jinx had done so much good despite her stress and suffering. Exactly when did Jinx’s happiness outweigh the well-being of countless others that had been or would be affected positively by her actions?

Stupid question, Jinx’s happiness outweighed theirs the moment she let her tattoo her.

“Damn,” Lux muttered. “Hindsight is terrible, we should have just moved to Ionia.”

At this Jinx burst out into laughter despite the situation.

“You’re right!” Jinx said, her smile bright enough to light up the room and Lux knew it was genuine. “Learning the land would have been a bitch, but we could have crashed with Yasuo at least for a little.”

“Could you imagine? Yasuo using his wind walls to stop Annie from following him everywhere and trying to burn his pony-tail?” Lux questioned with a giggle of her own.

“Damn, maybe I can ask Ekko to tweak his drive a bit, maybe we can go back and do that instead?” Jinx suggested.

“Yeah, but he’d say no and I don’t blame him,” Lux pointed out. “After all, he wouldn’t be as close as he is with Zeri plus Zaun would still be a sinking ship with no hope which means we’d piss off Janna too.”

There was a strong gust of wind that seemed to have come out of nowhere that made them both shudder.

“R-right…we’re in too deep as it is,” Jinx said nervously looking up toward a window where they saw bluebird staring down at them.

“Seriously, aren’t they supposed to fly south when it's cold?” Lux whispered, wondering why this one sole bird seemed to have found it necessary to stalk them.

Of course, she had an idea but her Demacian mind did not want to think about it.

“Don’t make eye contact,” Jinx warned her, gently turning her face away from the bird that seemed to be staring down at them as if daring them to try to undo the progress they had made. “I saw that thing kill like five crows the other day, do not piss off the bluebird. Trust me.” Jinx told her. “I think it’s been keeping Sticks away from us and if so, I will be doing everything I can to keep it happy.”

“Sticks?” Lux questioned before she remembered the weird scarecrow demon entry in Jinx’s book.

Suddenly, Lux became a lot less skeptical.

So apparently there might have been some divine war happening over Jinx’s immortal soul that they couldn’t see.

Neat.

“Well, we’re stuck here,” Jinx said deciding it best to change the subject away from the demons and gods that may or may not be having a showdown of epic proportions somewhere in the background of their life. “Are…are you sure you want me to decide for you?”

“I made the decision, Jinx,” Lux reminded her gently. “You wanted me to have the last laugh, but honey, you have to realize that I laugh loudest when it's with you." Lux's smile brightened the darkness that was creeping in Jinx's heart. "Whatever happens is on me and I accept that and I'll be grinning ear to ear as long as you're by my side. Now let’s go, the others are waiting outside for our ride. The sooner we get this over with, the sooner we can put this mess behind us,” Lux said as she stood up with Jinx who grabbed her jacket and tossed it over her shoulders, keeping it in place with a golden chain.

Jinx looked damn near regal for a gang lord.

“You really do look dashing,” Lux told her which made her smile.

“Thanks, it’s been a while since I wore pants,” Jinx said as they made their way toward the entrance. “Was worried it would look weird.”

“They’re fine, though they’d look better crumpled up on the floor of our room,” Lux said and Jinx tripped, barely managing to catch herself on one of the pews as she looked up at her smirking wife incredulously.

Soon, Jinx chuckled. “Damn, I am a bad influence.”

“Caitlyn better limit your time with Ren,” Lux teased. “Oh! I almost forgot! Here, your order was dropped off at home earlier.” Lux said before she held up a small velvet box and opened it, revealing two golden bands, both of which had the emblem of an eye forged into them. Your sigil ring, I know Caitlyn said to make your emblem for our house in the Clan, but why an eye?”

Jinx’s grin was downright malevolent as Lux placed the ring on her finger. “Inside joke, I’m going to teach Big Hat about trying to play pranks on me. Her making me Baron Kiramman was a declaration of war,” Jinx said before grabbing Lux’s hand and placing the second ring on her.

“Hey rides here-oh, damn, you got hitched again?” Zeri questioned and it was then that they both realized how the scene looked. Though Zaun’s marriage custom was uniquely theirs, it didn’t mean they were ignorant of the customs in other countries. At her question, both Jinx and Lux blushed which made Zeri grin. “Aw, aren’t you two cute?”

“Jinx, you gotta check out this ride-oh shit, again?” Ekko questioned as he saw the rings. “Uh, grats? Never saw you as someone that would get hitched the Piltie way but hey, you do you.”

Jinx rolled her eyes and held up her hand. “Sigil rings, not wedding rings little man,” Jinx told him, before looking at his and Zeri’s attire. Ekko wore a nice black pinstripe suit and had a glove over his right fist while Zeri wore what looked like a shorter version of Lux’s dress. Her right leg was covered by a black thigh-high stocking and her left arm was covered by a long black evening glove. Unlike usual, Zeri’s hair was down and Lux could see an iron necklace around her neck that had eight pendants that were shaped like lightning bolts.

“Wait, is that an eye?” Ekko questioned when he looked closer at the ring. “Oh man, Sheriff is going to shoot you in the head.”

“She has me spending the rest of my life being called Baron Kiramman, we’re even,” Jinx retorted.

“I’m sorry, what’s the significance of the eye?” Lux questioned curiously.

“It was Silco’s mark,” Zeri explained which made Lux’s eyes widen. “He was The Eye of Zaun, as in the eye of the storm and the all-seeing eye, the man was said to know everything that happened in Zaun’s shadows.”

“Old man had a nasty scar, messed up and mutated his eye pretty bad,” Jinx explained as she gestured to her visible eye. “Had to inject a bit of Shimmer into it every day to stop it from spreading more and killing him. Made him look pretty scary to everyone else, leave it to him to turn his eye from a weakness to an asset. He made it mean something, shame that legacy died with him.”

At this, Zeri and Ekko shared an incredulous look.

Jinx frowned. “What?”

“I’m sorry, died with him?” Zeri questioned. “When was the last time you reviewed your street cred? You’ve picked up a couple of titles since you became a parent.”

Jinx blinked. “What?”

“Let’s zee Zaun’s Arsenal, The Great Divider, The Storm’s Chosen, Princess Stealer, The Dark Mother,” Ekko listed off and Jinx tried to figure out how many people Annie killed if she somehow got a title from simply being Annie’s mom while Lux wondered why the hell people kept thinking she was royalty.

The name was Crownguard for goodness sake.

They guarded the crown!

It was in the damn name!

“Oh, and The Eye of Zaun,” Ekko finished as he gestured toward Jinx’s eye. “You’re his daughter, Jinx. You took on his aesthetic and inherited his title, his legacy did not die with him. Why do you think Glasc decided to make this bet instead of just killing you? You got the pull and influence, enough for her to be cautious of.”

“Doubly so since it's clear the legacy won’t die with you either,” Zeri said and before Jinx could question her, Annie ran into the church.

“Jinx, Lux! Did you see the car?” Annie questioned and Jinx felt her world stop when she looked at the smiling face of her daughter. Annie was wearing a black frilly dress with matching shoes. Her left leg was covered by a bright pinstripe purple sock and her usual hairband was missing. With it brushed, Jinx noticed that her hair had gotten a fair bit longer since she was adopted.

But it wasn’t the length that caught her attention.

No, it was the style.

Annie had never been one to want to braid her so it hanging freely didn’t surprise her. What did, however, was the fact that she made a point of covering her right-eye with her bangs and did her eye-liner to be identical to Jinx’s. This surprised Jinx because she didn’t even know when Annie would have seen her apply her eye-liner in its new style today.

Children truly were always watching.

Whether you saw them or not.

Jinx then realized that she of all people got out-stealthed by a child.

Suddenly, Jinx laughed, she laughed so hard that she was worried she’d start crying and be forced to redo her make-up. She had spent all this time trying to build a legacy and had completely ignored the one she had been carrying and keeping alive the whole time.

She wasn’t building from scratch.

She was building off of the efforts of the one who came before her.

The fact she hadn’t realized this had made her feel like a damn Piltie.

She had been going about this all wrong, again, as it stood, she alone didn’t have enough to overcome Glasc. Even with her trump card, she’d break even or only have a slight lead. However, if she leveraged what he left behind…

…yeah.

She could do this.

Jinx knelt and grabbed Annie into a tight hug.

“I love you, Firelight, you know that?” Jinx questioned.

“Yeah,” Annie said as she hugged Jinx back. “I love you too.” Annie then pulled back with a grin and grabbed Jinx’s hand. “Now come look at this car, it's so big and shiny!” Jinx laughed as she stood up and let the excited child pull her away.

“She looks better,” Zeri commented.

“Yeah, she just needed to get out of her head I think,” Lux told her. “We both love Annie and loves us both, but Jinx is, well, Jinx. She’s Annie’s hero.” Lux said and Ekko didn’t voice how concerning that was.

Especially not when it was becoming less and less of a bad thing each day.

“I thought it was cute that she wanted to imitate Jinx a bit,” Lux admitted. “I didn’t realize until just now how much that means in Zaun. I think that was just what Jinx needed to remember she’s not in this mess alone.”

“Which is good, cause that’s the one thing she has tonight that Glasc doesn’t, friends,” Ekko said, and if he realized he just admitted that Jinx was a friend he didn’t acknowledge it or care. “Glasc is going Topside alone, backed with a crapload of money and business experience but she’s still going alone.”

“It’s all just networking, the more of us there are the better the chances,” Zeri continued. “We gotta work in tandem with our other halves, rich girl, make their deals go smoothly and talk to others while they’re busy.”

“Exactly, we’ll be depending on you two,” Ekko then raised his Z-drive with a smirk. “And if anyone puts their foot in their mouth just scream, seriously, scream and I’ll reset and intervene. Now let’s go, I wonder how good you are at networking when it's for a nation that won’t say no to every fucking offer.”

It said a lot about Demacia if news of their stubbornness had managed to reach the Firelights.

But Lux was in Zaun now, wife to potentially the main leader with a proverbial blank check to offer whatever the hell she wanted and accept the same.

A dark smile crossed her face that chilled Ekko and Zeri to their core.

What the hell had they unleashed?

To be continued…

Notes:

Hey, me again, can we just take a moment to talk about how over the course of this story we got two whole Zaun champions for me to use? It's like, this plot was destined or something haha, don't need OCs if Riot is just going to make champions for you I guess lmao.

Chapter 10: Their Progress (Part 2)

Summary:

Ekko's Z-drive is the real MVP.

Progress Day happens, people lose their lives, oh and Jinx vs. Renata comes to a conclusion which is neat!

Also Jinx turns out to be the sane one and also her constant paranoia comes in clutch.

Notes:

Betaed by: TheUndyingWill.

No much to say here tbh so uh...here's the other meaty part of the update! Sorry for any typos, this one is thick and my eyes are bleeding, I'll be rereading this chapter a lot so hopefully most get caught by next week as I periodically update?.

Also, random question that TOTALLY won't make sense later but uh what do you think is worse a jinx or a hex? Really curious.

Chapter 10: Their Progress (Part 2)

 

-Piltover-

“Cait, look, I get that I messed up and I’m sorry,” Jayce apologized after managing to get a moment alone with Caitlyn. Ever since the whole fiasco with the assassins he was unable to get in touch with her at all and the moment he did, he found her tatted up and with a kid.

Not just any kid but Marcus’ daughter.

Don’t get him wrong, she was a good kid but he also knew that her father’s reputation would cause Caitlyn no end of stress. Stress that wouldn’t be helped with her walking around parading Zaunite tattoos of all things.

When Caitlyn showed up with her family, hair tied up and in a dark blue dress with no back, Jayce was sure the entire room had frozen in shock when they saw her markings.

Though Caitlyn, cool as ever, took it in stride as if she hadn’t noticed.

Normally, at the very least, Caitlyn would at least talk to him before making any drastic changes-hell they must have talked for hours when she first decided to propose. The fact that she didn’t reach out hurt and showed him just how bad he had overstepped.

“You’re a brilliant man, Jayce, a good man,” Caitlyn told him before her eyes narrowed. “But you have a terrible habit of forgetting where you came from.”

Jayce winced.

“I know, I know, I promise I’ll do better,” Jayce swore. “I just wanted you safe and I let the Council persuade me into not doing what was best and telling you. It won’t happen again.”

Caitlyn stared at him for a moment before sighing. “Good, see that it doesn’t.”

Jayce gave her a hesitant smile. “So, are we good?”

“Yes, Jayce we are good,” Caitlyn said with a small smile of her own.

“Great, then I guess congrats are in order?” Jayce said a bit unsurely. “I know you told me you were thinking about adopting for a little while now. I won’t lie, people are going to talk but I’ll help you if needed when I can.”

“Don’t bother,” Caitlyn said with a shake of her head. “Let them talk, I really couldn’t care less. There’s a girl I adore, sharp and brave, and I took her in.” Caitlyn looked across the room where she saw Ren talking animatedly with Vi who was wearing a black pinstripe suit. Caitlyn smiled a bit when she saw Ren attempt to move one of Vi’s gauntlets which rested on the wall next to Jayce’s hammer.

“Is…is that okay? Those things are dangerous.”

“I suppose you would know, you did make them,” Caitlyn reminded him. “Seriously, Jayce, mining? The more I see Vi use those things, the less I believe that it was Jinx who made the first Hex-tech weapon.” Caitlyn shook her head. “Have some faith in my wife, will you? She removed the gemstones. Those gauntlets are little more than hunks of metal Ren couldn’t even hope to move.”

“Hunks of metal that I was barely able to repair,” Jayce muttered. “Seriously what happened down there that left them in such a state? I almost decided to scrap them and just make a new pair.”

“Still confidential,” Caitlyn chided which made him roll his eyes.

“At least you took care of the rifle.” Jayce gestured to Caitlyn’s one-of-a-kind Hextech rifle that he had built. Unlike her wife, Caitlyn rarely ever damaged her weapons which saved him some time as he would be damned if anyone but him personally looked over the weapons of Piltover’s Finest.

Yes, he and Vi rarely ever saw eye to eye but she was Caitlyn’s wife and he wanted her safe too.

And he had a feeling that protection would be needed for their kid one day as well.

“She looks up to her, to both of you,” Jayce said as he watched Ren throw punches into a smiling Vi’s palms. “This is real, isn’t it?”

“It is.” Caitlyn sighed. “Look Jayce there’s something you need to know, it’s about what I said at the last meeting, about Clan Kiramman embracing its shadows.”

“Hm? Oh, yeah, I think I get it, you meant things like your wife being from Zaun or Ren’s father?” Jayce guessed. “I’ll admit, you have a lot of people on edge right now but you know I’ve got your back.”

“And I appreciate it, but it’s not just that,” Caitlyn told him. “If they’re on edge, that’s good, anyone that thought my Clan predictable or weak deserves to have to rug pulled from underneath them. When we were in Zaun, we met the new Chem-Barons. While we stayed at the home of one of them, we learned a lot more about Zaun’s current state of affairs.”

“You did?” Jayce questioned. “Do you finally have definitive proof that Glasc is one?” Jayce questioned as he glanced suspiciously over at Renata who was laughing with some of the high ladies of Piltover that were fans of her products.

“Actually, no,” Caitlyn said which was surprising in hindsight. Before they had left their in-laws, Caitlyn did ask Jinx if Glasc was a Chem-Baron, and while Jinx confirmed the suspicions everyone had she was unable to provide any proof.

For better or worse, Jinx wasn’t a snitch as she’d say so Caitlyn wasn’t expecting to get any evidence. Jinx confirming the suspicions that everyone had didn’t change much if anything. Still, what surprised Caitlyn was despite Jinx’s code, the woman truly didn’t have any evidence on Renata.

Jinx had dirt on everybody.

If anything, this made her even warier of the alleged Chem-Baron.

“I mean even if I did what would that change?” Caitlyn asked genuinely curious. “Chem-Barons have diplomatic immunity. Not that she’d need it since there’s no evidence that she has done any crime.” Caitlyn narrowed her eyes. “Unless, of course, you view being a Zaunite as a crime?”

Jayce immediately raised his hands defensively. “Hey, hey, retract the claws we just got back on good terms, even I wouldn’t put my foot in my mouth that fast,” Jayce told her. “I was just wondering because Camille is close to having an aneurism. Glasc has to be one person she doesn’t have a good read on.”

“Forgive me if I find it hard to be sympathetic toward Lady Ferros’ plight,” Caitlyn said dryly which made Jayce snort.

“Oh, I know just how fond of her you are, which is why I’m confused about why you pulled back your Clan’s regulations on her Hextech Crystal production,” Jayce said with a small frown. “I mean, even I’m grateful for that cause it makes my work easier, but I know you. What game are you playing here Cait?”

Caitlyn’s smile sent a chill down his spine. “One that’s winning team I plan to be a member of,” Caitlyn answered. “Which brings me to what I was trying to get at earlier. There’s been a change in my Clan, you see the new Chem-Baron is-”

“Councilor Talis,” a voice interrupted and both Caitlyn and Jayce turned to see Councilor Merdarda. “Sheriff,” Mel greeted. “Glad to see that you are well and that the deal went smoothly. I was, unfortunately, indisposed during my talks with Noxus. I apologize on behalf of Clan Merdarda if my proxy’s vote caused you any offense.”

Caitlyn smiled and Mel ended up feeling the same chill Jayce had earlier. “Oh, it’s all water under the bridge. The whole experience was truly enlightening, definitely showed where Clan Kiramman stood.” Caitlyn swirled the wine in her glass. “Safe to say I decided that some restructuring of the Clan was needed to ensure such situations do not happen again.”

Jayce cleared his throat before Mel could ask just what she had planned. “Councilor, did you wish to tell us something?”

“Ah, yes,” Mel said, trying to do her best to ignore Caitlyn’s smile. “The Demacians are running a bit behind. When they arrive, are you going to attempt to finally get them to accept the offer of a Hexgate?”

“Do you know the definition of insanity?” Jayce questioned and Mel smiled slightly.

“I do, but if you were sane you wouldn’t be the man you are now, would you?” Mel questioned which made Jayce’s shoulders slump as he knew that despite knowing he would get nothing through to them, he owed Piltover the attempt to speak reason into the Demacians.

“Wait, Demacia is coming?” Caitlyn questioned looking a bit caught off guard.

“They’re here every year,” Mel reminded her with a small frown. “With the two wars they’re fighting, not showing up would be a sign of weakness. Especially if Noxus showed up with how many battles they’re facing. Why? Is there some sort of problem?”

“Problem? No…” Caitlyn trailed before quickly tossing back her glass, an action that made both Councilors’ eyes widen in surprise. “…just…hypothetically if Demacia picked a war with Zaun, what would our stance be?”

“Neutral,” Mel answered instantly. “Unless, of course, the war threatened our finances then we’d have to intervene. Our relationship with Zaun is…lacking…but even with the animosity they do more for us than Demacia on the global stage.”

Hell, if her talks with Noxus told her anything it was that Zaun was keeping them safe from Noxus.

Zaun had to remain standing.

“Not that we would even need to, you’ve seen what Singed has done to Ionia,” Mel continued. “Demacia is fighting a war on two flanks, picking a fight with Zaun would be suicide.” Mel’s eyes narrowed. “Though I can’t help but wonder, Sheriff, what exactly made you ask such a question?”

“Seriously, Cait, what the hell happened in Zaun?” Jayce questioned and Mel’s head whipped to him, her expression one of horror.

“You sent them to Zaun!?” Mel whispered harshly. “When has that ever gone right!?”

Before Jayce could respond the sound of an engine could be heard followed by more than a few startled gasps. The three turned toward the large balcony of the high-rise where the smaller airships would drop off the foreign dignitaries.

However, what they saw wasn’t an airship.

It was a car.

A long black vehicle that had a very sleek design, sleeker even than the most expensive of the Piltovan vehicles. The wheels of the vehicle had seemingly been flipped to their sides, leaving room for thrusters that released bright purple flames.

Chemtech.

In comparison to the larger blimps that were used for air travel in Piltover, this vehicle stood out in stark contrast. Whatever this vehicle was, it had not come from Piltover which put both Jayce and Mel on edge as the only other nation that could have produced something like this was Zaun.

The vehicle lowered itself to the edge of the balcony and when the doors rose, Zeri exited the vehicle followed by Ekko.

“See? Smooth.” Ekko grinned as he turned back to face the remaining occupants of the vehicle. “My men followed my instructions to the letter when making this,” Ekko said as Annie hopped out with a bright smile having enjoyed the ride followed by Lux. “Come on, give me my props.”

“Hey, you were right, what can I say?” An all too familiar voice said and soon Jayce and Mel looked on in horror as, for a brief moment, they thought they had seen Silco exit the vehicle.

Unfortunately, their horror only grew when they realize it was Jinx.

“I, hands down, make better weapons but I can’t touch your vehicles,” Jinx admitted, grinning at Ekko. After all, the only weapon he had of note were his temporal grenades and while they were cool, they didn’t do much damage. The Z-drive, using Ekko’s own words, wasn’t a weapon but a tool used to help their nation.

“I’ll give you that,” Ekko nodded while Zeri chuckled and nudged Lux with a wink.

“Nerds and their toys, am I right?” Zeri questioned which made Lux laugh lightly.

“Indeed, come, you two can talk shop later,” Lux said and Jinx smiled at her before looking down at Annie and winking.

“Hey Firelight, wanna see a magic trick?” Jinx questioned. “I can make twelve guns appear out of nowhere.”

Annie gasped at that. She thought Jinx couldn’t do magic! But all this time she had gun magic? “I wanna see, I wanna see!”

“Okay pay close attention and watch this,” Jinx before she stepped forward toward the hall. “Hello~”

Almost immediately a dozen enforcers were aiming their guns at her and Annie gasped in amazement clapping her hands. Despite the deadly weapons being aimed at her by enforcers with the itchiest trigger fingers that she had ever seen, Jinx’s grin only widened at the sight.

“Oh! So, it’s that kind of party!” Zeri said as she stepped forward and brandished her custom gun, aiming it at the enforcers as electricity sparked across her body. “Hoy, Jinx, I got the lightning if you got the thunder?”

Jinx cheekily raised a hand, showing the grenade in it, and wiggled it playfully. “Always.”

The enforcers were pale, as the grenade was live and the only thing stopping it from blowing was Jinx who they knew was crazy enough to say fuck it and take them all down with her. Ekko placed a hand on Zeri’s shoulder and gently moved her behind him while thrusting an envelope into the lead officer’s chest.

“Back off, we got invites.” Ekko sneered, glaring at the enforcer as if daring him to try something. He broke bread with the woman whose shadow they were afraid of and had stood firmly against the worst Zaun had to offer. He’d be damned if he’d be intimidated by these clowns.

Reaching into her wife’s back pocket, Lux swiftly retrieved their invite as well. “As do we, guns down before you start a diplomatic incident,” Lux told them, her expression cold. Soon, red dots appeared on the enforcers and when they looked up, they paled when they saw a handful of Firelights on hoverboards aiming at them.

“Baron Ekko, Baron Jinx, is there an issue?” the Firelight lieutenant questioned.

“Trying to figure that out now,” Ekko called out before tilting his head. “Tell me, is there an issue?”

The lead enforcer shakily opened the letters and paled. He wasn’t sure what was the worst part. The fact that they were real, that The Loose Cannon was a fucking Baron, or that the invitations had been sent by Clan Ferros which meant they were currently interfering with Camille’s business.

“N-no, there I-isn’t,” the enforcer stuttered out, gesturing for the enforcers to lower their weapons.

“Aw, and here I was expecting some fun,” Jinx complained before tossing the grenade back at the Firelights. Hell more than a few Piltovans gasped, some even screamed. The Fireflies, however, didn’t even as much as flinch when the grenade exploded harmlessly into confetti. “Oh~ they’re getting good.”

“They trust me and I trust you, if I say you won’t harm them, they’ll believe it,” Ekko told her which made her pout.

“Well damn, and I had so much fun teasing them too,” Jinx said as Lux looped her arm around hers.

“I’m sure you’ll find another hobby, leave the Firelights alone honey,” Lux said which made Jinx sigh.

“Fine,” Jinx conceded as Ekko glanced back at his men and nodded. They returned the gesture before flying off to escort their vehicle to a safe parking spot. “Well, keep up that training and I’ll back you in your campaign to make the Firelight’s Zaun’s law enforcement.”

They still only had one law, to not impede on another’s freedom, but it seemed that maintaining that law was still challenging for Zaun. They would need to hammer out the details, but Jinx believed they could get the other Barons to agree.

Those Firelights deserved a bigger paycheck by now.

“Nice, well, let’s get started,” Ekko said before offering his arm to Zeri which snapped her out of a small daze she seemed to have fallen into. With a bright grin, she accepted it and Jinx shook her head with a small smile.

Sparks had it bad.

Her mark was coming soon.

“Jinx!” A voice called out and Jinx looked up to see Jayce approaching her with Mel and Caitlyn. “What are you doing here!?”

“Hey Councilor Hammer, I got a promotion.” Jinx grinned which made his eyes widen. “I’m a Baron now so I decided to show up to this shindig.”

“This is what I was trying to tell you,” Caitlyn spoke up getting Jayce’s and Mel’s attention. “She is the Chem-Baron who housed me. Baron Kiramman.” Caitlyn told them which made both Councilors pale. “She is the leader of our branch family and will be in charge of all of the Clan’s interests in Zaun moving forward.”

“Yep, sis is right, even got a fancy ring to prove it,” Jinx said as she wiggled her fingers playfully, showing the sigil ring she now bore.

“Seriously?” Caitlyn asked when she saw what sigil Jinx had chosen which only made Jinx smirk.

“You know better than to think you versus me ends in anything but mutually assured destruction,” Jinx told her. “If I’m spending the rest of my life with your last name, you’re going to have this eye staring back at you the whole time. Truce?”

Caitlyn rolled her eyes before accepting Jinx’s hand. “Truce.”

“Y-you can’t be serious Cait!” Jayce said incredulously.

“Oh, but I am, as I said, Clan Kiramman has decided to embrace its shadows,” Caitlyn drawled. “If my Clan can be so easily disrespected in Piltover, perhaps I should see how it fares across the river. The Undercity is surprisingly ripe with opportunity.”

“Hi, aunt Cupcake!” Annie greeted which made Caitlyn smile warmly.

“And it has so much untapped potential,” Caitlyn continued before giving her niece a brief hug. “Hello darling, your cousin has been waiting for you.” Caitlyn gestured over to Vi and Ren. Annie, upon seeing Ren, grinned and quickly ran over to see her cousin.

“Don’t run…oh who am I kidding?” Lux sighed knowing she was fighting a losing battle. Lux couldn’t even stop the smile she had when she saw Annie and Ren hug and chat excitedly to each other in front of a very amused Vi. “Those two are going to be a problem one day.”

“Of course, they will, I mean look at their mothers,” Caitlyn sighed as she gestured between Jinx and Vi.

“Right? Sure didn’t get it from us.”

“Of course not,” Caitlyn said and Jinx pouted at the exchange.

“I…I’m sorry, Sheriff did you say cousin?”  Mel questioned struggling to piece together the situation.

“Ah, yes, my apologies let me introduce you, formally,” Caitlyn said before gesturing to Jinx. “These are my sisters-in-law, Baron Jinx Kiramman, and her wife, Luxanna Crownguard-”

“Kiramman, technically,” Luxanna reminded her. “Haven’t been a Crownguard since they disowned me.”

“Ah, apologies,” Caitlyn said genuinely apologetic as the two councilors felt their blood freeze. Any Crownguard, even a former one, had power both political and not. Their strength and deeds were arguably the biggest reason Piltover even still bothered to try and make deals with Demacia.

They carried that nation despite not being the royal family.

The sister of Garen and the niece of Tianna was a war hero almost as decorated as they were. The world had thought she was killed but if she had been in Zaun this whole time and married…Mel shuddered at the implications.

“It’s fine, Caitlyn, can’t change the past and more important things require my attention,” Lux reassured her.

Caitlyn nodded before gesturing over to Annie. “That is their adopted daughter and my niece, Annie. A lovely child.”

When she wasn’t actively going on a killstreak.

Mel shuddered.

A child.

Jinx had a child.

So not only did that man’s legacy live on in Jinx it even had someone to go to after her. Even now, Jayce and Mel could see the look of realization appear on the other Councilors' faces as well as anyone who had ever done business with Silco.

Jinx was once just an agent of chaos, but now she might have potentially become a source of business.

The idea of Zaun having another Silco after obtaining its long-sought independence was chilling. Why? Because it meant all of that’s man’s infamous focus and drive would be steered toward striving for even more for the nation. And worse, this focus and drive would be in the body of a woman with even fewer morals, more intelligence, and who was physically superior to a majority of their most trained enforcers.

“This is Baron Ekko, the leader of the Firelights and his right-hand, Zeri.” Caitlyn introduced them and Ekko gave them a nod while Zeri gave them a quick wave.

“Forgive me, I was under the impression that the Firelights fought against the Barons?” Mel questioned.

“We did, til’ Jinx became one,” Ekko nodded to Jinx. “She showed me a way to make change with less bloodshed. Well, slightly less, and I got a seat at the table. We’ve worked out our differences.”

“The best thing to happen to Zaun too,” Zeri mused. “Don’t get me wrong, I’m always down to scrap in the frontlines but It's better when it's not against my fellow Zaunites. We haven’t had an attempted grab for power in a whole month now, so I’m assuming the Zaunites are happy.”

Oh, dear gods, Zaun was stabilizing.

“And it’s all thanks to you,” Jinx smiled at her wife. “Without you, who knows where I would be?”

“Blowing up my favorite restaurant just to spite me?” Caitlyn suggested which made Jinx snap her fingers.

“Yep! That’s it, I’d be doing that.”

Suddenly it all made sense, Jinx didn’t get the ability to focus on her own. No. It had been due to Luxanna’s influence. The woman had always been sharp at the prior Progress Day Galas and the Council knew had it not been for Demacia giving the woman no bargaining room, she probably would have had her nation advance multiple decades in terms of technology and resources.

This explained why Camille had let this happen. Mel and Jayce had no doubts Camille had been aware of these changes. Hell, she sent the invitations. Camille was a scary, deadly, woman…

…but she wasn’t unstoppable.

No, Jinx had slipped past her a fair share of times but as skilled, lucky, or destructive as Jinx could be it paled in comparison to the woman who single-handedly stopped a battle against rebellious mages. Luxanna was a disowned escaped prisoner as well which meant that any actions she had made would not be brought against Demacia.

Which meant there would be little to no consequences on Luxanna’s end if she killed Camille. Hell, even now, with her having a new family and being the wife of a Baron, the consequences were little. Jinx had already started one war and they doubted Jinx would care that much if another one started. There was only one weakness for Camille to exploit which would be Annie, the daughter.

Hurting children for the sake of order was not something Camille did often, that they could prove anyway, but they doubted it would have stopped the woman. Which begged the question of why Camille hadn’t gone for such an obvious weak point.

“Your daughter,” Mel spoke up carefully as she got Jinx and Lux’s attention. “She’s not from the cities, is she?”

The child looked far too intimidating to be Piltovan but far too healthy to be a Zaunite.

“Huh? Nah, she’s Noxian through and through,” Jinx said with a proud smile. “Can’t teach that level of bloodlust in the Lanes.”

Mel tried to keep her composure despite the fear gripping at her heart. A child of Noxus, the only child of that nation that would keep Camille at bay would be a child that had pull, a child that if harmed would give Noxus all the justification it needed to crush Piltover.

That child would have to be a noble.

But what noble house of Noxus would ever let their daughter be raised by Jinx or a Demacian that had caused them as much trouble as Luxanna!? The child would have had to have been an orphan but the only noble house she could think of would be-

-Mel almost dropped her glass.

“Annie,” Mel muttered. “Your daughter is Annie Hastur, isn’t she?” Mel questioned. She had heard rumors of The Dark Child of Noxus but thought they were myths, a cover story made up to explain the sudden disappearance of the Hasturs from Noxus’ Frontier which she had previously thought to be a political assassination.

“No, it’s Annie Kiramman now,” Jinx said with a perturbed expression as if it were obvious. “She used to be a Hastur though, found that out after I did some digging, but they’re all kind of dead so she’s ours.”

Shit.

Annie was a Noxian noble that Jinx seemingly had as a hostage in the eyes of the world. If Noxus made any attempts to retrieve the girl, they probably thought they’d risk losing the last of a house and starting a war with Zaun.

On the other hand, concerning Camille, if the rumors she heard in Noxus were true then Annie was a mage as well as a Noxian noble.  Harming Jinx’s family in any way would likely lead to them creating not only a monster far worse than Jinx could ever hope to be but it would also lead to them being wiped out by both Zaun and Noxus.

Annie single-handedly became a war deterrent for two of the deadliest forces in Runeterra and Mel was sure that Jinx wasn’t even fully aware of that fact. No, as weird as it sounds, Jinx probably just picked up the girl randomly-perhaps after seeing some of her rumored magic-and adopted her.

Feeling eyes on her, Mel looked up-ignoring how she saw the pieces fall into place in Luxanna’s mind- and gazed at Camille. Across the room, Camille looked at her as if she could read her mind and raised a glass of acknowledgment which made Mel’s blood boil.

Jinx accidentally had them all in a checkmate and had no idea, something she was sure was going to soon be fixed if the look in Luxanna’s eyes were any indication. Mel saw now that Camille took advantage of this ignorance and spent the last year placing herself in a position to remain on top after the eventual fallout of whenever someone decided to enlighten Jinx of just what she had.

If the way Caitlyn suddenly downed her latest drink was any indication, Mel did not doubt that the Sheriff suddenly felt very fortunate to have buried the hatchet with Jinx and become family.

Family.

Jinx had a family and instead of being a weakness to exploit, it was her biggest weapon. If anything, it was Jinx that was the weak point which was a terrifying prospect in and of itself.

“I…see, well, it was very nice to be formally introduced to you all,” Mel said as she forced a smile on her face. “Lovely family Baron Kiramman, and it was a pleasure to meet you Baron Ekko. News of your deeds has often even made it up here. Now if you excuse me, I need to go powder my nose.”

She was, in reality, going to go find an empty room to scream in.

“See you toots, and uh, sorry for the whole…rocket to the back thing.” Jinx looked a bit sheepish. “But hey you got one hell of a shield on you,” Jinx said and Mel felt her eye-twitch while her smile tightened.

“Water under the bridge,” Mel said before she quickly walked off, leaving a very confused Jayce with Caitlyn and the new members of Zaun’s elite.

“Well, she took that well,” Zeri mused. “And here I thought I was the only one that would shrug off you shooting rockets at them.”

“Same, but I guessed she realized I’m not the one to fuck with.” Jinx shrugged. “Either make me an enemy and end up dead or just drop it. She’s smart.” Jinx turned to Jayce. “Question is, are you?”

Jayce’s eyes narrowed. “Excuse me?”

“You heard me,” Jinx said matter-of-factly, not intimidated in the slightest when he straightened his posture and stared down at her like she was less than trash. Whether that was because she was a Zaunite or because she was her, she didn’t know or care. “The Split happened, people died, a nation got its independence. What’s done is done, now are you going to let it go, or are things about to get interesting? If you’re feeling froggy then lily, I’ll even let you go get your hammer if you want.”

Jayce gritted his teeth. “You’re a monster. Do you not have any remorse for what you did? The destruction you caused?”

“Nah, can’t be sorry for some shit I’d do again,” Jinx told him bluntly before turning to Caitlyn. “I take that back. I am sorry about what happened to your mom but that’s it.”

Caitlyn nodded solemnly, for she knew Jinx meant it. “I’ve long since forgiven you for that.”

“Cait! You can’t be serious!?”

“I am. What good would hating her do? It won’t fix a thing, Jayce,” Caitlyn told him. “I won’t tell you how to feel, but don’t judge me for not letting hatred eat away at my life. What’s done is done and I’m not starting another war in a vain attempt to get even.”

Caitlyn sighed and extended her hand which Jinx accepted.

Though the others in the room couldn’t hear their conversation, the sheer act of the Sheriff and the Loose Cannon shaking hands would not, and could not, be ignored.

“Regardless of our past, we have to build a better future for our children, that’s the entire point of Progress Day,” Caitlyn said, and if there was one good thing to come out of the loss of her mother, it was that few could say they were wronged as bad by Jinx as she was.

Her forgiving Jinx meant something.

“Zaun was bound to lash out at some point, I see that now,” Caitlyn told Jinx. “You just happened to be the one to enact its will.” Caitlyn shook her head. “All that pain, suffering, and we didn’t even send Zaun, our own people at the time, medical supplies. Just more enforcers. Believe me, I will be making changes-Council be damned.”

“I believe that,” Jinx said with a smirk as she released Caitlyn’s hand. “Last time you had that look in your eyes you managed to shoot me. If you can do that, you can do anything.”

Caitlyn chuckled at that before placing a hand on Jayce’s shoulder. “Stand aside Jayce, you don’t even have to acknowledge her presence but the fact remains she is my Clan and a Baron. She’s more than earned her place here. I doubt you’ll be making deals with her but don’t make a spectacle of yourself and stop others from doing so.”

Jayce shrugged off her hand as he faced her fully, betrayal written cleanly on his face though given recent events Caitlyn was far from sympathetic. If anything, this just made them even. Caitlyn truly hoped this didn’t burn the bridge between them, that would hurt unbelievably so, but it would be a pain she would endure for her Clan.

A storm was coming, and so far, only Clans Kiramman and Ferros were prepared to weather it and make it through to the other side.

Not able to trust his voice, but still having enough sense to not start anything, Jayce walked off, hopefully, to go cool his head.

“That went better than expected,” Lux admitted. “Though weapons are allowed here as a show of good faith, it would have been in bad form to draw my blade had he gone for the hammer.”

At this, Caitlyn blinked and looked at her sister-in-law, not seeing a single weapon in sight. “Do…do I even want to know where you’re hiding your weapon?”

Lux giggled and tapped her hip which made everyone but Jinx’s eyes widen when they heard her tapping something solid instead of her dress. On her hip, her sword rested as it always did and she also had her rod on her back, both weapons were obscured by her magic.

“I’m not a Crownguard anymore but I am always armed,” Lux told her.

“Okay you have to teach me how to do that,” Zeri said which made Lux laugh a bit but she nodded her head. Truly Lux wasn’t sure if it was possible given the nature of Zeri’s magic, but she was more than willing to attempt to teach her friend.

“You don’t seem surprised,” Ekko noted when he saw Jinx’s proud smile. “Oh Janna, she did it for you too didn’t she?”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about-be quiet Fishbones,” Jinx whispered to something they couldn’t see over her shoulder. Caitlyn raised a hand and flicked the air next to Jinx, grimacing when her finger hit something hard. “Hey, what give’s Big Hat? You hit him in the eye!”

She was too sober for this.

“I’m getting a drink,” Caitlyn sighed. “You all feel free to mingle and try not to cause any diplomatic incidents. I won’t tell you how to do business, clearly, you know more than enough, but try not to cause any problems with the Piltovans.”

“Oh, don’t worry about it sister, I’ve talked to every Piltie I needed long before coming here,” Jinx said just loud enough to be heard by those who had been trying and failing to eavesdrop. “If they haven’t heard from me yet then it means I don’t need them for my surprise.”

Caitlyn saw more than a few Piltovans pale.

“Everyone else is cool though, oh there’s Camille. I guess there is one Piltie I want to chat with, come on let’s go say hi,” Jinx grinned before she dragged Lux along to go see the stoic woman.

“Those are your friends,” Caitlyn told Ekko and Zeri after a moment.

Ekko snorted. “They’re your family.”

“Oh, I know,” Caitlyn said as she went to grab another glass. “But unlike me, you had a choice.”

Well shit, the Sheriff had him there.

After all you couldn’t choose who you loved, and with that love came their family.

Zeri pouted. “They’re not that bad.”

“Jinx has shot how many rockets at you?” Ekko questioned with a raised eyebrow.

“But she’s just having fun, and it's good for my reflexes and learning my powers,” Zeri told him. “If Jinx ever actually wanted me dead, I’d be dead, have you seen her stealth? Trick question, you haven’t cause she’s that stealthy. You only saw the aftermath.”

They both had to admit that Zeri was right.

Caitlyn, in particular, had strong suspicions that the only crimes of Jinx’s that she had known were Jinx’s were ones she wasn’t trying to hide. There had been no small number of unsolved murders of guards and politicians that Caitlyn simply could not find an answer for.

Upon learning that Jinx had two rates for her services, one where she would play and one where she would ‘work’ Caitlyn suddenly had a strong suspicion of who the culprit was. Hell, she saw this first hand when the matron of Ren’s orphanage suddenly went missing without a trace.

Caitlyn sighed, fuck it, it wasn’t her problem anymore as long as Jinx stopped blowing up her city.

“Lady Ferros,” Jinx greeted as even she had enough sense to not call Camille out of name her in a place like this.

“Baron Kiramman, Lady Kiramman,” Camille greeted them with a nod, her expression as cool as ever as she allowed them to suddenly move her to the side. “I suppose there is a reason for your earlier unsubtle declaration or for approaching me at all.” Camille sipped her wine. “I was under the impression we hammered out all of our business.”

“Oh, we did, and I can’t wait to buy those first batch of crystals from you,” Jinx told her and Camille had to refrain from rolling her eyes. Yes, that deal had helped her wonderfully but she had no idea Jinx would go as far as to sell herself to Clan Kiramman.

Had she known that, she would have offered her name first. Now when the great machine that was Piltover and Zaun underwent its next transformation, Clan Ferros would no longer be the only dominant Clan remaining.

Leave it to Clan Kiramman to always get in her way.

Still, a little competition would stop Clan Ferros from becoming complacent so it worked out.

“But look at it this way, now that the other Pilties know something is coming and seeing that both you and Caitlyn have been talking to me, they’ll come running to you for information,” Jinx said with a mischievous glint in her eyes.

“Information you can sell at whatever price you want,” Lux said knowingly. “Of course, there isn’t that much to say but they don’t know that and it’ll open the door for you to politically dominate them like you do every year. Just lead them in our direction too while you’re at it, they’ll probably be too scared to talk to Jinx but I will handle them.”

“You girls,” Camille shook her head. “Honestly I was beginning to lose hope that your generation had a single brain cell to share amongst all of you, I’m pleased to see that the world won’t end whenever I deem it necessary to retire.”

Something about her own words seemed to have given Camille pause.

“There is one last deal I can think of,” Camille said getting their attention. “Believe it or not I truly am not the leader of Clan Ferros. That title I have long since given to my favorite grand-niece.”

At this, both Jinx and Lux shared a surprised look.

“I, um, we were aware of that but just assumed that she was a figurehead,” Lux admitted. “The Chem-Barons tried to do something similar with Jinx.”

“Yes, and look how that turned out,” Camille mused. “There is a reason she is my favorite. She is very good at the job. Clan Ferros’ motto is ‘for family, I will give,’ and she’s given much and more. I ask that you be willing to make deals with her just as you do with me. In fact, prioritize hers if you think they may come in conflict with mine.”

Camille sighed.

“She makes me proud, so proud, but she cannot flourish if she’s too afraid to break the mold,” Camille told them.

“The path you walked is yours and you want her to walk above that,” Jinx muttered. “To not waste time dealing with the same obstacles you did. Yeah, I get that.”

“As do I,” Lux murmured and Camille regarded them both for a moment.

“You truly do, hmph, to think we’d be able to relate to anything outside of combat,” Camille drawled. “What price would you like for that offer?”

“It’s on the house,” Jinx told her, and for once they saw Camille’s eyes widen in surprise. “You’re a major bitch on your best day, Camille, but that’s our beef, doesn’t involve your niece.”

“Truly?” Camille questioned skeptically. “Even after all I did? I’m sure you’ve long since found out who truly killed your parents. Are you a fool?”

Lux's eyes flashed gold at the mention of that and Camille tensed but Jinx just laughed.

“Yeah, I am,” Jinx said proudly as she wrapped an arm around Lux’s waist. “But you know what? Being a fool’s worked out pretty well for me. It’s Progress Day, so I’m just going to charge that mess to the game of life and keep it moving. This game we’re playing, these deals, the blood, sweat, and tears we shed…it isn’t for us-it never was-it’s for the ones coming after us. It’s all about maintaining the legacy, you can replace every piece of you with Hextech if you want but you know the only real chance for immortality is in our legacies.”

Camille’s Hextech blue eyes met Jinx’s Shimmer-filled eye as she pondered those words.

-Flashback-

 

 

Silco stood alone on the bridge connecting Piltover and Zaun, hands folded behind his back, and gazed at the water while reflecting on that day he lost a brother.

“Give me one reason why I shouldn’t kill you right now.”

Silco glanced back with his corrupted eye and saw Camille standing behind him.

“I do believe the fact that you even asked that question besides doing the deed shows that you know why,” Silco drawled. “But, to give voice to your thoughts, it's because I know the answer to the question which has separated great kings from failures throughout history.”

“And which question is that?”

“Why, Lady Ferros, that question would be what hill should one die on,” Silco said and for a moment he heard nothing until Camille strolled forward and stood next to him. “What you Topsiders view as the rot within Zaun is Zaun itself. It’s a darkness that I have long since allowed myself to become one with. I’ve mastered it, controlled it, and should I die, nothing will stop it from reaching you no matter how high you build.”

Silco looked up at the smog-filled sky.

“To this day, not a single drop of Shimmer has touched your streets,” Silco told her. “Your docks, maybe, we do have to sell to other nations somehow but your people have not felt its allure. An allure that can break even the strongest of men.”

“I don’t have to kill you to make you submit,” Camille reminded him. “I hear you have a daughter.”

“You’ve heard right, but let me tell you something, unlike most who hate your people, I am content with one day getting our independence,” Silco told her. “I would not pursue Piltover’s destruction after achieving my goal. Do not make me pursue it, I assure you that despite your power, Zaun has this merciless desperation to live and breathe that you are ill-prepared for. Of course, that’s assuming you could even kill my daughter.”

Camille scoffed. “She’s just a girl.”

“As were you, once upon a time,” Silco reminded her which made her scowl slightly. “Still, if that is not enough to stay your hand and keep you from my family. Then perhaps this will. I am currently holding back a beast of your creation that would stop at nothing to see you lose all you hold dear. One that has no problem corrupting those at the lowest points of your society. A merciless beast that would break your women and have them destroy your men and no, it is not the good doctor.”

Camille sneered. “Glasc. I should have killed her when I had the chance.”

“Glasc? Surely you are not referring to dear Renata?” Silco questioned with confusion so fake it almost made Camille sick. “Why that is absurd, that said, hypothetically if it was Renata, it would serve you well to know that we have an agreement. Should I die, my daughter falls under her protection. Though I admit, I doubt a simple perfume maker could protect her against you.”

Camille’s glare could have frozen hell itself.

“Remember this well Lady Ferros, the most important thing to a person will always be their legacy,” Silco began. “This is a fact you know all too well.  As long as our battles stay between us you will not have to fear the monster I am keeping at bay, that my legacy is keeping at bay. Should we disappear, however, nothing will be able to stop the destruction of the precious machine you call home.”

-Flashback: End-

 

 

“Tell me, Jinx, as your father’s successor do you have what it takes to keep that monster at bay?” Camille questioned suddenly confusing Lux. “It seldom comes out of it’s lair that is Zaun, so to see it here is…unnerving.”

“That’s what we’re here to decide tonight,” Jinx answered and Lux realized just who they were talking about. Lux shuddered at the idea that Renata even had Camille on edge. “Within Zaun, I can keep it at bay, old man taught me that city well and I know it like the back of my hand. I’ve been rigging it with explosives since the day I got them to work consistently. If I want the monster dead, I can kill it but it won’t be easy and a lot of people in your city and mine will probably die. I might even die with it.”

Lux paled wondering just how the hell the two Barons could cause that much damage.

“Even before I became a Baron, we were each other's deterrent,” Jinx explained. “It wouldn’t attack Piltover and kill my sister and I wouldn’t destroy its dynasty. Worked the other way around too, I left its business alone and it left my family alone.”

“What’s changed?” Camille questioned and Jinx frowned.

“Table’s too full Camille, one of us has to be elevated or the Split will seem like nothing compared to the fallout,” Jinx told Camille who scowled a bit at the thought. “Whoever brings home the most for Zaun tonight gets the crown.” Jinx extended her hand. “Our business together is done, but perhaps you can help me out? I’m kind of trying to save you from annihilation here.”

The fact that Jinx wasn’t kidding in the slightest told Camille that there was more happening in Zaun than even she knew.

“Very well, I will assist you so long as you get that beast back on its leash,” Camille said as she shook Jinx's hand, an act that had people who saw it quaking. “You’re a fresh face, but you have a world-renowned reputation. I can spin a story, get the ‘older’ crowd to think Luxanna is the one looking for power so that they will approach her. You, on the other hand, will deal with the youth. Start with Zaun’s allies and venture out.”

Jinx grinned as she released Camille’s hand. “Appreciated, that will be a great help in case my other plan falls through.”

“Oh?” Camille questioned curiously.

“Sorry, gotta keep it on the DL, no telling who is listening,” Jinx told her.

“Why is it so easy for people to think I’m some sort of vengeful gold-digger?” Lux asked with a small pout. “I thought I was pretty nice at these Galas. Can’t I just be in love with my wife without people thinking I’m using her to control Zaun?”

Camille scoffed. “You have no idea of your reputation, do you? Listen, well girl, you’re intelligent and very adept at reading people and controlling a conversation. That mixed with your bright demeanor that all ultimately results in no-deal going through because of Demacia’s policies has left people thinking you’re twisted.”

“Excuse me!?” Lux whispered incredulously with wide eyes.

“Luxanna, who in their right mind travels for days to come to these gatherings just to say no to every offer after dominating every verbal spar?” Camille questioned and Lux began to see how it looked from an outside perspective. Hell, the only reason she kept coming to these things was that she had to get out of Demacia for her sanity.

“She is a bit of a sadist ain’t she?” Jinx questioned which earned her a betrayed look from her wife. However, for the first time, Jinx did not look apologetic in the slightest. Hell, most of the time she topped in the bedroom and found herself eaten alive.

And not in the “fun” way!

Lux bit her so much and so deeply that Jinx idly wondered if she was developing a chem addiction. That said, Jinx didn’t say anything because it was still pretty hot but that didn’t erase Lux’s near acts of cannibalism!

“Clearly,” Camille drawled as she was a firm believer that it wasn’t just the quiet ones with dark sides but the happy ones as well. Yes, Jinx was happy but she was also insane and didn’t hide her madness. It was the ones who did hide it which were the ones to truly watch out for.

Jinx was crazy.

But Camille believed with all her heart that Lux was crazier.

It took a certain type of person to fall in love with a criminally insane terrorist and mass murderer who kidnapped them. Not to mention she helped raise said psychopath’s child and married them the Zaunite way by littering her body with tattoos.

Lux was clearly built differently and Camille wanted no parts of that madness.

“The last of the representatives should be arriving shortly, go mingle so you can stop Glasc,” Camille told them which made Jinx look at her in confusion.

“What’s Glasc gotta do with this?” Jinx asked innocently and Camille shook her head muttering something about Jinx being too much like her father before she walked off.

Even with the stakes this high, Jinx was not a snitch!

Being a snitch was a fatal disease in Zaun after all.

“Okay, before we get started, we need to talk briefly about Annie,” Lux said quietly, urgency clear in her voice. “Her being a Hastur changes things.”

“What do you mean?” Jinx asked. “She’s not a Hastur.”

“Look I know, okay? She’s ours,” Lux reassured Jinx firmly. “If anyone in Noxus thinks they are going to take her away from us, they will burn but we can use this. What you have set up, is ten times whatever is left to her at least but she still has stuff that’s left to her, those are free assets to bargain with.”

Lux shook her head.

“Wait, let me stop and do this right,” Lux said before she looked around and spotted Vi and Caitlyn. Making eye contact with Vi, she gestured for her sister-in-law to send Annie over. Soon, Annie quickly made her way over. “Hey, Annie. Jinx and I have a question for you.”

“Huh?” Annie looked surprised by that. “It’s not more math, is it?” Annie asked as she looked at Jinx apprehensively.

“Seriously, my questions aren’t that bad.”

“They kind of are,” Lux said before she smiled at Annie. “I have a grown-up question for you actually, a really big decision for big girls. Remember what I told you about investing?”

“Uh-huh,” Annie answered with a thoughtful frown.

“Good, so your parents left you a lot of things back in Noxus.” Lux began.

“You did?” Annie asked, her confusion obvious and Lux paused at Annie’s strange question looking just as perplexed. 

Suddenly, it clicked, and Lux had to fight the urge to cry.

 “Your first parents,” Lux clarified for the girl. As far as Annie was concerned they were her parents so her confusion was understandable. “Jinx wants to give you even more stuff when you’re older but to do so, she might have to give up what your first parents left you. You’d have to give up less for more later, just like investing.”

Annie looked terrified. “You-you mean I have to give up Tibbers!?”

“No! No!” Lux reassured her quickly before she could have a meltdown. “Just everything else your old parents left you. Like your old house and some money.”

Annie visibly calmed down. “Oh. Sure, I guess,” Annie shrugged. She had spent months in the wilderness without any of that stuff before Jinx found her. “The house burned down though.”

“That’s fine,” Lux said and it was, what mattered was the land. “Are you sure?”

“Yeah! You both gave me lots more stuff!” Annie grinned. “And way more toys! If it helps Jinx get even more stuff for me later, she can have it! I’m not using it!”

“That’s my big smart girl!” Lux said before giving Annie a quick hug which made her giggle.

“Thanks, Firelight, you’re the best,” Jinx said as she offered a hand and let Annie give her a high-five. “Go back to your aunts for now.”

“Kay’!”

With that, Annie returned to the others as Lux turned to Jinx. “Good we got the okay. Sorry, it’s just as I thought about it, I realized there’s probably a special place in hell for giving up an orphan's inheritance without their knowledge.”

“Good point,” Jinx admitted. “I’m banking on Janna saving us a special place in her crib when we finally bite it but it doesn’t hurt to rack up good karma. Okay cool, we got another bargaining chip and even Robo-Granny’s help. Holy shit, I think we can do this.”

“I know we can,” Lux told her. “Together? We can’t be stopped. So, are you ready?”

“I am,” Jinx grinned. “Now go work your magic, repress your sadistic urges, and say yes to some deals for once!”

“Jinx!”

Jinx just laughed as she strode away from her wife.

-Later-

 

The party was now in full swing, and Jinx had made her nest on a nice secluded couch in one of the large gathering’s halls shadowy corners. Now, Jinx by nature was never a wallflower but this was no party.

The drinks were shit.

The food was shit.

The atmosphere was shit.

Most of the people were shit.

The music was…annoyingly passable. Ekko had to reset the timeline and stop Jinx from shooting Seraphine the moment she arrived as one of the celebrity guests but after he talked her down things went relatively smoothly.

Jinx would still be staying as far away from the singer as possible.

Seraphine could sing, Jinx had to admit that much but she was never a fan of the “Let’s all get along” Kumbaya shit that ignored the real problems. Still, despite all of Jinx’s issues with the singer she never knocked her for her attempts, as ineffective as they were, Seraphine did much more than those who did nothing.

Besides, people often underestimated the arts and how effective they could be.

Seraphine, with the right management, could be a revolutionary force unlike any seen before and would cement her tentative position on Jinx’s list of legends.

That said, Jinx sure as fuck wasn’t managing the Piltie no matter how much good it would do.

A sentiment, funnily enough, that seemed to be shared by Renata who had increased the number of drinks she consumed since the singer arrived. The only thing Renata hated as much as a Piltie was a traitor and though Jinx herself didn’t view Seraphine as such-can’t be a traitor if you were never a Zaunite-Renata did.

And no amount of gold or influence in the world would make Renata do business with a traitor.

She had a code.

Fortunately, Jinx wasn’t bothered by Seraphine mainly due to the number of encore requests she received and the line of people who were surprisingly brave enough to approach Jinx.  The fact that nothing had blown up yet even seemed to have given a couple of young Piltovans the courage needed to approach her.

“I’ll be in touch,” Jinx told her latest acquaintance who had managed to succeed in the herculean task of not shitting herself during their brief discussion. The young woman stuttered out her thanks and practically ran away. Jinx chuckled a bit a that and pulled out her cigar.

“Hoy, Jinx, need a light?” Zeri asked as she approached the Baron.

“I’d appreciate it,” Jinx said as she raised the cigar, and with a quick zap from Zeri’s fingertip, a spark ignited the end of the cigar.

“How are you holding up?” Zeri questioned as she sat on the table while Jinx kicked up her feet.

“I’m too damn young to feel this old,” Jinx muttered. “Second I see a gray hair, I’m quitting, Ekko can hold it down until Annie’s grown.”

Zeri laughed at that. “He could, though I think he’d be mad that you left him alone to deal with the other Barons.”

“Tough shit,” Jinx snorted. “Seriously though, how are things on your end?”

“Good, Ekko’s new whip has all the Topsiders jealous and more than a few foreigners curious,” Zeri told her. “Especially with it not using a single piece of Hextech, think the world is getting a bit tired of Topside’s monopoly on the shit.”

“Guarantee someone’s going to try and off him,” Jinx pointed out. “No one likes to see a Zaunite succeed, especially not one younger than them.”

“Damn Pilties can try,” Zeri sneered and Jinx saw the lights flicker briefly before Zeri calmed herself. “I’m not that clumsy girl anymore. You, Lux, and Ekko fixed that. Anyone that tries to hurt him gets struck down. End of story.”

Jinx chuckled. “Poor them, keep an eye out but I wouldn’t worry too much. If I couldn’t kill him, no two-bit assassin can.”

“But what about the good ones?”

“They’re smart enough to not try,” Jinx explained. “With his resistance no longer needed and the chance for your men to be official protectors of the Undercity, he can focus on his first passion. His tech. Little man’s going to be a big name soon after he starts to industrialize.” Jinx met her gaze. “And you’ll be there every step of the way, won’t you? When are you getting marked?”

Zeri blushed and a spark danced across her body which made Jinx chuckle. “Am…am I that obvious?”

“To everyone but him,” Jinx admitted. “My family has a betting pool going on, do it this week and I get some quick lunch money.”

“Seriously?”

Jinx smirked and exhaled some smoke. “Seriously.” Jinx titled her head. “Need help with your offering?” Jinx questioned. “Have a feeling that’s why you stopped by.”

Zeri pouted. “Can’t I just want to talk to my old-enemy-turned-best-friend?”

Jinx raised an eyebrow.

Zeri groaned. “Okay, yes, I have an idea that will have the streets talking for years for my offering but for the record, I was also concerned about you. We’ve all been working pretty hard, but you’re easily the most stressed right now.”

Jinx smiled. “I appreciate it, sister, now come on tell me what you have planned for little man,” Jinx said and she watched Zeri’s blush deepen as spark danced across her. Once she settled down enough to avoid giving Jinx a surprise shock therapy session she leaned forward and whispered into the Baron’s ear.

Jinx almost dropped her cigar.

“Bullshit,” Jinx said but the look on Zeri’s face told her it wasn’t. “Fuck, you sure about this?”

Zeri nodded with a shy smile. “Jinx, you’re my girl but he’s my Baron and my man. If my offering doesn’t at least match what Lux gave you then the streets will never let it go.”

“This is true,” Jinx mused. “Alright, fine, if this works out, I’ll have to start calling him Big Man,” Jinx chuckled. “I’ll help under three conditions.”

“Name em’.”

“First, you run interference with Seraphine,” Jinx told her. “At some point, she’s going to need a break and I don’t want to deal with that.”

Zeri blinked at that. “Why are you so sure she'll approach you?”

“Cause’ I always know when someone is watching me and she’s glanced my way forty-seven times in the last half-hour,” Jinx said dryly. “A few times during a love song so please, for my mental well-being and her safety distract her.”

Zeri smirked. “Gonna shoot her again?”

“No but Flashlight might commit a war crime if she ever catches on,” Jinx said seriously and Zeri had to repress a shudder. Zeri loved Lux, truly, she did. But the Demacian scared her. There was just something beneath that bright smile that unnerved Zeri and had her become a member of the growing list of people who started to believe that Jinx was the sane one in her relationship.

Seriously, who the fuck married an insane mass-murdering terrorist with full knowledge of their crimes, one of which included kidnapping her?

Yes, it worked out but holy shit.

Zeri chanced a glance at Lux who was busy being the center of attention for a small crowd of elites. Lux’s smile was bright as she laughed with them all while robbing them fucking blind if Zeri had to guess.

Zeri shuddered.

“Fine, I’ll protect the popstar if I have to,” Zeri muttered.

“Not a fan?”

“Jinx, it’s Seraphine,” Zeri said dryly and that was answer enough. Jinx knew that Zeri was only barely able to be civil with Vi but gave her a baseline level of respect for actually fighting to change things.

Zeri did not have that for the singer.

“She can sing,” Zeri admitted and it spoke volumes of Seraphine’s talent if even Zeri had to admit that. “Her music isn’t exactly my cup of tea though I’m more of a punk and hip-hop kind of girl. But she’s even had my foot tapping a bit.” Zeri then grimaced. “That said, Ekko? Now Ekko’s a fan.”

“Him too?” Jinx asked as if she had just been personally betrayed by a brother. “No wonder he was so annoyed when I killed her. What is wrong with them?”

“Them?”

“Big Hat got an autograph,” Jinx revealed which made Zeri gasp in horror. “Right? Almost left the family right there.” Jinx shook her head. “The things I do for my kid.”

Zeri grimaced. “Fine, fine, I’ll run interference, I might even be able to use this. Who knows, maybe she’s not that bad I mean at least she’s doing something. Still, I have to help Ekko out with deals. I’ll do my best to keep her away but if she decides to choose death, I can’t stop her.”

Jinx nodded. “Fair enough.”

“What are your other conditions?”

“You tell him I helped with the offering, I want him to know that he owes me,” Jinx said which made Zeri chuckle.

“This works out he will kiss the ground you walk on.”

“He better,” Jinx said, clearly amused before her expression softened. “But the most important thing? Make him happy. Please.”

Zeri’s expression sobered up. “I will, Jinx if it’s the last thing I do.”

“Thank you. He’s been hurt enough,” Jinx muttered. “I made the right choice sending him to you.”

“Why did you do it?” Zeri questioned.

“You’re a good match, smart idealists wanting the best for Zaun. You’re both Zaunite ingenuity in the flesh,” Jinx told her. “You reminded me of, well, me but on the good path. Your mistakes didn’t break you, they made you stronger. No matter how much you failed, you got back up and pushed forward. All you needed was some focus, focus he’d give you.”

Jinx exhaled some more smoke as she sat back.

“I wanted you to be my replacement, the me he deserved, but Zeri, you’re way more than that,” Jinx told her firmly. “Better than that, better than me. You’re you and I’m so happy because of that. He sees it too, you know. Earlier he didn’t even hesitate to put himself between you and those enforcers.”

Zeri frowned a bit. “I could have handled-”

“He died,” Jinx interrupted her which made her mouth close with an audible snap. “Or, at the very least he was injured. “Those rookies had itchy trigger fingers and he always gets this look in his eyes when he resets a painful or fatal injury. I know you know the one cause he made sure not to look at you for a bit. Your efficiency is in the upper 90% but you still have malfunctions, don’t you?”

Zeri averted her eyes, pain clear in them.

“He’s died a lot for you,” Jinx told her.

“Why…why didn’t he say anything?”

“Because you’ve gotten better, confident, and more comfortable with your power,” Jinx told her. “The times he’s had to take the fall for you have decreased a lot and the only reason I’m telling you this now is that we both believe you can take care of yourself now. You’ve more than earned your place as one of Zaun’s legends.”

Jinx exhaled a ring of smoke.

“For you? He’d give up everything just like I know you would for him,” Jinx began. “But if there is still one thing you have in common with me it's your insecurity. I know how hard it is to believe someone loves you as much as he does especially when he’s the only one that tells you. So, take it from me. He loves you sister, and you’re more than ready to have his mark. Got it?”

Zeri took a deep breath and nodded. “Got it…thank you, Jinx, I needed that,” Zeri said and Jinx just waved off her words as the mage stood up. “The same goes for you,” Zeri continued which made Jinx pause. “No one loves you as much as your wife and kid. It’s real, don’t ever forget that. You need to appreciate and protect your blessings in Zaun.”

With that, Zeri left Jinx alone and just in time as the music had ended which was Zeri’s cue to intercept Seraphine who had taken a few steps in Jinx’s direction.

Jinx let Zeri’s words marinate for a bit before she soon noticed a young man sit down across from her.

“Baron Kiramman,” the young man greeted and Jinx noted that he had to have been in his mid-teens. It was clear he was nervous, but there was a certain edge to him that she couldn’t ignore.

It was an edge that did not come from Topside.

“You’re a Zaunite,” Jinx said without preamble which made him pause.

“I’m afraid not, I was born and raised in Piltover ma’am,” the young man said which made Jinx’s eye narrow. Something that made him tense as he realized he truly was face to face with the Eye of Zaun. “B-but my father was from Zaun.”

Jinx glanced down at his hands which he was nervously playing with and saw that one of them was a silver prosthetic.

The pieces fell into place.

“You’re Karvyq’s brat,” Jinx muttered as she gazed at him knowingly. “You’re with Clan Tariost, a bastard, right?” Jinx questioned as she watched him flinch as she read him easily. Still, she noted approvingly, something about being called a bastard made a flame arise in his eyes.

Good.

She’d stoke that fire a bit.

He clenched his prosthetic tightly but nodded.

“Why are you here?” Jinx questioned. “I don’t even know you and can tell you were treated like shit. You should have escaped into the Undercity long ago.”

“Oh, believe me, I tried.” He raised his prosthetic and wiggled his fingers mockingly. “That said, I didn’t feel like losing another hand, not unless you’d like to lend me one?”

Jinx smirked.

She liked this brat.

“I could, but something tells me you don’t want that,” Jinx told him. “Your heart’s strong, but you’re too soft to live in the fissures though visiting occasionally wouldn’t hurt. You’re a Piltie and you belong up here, you’re more useful up here.” Jinx played with the cigar in her hand for a moment. “What do you want?”

He took a deep breath the calm himself, her words struck him deeply. Off to the side of the room, she saw an older man watching the boy with narrowed eyes. “The esteemed head of Clan Tariost has asked me to speak with you on his behalf-“

“I asked what did you want,” Jinx interrupted him. “I don’t give two shits about the wants of someone who is so much of a fucking pussy that they sent some kid they don’t mind dies to approach me.”

His mouth closed as he looked at her with wide eyes.

“I...uh…I don’t have anything to give you-“

“Hey, I didn’t ask what you had I asked what you want,” Jinx said dryly. “Pretend I’m a magic wishing well, tell me what you want, and let’s pretend I can give it to you.”

He swallowed. “I…I want to show them that I’m not expendable. That I’m not someone they can just toss in harm's way and hurt when they feel like it. I want to show them all that I am a member of this Clan as well and not the mother of some whore!”

“Well, congrats, I met her once but Aurelie was the most sickening sweet Topsider I have ever seen,” Jinx told him. “She was someone who dared to love someone from the fissures, that’s it.”

“A lot of good that love gave me,” the teen muttered though she could see the pain in his eyes, the longing he tried so hard to hide at the thought of his mother.

“That love is the only thing that kept you alive after making me repeat myself to find out what you want,” Jinx said dryly which made him flinch. “Give me a pen and some paper, errand boy, I know you have some.”

Nervously he handed her the paper.

“Tell me your Clan’s line of succession before it falls to you.”

“That’s just about the entire main family-“

“Really trying my patience, kid,” Jinx said dryly which made him flinch before he began to ramble off names. It took about twenty minutes but sure enough, Jinx had jotted down the entire family tree of the main family. “You give a shit about any of them?”

“N-no…not really…” the teen stuttered out. “They call me a monster, but the ways they hurt and abuse their branch families are disgusting.”

“Got you, then listen close brat,” Jinx handed him the parchment after jotting something down. “You take this letter and hand it to Lady Ferros and ask her to hand it to one of the ambassadors of Noxus. You give this to her, tell her that, point to me, and walk the fuck away. You fuck this up and you’ll start a war, you understand?”

The teen nodded nervously, scared for his life.

“Good.” Jinx grinned. “You didn’t make me repeat myself and you didn’t ask questions just like a Zaunite. Glad to know you can learn, there’s hope for you yet.”

The teen swallowed nervously but remained silent, the idea of a bastard like him walking up to Lady Ferros was terrifying in its own right.

But he had just walked up to The Loose Cannon so he figured he was on borrowed time regardless.

“This is what’s going to happen, today’s the day your balls drop,” Jinx told him. “Everything you just asked for will happen and you will spend the rest of your life using your power to help Clan Kiramman and Clan Ferros or that’s your ass. If a conflict arises between them, you will remain neutral. Follow these simple instructions and you and the rest of the bastards will have a nice and long tenure at the top, do you understand?”

“Yes, Baron Kiramman.”

“Good, now go,” Jinx instructed him. “If your Clan asks, tell them I asked you to do me a favor in exchange for not blowing them to hell for sending a bastard to talk with me. Also, you will be going to the Undercity every week to learn how to play this game correctly from Baron Karvyq. If you miss a week for any reason that doesn’t have his approval, again, that’s your ass.”

The teen nodded frantically before he stood up and made his way to Camille. Lady Ferros did not look amused by being interrupted by the bastard, but again he showed his heart by handing her the letter anyway and pointing to Jinx after whispering the instructions.

Jinx watched Camille’s eyes scan the contents of the letter before she moved her gaze to her. Jinx smirked and raised her cigar in acknowledgment. Camille moved her glacial gaze to the teen and nodded once before she stopped whatever discussion she was having with some of the lesser houses. Camille handed the letter to one of Noxus’ ambassadors and whispered something that made the official look directly at her.

Jinx smiled when the man nodded once and left it at that.

Good.

This would make her and Noxus even after the whole assassin fiasco and they could remain on good terms moving forward.

And she managed to get rid of an annoying Clan. Clan Tariost was a Clan that wished it was on the same level as Ferros, Kiramman, and Merdarda but they hadn’t brought anything new to Piltover in years. They chose to rely on old deals and money that had been acquired before the invention of Hexgates made their trade routes obsolete.

That said, they still had voting power and some sway on the Council.

They were a rusted and cracked cog in Camille’s beloved machine that had long since needed to be replaced. Problem was that getting rid of them would be too messy and require too much effort than it was worth since there was no guarantee that the replacements in the Clan would work in Camille’s favor.

Fortunately for Camille, Noxus didn’t give a fuck.

They’d crush a Piltovan Clan just because they could to show their strength. After how badly Clan Kiramman humiliated their assassins, they were in sore need of once more showing their strength. Not to mention that they needed to make amends with Zaun.

To put it bluntly, Noxus owed Jinx some bodies, and if those bodies came from a Piltovan Clan so be it.

Oh yes, the Council would be furious but it's not like they’d be able to go to war with Noxus with Clans Kiramman, Ferros, and Tariost demanding zero aggression. Jinx had even made a note to spare the innocent since all of them in the main family had a smaller claim than Aurelie’s son, bastard or not.

Janna, she was getting soft.

But whatever, everything had been put in motion.

Yep.

Just another deal in the life of Baron Kiramman.

Feeling a new pair of eyes on her, Jinx looked up to see a pair of golden orbs staring at her that did not belong to her lovely wife. With a grin, Jinx removed her cigar from her mouth and tapped her finger on the table, and mouthed the word “Next.”

Now amused, the owner of those golden eyes strode confidently across the room.

“Your Majesty,” Jinx greeted as the woman sat down across from her.

“Oh, someone here actually knows that I’m royalty,” Qiyana said with a smirk, nodding her head approvingly. “Though the proper term would be Your Highness, I am a princess, not a Queen.”

Jinx waved her hand dismissively. “Only a matter of time, let's be honest,” Jinx told her. “Though I think the term Empress suits you better.”

Qiyana’s smile widened. “Oh, I think I like you.”

“That puts you on a very short list.” Jinx pointed out.

“The more exclusive, the better Baron Kiramman,” Qiyana told her which made Jinx grimace.

“Please, call me Jinx.”

“Then you may call me Qiyana, or QiQi if you prefer,” Qiyana told her. “Though only the very few individuals I consider friends call me that.”

Jinx raised an eyebrow. “And that’s what we are? Friends?”

“We could be, but that depends on you really,” Qiyana told her. “You see I have a request of you, I would like…advice.”

“Now what on Runeterra makes you think that’s a good idea?” Jinx questioned curiously. “What advice would you possibly need from me?”

“You would be surprised, Jinx,” Qiyana told her. “Believe it or not, in you I find a kindred spirit or rather an inspiration. I have researched you thoroughly, a girl from the slums of this ‘Zaun’ that made her name known to the world. You’ve come from nothing and now sit at the head of your nation. Surely you of all people would be able to help me with my…predicament.”

“You got a fire in your eye, QiQi, I’ll give you that,” Jinx said and the flame she had seen in Karvyq’s son had paled in comparison to the all-consuming inferno in Qiyana’s eyes. “What predicament are you in? Besides, you know, the obvious.”

“The obvious?” Qiyana questioned with a small frown.

“I mean, yeah, you’re from a hidden city in the jungles of Ixtal,” Jinx told her. “Navigating that was a bitch, but Ixaocan was a neat city.”

Qiyana blinked at that. “You’ve been to Ixaocan?”

“Of course, how do you think I know you’re a Queen to be?” Jinx questioned curiously. “Sorry if I broke the whole no outsiders allowed rule but like, I don’t really give a shit about rules and no one saw me anyway.”

Well, that much was clear.

“I mean, I heard rumors of some grand elementalist fucking up Piltovans in the jungle and had to look into that,” Jinx said as if that were obvious and it soon became very clear to the Princess that she was not the only one who had done their research. “You’d be one hell of Queen, too bad your parents are dicks. Thirteenth in line shouldn’t mean a thing when you’re the best. From one little sister to another? I feel you. How did you get here anyway?”

“I was tired of the miners of this ‘Pilt-over’ in our lands and took the place of the ambassador of a smaller city,” Qiyana explained. “He was not so agreeable at first, but really, he did not have much of a choice in the matter as his people have no real power to refuse my wants.”

Jinx nodded. “And you want a lot, don’t you?”

“I do,” Qiyana agreed. “This is why I wish for your advice. After hearing all I needed to of your story, surely you could help me devise a way to take control of the Ixaocan throne. To give the Yun Tal their rightful leader. These Piltovans have no right in our lands but I would agree to let your people partake in some of our resources for your help.”

“I got you,” Jinx nodded before she put out her cigar. “First things first, do you hate your family?” Jinx questioned. “Cause the easiest way is to just straight up kill them and take it. Not like they could stop you.”

“I am not fond of them on the best of days…but killing one’s family is not the Ixaocan way,” Qiyana told her. “Maiming or crippling, maybe, but murder would cause me to lose the support I’ve already gathered.”

“Got you, then I can’t help you,” Jinx said before raising a hand to stop whatever Qiyana was going to say. “Doesn’t mean I can’t point you in the right direction.”

Qiyana frowned. “Go on.”

“The twin cities offer power and resources you can’t imagine seeing how closed off your city is,” Jinx told her. “I mean you saw how I arrived, got anything like that back home?”

“No,” Qiyana admitted. “That metal chariot of yours was quite the spectacle.”

“See? We have tools and weapons you’ve never seen,” Jinx told her. “Getting you the throne ain’t a matter of if we can but how. Thing is, no matter how much drive you think you have, bringing a war to your people isn’t what you want. Not yet.”

“Yet?” Qiyana questioned in confusion.

“You aren’t going to stop at Ixaocan are you? No, you won’t stop until all of Ixtal is under your heel,” Jinx said as she read the Princess like a book. “Expansions rarely happen peacefully but at that point, the people you’re hurting aren’t yours so it doesn’t even matter. But hell, you don’t even have to hurt them if they are scared enough of your power. Or, even better, if they want you to rule them.”

“How would I get them to want to join me?” Qiyana questioned. If it came down to it, she would stop at nothing to complete her ambition, to make her empire, even if she had to tear down the other city-states. However, if she could avoid that then that would only further prove that she was justified to take the throne.

“Why do you have the support you have now?” Jinx asked.

“They respect my power,” Qiyana explained. “They know that I’d be the strongest leader out of my sisters. That I would keep them safe.”

“Well, there you go,” Jinx said as if it were obvious. “You want Ixaocan? Then you gotta leverage this belief. You wouldn’t even have to challenge for your seat on the throne again, they’d kick your parents off it for you.”

“But how would I get that much support?” Qiyana asked as she chose to ignore the chilling implication that Jinx had been there when she bested and crippled her eldest sister.

“Easy, you talk to the right people,” Jinx explained. “You’re a good connection and I can think of, like, a thousand ways I could use you to help me but I can’t help you unless you need weapons which you don’t need yet.” Jinx gestured to Ekko who was currently explaining some of his inventions to potential investors. “Now him? He’s who you need to be talking to. He’s the one that made that ‘metal chariot’. Unlike me, he doesn’t specialize in weapons though he can make those too if needed, just not as good.”

“What does he make?”

“Stuff that makes life easier and better for people,” Jinx explained. “Baron Ekko is your one-stop-shop at improving the lives of everyone in Ixaocan and giving it an edge over the other city-states. I’ve known him almost my whole life, we’ve even tried to kill each other a few times, he’s the real deal and he’ll hook you up if you got the gold. Hell, if you have any dire needs, he might even do it for free to save your people. Bit of a bleeding heart.”

“The way the Piltovans put it, I thought you Zaunites were supposed to all be ruthless savages,” Qiyana murmured.

“Oh, we totally are, but for the right price we’ll play nice,” Jinx told her bluntly. “And unlike the Topsiders, that’s what we call the Pilties, we aren’t going to waste your time with double talk. Tell us what you want and we’ll give you a price. Bit of a warning though, don’t let the fact that he’s a good guy fool you. Baron Ekko was a resistance leader that made and led an army to stand against me and all the other horrors of Zaun. Which are a lot. Treat him like you would treat me and talks should go smoothly.”

Jinx’s warning was clear.

Do not try to manipulate Ekko.

“I see, and here I thought you said you had no advice,” Qiyana said before looking at Jinx suspiciously. “Despite what you outsiders might think, we are not primitives in Ixtal. I know when someone has ulterior motives. You’ve given me a wealth of information, what is in it for you?”

Jinx’s grin was downright diabolical. “See that lady over there?” Jinx questioned as she pointed at Zeri who seemed to have actually have had a pleasant conversation with Seraphine who she saw quickly make her way back to the stage to continue her performance. “That’s Baron Ekko’s right hand and his lover,” Jinx told her. “You want an audience with him, you go to her first and tell her I sent you. Make sure you tell her just who and what you are. A Queen doesn’t deserve to wait in line and she’ll make sure you talk to him immediately.”

Qiyana was still suspicious. “I shall do that, but you still haven't said what you get out of helping me?”

“If everything goes how I think it will, then I’m talking to the future Empress of Ixtal,” Jinx told her. “I think a good relationship with you speaks for itself, don’t you?”

Qiyana beamed at that. “Well, yes, I suppose it does. Very well, I will start with this Baron Ekko, and should the need for weapons arise down the line I will come to you. Though if anything does come up that Ixaocan can assist with, well, clearly you know how to sneak into the city and find me.”

“That I do, Your Majesty,” Jinx grinned and Qiyana waved off her words.

“As I said friends call me QiQi,” Qiyana said before she strolled off toward Zeri. Jinx watched as Qiyana introduced herself to a surprised Zeri and as the blonde shook the Princess’ hand, she looked up at Jinx with disbelief etched onto her face.

Jinx just smirked and gave a small nod before turning away.

“Jinx, what are you up to?” Jinx looked up to see Vi approach her. “Never took you as a wallflower. Thought you would have at least danced or something by now.”

“Dance? With this music?” Jinx asked incredulously. “Sis, I’m hurt, do you not know me anymore?”

Vi laughed. “Come on it's not that bad.”

“You’ve been up here too long, fresh air is rotting your brain,” Jinx said despondently. “You’ve never been to a real Zaun party after the Split, have you? Going to have to educate you.”

“And wake up in a tub of ice missing some limbs and organs?” Vi asked skeptically. “I’ll stick with the Topside shindigs. Seriously though, are you alright? You’ve been working since you arrived, make any good deals?”

“I’m fine,” Jinx reassured Vi. “As for the deals, there were a few trade deals here and there. Some fell through, some didn’t. Oh, and I kind of wiped-out Clan Tariost and opened talks with the royalty of a secret nation, might wanna tell your wife about that.” 

“Jinx, what the fuck?” Vi questioned incredulously knowing full well Jinx meant everything she said.

“What?” Jinx questioned with an innocent frown. There were like, a thousand things Vi wanted to say but instead took a deep breath.

“You’re good at this shit, I’ll give you that,” Vi said as she already felt bad for her wife who’d have to sort everything out. Still, Cupcake knew she was signing up for some sleepless nights when she extended the offer so Vi let it be. Vi had made a point of staying far away from all of this Clan shit. Between her wife, sister, and sister-in-law, Vi figured they had it covered and knew where to find her if anyone needed to get knocked out, or if Caitlyn needed Vi to confirm some more of Jinx’s research.

“Oh! Also, I’m pretty sure that me and the fam might need to crash at your place tonight,” Jinx told her. “Zeri’s getting marked tomorrow, so I doubt we’ll be able to take his car home. Keep it on the DL.”

“Well shit, I owe you some gold,” Vi mused. “What’s her offering?”

Jinx smirked and whispered something into Vi’s ear as if the news was even more sacred than her casual admittance of killing multiple members of a major Clan. Vi took a moment to process what she heard and looked at Jinx in disbelief.

“Jinx. What. The. Fuck?”

Jinx grinned proudly. “The streets will be talking about this one for years.” Jinx puffed out her chest. “Admit it, I’m the best friend ever.”

“If this goes through, little man is going to kiss the ground you walk on,” Vi sighed. “Shit, I can’t even call him that anymore after this. Hell, I won’t even be able to look him in his eyes. I used to wash the oil off that little brat after his junkyard trips, you know?”

“It’s not that bad sis,” Jinx said with an eye roll. “You look me in the eye and I-”

“Nope, stop, uh-uh,” Vi interrupted. “I don’t know how you fucked up your house that day and I don’t want to know. All I do know is that my in-law might be a cannibal and that’s more than enough for me.”

“Might be an emerging chem addict actually,” Jinx said with a thoughtful frown. “Seriously with this body, Shimmer is everywhere I might need to get her tested-”

“Jinx.” Vi hissed. “T.M.I.”

“Sheesh, sorry sis, didn’t know you were so squeamish,” Jinx said with a frown. “I’ve stumbled upon you more than a few times, don’t see me freaking out.”

Vi looked at her in abject horror. “Jinx, sis, I’m begging you. Please stop sneaking around our house.”

Jinx pouted. “Fine…”

Vi loved her sister, truly she did, but holy shit.

“Where are the brats?” Jinx questioned. She had seen Vi walk off with the kids but hadn’t seen her return with them.

“When things start to kick off, the kids go to another room while the adults mingle,” Vi explained. “Don’t worry, they’re fine.”

-With the kids-

 

 

“A-Another c-cookie Ms. Annie?” A terrified heir to some noble house they didn’t know stuttered out as he offered Annie a cookie. Annie, for her part, was sitting on the comfiest chair as if it were a throne while Ren stood next to her, hair tied back and arms crossed with a scowl that made her look like the enforcer their terrified guards should have been.

“Princess,” Ren stressed with narrowed eyes, refusing to let anyone ruin this game for her little cousin.

“Eep! P-princess A-Annie.” The terrified child corrected.

“Yay! Thank you!” Annie said as she took the cookie and broke it in half, splitting it with Ren. “Here you go!”

“Thanks! But don’t you want the bigger half?” Ren questioned as she gratefully took the treat.

“But you’re bigger,” Annie said tilting her head with a thoughtful frown. “You need the bigger share so you can be big and strong like aunt Vi! Or Tibbers!”

Speaking of Tibbers, the fully grown bear was lying next to Annie, glaring at the room’s occupants as if daring them to make any suspicious movements.

“You need to grow too,” Ren said as she was starting to worry about Annie. Jinx was far from the biggest woman in the world, even to a little girl like her. That said, Ren wanted Annie to at least grow that big one day so that people would stop trying to pick on her.

It would save so many lives.

-Flashback-

 

 

“Well look at this,” a boy said as he walked up with two bigger children that all glared at Annie and Ren who had been keeping to themselves. “My mommy and daddy told me about you two. They said that you’re the daughters of traitors and monsters that have no place here!”

Ren glowered at him as Annie looked at him in confusion. This reminded Ren of those horrible days in the orphanage. When she looked around at the enforcers, she saw that they either ignored the bullies or outright sneered at them just like her old caretakers.

“I don’t know any traitors but Jinx says I’m a monster!” Annie said proudly. “Not as scary as her though, not yet, but I’m working on it!”

Ren knew this to be a fact and it was because of this that Vi had given her the most important job tonight.

To save lives.

If she kept everyone alive, she’d be that much closer to being a good enforcer like Vi and Caitlyn!

Still, it sure was challenging saving others from their own stupidity but Ren wouldn’t let the challenge break her. Ren raised her hands and began to tie back her hair as one of the bullies towered over Annie threateningly.

Annie gasped excitedly when she recognized that look of hatred in his eyes and smiled brightly. “Do you want to play!?”

“Play? As if I’d play with a twerp-” whatever he was going to say was stopped when Ren slammed a fist into his jaw and knocked him down. Violence was for emergencies only, and this was an emergency! After all, it was better that they fought with her instead of getting massacred by Annie.

“Aw, I guess Ren has dibs, huh Tibbers?” Annie asked the bear as her cousin continued to beat the ever-loving shit out of the other kids.

-Flashback: End-

 

 

Of course, it wasn’t until they realized that Ren was winning against all the bullies that the enforcers deemed it necessary to ‘intervene’. However, the intervention was stopped when Tibbers decided one of the enforcers would be his next meal. Fortunately, Ren convinced Annie to call Tibbers back before the man died by offering her a cookie.

This placated Annie and only after it became apparent that the murder bear belonged to Annie did the children and enforcers realize Ren had been trying to keep everyone alive. After this, the terrified kids would periodically offer up sweets to Annie and Ren as sacrifices to keep the demon bear at bay.

“I love you, Ren,” Annie told her cousin who she believed to be solely responsible for this game of ‘give Princess Annie treats’. “When you’re big and strong like Aunt Vi and Aunt Cupcake, I want to play with you.”

A chill went down Ren’s spine but surprisingly enough it wasn’t from fear.

But anticipation.

One thing Ren had discovered was that she really, really, liked fighting and shooting. Caitlyn had taken her on her first hunt recently and she loved it. The fact that Vi had said the deer she had was some of the best she ever tasted only reinforced this.

If this was how Annie felt, then she understood her cousin’s passion for fighting!

Still, she was older and knew the difference between right and wrong, life and death, and knew that there was a time and place for play.

A room full of rich kids was not it.

Still, this was actually kind of fun, she hoped their parents were having as much funs as they were!

-With Lux-

 

 

Holy.

Shit.

Would this ever end?

It was getting sad for Lux at this point, she was robbing these people blind and they had no idea. Lux was positive she had made enough money from her deals to single-handedly increase Zaun’s GDP and all it cost her were shares in Jinx’s Shimmer production when they reinstated the plants.

How did this happen? Well, she and Ekko had a plan.

None of the nobles liked being shown up by Zaun in terms of appearance and the fact that Ekko’s car and hoverboards made all of their vehicles look primitive had not been taken in stride. Ekko, of course, was more than happy to build up his reputation for his inventions and begin his next venture in industrialization with all of these nobles as his clientele.

Especially when he would be selling them all vehicles at five times the price they needed to be so sold at while giving them to the people of Zaun for much cheaper. However, in all of Ekko’s talks, he made sure to reinforce that it wasn’t Hextech but rather Chemtech and made sure to call Shimmer “the fuel of the future.”

No, the irony was not lost on him, and he told Lux he could already hear Jinx talking shit about him.

Hell, Lux found herself in a similar situation as between her and her actual Chem-Baron of a wife, she didn’t expect to be the one that was dealing Shimmer.

But here she was.

And she was getting paid.

It's not like Jinx would be making a different strain of the shit either.  The Shimmer Jinx used was the same that everyone else in Zaun did but since she was the daughter of Silco that somehow legitimized hers over the others.

“L-Lux?”

Now she had an idea of why Glasc was so successful, everyone liked to look down on Chemtech until it was prettied up and rebranded as luxury items. Now, suddenly, everyone wanted it and all she had done was the equivalent of changing the label on a bottle of cheap wine and telling them it was a bottle of Demacia’s finest.

Normally Lux would be a little guilty about exploiting such blatant stupidity but given how easy it was for people to think she was some monster using her wife for power, she stopped caring.

Fuck these people.

“Lux?”

Lux scowled to herself as she found herself going to grab herself a drink. This was bullshit, she loved her wife and she’d be sure to show her that when they got back home. Janna only knew what Jinx was probably going through, no doubt hearing all of these peons whisper about how she was being used.

“Lux!?”

“For fuck’s sake, Garen, what!?” Lux hissed as she turned to glare at her brother. Suddenly she felt her jaw drop as she realized that she was glaring at her brother. “G-Garen? What are you doing here?”

“Me?” Garen asked incredulously. “What are you doing here?”

“I would like to know as well.” A terse voice said and Lux turned to see her Aunt Tianna.

Well.

Shit.

This was unexpected.

Lux swallowed. “I believe I am mingling,” Lux answered after she found a surprising lack of fear in her chest. Suddenly as she saw her aunt looking down at her and her brother staring at her as if she were some fragile thing that was going to break, she felt it.

Pure.

Unadulterated.

Anger.

Where the fuck did they get off looking at her like that when she was disowned and left to be exiled if not possibly killed due to her knowledge of Demacia’s secrets?

Secrets she still hadn’t spilled.

“What happened to your arm!?” Tianna whispered incredulously and it was then that Garen seemed to notice the mark and paled.

“I do believe it’s called a tattoo,” Lux said dryly before she downed her drink.

Okay.

Fuck it.

They were going to do this.

Lux gestured to the slit in her dress that revealed her upper thigh. “It doesn’t stop there either.”

“Luxanna!”

“What!?” Lux hissed, her eyes burning gold which made both Garen and her aunt tense. “Come with me before you make a spectacle out of yourselves.” Lux didn’t wait for a response before she swiftly left the main room. Soon she found an abandoned meeting room down the hall and let them in. “What are you possibly going to do? Reprimand me for not bothering to show up for that sham of a trial?”

“We thought you were dead, Luxanna,” Tianna hissed and Garen clutched his fists tightly.

“That night I was coming for you,” Garen told her. “I was going to break you out and hide you outside of Demacia but the tower exploded and you were gone.”

“So, you thought I was dead?” Lux questioned. “With no corpse? We just came back from Sylas’ rebellion which I was on trial for. The first thing you should have suspected was that either he broke me out or I escaped using the same methods he did.”

“There was a body!” Garen retorted. “A blonde woman, just like you.”

“Impossible unless…” Lux groaned as she remembered more of that fateful night and groaned. “One of the guards assigned to look over my cell, she fits that description and was due for another check-in when…it happened.”

Now that she recalled more of that night, she realized that the falling debris had likely crushed the unsuspecting prison guard. The poor woman was likely killed instantly and was unrecognizable if they thought it was her.

“Damn it, Jinx,” Lux sighed. “Well then, that was a very unfortunate misunderstanding. Try to find out who died and I’ll try to have gold sent to their family. It won’t undo the pain they endured but it's something.” Lux turned to her brother and nodded. “Thank you for the attempt, brother, but I am very glad it didn’t work out.”

“What?” Garen asked in confusion while Tianna narrowed her eyes.

“Jinx,” Tianna repeated. “The Piltovans told us it wasn’t her, that she had an alibi, did they lie?” Tianna wondered before her cold gaze fell on her niece.  “Did you consort with that criminal to orchestrate your escape?”

Oh, they did a lot more than consort.

Okay, maybe she was a little tipsy.

It had been a long night.

“How did you even contact her?” Tianna continued. “No one has successfully caught her.”

“She found me,” Lux corrected. “She heard the news and had a similar idea to Garen’s but with a bit more …boom…”

“And why would she do that?” Tianna questioned and Lux sighed.

“We were…acquaintances?” Lux said though it sounded more like a question. “She kidnapped me once from my study,” Lux tried to explain, cringing at how that sounded. The way their jaws set along with the look of shock and horror at the thought of the estate being breached that easily and that one of their own had been kidnapped with them none the wiser. “But it wasn’t maliciously or anything.”

“Please tell me how one does not maliciously kidnap someone?” Tianna questioned tersely.

“Oh, it’s easier than you might expect,” Lux said with a smile, not appreciating her aunt’s tone in the slightest. “She saw that I was miserable in that cell you call home and kidnapped me to give me a break. She knew I was a mage and wanted to give me a day where I could just be me,” Lux explained. “She even brought me back when I asked her to. The only thing she did wrong was let me come back.”

Lux shook her head at her naivete back then.

“If I knew what I knew now, I’d have never returned,” Lux told them seriously and they could tell that came from the heart.

“Lux…you can’t mean that,” Garen said which only made her sigh.

“As much as it hurt me to come to terms with it, I do,” Lux told them. “Demacia is no home for a mage and no matter how much privilege I’m born with, and no matter who you all decided to whore me off to, that will never change no matter how hard I try.” Lux’s shoulders sagged. “I was tired of duct-taping the sinking ship you call a nation. Demacia fears progress and the world is laughing at its cowardice.”

Lux could tell they were not pleased with her words.

But she didn’t care.

“Why are you even here?” Lux questioned Tianna. “You’re the High Marshal, how can Demacia afford to have you both gone in the state it’s in?”

“The harsh winter has caused a momentary ceasefire on both sides and Prince Jarvin is more than capable of running the nation should anything arise in our absence,” Tianna told her. “There was a rumor of a member of Noxus’ Trifarix attending and it was deemed necessary that I attend because of this.”

Lux nodded. That made sense. If Noxus had shown up with a member that prestigious it would have made Demacia appear weak if they could not afford to do the same during a time of war.

Still, that rumor must have been false because she hadn’t seen any sign of Swain or Darius.

Unless they were running late which she doubted ever happened with men of their stature.

“All I’ve seen from Noxus were ambassadors,” Lux told them. “So, what are you going to do? Enjoy the music and wine? You’re just going to say no to anything proposed to you. When you receive but never give back that’s not called trade, that’s called charity. I can tell you now that Piltover has long since run out of goodwill.”

Tianna gritted her teeth. “Piltover has to answer for lying to our faces to protect a criminal and housing you without telling us.”

Lux scoffed. “Piltover doesn’t care about a thing if it doesn’t produce gold, and they didn’t lie, Jinx was in the city that night. I’m a mage remember? Do you think I can’t teleport?” Lux questioned and this was an outright lie but not one they could prove.

Lux would be damned if she was the one to reveal Jinx’s teleporter.

Even fucking Camille hadn’t snitched.

“I wasn’t even here, ask any Councilor, tonight is the first time they saw me,” Lux continued. “I was in Zaun. I live there now.”

“Lies,” Tianna said as Garen looked horrified by the idea of Lux living in Zaun. “If you have been hiding in Zaun you wouldn’t even have gotten an invite. No, they had to have known of your presence or you wouldn’t have been here.”

Tianna’s logic was sound but she was missing a crucial piece of information.

Lux sighed as it was now or never.

The tattoos had no significance to her fellow Demacians but when she raised her hand and showed her ring, the pieces clicked together.

“I’m married now,” Lux said and both Garen and Tianna recoiled at the news. “To one of Zaun’s Barons, this is why I was invited.”

“Luxanna no,” Tianna whispered. “What have you done?”

“I played with the cards I was dealt,” Lux answered. “I saw the documents, I saw all of your signatures, I am not a Crownguard anymore. I can’t stain your precious legacy with this and I won’t because I am a Kiramman now.”

“I thought you said you were married to a Baron of Zaun?” Tianna questioned.

“The world’s changed a lot,” Lux told her. “Clan Kiramman has a branch family now. The head of that family is the Baron.” Lux explained.

“Then Piltover still has much to answer for!” Garen said angrily. “Clan Kiramman still knew of all of this and didn’t as much as send a letter?”

“Why would they!? It didn’t involve you after you disowned me,” Lux reminded him. “What did you expect? Demacia is a non-factor in the twin cities because you all have no Hexgate! Something I’ve been telling, asking, and begging you to let me fix for years.”

Lux gestured toward the door.

“Go out there, Garen, go make a spectacle yourself by yelling at the Sheriff of Piltover,” Lux dared him. “Try to not get arrested when you do. They can’t keep you there but I guarantee you’ll be spending the night while they get the paperwork sorted for your release.” Lux was beyond irritated now. “Why are you even so focused on Piltover? Bias because they aren’t afraid to use magic? I live in Zaun with the Baron and my daughter.”

Everything went silent.

Lux’s eyes went wide as she realized what she said and Garen looked at her as if his heart broke while Tianna looked as though something had blown up in front of her.

“I’m going to kill him,” Garen said as he moved to the door only to stop when a blast of light shot past his head and slammed into the wood, scorching it. Instinctively, Garen reached for the sword on his back only to stop when he remembered where he was.

And who shot the blast.

Lux would ask for the bill later.

“You kill her and I will kill you,” Lux promised and it chilled them to their core to hear how serious that threat was. “You will not threaten the mother of my child, you won’t even look at Jinx with the intent to harm her, do you hear me Crownguard?”

Lux was seething.

How dare he even say that?

“Neither of you have your armor on right now,” Lux told them. “Make no mistake I am the strongest one in this room so we are doing this on my terms.”

“Jinx, you married Jinx?” Tianna questioned and Lux nodded tersely.

“I did and I did so willingly,” Lux told her. “This ring just means that if something happens to her, I take over the family, but this tattoo means that I am her wife. You so much as lay a finger on her and not only will I strike you down, but Demacia will be crushed.” Lux told them. “You’re already struggling with the few rebel mages you have and whatever scraps Noxus is tossing you while it focuses on Ionia. You do not want the twin cities coming from the south.”

Both Tianna and Garen tensed at the thought.

The horrors a single man from Zaun wrought upon an entire country was well-known. Demacia could not deal with Zaun’s mercenaries and abominations along with Piltover’s enforcers in addition to fighting a war on two borders. The strategist in Garen, fortunately, seemed to win over the feeling of righteous fury he felt at the thought of his sister being defiled by a damn Zaunite.

“Do you know what atrocities Jinx has committed?” Tianna asked. “What kind of...of monster she is? Innocent men, women, and even some children were killed by her, and for what? A laugh? This is who you married? Who you claim to love?”

“It is,” Lux said without hesitation. “Do you think I’m innocent or something? You have to know that I wasn’t twiddling my thumbs with the Radiant. Are my atrocities okay simply because it was in the name of ‘duty’? Yes, Jinx has done terrible, unspeakable, things but so have I. Even if I hadn’t, let me ask you this.”

Lux smiled.

“What does any of her crimes, her sins, have to do with me?” Lux questioned. “She’s only done right by me and our daughter and I even find some of her atrocities amusing.” Lux strode past them. “Stay here and calm down before you go back out there. Whenever you return home, you can tell the rest of the family I am alive if you wish. You can even send uncle Eldred my regards but if I see a single mage seeker, I’ll make sure Demacia becomes a crater. For your sake do not test me on this. There is a reason Noxus leaves Zaun alone.”

Lux stopped at the door and glanced back at her brother.

“Garen, I will send you a letter,” Lux told him. “A formal invitation to my home in Zaun that you can accept or throw away. Your attempt to save me ended up being unneeded, but it is not unappreciated. I’ve always seen you as my brother before being a Crownguard and I like to think the opposite is true. Today is not the day to deal with familial issues, you and I can talk things through civily the next time you can afford to take a break from your post.”

“And the rest of your family?” Tianna questioned and Lux smiled at her sadly.

“Your family.” Lux corrected. “I’m not a Crownguard anymore, High Marshal. My days of extending pointless offers are over.”

With that, Lux left her old family alone and unsure of the future.

-With Jinx-  

 

Jinx finally decided to “move the party” to the balcony where she could smoke, drink, and relax alone after all the work she put in. Looking to the side she saw two birds standing on the rail, a raven and her little bluebird friend.

She was going to start carrying seeds for the little guy or gal at some point.

However, before she could ponder more about her impromptu pet, she felt arms circle around her and smiled.

“Hey Flashlight,” Jinx said as she turned around with a smile and saw Lux smiling at her. “How are you? Saw you walk off with your family. You okay?”

It took everything in her power not to follow but she couldn’t afford to leave.

She still had one last deal to make.

For Annie.

“I am now, you know how Demacians get,” Lux said before she pressed her lips to Jinx’s and melted in the arms of her wife. When they broke apart, Jinx smiled as she rested her forehead against Lux’s, humming a small little tune.

“Hey, can I ask you a question?” Jinx asked.

“Of course, honey, you know you can ask me anything,” Lux said and she felt Jinx’s arms tighten around her.

“Where’s my wife?” Jinx questioned. “I’d like to know before I kill you.”

Lux’s eyes widened at her words before a smile split her face. “Well I’ll be, Swain didn’t exaggerate about your skill, girl. Though, I’ll tell him to add being an excellent kisser to the list. Tell me, how’d you know?”

“You smell like me, like death, she has blood on her but she's not like us. She doesn’t thrive in death,” Jinx said before she released the woman.

“Oh, you are letting me go already? What about your precious Flashlight?”

“She’s fine,” Jinx glanced at the raven. “Birdman wouldn’t ruin the good thing we have going on.”

“He wouldn’t, but you’ve killed a lot of my men recently.”

“Oh please, it's your fault for not sending Katarina,” Jinx said dryly. “Don’t blame you though, she’s needed in Ionia. If anything, killing those no-names just weeded out the weak for you, you’re welcome by the way.”

The woman giggled at that. “My, my, aren’t you an interesting one. Had I known earlier I would have long since added you to my collection. You would have been the greatest assassin under my employ and my favorite bed-warmer.”

“Maybe in another life, toots,” Jinx chuckled before offering her a cigar. “Want a smoke?”

“No thank you, those things will kill you, you know?”

“So will impersonating my wife,” Jinx said dryly which only made the woman laugh lightly before joining her in leaning against the rails of the balcony. “So, you’re not Birdman and you’re not Scarface, I take it you’re the Faceless.”

“I am, and I hear you have a deal for the Trifarix Baron Kiramman,” the Faceless said with a smile. “The other two’s talents are needed more back home with Ionia being so troublesome, but I was free to travel where needed."

"You’re why they sent Tianna aren’t you?”

“I am,” the Faceless confirmed. “Wanted to see if you were as good as they say or just being a parrot for the Demacian. Only way to ensure she left your side would be to provide an adequate distraction.” The Faceless pouted. “A wasted effort, you two were seldom with each other tonight. I could have saved my time.”

“My bad?” Jinx said though it sounded more like a question. "Also sorry you got stuck playing messenger.”

“Don’t be, the company was more than worth it.”

Jinx just rolled her eyes and gestured toward her tattoo.

“Alright, so here’s the deal.” Jinx began as the woman(?) pouted more. “You promise to leave the twin cities alone in the event you take over the rest of the world and in turn, we stay out of your battles, well, unless someone hire’s Zaun’s mercenaries again then that’s on them. We’re the business hub of the known world, the weapons and resources of the cities are open to whoever has the gold.”

The Faceless nodded having expected this much, Zaun’s loyalty was to the coin, not a nation.

And the same could be said for Piltover no matter how pretty their words were.

Jinx gestured lazily out to the bustling metropolis. “The cities lasting this long without a military should be more than enough to satisfy Noxus’ need for us to show our strength.”

“Hm, interesting, and how would you ensure Piltover’s cooperation?” the Faceless questioned.

“Clans Kiramman, Ferros, and even for extra insurance, Tariost, will block any votes to interfere,” Jinx told her. “I have a feeling you’ve been creeping around enough to know this is true.”

“I might have seen a thing or two that supports your claims,” the Faceless mused. “Tempting offer, but what’s to stop us from taking over the twin cities once we’ve dealt with the other stubborn countries?”

“Zaun,” Jinx told her. “We’d die before we lose our freedom and I’ve made sure the right people know how to press the ‘self-destruct button’. If we die, Piltover falls too, and Noxus will be without the heart that pumps that lifeblood we call gold into all of its new territories. Look at me, you know we’re crazy enough to do it.”

The Faceless met Jinx’s gaze and saw nothing but insanity. There was no reasoning with this…no the Faceless wouldn’t insult the Baron by calling her a woman she was…more than that…a monster. The very concept of madness. She was the personification of Zaun’s chaos and lack of morals which had even given the Trifarix pause every so often.

Yes, they had hired Singed to damage Ionia.

But even they were a bit surprised at just how far the mad doctor went.

“I believe you,” the Faceless told her. “But our people won’t, Darius won’t, though Swain may be a believer. He’s had an eye on you for a while as you already know. He speaks often of the girl who watched the faces fading in the flames, how it was all her fault.”

Jinx exhaled the smoke. “Birdman needs a new hobby.”

“He does.” The Faceless laughed. “Though you sparking his curiosity is what made him persuade me not to take you. A decision I am growing increasingly frustrated with the more I hear you talk.”

Jinx nodded knowingly. “Yeah, me talking frustrates a lot of people.” Jinx glanced at her. “Your people and Scarface won’t believe it? Well then, what if they could see a Noxian in a place of power?”

“I’m listening.”

“You know my daughter,” Jinx told her. “The one you sent assassins at so you could weed out the weak. The one I’m even bothering to do all of this for. By the time she’s my age, she will take my spot.” Jinx told her. “And make no mistake she will fucking own these cities. With her in charge, your people shouldn’t worry, especially not if she’s a Hastur, right? Might need a little help on your end, but I feel like you of all people can spin a good story when the time comes.”

The Faceless glanced at the raven saw its head twitch a bit.

“I do believe I can,” the Faceless murmured. “I see Swain was right to let you leave with the girl. She’s become far more valuable than she ever could in Noxus. Still, what of the land and wealth that was left to her? It’s one thing to let her run the twin cities, but another to let her have actual Noxian land.”

“I’m honestly surprised you didn’t just take it by now,” Jinx admitted.

“The key to a successful nation is to lead by example and follow your principles in the eyes of your people,” the Faceless chided. “Nobility in Noxus means something, as it has to be earned. To take her inheritance from her would be to spit in the face of all who earned their right to sit at the top. Our nobles would be in an uproar because they would view their legacies to no longer be safe.”

“And that would send the whole house of cards crashing down,” Jinx mused. “But you also can’t let her keep it if we do this, can you?”

“And repeat Glasc’s mistake?” the Faceless scoffed. “You were supposed to be a figurehead and look what happened. To agree to this, we would have to show a unified front and make room at our table for the girl but we will not let her have any power in Noxus especially not with you and the Demacian raising her.  The twin cities are more than enough to be a suitable dollhouse for her.”

“Makes sense,” Jinx admitted, she was no fool there was no way the Trifarix would actually make such a mistake like the Barons of Zaun had.  Though she’d like to think she did a pretty okay job but whatever. “Well, it’s my kid’s inheritance so I can’t give it to you for free.”

The Faceless appeared amused. “I’m assuming this is where the second part of your deal comes in?”

“It is,” Jinx confirmed. “Everything we just talked about is insurance in case you win all the wars. Doesn’t mean shit if you lose, this next part has more immediate results and might even help you a bit.” Jinx grinned. “You see long ago, when there was just the one city of Zaun, we had a dream of cutting through the Isthmus and uniting the seas around Valoran and Shurima.”

“Ah, yes, I remember that, it is why the cities are in the state that they are in,” the Faceless nodded. “Oh, do not tell me that you are insane enough to try it again?”

“Not just insane enough, smart enough,” Jinx told her. “Those people back then? They cut corners, big corners, and knew shit about engineering. My old man used it as a lesson to teach me to be thorough in my work. Their stupidity made Zaun weak, and through its weakness the people got strong. Yeah, the Pilties have Hextech but we have Chemtech and way more smart people.”

Jinx grinned mischievously at the Faceless.

“I’m a Jinx, but I have people I can trust to check my work and stop me from fucking this up,” Jinx told her. “We can build this better, safer, and faster with the tools we have now. The canal won’t be as fast as the Hexgates but it will be able to transfer more goods at once without restrictions. You give me the manpower, and you can have what the Hasturs left Annie.”

“You would give up your daughter’s inheritance?”

“She gave me permission,” Jinx told her. “Give me legal guardianship over her in your nations’ laws and I’ll sign what I need to get this to go through. I’ll even give you ten percent of the wealth that comes through the canal as a tax.”

The Faceless narrowed her eyes.

“Twenty.”

“Fifteen,” Jinx said firmly. “Everyone you send is getting trained in modern technology for free. You and the Demacians can keep playing with swords and shields if you want, but bombs and guns will always win.”

“Deal,” the Faceless said and she and Jinx shook on it. “What do you plan to name this grand venture of yours anyway?”

“I’m thinking of calling it the Storm Gate,” Jinx said as she glanced at the bluebird which sang happily. “Forgetting where we came from is what fucked us up in the first place. I’d rather have Janna with us during the construction instead of waiting till we're all dying and screaming her name for her to come.”

The Faceless chuckled at that. “Well, I am sure you’ve made your goddess proud, you’re easily the most entertaining thing I’ve encountered in quite some time. Are you sure I cannot persuade you to be mine?”

“Again, happily married.”

“The more the merrier,” the Faceless offered which made Jinx sputter.

“Lady, if you even are a lady, please leave,” Jinx groaned which made the Faceless giggle. Soon, she raised a hand and after promising to send a written agreement, she snapped her fingers and vanished.

Guess it was true what they say.

There was always a weirder fish out there.

Suddenly, Jinx could hear the music again and realized that whatever the Faceless had done had probably kept them undetected.

Shit like that was why she had trust issues.

Oh well, at least the hardest part of the night was now behind her-

“Jinx?” Jinx blinked, her blood turning cold as she turned to find a curious Seraphine standing before her. Jinx glanced back over the balcony and wondered if she could survive the jump.

-With Lux-

 

 

Lux needed to take a moment to calm down, her nerves were on edge after being ambushed by her family. One thing she was grateful for was that Jinx had not followed. There was no way that that wouldn’t have ended up with someone dead. Not to mention, she needed Jinx to focus on beating Renata and she needed to take every minute she could to get as many deals under her belt as possible.

Now, that she was calm Lux could reunite with Jinx and see how things went.

After all, if Jinx saw Lux distressed, she would flip.

Nope, happy thoughts!

Deep breaths!

Be calm.

Be cool.

Be collected.

And…smile-oh hell no, what the fuck is that bitch doing?

Happy thoughts completely vanished the moment Lux saw Jinx was cornered by Seraphine. Blood rushed to her head when she saw the frantic expression on her wife’s face. Lips curling into a sneer, Lux strolled forward only to have Ekko loop an arm through hers.

“Lux! There you are, dance with me for a little bit,” Ekko said with a bright smile before he pulled her to the dance floor and held her close. “The fuck is wrong with you two?” Ekko hissed out through his teeth. “Why do you both keep killing Seraphine?”

Lux gasped at that. “I wasn’t going to kill her!” Lux whispered incredulously.

“You shoved her away from Jinx and she went free-falling over the edge,” Ekko said dryly which made Lux pale. “You killed her. Whatever this mess is? Fix it before-”

A loud zapping sound was heard that was followed by a high-pitched yelp and then an eerie silence.

“Fuck me.” Ekko raised his Z-drive.

<<<Rewind<<<

 

“Keep your hands to yourself and get to your wife,” Ekko told a very confused Lux as they suddenly stopped moving toward the dance floor. A little disoriented, Lux heeded his warning and resumed her trek toward the pink menace.

“Like I’ve been trying to tell you, your song is so-why do I hear screeching violins?” Seraphine questioned curiously.

“Lux, oh thank Janna, help she won’t stop listening to my soul,” Jinx said before quickly moving behind her wife, blatantly using her as a shield to defend herself from that…thing. “She’s so fucking weird,” Jinx whispered nervously.

“Huh, oh hello…very scary lady,” Seraphine said nervously when she saw a pair of golden eyes glaring at her. “I…um…I’m sorry?”

Lux crossed her arms. “For what?”

“I don’t know, but I’m scared enough right now to apologize for just about anything really,” Seraphine said honestly. “I, erm, can you tell me what I did and I’ll apologize more accurately?”

Lux took a deep breath.

“I’m going to ask you this once, and one time only,” Lux began. “Why are you stalking my wife?”

“Your what?” Seraphine stopped when she noticed the tattoos on Lux’s arms. “Ah…oh.” Seraphine swallowed nervously and glanced at Jinx. “So that’s a no on the after-party then?” Seraphine asked before looking at a Lux who did not seem amused. “Sorry, didn’t know she was married or that her wife was so cute-eep!” Seraphine hopped to the side just in time to avoid getting zapped.

If Lux wasn’t so disturbed, she probably would have been impressed by Seraphine’s reaction speed.

“Jinx, stop, I’m obscuring us from sight but I will not cast an illusion on a corpse for the rest of the night,” Lux told Jinx who narrowed her eyes at the singer.

“You can do that?” Seraphine squeaked out.

“I can and I might take back what I just said if you don’t tell me why you’re so fascinated by my wife,” Lux stressed the last word purposefully.

“Sorry, it’s just I can hear the sounds of people's souls, the music they make,” Seraphine explained and the fact that Lux hadn’t called her crazy yet gave her some confidence to keep talking. “I love the music but it can be too much without my dampener.” Seraphine gestured to the device. “Problem is, when I use it, everything becomes so dull and lifeless.”

Seraphine grimaced at the thought.

“But Jinx is different, her song drowns out all the others and it's so crazy I can’t follow it at all,” Seraphine smiled. “It inspired some of my best hits and even though it's loud it's not as bad as hearing everyone else jumbled together.”

Seraphine suddenly gasped.

“Oh wow,” Seraphine tilted her head. “Yours is…really good with hers, like really good,” Seraphine said before she gave them a sad smile. “I messed up and missed my chance, didn’t I?”

Lux nodded but her expression did soften a bit. “Maybe the next time you find a song you like you don’t chase them down like a crazy person? Especially not if the person you’re chasing is in the middle of committing armed robbery.”

Seraphine winced and her face was as pink as her hair.

“Okay, yeah, not my finest moment. Noted.” Seraphine nodded. “I hope I didn’t mess up your evening. So sorry about this and uh, apparently traumatizing your wife. Wow, I traumatized Jinx, you really have to tone back the thirst girl,” Seraphine murmured to herself as she walked off.

Lux and Jinx relief both sighed in relief once that mess was gone-

“Oh, sorry, me again,” Seraphine popped back up, startling them. “You two don’t come as a packaged deal either, right? Can definitely extend the offer to both of you.”

Lux placed a hand on the hilt of her blade and undid the illusion she cast on it. “Leave.”

“Yep, okay, I just had to confirm. You miss 100% of the shots you don’t take,” Seraphine swiftly turned around. “Man, Zeri’s going to be disappointed.”

“I think she’ll be fine,” Jinx said dryly as Seraphine walked off.

“I’m sorry did she say Zeri?” Lux asked in confusion.

“Yeah, Zeri’s getting marked tomorrow, so you’ll have to pay up at some point,” Jinx told her. “She’s putting together an offering for little man in between helping him with his deals,” Jinx gestured to Ekko who was in the middle of talking to Zeri and Qiyana. When Seraphine approached, she whispered something in Zeri’s ear.

Zeri visibly cringed and with a wince she looked over at them with an apologetic expression and mouthed “Sorry!”

“An offering?” Lux repeated. “What’s that?”

“Huh?” Jinx blinked before frowning as she thought of how to explain. “Oh, well I’m not sure what they do in Demacia but if it's similar to the Pilties then the closest thing to an offering in their traditions would be a…bachelor party, I guess.”

Lux’s eyes widened at that.

“But again, that’s just the closest thing I can think of, they’re totally different traditions,” Jinx continued. “In Zaun, everything is a transaction. When you ask for someone’s mark you have to give something in return,” Jinx explained. “Now, I told you way back that people don’t gossip in the Undercity which might seem weird cause our rep is our biggest asset. People don’t gossip so you get your rep by doing things the people can see or feel the effects from. You following along?”

“Yes,” Lux nodded as this was all stuff she had picked up by now.

“Cool, well an offering is the exception to that. It’s the one time you’re allowed to gossip,” Jinx explained. “Seeing just how far someone will go for your mark will raise your rep for being worth all the effort and theirs for going through with it. People gossip about these all the time and it inspires others to try to even go further to get their marks.”

“Wait, does that mean I was supposed to do something for you!?” Lux asked in alarm, suddenly knowing how in the dark Caitlyn must have felt when she found out about Zaun marriages.

Suddenly her heart hurt a bit, why didn’t Jinx tell her?

Surely, she had proven by now that Jinx of all people didn’t need to hide her heritage from her?

Lux looked at Jinx who only looked back at her confusion.

“What are you talking about? You gave me your offering,” Jinx said and now Lux’s confusion only grew. “Remember? The first thing you did after you got tatted was get up and travel from the outskirts of Zaun to Piltover alone and come back with a mountain of gold. People are still talking about that. Do you have any idea how many people would have died trying something like that?”

Lux felt her jaw drop at this news. Honestly, she hadn’t thought much of it, she went to Piltover, made an admittedly large withdrawal, and came back home without too many worries because she had the privilege of being a light mage.

A deadly light mage.

Not to mention, when she thought about it, even though she advised Jinx with their finances she did give all of that gold to Jinx.

“I really wish you told me that had significance,” Lux told her which made Jinx pout.

“Sorry, but I was kind of choked up about getting married to the girl of my dreams,” Jinx reminded her. “I know I’m me but I can be a girl sometimes too.”

Lux smiled softly at that before a thought occurred to her. “Wait, what did Caitlyn give Vi?”

“Uh, an entire life Topside?” Jinx said with a small laugh. “The offering can be before or after the mark is given, the timing doesn’t matter, just the transaction being completed does. There are a lot of jealous bitches hating on Vi in Zaun and there have been for years.”

Huh, well how about that.

“So, what’s Zeri been working on-no,” Lux said, her eyes wide and Jinx’s grin threatened to split her face. Lux turned around and looked at Ekko who was conversing with what she assumed were three very powerful women. Zeri was power incarnate and Seraphine while not as powerful did have influence.  Lux had no idea who the third person was but she had a crown and exuded power that Lux figured was both influential and actual, raw power.

Lux could feel the magic pour off the woman.

“Yep,” Jinx confirmed, giggling madly. “Don’t let her personality fool you, Zeri has one of the best silver tongues in Zaun. Can talk a fish outta water, that one. All I had to do was get her in front of the right people. It might seem strange to you that she’s going so far for this but that’s because you’re not from Zaun. Gotta think like a Zaunite, she gets all of his fantasies out of his system now and after this, if he so much as looks at another woman, it’s Zeri’s Janna given right to strike him down.”

“Wow...does he, you know, know?”

“Not at all and it’s glorious,” Jinx said, reveling in the chaos. “And who says good things don’t happen to good people?”

“I…I don’t think anyone says that…”

“They do in Zaun,” Jinx said with a shrug. “Could have done without the two offers for a threesome with my wife tonight, but overall productive Progress Day.”

“Yeah, it really-wait, two?” Lux questioned and Jinx winced.

“Oh yeah, almost forgot, I accidentally kissed someone who pretended to be you?” Jinx said but it sounded like a question. “Didn’t realize it wasn’t you until right after.”

Lux’s eyes narrowed, blazing bright gold, and Jinx shuddered.

“Baby I can explain.”

“Start.”

“Luxanna? Luxanna Crownguard?” a voice spoke up and they both turned to see a surprised Ezreal. “Oh, wow, um so hello. Nice to meet you, I’m actually a bit of a fan-”

“Leave.”

“Understandable, have a good night,” Ezreal turned away and left not wanting to deal with the demon that was possessing the woman he had a crush on. Keyword being “had” as even though he was Piltovan he knew what those marks he saw on Lux’s arm when she turned around meant.

He became who he was today through equal amounts of skill and luck.

He was not about to test either.

“Well?” Lux questioned and Jinx quickly ran her through what happened. When a terrified Jinx finished her tale, Lux was looking at Jinx with a look of morbid fascination. “All of that happened? And they agreed?”

Nervously Jinx nodded her head.

“So, that was your trump card and it worked,” Lux said quietly, her expression amazed. “That’s so wild….”

“R-right?” Jinx said with a hesitant smile.

“…it’s so wild that I’m still going to war with Noxus,” Lux said with that same mystified tone that made Jinx pale when she saw Lux begin to move toward the nearest Noxian ambassador.

“Babe, no!” Jinx whispered urgently, pulling Lux back into her arms. “Come on, stay with me, deep breaths, think of the future, of Annie.” Jinx smiled when she felt Lux relax in her arms. Sheesh, and they thought she was the crazy one.

“I am not happy.”

Jinx laughed. “I know, but I’ll make it up to you.” Jinx kissed her neck and looked up to see Seraphine get back on stage and was thankful that that lust demon was no longer looking at her. “Come on, dance with me, night is ending soon.”

“Dance,” Lux repeated as she felt Jinx lace their fingers. “Have we ever gone dancing?”

“No,” Jinx answered. “Try not to step on my feet, clumsy.”

Lux gasped. “I am not clumsy and I am an excellent dancer, I’ll have you know. My mother wasted more than a fair share of gold on instructors. Not that I often took advantage of it, dancing was never fun.”

“Well of course not, it’s not fun till you do it with someone you care about, even I know that,” Jinx grinned at her as she dragged her wife to the dancefloor. In her peripheral vision, she saw Lux’s aunt and brother enter the room, both freezing in place when they saw them. Fortunately, Lux hadn’t noticed and Jinx grinned at them.

Let them be mad.

They had no claim over her wife and if they wanted to do something about it, they could find her later.

 “Now be amazed,” Jinx said as she faced Lux. “You had all of those fancy-schmancy instructors, but my teacher was still the best.” Jinx laughed as she pulled a blushing Lux close. “Try and keep up.”

“Jinx,” Lux glanced around. “People are staring.”

Jinx’s grin widened. “Let them.” Jinx led Lux through the movements and she followed effortlessly. “No matter where I go, there are wolves around me but I don’t care. When you’re around? It’s like there’s this spell you cast on me.”

Lux’s eyes widened when she heard Jinx’s quiet but heartfelt words.

“Show not tell, that’s how we do it in Zaun but I gotta stop acting like you aren’t a Demacian,” Jinx said as she gazed into Lux’s eyes. “So, I’ll meet you halfway, Sunshine, just in case there’s any confusion left. We live in a pit of snakes, hungry, venomous but I’m not scared cause you’re the cure to the disease that was my life.”

Lux’s eyes burned gold, her body beginning to shimmer as she looked into Jinx’s shining eye. The tempo of the music increased as did their movements while Jinx quietly professed her undying love to her wife. So lost in their own little world, none of them noticed the entire room stop and stare.

“I’m a small woman that likes to live larger than life,” Jinx told her. “But when I hear your voice, the one that chases out all of those demons in my head? I know I can face anything.”

-Flashback-

 

 

Jinx grinned as she stood back-to-back with Lux, taking out everyone that ran at them. Jinx had picked some very strong people for the teams, but she had faith that Flashlight and her could take them all.

*Flash*

 

Jinx moved through the cloud of dust she created after bombing the cell and when it began to settle, she saw her.

Flashlight.

Her body burned with hatred that these clowns would even think to put her in chains after all the good Lux had done for their ungrateful asses. Jinx knew firsthand how badly making a mistake could ruin a person and as she undid those ivory shackles, she promised to make sure the same didn’t happen to her.

*Flash*

 

There.

It was done.

Only when she removed the needle from Lux’s skin did Jinx allow her hand to start shaking. Her body trembled as her mind tried to register the fact that Lux had stayed there despite the obvious pain she felt when she marked her.

Feeling a pair of warm arms wrap around her, Jinx allowed herself to cry as she realized that someone she loved had truly loved her back. Lux said nothing as she rested her chin atop her new wife’s head, making sure that Jinx understood that she was here to stay.

*Flash*

 

 

Sitting down in Silco’s chair in the Chambers, Jinx couldn’t help but notice how much smaller it seemed, how much it fit her just as his jacket had. It was comfortable and soon Jinx felt as though she could do this.

When she felt Lux squeeze her shoulder, Jinx then knew that she could.

On their own, they were good, but together? They were unstoppable.

*Flash*

 

Standing in that rundown manor, Jinx picked up a piece of shattered glass from one of the window sills and played with it in her hand. That crippling despair she once felt had numbed considerably and while the hurt and shame were still there, it all paled in comparison to the warmth and love she felt from her family.

She could do this.

She could fix this house.

She could fix his dream.

*Flash*

 

Holy shit, Flashlight was right!

It worked, he took the offer!

Jinx valiantly hid her surprise and stomped down that feeling of hope in her chest that she felt when Ekko sat down at the table with Zeri behind him. It had been…nice…spending time with him in her workshop but she didn’t get her hopes up that they could be friends again.

Yet here he was, and despite all reason, Jinx found herself unable to stop herself from wondering if she could repair that broken bridge between them.

Oh, who was she kidding?

Of course, she could!

Lux said she could fix anything so that meant she could!

It was that simple.

*Flash*

 

She should be dead.

How she had made it this far, Jinx would never know but by the grace of Janna, Chuck had come through after he finally stopped fighting her about getting an apology gift.  She was annoyed, but she had to admit a bit of backbone looked good on him.

Just not when used against her but she’d forgive him.

As she laid on her now ruined couch, looking up at Lux and her brave little girl who did her best to hide the fear Jinx could see clear as day, Jinx knew she had to pull through. Before she would have been content going out in a blaze of glory and taking whoever she was after out with her, but things had changed.

She changed.

Like Lux said her life wasn’t just hers anymore, it had become bigger than her and she’d be damned if she let it all come falling down like this.

She’d live.

She had to.

*Flash*

 

“Sorry.”

The words were out of Jinx’s lips before she could stop them, but she couldn’t help it. Seeing Caitlyn laying bare from the waist up, vulnerable and putting her faith in Jinx all for the sake of making her wife happy finally did it.

It finally made it click.

Caitlyn was Vi’s light and that thought didn’t sicken her as much as it used to. No, on the contrary, the only thing that had sickened her was her actions when she looked back on everything and put Lux in Caitlyn’s place. She had had issues with Vi, issues that she had to put behind them for their family’s sake, but Caitlyn didn’t deserve all of that pain she put her through.

She was just the one Piltie that was trying to do right by both cities and nothing more.

“Apology accepted,” Caitlyn said and neither said another word which was great for Jinx. Zaunites let their actions speak for them and like they said, a picture was worth a thousand words.

So, she’d put all her feelings into Vi’s mark and call it a day.

*Flash*

 

“Why clouds?” Lux had asked as they laid naked in each other’s arms, basking in the afterglow of round…well…Jinx lost count but it was great.

“When I was a kid, Vi and I would play a game where we’d make up monsters and she’d chase them away from me,” Jinx began. “When we got older and the monsters became real, she gave me a flare she built. It would release these big blue clouds of smoke that would let her know I was in trouble. Every single time I have ever used that flare in my life, even as things went to shit between us, she came.”

It was still the one promise Vi had never broken.

“But when she was gone, I knew I had to protect myself,” Jinx told her. “I couldn’t be weak forever, I had to be the one to chase away my monsters, you know? So, I put those clouds on my skin, they’d always be there, always ready to ward away the scary things and keep me safe against the monsters. The clouds are meant to be our protection from the monsters in the world, and I’ll do my best to protect anyone with them from the monsters.”

Jinx turned to stare Lux in her eyes and gently grasped the side of her face.

“You’re strong, stronger than me but please don’t underestimate me. I’ll keep you safe.”

Lux kissed her. “I know.”

*Flash*

As Jinx walked down the steps she froze when she turned the corner. In the front room, she saw Lux laughing and smiling as she talked with Ekko and Zeri. A gunshot caught her attention, and when she turned, she saw Vi sitting on the patio watching with a smile as Caitlyn watched over Ren and Annie’s target practice.

This image was beautiful.

Moreso than any explosion Jinx had ever seen and she knew then that she could never let things go back to the way they were.

-Flashback: End-

 

 

Lux found herself laughing as she danced with Jinx who once again blew away her expectations. It wasn’t her love for the woman talking either. Jinx truly was the best dance partner she ever had, she was skilled but more than that she was fun.

So focused on the moment she had with her wife, Lux never noticed how the particles of light exploded and filled the room, illuminating every dark corner and leaving the onlookers frozen in awe at the sight.

Off to the side, Renata stood alone and leaned against a wall as she watched them.

*Flashback*

 

 

“Why are we wasting our time with this?” A young man questioned as he watched Renata, who was no older than fifteen, finish piecing together a radio. It wasn’t the easiest thing to do with one arm, but Renata was too prideful to ask for help and he knew she was more than capable of completing the task. Eventually, the taller girl got it to work and soon music began to play under the bridge they found themselves in. “What is that?”

“Music,” Renata answered, rolling her black eyes as if it should have been obvious.

The boy scowled. “Clearly, I meant…what kind?”

“Hell if I know, but it’s nice, isn’t it?” Renata questioned. “Pilties listen to this shit when they’re gloating about how much better than us that they think they are.”

“Why did you even deign it necessary to turn this on, Ren?”

“Why did you ‘deign it necessary’ to sneak up there and memorize their dictionaries?” Renata mocked back. “To beat your enemies, you have to think like them, fucking hell, Sil, those are your words. Now come here.”

Sil’s eyes widened when he suddenly found himself pulled right up against the taller girl who grinned down at him. “W-what are you d-doing?”

“I’m teaching you how to dance, Sil.” Renata answered. “I won’t be going on jobs with you and V anymore while I focus on my work. I won’t be there to save your ass when you no doubt trip on something during the escape. You’re the brains but you’ve got no brawns, at the very least we’re getting your feet working properly before you get yourself killed.”

Sil scowled. “I am not that bad.”

“Tell that to someone who didn’t have to carry you away from the last job on their back,” Renata said dryly and she saw her friend blush at the memory. “I have one arm, why is it always filled with you?”

“Because you like to sweep me off my feet?” Sil suggested only for her to flick him on his forehead.

Hard.

“Idiot,” Renata shook her head. “We’re doing this whether you like it or not, normally the guy leads but we’re changing that for now.”

“Fine,” Sil sighed knowing there was no talking her out of this. “Lead away.”

The two swayed for a bit, with Renata instructing him every so often when she felt him tense or stumble over his feet or hers. Her feet were going to be killing her but he was getting better which was the whole point.

“Where did you learn?” Sil asked after a while.

“Dad,” Renata answered quietly and Sil tensed but nodded his head. After a moment she spoke again. “I’m going to make them pay, Sil, all of them.”

Sil hummed in acknowledgment. “Why are you leaving, Ren?”

“You saw how V looked at me when I killed that enforcer,” Ren began with a scowl. She had the enforcer at her mercy, begging for her to let him go. V had shouted at her to leave him alone so that they could make their escape but Renata refused and shot him in the head.

The look V gave her made her grit her teeth.

“Mark my words, Sil, he’s too soft,” Renata told him. “He’s too willing to compromise the mission. I’d rather focus on my own goals, build my legacy before he gets us killed.”

“I have faith in my brother,” Sil told her. “Though I understand you do not, and will not fault you on your decision.”

“You should come with me,” Ren suggested. “Together? Nothing could stop us, you know this.”

“That’s true, but as you pointed out I am the ‘brains’, should I leave V to his own devices everything we’ve gotten this far will be lost,” Sil reminded her. “Plus, I have faith in him.”

Renata sneered. “Well, that makes one of us.”

Sil just chuckled. “Besides, you and I would clash, our ideals are two different where it counts.”

“We want the same thing!”

“We don’t. Yes, we want to see Piltover looking up at us for once, but I want that to happen by building Zaun up,” Sil began as he gazed up into her eyes. “You want that to happen by knocking them down, we are not the same.”

Renata released him and turned away. “They deserve to be knocked down! After all that they’ve done! Why can’t you idiots see that!?”

“I do see it, Ren, and believe me I hold no warmth or compassion for them in my heart,” Sil told her. “But a good king knows what hill to die on. I love Zaun more than I hate Piltover and that is where we differ. That is why if you stand in my way, I will come at you with all that I am.”

“I’d crush you.”

Sil smiled sadly as he pretended not to notice how his proud friend wiped at her eye. “I know you’d try.”

“It didn’t have to be like this, Sil, you do know that, right?”

“I know and what we could have built would have made the Topsiders green with envy,” Sil said as he turned away from his friend, folding his hands behind his back. “But we both know we would never let our hearts compromise our missions.”

“Unlike V.”

Sil chuckled. “Yes, unlike V. Thank you, Ren, for that last dance I will be sure to practice in your absence. I’d like If one day we could do this again, when we’re on the other side of the storm, perhaps?”

“Perhaps,” Renata said before reaching into her pocket. “Here, take this.”

Sil glance back and caught the object she tossed at him, looking down at his palm he saw a bluebird medallion.

“Unlike me, you need all the help you can get,” Renata told him. “That was my mom’s, lose it and that’s your ass, you hear me?”

“Yes, I…” Sil trailed off when he looked up and saw his friend gone. “…I hear you.”

When Sil turned back to gaze at the water, he never saw Renata leaning against one of the massive stone columns upholding the bridge, or how she buried her face in the palm of her hand as the music continued to play throughout the night.

*Flash*

Now in her early twenties, Renata sat garbed in a white bathrobe on a loveseat in her house, basking in the warmth of a fire as she read through a book, a dictionary of all things. When she heard a groan, she glanced down at the floor and saw her house guest wake up.

“Well, well, looks who’s up,” Renata drawled as she saw the man force himself up into a sitting position. “I’d normally wait to tell you I told you so, Sil, but you’ve been out for days, and keeping a fire going for your ass the whole time has left me annoyed.”

“Renata,” Sil said before groaning. “Am I in paradise or hell?”

“Runeterra. If you saw me in either of those places it would mean I died first.” Renata drawled. “Something I left V’s gang to avoid in case you forgot. So, tell me, do you want me to kill him now or later?”

“Neither.”

Renata snapped the book closed and placed it down with enough force to crack the coffee table.

“You can’t be serious-”

“His fate is mine to deliver to him,” Sil hissed and Renata understood. This was a personal matter, he wasn’t being soft-no he’d never been-if anything the flames of betrayal burned away anything that had remained of that boy she once knew.

“Silco,” Renata began. “What will you do now? The rebellion failed, Vander has turned his back on his people, our people, will you finally join me?”

“Would you join me?”

“I’m not the one who needs help,” Renata reminded him. “Unlike you, my power is still growing. Joining you would be a step-down. Zaun can’t rise with so many weaklings like your brother leading her. For our nation, Piltover must fall and I am the only one willing to do anything to make that happen. Surely you see that now?” Renata scowled. “Though honestly, I’m surprised you see anything with that eye of yours.”

“My eye? What are-what the hell happened to me?” Silco asked as he saw his reflection in a nearby mirror which made him recoil. With a trembling hand, he gently traces his fingers over the rough and almost stone-like skin on his face.

“You almost drowned in Zaun’s waters, what do you think happened?” Renata asked dryly. “I think it’s an improvement, at least now you’ll have a reminder of what happens when you allow yourself to follow the weak.”

When Silco didn’t respond, Renata sighed when she saw him still looking at his reflection, horrified.

“Oh please, it’s not that bad pretty boy,” Renata said as she rose to her feet. Raising her prosthetic hand, she gripped his shoulder gently and moved him to take her seat. Even after all these years she towered over him and was easily able to move him as she pleased. As she went to grab something from a drawer, he looked at her arm in confusion.

“Your arm…what happened?” Silco questioned, having not seen anything quite like that. It was clunky and crude, but something about the ultraviolet glow within it seemed to call out to him, to draw him in.

“Hm? Oh, like it?” Renata asked as she made her way back to him. “Still working out some kinks but one day it’ll be even better than my real one.”

“You built it?”

“I did,” Renata confirmed. “I told you, I’m building my legacy and this is the first step, now be still. I’m going to see what I can do for your pale ass.” Silco shuddered when he felt the cold metal of her arm grab his face but remained silent as Renata began to apply makeup of all things to his face. After a moment she smirked. “There, look.”

Silco grabbed the small mirror and saw his reflection. While still not the prettiest sight, it was nowhere near as grotesque as before. That mutated eye of his suddenly looked a lot more intimidating and Renata was right when she said it would serve as a reminder for his chest burned in anger when he saw it.

But soon his eye began to burn as well.

The pain was the worst thing he had felt. It was as if molten metal was being poured into his very brain. With a scream he clutched at his face which made Renata curse. Reaching to the side of the loveseat, she grabbed a strange metal contraption and held him in place with her metal arm. As gently as she could she forced his eye open and used the contraption to inject Shimmer into his eye.

The rush was unlike anything he had felt before, it was overwhelming with the sense of power it shot through him but soon it subsided and the pain was gone.

“What…what was that?” Silco panted out.

“Your eye’s infected,” Renata told him. “That infection spread to your brain so now if we remove your eye you’d die. I just injected you with a bit of Shimmer. It’s an alchemical compound my parents helped the old doctor improve on when they were his assistants. We almost lost you the first time this happened, but we found out how to treat it before I brought you here.”

Renata handed the injector to Silco.

“Do this once a day or you die,” Renata instructed him which made him scowl.

“So, I’m reduced to this? Broken, betrayed, and reduced to depending on chemicals to survive?” Silco questioned before releasing a hollow laugh. “Is this how far I’ve fallen?”

Renata stopped at that as she gazed down at the broken man. It would be so, so, easy to twist this to her favor. To tie him to her, exploit his cunning for her business and solidify her legacy. All it would take were a few words that were already on the tip of her tongue…

…and yet…

“You’ve fallen far, hit rock bottom even,” Renata told him before raising his chin to make him look up at her. “But that’s a good thing, means you’ve got nothing else to lose, doesn’t it? Now you truly know how Zaun feels which means you know how to help yourself just like you wanted to help our nation.”

Renata grabbed a pen and parchment from her desk before jotting something down and handing the paper to Silco along with a single thin vial of Shimmer.

“That’s enough to get you through the week and I’ve given you the Doc’s location for the month, which is almost up,” Renata told him. “You know how much he likes to move and hide, miss him and you’ll die. I could help you, of course, but not for free. If you want chems from me, you give up your mission and join mine.”

The look in Silco’s eye told her that was not an option.

Renata smirked.

“That’s what I thought, looks like there’s still some fight left in you,” Renata said as she began to walk to her door. “You’ve come up from nothing once, do it again. You have a week, a knife, no gold, and the grace of Janna. That should be more than enough for you.”

“Janna?” Silco questioned and Renata gestured back to the coffee table where he saw the bluebird medallion.

“Had it clutched tightly in your hand when you got picked up,” Renata told him. “Either she wants to play one more cruel joke on me or you’re alive for a reason. If it’s the latter, try to live long enough to see what it is. You can stay and rest but if you’re still here when I wake up, I’m shooting you.”

With that Renata left Silco alone with his thoughts.

*Flash*

 

Striding into the Chem-Baron chambers with her hand in her pocket, Renata heard all conversation stop. Everyone in the room minus Silco, Sevika, and the little blue-haired girl who was playing with a scrap monkey paled at the sight of her.

“Renata,” Silco acknowledged. “All of you, leave us.”

Without a word, the other Barons all rose up and quickly left the room. Renata saw Sevika tense and when the little girl noticed her, she looked up at her with wide eyes like a frightened animal and hid behind Silco’s chair.

Silco sighed and sat back in his chair. “I believe I said all of you.”

Sevika looked as though she wanted to protest but knew better than to do that in front of Renata. With a grimace, she scooped up the frightened girl and her toys and left the chambers quickly. When she heard the doors close, Renata moved forward and sat on the table right in front of Silco.

“The fact that runt hasn’t died yet, amazes me,” Renata mused. “She went from following me, to Vander, to you and is somehow still kicking. You honestly have to respect it.”

“Sevika has always been a survivor since she was a little girl,” Silco said before raising an eyebrow. “You know this better than most, is that not why you anonymously donated your old arm to Singed? Still have a bit of a soft spot for your old little minion?”

“Ha! Hardly, I left her behind for a reason, the kid could always scrap with the best but her patience was lacking,” Renata told him. “You’re lucky you keep showing her enough results to satisfy her, but I’m warning you now. When your progress toward the mission slows, watch your back around her, she’s in the perfect position to kill you.”

“That is a risk I’ve known all my life, but you know that despite everything I still believe in loyalty,” Silco told her which made her snort.

“Just know that I warned you, just as I had with Vander,” Renata reminded him. “You have two rabid dogs at your back right now and one day one of them is going to bite you. For the sake of your mission, I suggest you get rid of one of them at least.”

“Two? Are you referring to Jinx?”

Renata nodded. “Girl killed her whole family including Vander, by accident. What makes you think you can control her? The only one that can control that storm is her and your babying of her won’t allow for that. Still, credit where credit is due, she has talent. You should lend her to me, at least then her talents won’t be wasted. I’d turn her into a true woman of Zaun, a woman of focus who can control that tempest within her.”

Silco chuckled. “Which is something I am, admittedly, afraid of. Janna knows what monster you would create out of her. I daresay keeping her away from you is doing the world a service.”

Renata chuckled. “Perhaps.”

Silco’s smile fell. “Enough idle chatter, what is it that you want Renata? Finally ready to accept my invitation to join the table?”

“Are you ready to accept my invitation to be my assistant?” Renata countered. “You and I don’t play the lackey role well Silco. The only way I’m sitting at this table is if you’re dead.”

Silco sighed and shook his head. “One day I hope you’ll realize that the only thing stopping you from getting everything you wanted is your pride. You’re so much more than your hatred for Topside, but I know better than to preach to you. Until the day we can fully unite our forces, we shall continue to work in tandem.”

Renata nodded. “Agreed. Your dealings of Shimmer to other nations provide the perfect cover for me to begin distributing my products to Piltover. Fools think there isn’t a drop of Shimmer on their ivory streets, not realizing all their most powerful women are spraying themselves with it.”

“A subtle, manageable, addiction that they don’t even notice,” Silco mused. “A guaranteed source of income, impressive. Though how did you manage to stop the mutation?”

“Shimmer has about as many different strains as you do shoes. I use the weakest one I’ve developed for my products.” Renata told him. “After all, even weakness has its uses when applied correctly. Currently, the Doc and I are having a friendly competition to find the perfect strain. One that could ideally give someone all of the power, permanently, without becoming an abomination.”

Silco hummed in thought. “And what would you two do when you’ve found that strain?”

“Knowing the Doc? He’d shelve it and move on to the next project,” Renata scoffed. “Me? I’d destroy it after using it myself, of course, that strain would be bad for business.”

“I see,” Silco mused. “Please do keep me updated on this little race of yours, I do believe you’re in my debt now for making your dealings easier.”

“We’re about to be even for that, actually,” Renata drawled. “Why do you think I’ve come to visit? Get out a pen and paper, because I’m only going to advise you on this once for both of our sanities.”

Silco frowned in confusion. “What are you talking about?”

“You’re a father now, of a daughter,” Renata began slowly. “Surely the great Eye of Zaun can see there is a big difference between boys and girls. You’d die before ruining your image and asking Sevika of all people for help so I’m going to walk you through how to deal with certain things now. After this, we are even, understood?”

Silco said nothing for a moment but soon silently grabbed his pen and parchment. “Understood, consider our debts settled.”

Honestly, it spoke volumes to Renata about how much he cared for the kid if he was willing to drop this matter for her advice. Renata almost commented how much he loved the kid but kept it to herself, this was one matter she didn’t want to tell him ‘I told you so’, instead, she’d let him discover this truth for himself.

And so, the most powerful woman in Zaun began to explain to its Underground King just what he would need to raise a growing little girl.

*Flash*

 

Years had passed since that last time they had seen each other in those chambers, so Renata figured she was overdue for a visit. Yes, they had kept in touch via pen and paper and through their trusted messengers but it was mostly to ensure their deals were working in tandem.  So, when she heard he was once more expanding his operations she decided it wouldn’t hurt to have the next meeting in person.

“Still can’t believe you had this eyesore made,” Renata said as she sat down in front of the statue of Vander next to Silco.

“Now, Renata, do not disrespect the fallen.”

“I’m not, you know how he was about being praised for his deeds,” Renata reminded him. “He would hate this and you know it.”

Silco chuckled. “That he would.”

“Still a brat,” Renata said before she gave him a once-over. “You’re aging like shit, old man.”

“And you, like fine wine,” Silco drawled. “Though I am far from surprised, a thing of beauty, true and unrivaled, rarely ever fades away. Though from that fascinating glow I see in your eyes I see that you made sure there was some insurance. I take it you won the race?”

“A draw, actually, apparently we found two strains that were two sides of the same coin,” Renata told him. “Unfortunately for the Doc, his body isn’t strong enough to withstand the procedure, hell I almost didn’t, so he’s just going to work on something else until he finds a suitable candidate.”

“Why not just grab someone off of the streets?”

“Believe me, Silco, this power isn’t something you waste on just anyone,” Renata told him and Silco just nodded, believing she had a point. “But enough about that, I hear you’re expanding. Again.”

“I am, is that a problem?”

“No, but Silco you aren’t getting any younger. This was not the mission,” Renata told him. “You’re hesitating just like Vander did. When will you finally pull the trigger and split these damn cities? The sons and daughters of Zaun deserve more than their runoff. Zaun deserves more than to be a home for their prisoners.”

“All of these are facts that I know well,” Silco said and Renata nodded.

“Then you know the time is now,” Renata said firmly. “I let you play ‘house’, but you cannot protect her from this. I followed Jinx’s work closely, each year I sent a gift for each deed I found worthy of note, a proof of mettle. The last proof was sent last year, you know this.”

Silco sighed. “I know Renata, I know. I shall fully admit that each gift you sent served as a suitable reminder that this time was drawing near. Sobering actually. For better or worse she will fight and I know full well she will survive even if I don’t.”

“So when will this happen?”

“Tell me, should the main bridge be destroyed will you be able to sustain our people?” Silco questioned. “That is why the last rebellion failed. A blockade on the bridge cut us off from supplies, our people were starving and dying while the Topsiders laughed. They could last far longer without us than we could without them. Should that happen again, can you sustain our nation?”

“I can, my contacts in Bilgewater alone would guarantee us shipments and supplies,” Renata told him. “Not to mention Noxus owes the Doc for Ionia. I have to leave in the morning to check on a couple of operations in Bilgewater, actually, but when I return I will be ready. With the Progress Day festivities going on, Camille won’t even see me leave.”

“Very well, I shall complete the shipment of Shimmer in the morning, and upon your return, we shall split these cities,” Silco informed her.

“Truly? You are finally ready?”

“I am, it’s time I did what I set out to do.” Silco stood up and Renata did the same. “But my ideals are still inviolate, invincible.  Our nation’s rise comes before Piltover’s fall.”

“Very well.” Renata conceded. “Try to survive until I return, if you cause the Split while I am out, I will be furious.”

“I’ve waited decades, surely I can last one more week.” Silco chuckled before tilting his head as he looked up at his companion. “By the way, that mask, is it for aesthetic, or does it serve an actual purpose?”

“Wouldn’t you like to know?” Renata drawled as she turned away from him. “Unfortunately for you, I find it amusing to keep people guessing and never remove it in public.”

“A shame, your face was one of the few beautiful sights we even had in these fissures,” Silco drawled which made her pause before she glanced back at him.

“Tell you what,” Renata spoke up. “I’m rooming in the penthouse of one of Topsides finest hotels for the evening so I can catch my ship. If you manage to get up there and find me, I’ll satiate your curiosity.”

“Oh?” Silco questioned. “Me? Topside and without even a single hotel name to work with?”

“Consider it practice, you’ve sat on your ass long enough Silco,” Renata told him. “The boy I knew would be able to sneak through Topside undetected and find the room, but I guess some talents are lost with time.” Renata chuckled when she saw Silco’s eyes narrow. “Besides, you don’t even have to hide this time, they all know you as an industrialist, don’t tell me all this time lurking in the shadows has you scared of a little light?”

Renata laughed as she left the scowling man alone with his thoughts.

Even after all these years, it was fun to tease him.

Though her amusement ended when she made it to her penthouse later that night and found him already inside, a bottle of wine in hand as he smoked a cigar on her balcony.

“I must say, as much as I hate it up here, the view is unrivaled,” Silco would drawl, glancing back at her with barely restrained amusement. Renata would then roll her eyes and reach up to remove her mask. “I take it back,” Silco would say as he turned to face her fully. “This view is unrivaled.”

Putting out his cigar, Silco would stride over to the radio and turn it on, filling the room with the music that they both claimed to love to hate, and he’d offer her his hand.

“One last dance?”

And Renata would accept it.

*flash*

 

Honestly, Renata thought she’d be furious.

But all she was was numb.

It had been months since the Split and the pain and anger she felt at Silco’s death had been mollified by the sheer chaos that Piltover had succumbed to as well as how easy it was to put this city in the palm of her hand.

She’d get them their independence and it was all thanks to the rabid dog in her grasp.

“In combat, I support my men, let them get their hands dirty instead of mine,” Renata drawled as she held a battered and bloodied Jinx up by her throat with her chemtech arm. “Now, you know that I do so by choice, not weakness.”

Using her free hand, she lit the cigar in her mouth.

“Such a waste of talent, I should put you out of your misery,” Renata continued. “I’m well within my rights to do so seeing how foolish you were to try to sneak up on me. Day in and day out, you slaughter everyone you pass be they a Piltie or a Zaunite.  I don’t care about Topside but If you want to play, keep it out of my city.”

Renata gazed deeply into Jinx’s eyes and saw her reflection staring back at her within them.

“Ah, wait, now I see what happened. Your eyes tell the tale,” Renata chuckled. “Doc gave you the strain, and you remember it don’t you? It’s so easy to ignore the poor broken lunatic, but you saw it didn’t you? What was there when you were truly dead.”

Jinx opened her mouth but the only thing that escaped her lips was her Shimmer filled blood.

“Can’t blame you for being ‘mad’, you were denied the death you deserved and with you killing Silco, that piece in you that desires to live got dislodged,” Renata’s grip tightened more and Jinx’s hands which had grasped desperately at her fell to her sides. “You aren’t playing, you’re seeking death, but unfortunately for you, I won’t let you find it. Not when I can use your talents.”

Renata’s eyes flickered to the gold pieces in Jinx’s hair.

“I thought you were a woman of Zaun, but you’re still just a girl,” Renata drawled. “Here’s what’s about to happen. Your toys? They’ll stay here with me. If you want them back, they’ll be the payment for a job I have for you. I won’t even open them to see what secrets they hide, that rocket launcher of yours has become a monument of Zaun’s new history, after all. Of course, this is only if you’re alive to accept the job so let me do you a favor a knock that piece that got dislodged back into place.”

Renata pulled Jinx close, her mask right next to The Loose Cannon’s ear. “Only in the face of death can you truly decide if you want to live or not.”

And with that Renata pulled back and before slinging Jinx forward and throwing her straight through her bullet proof office window with enough force to kill a man twice her size. Glass rained down into the streets of the Undercity like rain as Renata moved back to her desk.

She had work to do.

Later Jinx would return, her hair free of the gold as she silently asked Renata what job she needed to have done.

Good.

The kid at least now knew who not to fuck with.

-Flashback: End-

 

When the dance came to an end, Renata was snapped from her memories by the sounds of applause. Renata blinked and looked around and saw that Jinx and Lux were being cheered on by most of the room. Of course, this consisted mostly of the foreign diplomats though a few of the younger Piltovans who hadn’t had to deal with the fallout of the Split did join in.

Eventually, the small bundle of energy that was Annie would burst through the crowd and jump into Jinx’s arms. The smile on Jinx’s face upon seeing her daughter lit up the room more than Lux’s lingering light and she watched as Jinx and her wife both knelt to talk to their daughter who was rambling excitedly about whatever.

“To think the day would come when she of all people would be the center of attention in Piltovan, festivities.”

Renata glanced to the side and her eyes burned brighter when she saw Camille beside her.

“I honestly don’t know what is stranger,” Camille continued.  “That or the idea of her being a mother and good at it.”

“Zaunites look after their own,” Renata told her. “At least when they are given the chance to live long enough to do so.”

Neither said anything else after that but eventually, Camille did speak up again. “I remember them. Your parents. Possibly the first time I ever questioned my actions.”

Renata scoffed. “What? Are you going to tell me you regret killing them?”

“On the contrary, I regret letting you live,” Camille told her. “They were threats to the grand machine that was Piltover just as Baron Jinx’s were. They had to die and I will never apologize for something I would do again.” Camille sipped her wine. “Had it not been for the child, I would have done everything in my power to remove Jinx and Luxanna from the equation as well.”

“The little Noxian would throw a wrench in your plans,” Renata mused. Annie had been a variable that kept her at bay as well when Jinx’s influence grew too great to ignore. The girl was a fucking time bomb, and the death of her parents would be the fuse that set her off in the heart of the two cities.

Even if the child was able to be struck down, the death and, or, capture of the last Hastur would bring the full force of Noxus down upon them swiftly, justifiably, and without mercy.

“I am an old woman, admittedly set in my ways more often than not,” Camille confided to her. “This experience forced me to adapt, to go another route besides the swiftest and most efficient. Upon doing so I found a way to protect all of my interests without creating more orphans who would grow to become a thorn in my side. I will never apologize for what I’ve done, but I will admit that I regret not looking for alternatives to issues I faced sooner.”

“And what is that supposed to change?” Renata asked.

“Between us? Nothing. No matter how justified my beliefs, I have wronged you gravely,” Camille told her. “Unlike Jinx you give a damn about your parents that I killed, you lost your arm trying to save them. While Jinx may be able to charge their loss to the game of life, you will never be able to do so.”

Camille finished her drink.

“So, I will take it, your rage, your hatred, and you may do whatever it is you wish to try and kill me as I will continue to do for you.” Camille gazed down at her unwaveringly. “This is our game, our hell, but our cities need not be a part of it.”

Renata narrowed her eyes. “You’re scared.”

“I’ve seen what war between us would look like,” Camille told her. “I’m trying to save the very world from annihilation. I’ll even go a step further and say you would even win, but what good is a throne that rules over naught but ashes? A good leader knows which hill to die on, this is not that hill.”

Camille gestured to Jinx and her family.

“The Eye of Zaun always looks forward, toward progress,” Camille told her. “It’s the only thing I ever found admirable in your wretched city. If you hate me more than you love your nation, your very legacy, then so be it. Allow me to die taking even more things from you that you love.”

Renata’s prosthetic arm twitched as she fought back the urge to crush Camille. “Leave.”

Camille nodded and walked away without another word, leaving Renata alone with her thoughts. Eyes blazing, Renata looked at Jinx and her family reuniting with the rest of Clan Kiramman as Progress Day finally came to an end.

-Chem-Baron Chambers: The Next Morning-

 

“Wait here with Annie and Ren, Vi,” Jinx told her sister when they reached the steps to the chambers. “Shit goes south? Leave and get them Topside. A war between Glasc and I won’t have any calm before the storm, just thunder and lightning off the rip. Even if I kill her quick, the power vacuum will tear this city apart, Glasc Industries is rooted too deep.”

“Got it,” Vi nodded her head. “I wish you had told us about all of this last night so we could have helped.”

“That’s the thing about investing, gotta know not to put all your eggs in one basket,” Jinx told her, proudly quoting a lesson Lux had given her. “If all my allies invested in today there would be none to invest in tomorrow which would be the same as losing. The Piltie side of the Clan needs to be as strong as the Zaunite side, Big Hat’s deals have to be hers.”

Vi looked at her baby sister, torn between look proud and terrified for her. “You just be careful.”

“Sis, it’s me. When am I not careful?”

“Jinx.”

“Fine, fine, I’ll try,” Jinx said before she walked up the steps to where Lux, Ekko, and Zeri were waiting. “Welp, it’s time.”

“We got this,” Zeri reassured her and Jinx smiled when she saw a small hourglass tatted beneath her eye. “Made enough deals to make a fucking new Zaun if shit goes south.”

“She’s not wrong,” Lux mused.

“Let’s hope that’s enough then, come on let’s get this over with,” Jinx said but was stopped by Ekko.

“You two head in without us, gotta speak with Jinx for a minute,” Ekko said and both mages nodded before entering the building.

Jinx was confused. “What’s up-oof!” Jinx gasped when Ekko suddenly hugged her tightly.

“Jinx? You’re the best.”

Jinx chuckled. “That good, huh? Glad to know crashing with my sisters was worth it.” Jinx frowned. “Was expecting more ground kissing though.”

“Oh, there was a lot, just reset it cause your head doesn’t need to get bigger.”

“Oh, you dick!”

Ekko smirked but then his expression hardened. “They even try to not give you the crown and I’m resetting and offing all of them,” Ekko told her firmly. “Power vacuums be damned.”

“Haha, glad you have my back, though I gotta admit Zeri did most of the work.”

“Oh, I know,” Ekko told her but soon his expression softened. “But I wouldn’t even have her in my life it wasn’t for you. That’s why I’m so grateful, despite how fun the night was. You’re still crazy, but I think it might be the good crazy.” Ekko smiled at her. “Come on, Your Majesty, let’s get this over with.”

With that, they entered the building, and after a couple of resets to get it just right, Ekko kicked open the door to the chambers and led them inside.

“Baron Jinx, Baron Ekko, you’re a bit late but I trust it’s because you had a productive night,” Velveteen said with a raised eyebrow.

“We all know the lad did!” Baron Petrok laughed before grinning at Ekko and Zeri. “Congrats Baron Ekko, and good on you Lady Zeri. If he fucks up, let me know and I’ll orchestrate his death to be quick, or slow, it depends on your mood, really.”

Zeri smiled a bit. “Good to know, but I trust we’ll be just fine. After all, you have to try to screw up when you have a personal re-do button.”

“Z, you control lightning, knowing my luck I’d be fried before I can even use it,” Ekko told her as he took his seat. “Best believe I am going to do my best to do right by you.”

Zeri smiled warmly. “You better.”

“Well then, congratulations are in order,” Velveteen said with a small smile which soon fell when she glanced back at Renata who was staring out the window once more. “Still, I believe we all know the significance of this meeting. Who would like to start?”

“I will,” Renata said before she turned to face them fully. Soon, she began to list off all the deals she made. Deals that increased Glasc Industries presence in other nations including Ionia which was incredibly surprising. Honestly, as she talked, they realized her global presence had doubled and were pleased to hear that she was going to pump most of the new gold back into Zaun.

But that wasn’t all.

Each Baron, including Jinx and Ekko, would be seeing a twenty percent rise in their income for the sake of stabilizing the table and ensuring that they could better protect themselves from any more power grabs.

This was a transformative time for Zaun, after all, and they could not afford even more Chem-Barons rotating in and out.

Velveteen swallowed when Renata finished and knew that it would be hard for Jinx to top what they had heard.

“Very well, that is most pleasing Baron Glasc,” Velveteen told her. “Your generosity has not gone unnoticed and the future of Zaun will greatly appreciate this influx of coin. Baron Jinx, what do you have?”

“Actually, I’ll go next,” Ekko interrupted. “I attended under the pretense that all of my deals were on Baron Jinx’s behalf.”

Velveteen nodded. “Very well, Baron Ekko what do you have for us?”

“Well, I’m beginning to industrialize, sell my tech as luxury items both topside and to Noxus,” Ekko revealed. “I’ve also, thanks to Baron Jinx, made contact with a previously unknown city-state in the jungles of Ixtal. I will be giving them tech to improve the lives of their citizens and in return, I got Baron Voss access to the mines.”

Baron Voss looked at him in surprise while a few of the other Barons murmured to each other.

“Also, thanks to Zeri, I’m also spreading out into the entertainment industry, primarily music,” Ekko told them. “As of now, I am currently managing Seraphine. Who I think we can all agree can be influential if she is handled correctly.”

Seraphine’s influence over the youth of Piltover and even some of Zaun could not be ignored, but her previous manager was shit and too focused on making gold instead of making a change as the singer had wanted.

“She’ll also work part-time as our ambassador to the previous city in Ixtal I mentioned,” Ekko said and he was glad his dark complexion hid his embarrassment. “She and one of its princesses-er-have gotten close.”

“I bet they did.” Sevika shook her head while a few of the room’s occupants chuckled.

Ekko cleared his throat. “Right, and lastly, I talked to Professor Heimerdinger last night,” Ekko continued. “He was, admittedly, wary with my new status as a Baron given our reputation. Still, I convinced him that if he could entrust me with controlling time, he could trust me to do what’s best for Zaun. He’s offered to donate his books to assist in creating a university for inventors. One I plan to ask his former pupil, Ziggs, to lead.”

Now, this caught them all by surprise.

“Our mentor system has worked fine but we’re limited to only teaching what we already know,” Ekko told them. “We need a place that encourages seeking knowledge or else we’ll fall behind. It’s not enough to learn, we need to discover too. I plan to repurpose the Firelights old HQ to create the school. It’s quiet there which will help with studying.” Ekko looked at all of them. “That’s all I got.”

“Those are not small feats, Baron Ekko,” Velveteen told him. “It’s no secret I had my misgivings about you, but you’ve more than proven yourself to belong at this table. You’re making changes that reflect your ideals without costing us business. Changes I will admit that I now see are sorely needed. At the very least you’ve done more than your predecessor, that’s for sure.” Velveteen turned to Jinx. “Well, Baron Jinx, your turn.”

Jinx stood up and looked at Baron Veraza. “First things first, Baron Veraza, I’m going to need you to clean out the biggest building you have on your turf. Lux has opened communications with hospitals topside and they’re open to buying any ingredients they need for medicine from you, one has even agreed to open a location down here hence why you’re cleaning out the building. Noxus is also willing to buy some of your plants for their poisons, but we’ll leave that deal up to you to hammer out.”

Veraza felt her jaw drop at the news as Jinx turned to Eramis.

“Lux has also managed to buy you some land Topside,” Jinx told him. “It’s no secret you own, like, all of our restaurants. Your passion is cuisine, open a place Topside, rebrand it to be exotic, and charge those Pilties triple what we pay. If the food is good, you might even franchise and make some real coin.”

Jinx ignored the man’s gaping expression and turned to Velveteen.

“Also, Lux managed to hammer out a deal with Clan Ferros to give you a better body,” Jinx told her. “It won’t be on Camille’s level but still leagues better than what you have now and will require less maintenance. I’m personally going to look over the procedure so that they don’t try to pull a fast one. I’ve gotten permission to get Vik’s help as well and I already paid him for his services. The goal is to get it working with either Hextech or Chemtech so you aren’t so dependent on the Pilties.”

Jinx glanced at all of them.

“I think we can all agree that having a Baron depending on Topside to live is a conflict of interest,” Jinx said and the other Barons nodded their heads and ignored how Velveteen’s eyes began to water. “Lastly, Lux got us a lot of buyers in my old man’s Shimmer plants. Sevika this is all on you, he taught you how to run those plants just like me.”

Sevika looked at her in surprise, choking on the smoke she inhaled by accident.

“Seriously, give me 10% of the profits and like all the credit since it’s his legacy which is selling the shit, but everything else is yours to run and take,” Jinx told her. “Time for your business to branch outside of the fissures, there’s a whole world out there.”

Jinx grinned brightly at them.

“Now that we all know that my wife is fucking awesome at this shit, here’s what I got,” Jinx continued. “Petrok, I didn’t even have to make a deal Topside for you. Except for Fishbones, Pow Pow, and my Zapper you get all of my current weapon schematics to pretty up and rebrand.” Jinx saw the man practically salivating at this. “I want 15% of the cut and each model of mine to be stamped with my sigil. No way in hell you’re getting credit for my babies but feel free to sell them and make some gold.”

“Shit, fair enough,” Baron Petrok agreed. What mattered most to him was who shot the guns not who invented them.

Jinx was grateful he accepted easily. The truth was she was expecting his business to boom whenever Qiyana decided to branch out and take over Ixtal but she couldn’t reveal this. Why? Because if everything went smoothly, the Empire of Ixtal would be another force to keep back Noxus and Jinx knew better than to say all of this out loud.

You never knew who was listening.

“Baron Karvyq, Clan Tariost? Will be soon under new management,” Jinx told the silver-handed Baron. “The new leader is a brat with a lot to learn, it’s up to you to teach him.”

Karvyq glowered at the thought of aiding anyone from that Clan. “How does that benefit me? I trust you already have him trained to vote whichever way you like as it is.”

“Well considering you’re going to be abducted tonight, likely by Noxian assassins, to help with the transfer, I figured it would give you some good stress relief,” Jinx said with a shrug. “Oh, and the brat? It’s yours. Your pullout game was trash, take responsibility.”

If Karvyq was less of a man he would have fainted right there.

Jinx finally met Renata’s unfaltering gaze. “Lastly, the woman of the hour. I met with a member of Noxus’ Trifarix last night.” Jinx pulled out an envelope she had found on the nightstand of the guest room she and Lux had crashed in that was from the Faceless.

Man, was she glad she and Lux decided not to have some fun that night-

-oh!

So that’s why Vi wanted her to stop sneaking around.

Huh, now it made sense.

Shit was creepy.

Yeah, they weren’t sleeping together again until Lux finished those runes that would ensure that they would know if they were each other or a crazy assassin Queen/King in disguise. Jinx did not doubt that the Faceless had long since found a way to fix the smell issue in their “mask”.

“W-what?” Velveteen stuttered out.

“Yeah, amazing what kind of connections you can make when you part-time as a mercenary,” Jinx mused. “No wonder so many of our people do it. Regardless of if I win this bet or Glasc, if Annie takes over after us then Noxus will leave the twin cities alone in the event they achieve global domination.”

“Because Annie herself is a Noxian,” Renata said which made Jinx nod.

“We also can’t actively aid anyone against them,” Jinx continued. “But we can sell our mercenaries and weapons to whoever wants to buy. My connections with Clans Kiramman, Ferros, and Tariost also ensure the Pilties follow the same rules.”

“I see,” Renata murmured. “While this is no small feat, it’s still contingent on the idea that Noxus wins.”

“Exactly, which brings us to my deal with you,” Jinx continued. “Noxus has agreed to send us the manpower needed to finish the canal in exchange for a tax of 15%. I want you to spearhead the entire thing. It's completely up to you, the only thing you’d have to agree upon is the name. We’re calling it the Storm Gate.”

The chambers went eerily silent as they processed what the fuck Jinx had just said.

Suddenly, Sevika released a shuddering breath and broke the silence.

“What the fuck, Jinx?”

Hell, even Ekko and Zeri were gaping at her.

“What?” Jinx asked caught off guard by Sevika’s response as if she hadn’t just casually said that she made a deal that would shake the known world. Some of the Barons were now looking at Jinx as if she were Janna herself in human form.

Which was silly.

Jinx was Jinx.

Jinx stood for mom.

Janna didn’t have any kids that she knew of.

“Why me?” Renata finally spoke.

“Cause you’re the best one for the job,” Jinx told her. “I’ll peek in and look over the process now and then, hell I’ll even be a consultant, but you’re the better one for this job. I’d find a way to fuck it up, you won’t, you’re smart, patient, and would never cut corners like they did back then. I wouldn’t cut corners either but I don’t trust myself.”

Renata’s eyes narrowed. “But you trust yourself to lead Zaun?”

“Compared to you? Yeah,” Jinx said honestly. “You hate Piltover more than you love Zaun. I wouldn’t mind Piltover falling, as long as I could get my fam out in time, but like, that’s not the hill I want to die on you know?”

Renata’s eyes widened a bit at that.

“Besides, I’m not leading either, all of my deals? I delegated to the rest of you,” Jinx pointed out. “All I’m doing is supervising you all and making sure you don’t fuck up. I’ll call meetings when I see something is off but I’m not doing much, I’m still very happy with my three little buildings in the Lanes. Now my daughter? That’s another thing entirely but what she does in this seat is her path to walk, I’m just keeping it warm for her.”

The silence was deafening.

Suddenly, Renata laughed.

She laughed loudly.

“Only you would take a figurehead position, rob almost every Baron of their power, just to give it back and once more become a mere figurehead,” Renata said and when she put it like that, the other Barons, including Ekko, could only shake her head at the absurdity.

Jinx nodded resolutely. “I don’t take cheap handouts, if I’m going to be a figurehead, it’s going to be on my terms.”

Velveteen shook her head in wonder. “What is wrong with this girl?” Velveteen looked at an amused Lux in askance. “This? This is your wife?”

“It is,” Lux said proudly. “And I love her. We’re fine with not having any real power, we never wanted it, we just wanted a place to call home. That said, we will have our daughter in a place to accept real power but if she too just wants to sit on a chair and look pretty, we won’t fault her. We plan for this to be the setup for the rest of our line, Zaun’s second law if you will. Annie and everyone after her will have the choice to be a real Queen or a figurehead.”

Jinx nodded. “We’re just making a safety net for Annie, not trying to chain her down or her kids if she has any. Also, of course, this is Zaun so while we want a law to give each kid a choice, we aren’t going to hoard the crown either. If the day comes a better leader has to off our descendants to save this nation, it’s their Janna-given right to do it. We’re just banking on that not happening.”

“Would this be an issue?” Lux questioned and the Barons talked amongst themselves for a moment before shaking their heads. “Good.” Lux then surprised them all by reaching up and removing her mask. Lux took a deep breath, her eyes watering slightly as her lungs burned but not from pain but rather power. “Because this our home,” Lux said as even Jinx looked at her in surprise at how well she was acclimating to the air.

It had been something she had been working on in private and finally she could take it.

“I’d really like it if we could get along,” Lux said with that bright smile of hers that Jinx loved so much.

Jinx smiled proudly. “We become immortal through our legacies,” Jinx told them before she turned back to Renata. “A legacy is a rare thing to have in Zaun, so when you have one you go all out for it. Annie is my legacy, but the Storm Gate can be yours. Glasc Industries will never be forgotten.” Jinx gestured to the letter. “Question is, do you hate Piltover more than you love your legacy?”

Jinx sat back in her chair, her face calm as she looked so much like her father in Renata’s eyes.

“The Pilties are already dying a slow death, even if they don’t see it,” Jinx continued. “We’re a rot and we’re spreading. Piltover, the Piltover you hate, is a mentality that will not survive. One day all that will remain will be the name Piltover, but don’t get it twisted the twin cities will be all Zaun.”

Piltover would just be the mask used to hide the beast when needed.

“One day I hope you’ll realize that the only thing stopping you from getting everything you wanted is your pride. You’re so much more than your hatred for Topside.”

Renata closed her eyes as she recalled Silco’s words and it spoke volumes about how feared she was when not a single soul commented on the pink droplet that had escaped her eye.

“Well then, given that I’m sure you would all turn on me if I tried to claim the crown now, I believe this is checkmate,” Renata mused but Jinx shook her head.

“Nah, I like checkers more, king me.”

Renata chuckled at that. “Very well Queen Jinx, as far as the outside world is concerned, Zaun is yours,” Renata said though as she looked at the gathered Barons, she realized that no, even as far as they were concerned, Zaun belonged to Jinx.

Jinx could ask them to do anything and they would likely assist.

“Oh sweet! Nice,” Jinx grinned as if it were just another thing in her life and Lux shook her head in wonder. “Now the part I really care about, my answer, and don’t you try to lie to me sister!”

Renata chuckled at that. “I must admit, I am curious as to what I could answer for you that possibly has you this interested.”

Knowing Jinx, she’d probably ask her if she was a Baron just to have her publicly say the words out loud.

“My proofs of mettle, how much did they cost you?” Jinx questioned and you could have heard a pin drop in the room as the Barons looked between Renata and Jinx. Lux saw the Barons holding their breaths, some looking as if something had blown up in front of them.

“Looks like there’s more than a canal left in your legacy Baron Glasc,” Karvyq murmured.

Renata blinked, knowing full well Silco had never told Jinx. “How did you…?”

“I’m crazy, not stupid, I love my old man but he was clueless about raising kids let alone girls,” Jinx explained. “I also know he’d die before asking Sevika for advice. My whole life with him, he raised me and raised me well, but there was this itching in the back of my head. An annoying one. As if I weren’t seeing the whole picture, not seeing the invisible hand pushing me along.”

She could ignore it at first but that itch really did get annoying.

Jinx tilted her head. “So? How much did they cost? It has to be you right? You’re the only one besides myself, Sevika, or the Doc that he’d be alone with.”

Renata suddenly found it very hard to meet Jinx’s gaze and she looked away, out the window and up into the Gray. “When I was a girl, my main priority was building up my family name. Sevika can attest to this when I left her alone with Silco and Vander.”

Sevika grimaced and looked away from Glasc.

“Blood, sweat, and tears went into my work and eventually I made my first sell, my first handful of coins,” Renata told her. “I was a…weird…child back then though, I had the strangest urge to hoard my gold, something I thankfully mostly grew out of. Still, I had always kept them as a sign I could achieve my dreams, my first gold coins.”

Renata sighed.

“When I found out Silco had a daughter, I knew I’d have to help him out,” Renata said. “He was so out of his depth he couldn’t even hide it from me. When it came time for you to start earning your proofs, well, I decided I’d lend a hand even while I was preoccupied, he often told me stories about you in his letters. Hell, most of our correspondence was about you instead of business.”

Renata chuckled.

“Jinx did this, Jinx did that, Jinx killed two enforcers and thinks I don’t know,” Renata mocked. “Well, I figured if he was going to keep telling me of your deeds, I’d reward you for them.” Renata gestured to Jinx. “Each of those proofs is from those coins I mentioned, melted down and repurposed. So, to answer your question they cost about one to two gold coins each. Not the most expensive things in the world.”

“They’re not expensive,” Jinx told her, her lips twitching a bit. “But they are priceless.”

Suddenly, Eramis began to cry and Petrok looked at him in disappointment.

“Seriously?”

“S-sorry…It’s j-just…” Eramis started bawling again and the rest just shook their heads.

“Now you know,” Renata said before she strolled forward and reached into her pocket before pulling out a small but beautiful glass perfume bottle filled with a bright pink liquid. Jinx didn’t even need to guess to know which ’brand’ it was.

Bailout

“Your coronation gift,” Renata told her. “A Lady should always have a bottle for the right occasion. The first one is always free. The next ones will cost you though. If you’re ever in a pinch or need of an invisible hand again. You know what to do.” Renata placed a hand on her pocket and turned to leave after Jinx grabbed the bottle from her. “You’ve got a good strain in you Jinx, but you’ve only scratched the surface of what you can do. Now I’ve got a meeting to prepare for, if anyone asks, I was never here.”

Renata stopped at the door and glanced back at them…

…at Lux.

“On the off chance that fails, keep keeping her alive, Blondie,” Renata told her. “I hate wasting talent.”

Lux nodded, her eyes burning. “I will.”

Renata’s eyes crinkled in a way that let them know she was smiling. “Yeah, I know.”

With that, Renata left and after pocketing the bottle, Jinx called an end to the meeting.

And before nightfall, the world knew now of Zaun’s Chem-Queens of Darkness and Light as well as the Princess who would earn her second title as the Flame of Zaun.

-13 years later: Freljord-

 

 

With a startled gasp, a young woman awoke inside a dark room. The room was frigid and outside she could hear the powerful blizzard that raged loudly throughout the night. Raising her palm, a ball of fire appeared above it, illuminating the room that was filled with armor and thick hides.

The woman’s long pink hair fell onto the mattress and she grimaced when she could feel it stuck to her brow. Wiping it dry with her free hand, her hair fell back over her right eye as she stared at the flame in her hand.

Suddenly, the fire shifted and turned into the silhouette of a woman with a long pair of braids that put a small smile on her face.

“How many years has it been?” the woman murmured. “Since you stood alone against the storm?”

Receiving no answer, the woman let the flame above her hand die out as she rose to her feet. In the darkness of the room, she put her clothes back on, only stopping when she heard a yawn behind her.

“H-Hex?” a voice asked tiredly. “Out already?”

“A Queen never rests,” Hex said with a small laugh. “It’s been fun, but the twin cities need me and the Grand General of Piltover can’t crush the resistance alone. Besides, Nu, don’t you have a Frostguard to lead?”

“Damn is it that time already?” Hex could hear the shifting in the bed and knew he had risen. From behind, he embraced her and kissed her neck. “Will I see you again?”

Hex smiled though she knew he couldn’t see and was glad that that darkness of the room hid the pain in her eyes.

“No.”

To be continued…

 

Next chapter and the beginning of the end: The Question.

 

 

 

 

 

Notes:

So yeah, that ending though leaving it there is hella rude and I apologize but its a necessary evil! Forgive me!

Also a word from Will!

 

Will: You know, if my eyes weren’t at their limit right now due to several days and nights of having to entertain guests IRL before I looked over these chapters, you can all bet that I would be ugly crying right now. As it is, I could feel my eyeballs burning with emotions…and actual pain. Still worth it though and the laughs the chapters induced helped a bit. So, if I missed a few things, I apologize and thank you all for pointing them out. Rebuke has done his magic again and I am glad to be on this epic of a journey. I am giddy to see the conclusion as the rest of you all are.

Chapter 11: The Question

Summary:

No matter how well made plans are, sometimes life can throw a wrench in them.

Two girls, now women, are now tasked with removing that wrench.

Notes:

BETAED BY: TheUndyingWill

Alright so where the hell have I been?

Work.

Yeah that's it lol, small peek into my personal life I'm a public accountant in my day time for a large firm so when US tax season hits (spring and fall) I pretty much get Thanos snapped from life. I'm also a guy that gets hyper focused on a task so whatever attention wasn't split between work, sleep, (and *cough* beating Elden Ring twice *cough*) was split between this chapter, friends, and family.

I appreciate the love and support and apologize for any concern that I might have accidentally caused with my lack of response.

Hopefully the next update doesn't take quite as long but really its a bit out of my control, at least until April passes.

Also, I'm pretty sure between Will and I 95% of the typos got caught but given the length some might have slipped through. I always reread the chapter and edit as I go right after I post so for the best experience you can just look at it tomorrow. If you don't care and are just want to get to the chapter, enjoy! Haha!

The Question

 

-Noxus-

In a cold darkened cell in Noxus, that battered and tortured form of Sylas sat on the stone floor and watched listlessly out of his window.

How long had it been?

How many days, months, or dare he say, years, had it been since his failed attempt to protect all that he held dear? When his little light had escaped from Demacia, a change in the war had occurred. Seeing how far Demacia was willing to go to make Luxanna pay for her “crimes” had been eye-opening for all of the mages, old and new, that were hidden in the nation.

After all, if not even she could be spared what hope was there for the rest of them?

More and more, the mages joined his rebellion, bolstering his strength and giving his rebellion the power necessary to knock down Demacia’s ivory walls once and for all. Sylas still remembered the look in the eyes of the so-called “Might of Demacia” when it happened. Sylas’ numbers surprised even him, so he did not fault Garen for being ill-prepared for that battle.

That final battle.

Galio tried to defend the city, he did, but without his little light to support and empower him he was taken down but not without first taking a respectable amount of Sylas’ men with him. Garen fought valiantly as did his prince, but all of the petricite in the world couldn’t stop Sylas or the Winter’s Claw which continued to give him support.

The battle was bloody.

Crimson would forever stain the ivory walls of Demacia.

But in the end, his resistance won and Demacia would be under a new rule…

…for all of one day.

It had been a tactical failure on his part, truly it had. Sylas’ tunnel vision had blinded him to the sheer ruthlessness of Noxus’ army. Sylas had been banking on a parley, a momentary ceasefire to open up discussion with the expansionist empire which had been fighting Demacia opposite of them.

Yet that parley never came.

Crownguard hadn’t even had a chance to finish bleeding out before that red-haired she-devil of Noxus came down upon him with a fury he had never seen in a woman, Noxian or not. There was no speaking, no attempt at peace, desire for his death was the only thing he could see in the assassin’s eyes.

Yet still, despite this, he wanted to fight for his people, for the promises he made them, but when Darius joined the fray, he had to swallow the fact that Demacia would be once more lost to him. Sylas would need to regroup and he would have to let his men regain their strength and find another way to reclaim their homeland.

He needed allies.

So, he set his sights to the south, to the twin cities, nations who were no strangers to magic. Open-minded people who essentially owned Runeterra’s coin. Even if they couldn’t spare people, surely if he could plead their case and earn their financial backing, he could turn the tide. It was a desperate plan, but it was all he had so he marched south…

…and made the biggest mistake of his life.

Two years before Demacia’s fall while he was waging his war, a Harrowing had struck the nation of Zaun. A nation, that he would later find out, that had been the home of his little light and her apparent wife. A wife that had took note of the black mist before anyone else had and gave her life evacuating and protecting her family from the foul demonic fiends which had arisen. It was a sacrifice that had saved the city but broke the world.

As rumor had it, the fiend that had killed Zaun's Queen was the most powerful one. A demonic abomination that had only left corpses and crow feathers in its wake.

That alone was probably enough of an omen, a hint, that Sylas should not have made his journey to the cities.

“Gah!” Sylas grunted, clutching desperately at his face that had a bright red rune seared into it. Heart thundering in his chest, Sylas panted as he waited for the feeling of agony to subside.

Sylas had gone to the twin cities for aid only to find that they were already in bed with Noxus. The twin cities promised no aggression on their part but that was not enough. The twin cities were Noxus’ lifeline as Ionia had managed to successfully liberate their nation and Sylas knew that if he wanted any chance of defeating the empire, he’d have to sever the one vein it had left that was pushing that lifeblood called gold into the nation.

They called it The Storm Gate.

He called it a target.

Now, however, he called it his biggest mistake.

The twin cities had no military but he learned soon that didn’t mean they were weak. Piltover’s enforcers and their Hextech, Zaun and its Chemtech and abominations all came down upon them.

He lost over half his men that day, and all he had to show for it were the bodies of two of Piltover’s enforcers. Piltover’s Finest they called them.

A title that was earned.

He was sure they might have had the chance to kill him but that battle had long since taken them from the Storm Gate and into the city of Zaun itself where they would lose their lives protecting two little girls who had gotten swept up in the crossfire.

When Sylas heard one of the girl’s gut-wrenching screams of “mom”, he took a moment to look around at the destruction he had caused and found himself mildly horrified by his actions. Sylas knew then it was time to fall back and regroup, something he almost wouldn’t have the luxury to do when one of the girls exploded into fire.

A mage Sylas had realized, a powerful one that controlled a ferocious beast that managed to take one of his arms. Sylas paid the monster back in kind by beheading it before making his escape.

Another mistake.

Why?

Because those two girls were left behind, alive, and as time passed, they grew.

And they didn’t forget.

Whatever men he had left and or managed to recruit were lost to them. Though, Sylas noted that they didn’t kill his men…

…well one of those girls didn’t…

…instead, they’d capture and take them back to the twin cities, where Sylas would never see them again.

Deciding to investigate and possibly free his people, Sylas snuck into Zaun and after weeks of investigating what he could only call a cesspool of sin, depravity, and madness, Sylas found them.

“Ahhhh!” Sylas screamed, clutching his face once more, this wave of pain much worse than the previous one. Tears fell from his eyes, burning hot tears as he recalled what he saw. The horrible truth of what had occurred.

To this day he had nightmares…and once more he found himself forging a resistance, but this time it wasn’t to fight for mages' rights or stop Noxus…

…no…

…he just wanted to fight the sheer evil that he saw that day.

Though he’d never get a chance because eventually, his past caught up to him.

Those two girls, now fully grown women, caught up to him.

If those two who had given him the hardest battle that he ever had in the twin cities were Piltover’s Finest, then these two girls, now women, were simply The Best. A soldier of unparalleled skill and a Queen whose magical power seemed to know no limit.

In a way, it was ironic that one of them was something he believed was impossible to exist. A Queen, a leader, that did not discriminate and saw all of their subjects, mage or not, as equals.

It was just unfortunate that to this Queen that meant everyone was equally worthless.

In that final battle, Sylas watched horrified as the Queen, no, the monster, simply torched the entire battlefield. Turning all into chalk without remorse. To her, they were all toys, and she had no problems throwing them away to achieve her goals.

“Be quiet!” a voice hissed and Sylas turned to see Katerina standing in front of the bars of his cell, glaring down at him with her ever-present scowl. “Honestly, why you’re still allowed to breathe air is beyond me.”

Sylas grimaced. “That makes two of us then. Perhaps you should do us both a favor and just get it over with, or will you be lonely without our nightly ‘chats’?”

Katerina scoffed. “Please, I have more pressing concerns such as dealing with Ionia. Unlike your pitiful homeland, they put up a fight.”

Sylas snorted. “Judging by the fire I saw in your eyes that day it fell, the fire I still see, I wager you didn’t find everything in my homeland to be pitiful. Tell me, Katerina, does your glorious Trifarix know just how close you managed to get with the enemy? The real reason you decided to conquer my people?”

“Mind your tongue,” Katerina hissed before unceremoniously sliding a bowl of slop into his cell. “It's only because of their mercy that you're even alive.” The assassin suddenly laughed. “Honestly, an entire army was taken down by two girls. If it wasn’t so funny it would be sad. Tell me, mage, did your comrades scream as their blood boiled?”

Sylas glared hatefully at her as she laughed.

“Do not mock them,” Sylas warned. “Just one of my men is worth ten of you damned Noxians.”

“Is that why they all fell to a Noxian?” Katerina asked skeptically.

“Ha! Do not try to claim the Queen of Zaun,” Sylas spat. “That monster would burn down her entire kingdom if she were bored. Something like loyalty to one’s nation means nothing to her.” Sylas then released a hollow laugh. “Mercy? Please it's because of your Trifarix’s fear that I’m alive, trapped in this cage and being fed poison.”

Sylas’ hand trembled a bit as he grabbed the bowl.

“Still, I do not blame them,” Sylas muttered. “I saw what lurked in the depths of Zaun. Their fear is warranted.”

Katerina clenched her fists. “They fear nothing.”

Sylas nodded, no longer even caring about that conversation. “If that is what you choose to believe. The slop is bad enough, but dosing it with poison will not leave me in any suitable shape to confront Zaun should they choose to attack your home. That is, after all, the only reason I’m allowed to live. Your people are ill-equipped to combat mages of that Queen’s caliber.”

“Good thing we won’t have to, Zaun knows better than to bite the hand that feeds them,” Katerina told him. “Ionia will fall and when they do, we will take over every nation south of the twin cities. The Empire’s might will be so great that even Freljord will fall. Not even their boy hero will be able to save them.”

Sylas chuckled a bit at that. “Honestly, how one boy and his yeti grew to be so powerful, I will never know.”

“Funny how every mage younger than you seems to be at least twice as powerful,” Katerina mused. “Seems as though we’re better off breeding our own, keeping you alive is a waste of resources.”

“As you say while poisoning me to keep me weak.”

“You’re already weak,” Katerina sneered. “We poisoned you because we learn from our enemies. Petricite is useless against you, so alternative measures to keep you in check are needed.” Katerina crossed her arms. “Speaking of which, hurry up and finish your food. I don’t want to watch over you all night.”

Sylas said nothing as he ate the slop, grimacing not at its taste but rather the way his body weakened with every bite.

“Good,” Katerina said when he finished the food and slid it through the small opening of his cell. “I’ll see you tomorrow.” Katerina walked away as Sylas laid back and rolled onto his side. The brand on his face burned and shone brightly through the darkness of his cell. A half-hour passed and only when he was positive that she was gone did he get up and reach down his throat. Sylas vomited in a corner of his cell, something which was not uncommon for him, and not unexpected given what he was forced to eat.

When he stopped, Sylas wiped his mouth with a grimace and knelt, picking through the mess to find what he was looking for. Sure enough, he eventually saw it. A small, white stone fragment which he picked up gingerly between his fingers.

Petricite.

Looking down at his pillow, he knelt and picked it up to reveal a loose brick. Grabbing the brick, he pulled it out and dropped the petricite fragment into the opening where it rested amongst dozens of others.

Finally.

Finally.

He had enough and soon he would be free…

…and soon…

...he’d have his revenge.

Raising his palm at the gathered fragments, Sylas ignored how the brand on his face burned as the fragments began to release an unearthly glow.

-The Next Morning: Piltover: Clan Kiramman Estate-

Alone in the estate’s gym, a red-haired woman stood alone in a white tank top and black shorts with her head bowed and her fists clenched. On her back and down the backs of her arms was a large tattoo of a mechanical skeleton covered in blue clouds. “VI” was tattooed beneath the woman’s left eye and right beneath that tattoo were six small five-pointed stars that underlined it.

In front of her was a machine not unlike the boxing game in the Undercity, however, it was bigger and bore twice as many appendages. The tech involved was state-of-the-art and while the machine in Zaun’s arcade had been a game it was clear this was designed solely for training.

“Alright, Ren, remember to raise your fits and make sure to exhale with every punch.”

The woman raised her fists as Vi’s words echoed throughout her head.

Though as she prepared for her training session, she couldn’t help but think about how much had changed. The optimistic girl Vi knew that went by Ren had long been gone. Instead, now there was only the Clan Head, Councilor, and Grand General of Piltover Ren Kiramman…

…Callsign: Soldier Six.

“Oh~ Nice form, but don’t be afraid to use those legs. They’re your strongest muscles, no point in wasting them like this meathead.”

“Jinx!”

As Jinx’s giggles faded away, Six’s cold steel-gray eyes snapped open just as the machine sprung to life. Immediately, with a flurry of punches and kicks, Ren launched herself forward and into the offensive.

This machine wasn’t just bigger.

It was faster.

With each successful blow that Ren rained down, the digital counter off to the side continued to climb higher and higher.

*Flashback*

 

Ren couldn’t believe it.

It happened again.

Standing alongside Annie, the two girls watched in silence as a tearful Jayce gave his speech at the funeral of Piltover’s Finest. A funeral that was attended by both Piltovans and Zaunites alike as even though they were enforcers, the act of them sacrificing themselves to protect the Undercity’s interest could not be ignored.

They had wanted to make a difference and now they had, by once more binding the twin cities with their blood.

.

It became startling apparent then, the true unspoken nature of the relationship between Piltover and Zaun. Both cities hated each other, but it was clear that there was a firm belief that only they were allowed to destroy one another.

Any outside attempts on either city would not be tolerated by the other.

As the rain fell, Ren noted that even Janna must have felt sadness this day.

Not that she cared.

Janna had never helped her, had never cared about Piltovans, so Ren couldn’t find it in her young heart to sympathize with the supposed goddess.

Ren figured she probably should have spared a tear or two, but she got all of her tears out the night she saw them killed right before her and Annie’s eyes. Speaking of Annie, Ren found herself snapped from her thoughts when she heard a sudden giggle.

A giggle that soon turned into a full-blown cackle that reminded her so much of her late-aunt.

Even Jayce found himself stopping mid-speech as Annie continued to cackle loudly next to her as flames danced around her body. Many were startled, and those closest to them found themselves retreating from the flames.

Ren didn’t move.

She knew the flames would never hurt her.

“What’s wrong?” Ren questioned, concerned for her younger cousin who laughed to the point of tears.

“Nothing, I just finally get the joke, Ren!” Annie told her after she managed to calm down a bit, snickering now and then. “No matter what we do, we’ll always get hurt. Don’t you get it? Nothing matters,” Annie giggled again and Ren felt her heart go out to the girl who she could see losing another piece of herself.

Annie had been losing lots of pieces lately.

“We’re the only ones playing this game, Ren,” Annie told her quietly as if whispering to her the world’s greatest secret. A secret that only the two cousins were allowed to know. “Cause no one else even knows they’re playing a game. They try so hard, spend each day to make their lives matter, and don’t realize they never will.”

Truly, Annie’s words were horrifying in retrospect but given the hole in her chest, Ren would forgive herself years from now for agreeing with them.

“But I guess it’s okay if only we know,” Annie continued as she raised a hand toward Ren. “We’ll always be together…right?”

“Right,” Ren swore as she gripped her cousin’s hand tightly. The pain in her chest was unbearable but she had to be strong. Annie had always been the most powerful between them, something that would probably never change, but as Vi and Caitlyn once told her, she was stronger in the way that mattered.

Despite her power, Annie’s heart and mind had taken a beating over these last few terrible months and Ren needed to be strong enough to support her.

Or who knew what damage her cousin would cause to both herself and the world.

She would be there for Annie.

Always.

-Zaun: Five Years Later-

She was a liar.

But that was okay.

Because it appeared Annie always knew that.

“I’m sorry,” Ren told Annie as they stood beneath the bridge connecting the twin cities one cold winter night.

“For what?” Annie asked curiously as they sat and watched the moonlight shine against the icy water. Ren looked at Annie’s wistful expression and her eyes lowered to the necklace her cousin always wore now. It was a silver chain that had what appeared to be a small bottle of one of Renata’s perfumes as a pendant which released a constant ultraviolet glow. On one side of the pendant were four of Jinx’s proofs of mettle that had been looped through the chain and on the other side there was one.

“I promised you I’d stay but here I am leaving you,” Ren told her, her eyes glistening with tears that refused to fall.

“Ren, come on, we knew this day was coming. I’ve caught you eyeing that flyer for a year now,” Annie rolled her eyes. “Piltover wants to make a task force to protect our international interests. It's perfect for you. You’ll be traveling abroad, protecting Hexgates in war zones, and even being a first responder to any future Harrowings. It’s a life of adventure!”

Annie then gave Ren a sad smile.

“We don’t both have to be trapped in this cage, you know,” Annie reassured her.

“Is that what you think of the twin cities? Our home?” Ren asked sadly.

“There’s no color anymore, Ren, just gray,” Annie told her. “That’s okay though, I’ve known for a while that the colors would fade with time. Whatever colors remained after Jinx-after mom- died would go away as I got older. Janna knows I’ve seen none since I lost Tibbers.”

Ren’s eyes hardened at that. “I swear to you, Annie, we will make him pay. Tibbers deserved better.”

Annie, however, just laughed. It was a cold, hollow sound that had no business coming from one so young. “Did I tell you I repaired him?”

“What?” Ren asked looking at her in shock.

“Yup! I fixed him and not even an hour later he was ripped apart,” Annie told her. “I was told that the time for toys was over, that it was time to grow up and stop letting Tibbers limit my full potential.”

Ren visibly winced at that, knowing full well just how much pressure her cousin was under.

Ren would eventually take over officially as the head of the Clan whenever she finished her tour but Annie would be the Queen of Zaun.

She had many more lives to worry about than a small Clan, and even with a seat on the Council, Ren would at least be able to spread out some of the weight thrust upon her to the other Councilors.

“That’s why I brought you out here tonight, actually,” Annie continued. “I need to grow up, stop being so dependent on toys. As you know, out of all my toys, you are my favorite one.”

Just as her mother treated those she truly cared about as weapons…Annie treated her loved ones as toys. If one wasn’t considered a toy, they were considered to be something much worse to Annie-expendable.

“I have a gift for you,” Annie held up her palm and Ren could see a golden flame ignite above it. “This is Tibbers’ flame, his power. They keep saying he’s an extension of, my power, but they just don’t understand. Not like you do. You always understand.”

And Ren did.

Yes, the facts were that Tibbers was a toy brought to life by Annie’s magic and was an extension of herself.

But that didn’t matter.

To Annie, Tibbers was real and this was a belief she’d hold on to no matter who tried to convince her.  It was a belief that she, despite all reason, shared. Ren had seen Annie at her most vulnerable, was privy to a side of her few others saw. She had seen Annie’s true self laid bare and she saw how Tibbers supported her in a way that implied that his will was just that…his.

When he died, Ren almost cried as long as Annie had. Not just for him though, but for the pain that she knew Annie was going through at the time.

“When this power returned to me, it felt…wrong,” Annie told her. “No matter what anyone says it isn’t mine. I can’t in good conscience feed this flame when I failed its owner so badly. So, I want to give it to you.” Annie revealed which made Ren gasp. “You’re not a mage, holding on to this won’t turn you into one but it’ll keep you safe in your travels.”

“But…but what about you!?”

“I’ll be fine,” Annie told her. “As it stands this flame is a mere flicker compared to the inferno that is my magic. An inferno I plan to continue to feed and make stronger, bigger, and hotter. I’m entrusting you with this because I know you’ll make it burn just as bright in your own way.”

Annie offered the flame to Ren with a smile.

“You’re my star, Ren, always showing me the way forward in the darkness,” Annie told her. “And I know you’ll shine even brighter.”

Quietly, Ren cupped her hands around Annie’s, and the golden flame spread onto her arms and eventually her body but it didn’t burn. Rather, the flames seemed to wrap around her in a warm gentle embrace that fended off the cold of the night. Ren closed her eyes as she felt the flame explore her body and when the fire receded inside, deep into her heart, Ren opened them.

“Thank you, I promise I’ll protect it.”

“Hey now, it’s supposed to protect you.” Annie reminded her before her expression turned sad. “Still, I know how seriously you take our promises, Ren,” Annie said as she stood up. “You promised to never leave my side, but for you, for us, to grow you need to. So let me relieve you of that burden. Tonight?” Annie grinned at Ren. “Tonight is the night I die.”

Ren’s eyes widened in alarm and she scrambled to her feet quickly as Annie strode into frozen waters until she was waist-deep.

“Calm down.” Annie giggled before raising her hand and allowing some of the water to pour from her palm. “Years ago, grandpa died in these waters and let a stronger man take his place. In these same waters, a girl named Powder died here and mom was born. Just before we met you Jinx and Vi settled their differences here and Violet died so Vi could live on for the sake of our family.”

Annie turned to face Ren fully. “Now it’s my turn, Annie had her time in the sun, Ren. You broke no promise, you stayed by her side until the day she died.”

Ren felt cold tears slide down her cheeks as she fully grasped the situation. For better or worse, tonight was the night Annie would embark on her journey. Still, despite the bittersweet moment, Ren wiped her eyes knowing that Annie would prefer to be sent off with a smile.

“You’ll still love me, right?” Ren asked and though she intended for it to be a joke, the tightness of her throat made the words come out more as a desperate plea.

She couldn’t lose more family.

“Nothing will ever change that,” Annie reassured her before she went down and submerged herself into the frozen waters. A few moments passed before she broke the surface, panting as she brushed back her long soaking pink hair. “Shit, that’s cold!”

Which was saying something given who she was.

“Maybe you should have waited until after winter?”

“And watch you mope around struggling to choose between me and a life of adventure for another season?”

Ren rolled her eyes. “I did not mope!”

“Oh, you so did!”

Ren pouted at that before frowning as she truly took in the sight of the young woman in front of her. Somehow, despite only submerging herself in some highly toxic water, Ren could already see a change.

This truly was a different woman.

“So, what do I call you now?”

“I’m thinking, Hex,” Hex answered and given her parents' names, Ren realized it fit right in with Hex’s side of the family. “Obviously, in honor of Jinx and in honor of my promise to her to be better. Jinxes are spontaneous and affect everyone, but a hex?  My destruction is focused and deliberate even when it doesn’t seem so. It’s also an inside joke you’ll get later. Trust me.”

“Oh no,” Ren groaned good-naturedly. “Your jokes always end horribly.”

Hex just snickered but didn’t disagree. “Come on Ren, this is the last time we’re going to hang out for a while. Let’s celebrate my birth and your enlistment with a party, the Zaun way. We’re getting drunk and tatted!”

“Not in that order, right?” Ren asked nervously. The only one she’d trust with her marks was Hex but she would be damned if she let her apply them while shit-faced. She had seen her sister drunk before and it was a sight to behold that led to her having no end of blackmail on her.

“Depends on what’s closer, my house or the bar,” Hex said with a shrug.

“Your house, we’re going there first anyway. I am not partying you while you smell like toxic water,” Ren said, scrunching up her nose which made Hex pout.

“Fine…”

As they walked back toward Hex’s manor, a thought occurred to Ren.

“So, what are you going to be doing while I’m gone?” Ren asked. “The adventure will be nice, but we both know why I’m doing this. I need to get stronger. I need to make that bastard pay.”

Hex nodded. “I know, and I’ll be right beside you when that day comes. Not even Lady Gray will stop the Queen of Zaun from going where she pleases. That said, as Grandma likes to remind me, constantly, I am not ready for the throne. I’m going to go traveling tomorrow for a year, see the world you know? Maybe visit Freljord.”

Ren looked at her knowingly. “Visit Freljord or visit the hero of Freljord?”

Hex looked away from her. “I don’t know what you’re implying, but I simply want to see the sights and play with him for a bit, the last time we played left me wanting.”

“Define ‘play’,” Ren said before she laughed at the glower Hex shot her. “Kidding, I know you’re still salty that Nunu beat your ass the last time we went there.”

Hex’s visible eye ignited with a bright flame. “He. Did. Not.” Hex said while poking Ren in her chest with every word. “I got distracted by his fighting style…it just reminded me of better days.”

Ren immediately sobered up at that. The young hero of Freljord had a mastery over ice magic that, dare she say it, even surpassed Hex’s fire. And that was with most of his magic going into a large Yeti companion of his. How he fought reminded Ren of the carefree days when Annie would “play” with Tibbers.

Ever since her first real defeat since she was adopted by Jinx, the young hero seemed to live rent-free inside Hex’s head.

Much to Ren’s unending amusement.

“Besides, I wouldn’t talk if I were you. One shouldn’t throw stones in glass houses,” Hex countered. “The way you two fought like an old married couple? I could cut the tension with a knife.”

Ren’s face went as red before she punched, Hex in her shoulder.

Hard.

“Ouch!” Hex yelped.

Ren mimed shoving her finger down her throat. “Gag me. We’re oil and water. I’ll admit he’s easy on the eyes and I respect him, even consider him a friend, a great warrior, and someone I’d trust with my life-”

“When’s the wedding?”

“But,” Ren continued as she shot the royal brat an annoyed glance. “I assure you my interests lay elsewhere.”

Hex pouted. “And here I thought I thought my two favorite toys would play together. It would have been so much fun. Janna knows I’ve shared everything with you since the day we met.”

Ren snorted. “Gross. One day I’m going to sit you down and have a long talk about these little things called morals.”

“I’m going to be the Queen of Zaun, one day. Morals will be whatever I choose to make them.” Hex told her. “But fine, be that way, not too surprised since you strike me as the type to have a thing for bad girls,” Hex mused. “The kind that Aunt Cupcake would have shot on sight.”

Ren rolled her eyes. “Doubtful, you underestimate her patience. If she didn’t shoot you, any of these supposed ‘bad girls’ would be fine. You’re the worst of them all.”

Hex snickered. “Guilty, maybe that’s why you’ve always been single? I raised the bar too much.”

“No, you’re wrong, I’m single because I prefer people that are mature, a rare trait to find at our age,” Ren said dryly. “And excuse me? Why I’m single? Last I checked you never even had a date.”

“Hey first, I’m never wrong.” Hex began matter-of-factly. “Being mature and being bad aren’t mutually exclusive, so we can both be right about your type. Second, I never said I was much better,” Hex giggled. “Though for me I don’t need maturity, I need strength. Probably the Noxian in me.”

“Well, you can’t get much stronger than the guy who kicked your ass across the Freljord,” Ren said with an amused expression.

Hex glared darkly at her before sighing. “You know, you’re the only one who isn’t old that can talk shit with me without pissing themselves. I’m going to miss these talks. I’m going to miss you.”

“I will miss you too, but the tour won’t last forever, I’ll be back,” Ren told her. “Real question is what are you doing? I doubt Lady Gray will just let you wander around for years, it was hard enough getting her approval to enlist.”

Hex nodded solemnly. “Right, well after my brief one year of ‘freedom’, which I’m undertaking under the pretense of self-study, I’ll be back in Zaun actually to learn how to rule the streets from Grandma. After that, I’m heading to my homeland for two years. I mean learning how to lead directly from the Trifarix? That’s an opportunity I refuse to waste and it’ll help facilitate relations between the cities and Noxus. Let them be more comfortable about me ruling Zaun so they won’t try to invade us.

“Good plan but I doubt you need the lessons on running Zaun,” Ren scoffed. “These streets are practically yours already. You know how to walk them.”

“Yes, but I need to build some street cred of my own,” Hex told her. “Legacies don’t mean shit in Zaun if you don’t add to them. Jinx? Silco? Renata? Hell, even Vander still strikes fear in the hearts of the Zaunites and that’s without the Warwick factor. Not to mention our acting regent is fucking Uncle E, if he wasn’t so heartbroken over Zeri he’d be able to take the throne for himself with no issue.”

“Uncle E wouldn’t do that.”

“I know, but he could.” Hex said as she bit the nail of her thumb nervously, clearly having inherited Jinx’s paranoia. “Freljord will be my chance to wind down this year, before that I plan to spend some months in Ixtal. Get a non-Noxian or Zaunite perspective on leading from Empress Qiyana, maybe even train my magic a bit since she’s like the best Elementalist in Ixtal. I need to be the best Ren. Everything depends on that.”

Ren said nothing as she watched a now frantic Hex sadly. Just like Annie, Ren could already see Hex begin losing more pieces of herself, this time to a burden with a weight unimaginable.

Finally, Ren spoke.

“The experience will do you good, but I want you to promise me something.”

Hex looked at her in confusion. “What?”

“No matter how bad things get, you don’t break yourself.” Ren placed a hand on Hex’s shoulder. “There’s so much pressure on you, always has been, please don’t let it break you.”

“Oh Ren,” Hex gave her a smile that didn’t reach her eyes. “Why would I start our new relationship with a lie?” With that chilling response, Hex turned away from Ren. “Come, the night is young, after my shower, we are going to have a night you’ll never forget.”

With that, Hex moved forward Ren followed finding herself far more worried for the future than she was previously.

-Noxus: Five years Later-

 

 

As Ren walked through the forest of Noxus in her Piltovan “dress blues” she couldn’t help but reflect on the life she had led up to this point. Having been tasked with guarding the Ionia Hexgate, Ren found the beginning of her enlistment to be rather tame. The days came and went as she and her little squadron made themselves at home, spending their times patrolling, training, and doing whatever their acting commander ordered.

It had been a simple life, and Ren found herself basking in the monotony.

A monotony she would later find out that she took for granted.

Because like all things even remotely peaceful in her life, it all came to an end. The Hexgate was attacked but not by man.

But by monsters.

It had been a peaceful day like all the others when Ren saw it.

The Black Mist.

The sign of a Harrowing.

Ren tried to warn her commander, tried to warn her entire squadron, but Piltovans never took kindly to her, she was still too “tainted” for them to respect and her commander had been the worst. That is until the first fiend removed his head from his shoulders.  After that, it became quite clear that Ren had been telling the truth.

They lacked a leader and the Harrowing had sprung up in a city that was lacking in protection what with most of the warriors off fending off Noxus. In a single bloody afternoon, Ren found herself thrust into a position of leadership, forced to fight back and protect a city that wasn’t hers along with the Hexgate. Ren found herself going many sleepless nights trying to fend off the hoard and just when all seemed lost…

…she won.

They won.

Just her, a handful of Piltovan soldiers that hadn’t fled or been massacred, and the brave commonfolk of Ionia. The victory was hard-fought, of that, there could be no doubt, but it was a victory nonetheless. A pyrrhic victory that cost the world some great men and women and a victory that would pave the way for the rest of her career.

More and more, Harrowings would continue to pop up at an alarming rate and each one would appear near one of the Hexgates. Ren didn’t need to be a Kiramman to see the obvious pattern there, but she supposed being a Kiramman helped with her resolve to be the first responder to each incident.

And with each incident and each Harrowing came another victory.

And with those victories…

…came respect.

And that respect led to Ren suddenly becoming privy to Council meetings despite having not officially taken her Clan’s seat. Council meetings that she was invited to personally as the Councilors bypassed the chain of command they had developed in the first place.

Medal after medal, promotion after promotion, the accolades kept piling up, and before long Ren had somehow been given the title of General.

She was only fucking twenty.

With gritted teeth, Ren punched a tree with enough force to tear off some of its bark.

“Stressed?” a familiar voice questioned, cutting through the tense silence and Ren’s eyes widened before she whirled around and saw Hex leaning against a tree, wearing what appeared to be expensive green Noxian robes.

“Hex?”

“That’s Queen Hex to you,” Hex teased and as she moved, Six’s eyes were drawn to Hex’s necklace which now had four of Jinx’s proofs on each side of the bottle. “How have you been, Ren? Or is it Soldier Six now?”

“General, actually,” Ren told her which made her blink.

“General?” Hex repeated. “Like Grandpa Birdman?”

Ren shook her head at that, Hex was the only one she knew who would dare call Grand General Swain such a thing on Noxian soil. “The same, though admittedly, my title is more for show. What are you doing here?”

“That’s my question, I think I remember telling you I was going to be here for training,” Hex reminded her. “I passed, by the way, was going to surprise you but imagine my surprise when I smelt you in the forest.”

“Smelt me?” Ren took a moment to sniff her uniform. “Nope, pretty sure I washed my uniform and took a shower.”

At the Hex just chuckled before pulling out a cigarette from her pocket. “Just…take my word for it, you got a smell I’d never forget. Want one?”

“No thanks. You know those things will kill you.”

“If I could only be so lucky,” Hex laughed. “I was born in the fires of Noxus and raised in the smog of Zaun, a little smoke won’t bother me.” Hex's smile faded. “So, I take it you heard the Trifarix’s decision. Sylas is here, in Noxus, and they want him captured alive.”

Ren glowered. “I’ve waited for years for the chance to finally track that bastard down, to make him pay, and they dare to threaten the cities with war if we kill him? Why do they want him alive?”

Hex rolled her eyes. “You know why.”

Ren grimaced. “Insurance.”

“Exactly. If anyone can take on Zaun’s mages it would be the petricite wielding ex-mage seeker,” Hex said dryly. “I like to think the Trifarix like me, but them finding a way to remove my head from my shoulders just in case I betray them is far from surprising. I still have half a mind to kill him anyway. We both know I don’t give a damn about something as mundane as war.”

Ren nodded knowing full well Hex wouldn’t care if Runeterra itself was set on fire. Hell, she’d probably be the instigating spark. “I’m surprised he’s alive.”

“Only because you care about war,” Hex drawled. “And I care that you care. Look you know where he is, why are you still here, General?”

“Because I know me,” Ren told her. “Cait would be so disappointed in me, but I want revenge. I could forgive Jinx, but not this bastard. I want him dead but if he dies, we go to war. That’s not enough to hold me back though because I know if a single one of my men dies while he gets to live, I’ll kill him.”

“Hm, then don’t bring them,” Hex said before she dropped her cigarette and stomped it out. Her visible emerald eye gleamed with mischief as grinned. “You and me, just like old times. We’ll fuck them up together.”

Ren, despite herself, laughed. “He has an army.”

“I know, exciting, isn’t it?” Hex questioned. “You know he loves his soldiers, his people. We can’t kill him but that doesn’t mean we can’t make him wish he were dead. There aren’t just men in his resistance, there are women, children, and I’ll turn them all to chalk.”

Ren felt her stomach fall. “This grudge is between us and him.”

“This grudge is between us and all he holds dear,” Hex drawled before she strolled forward and stood behind Ren, placing her hands on her shoulders. “You always were a bleeding heart but you’re a Clan Head first and Soldier second.” Hex whispered in her ear. “The fucking Pilties back home think you’re soft, using you as some sort of poster girl to raise morale and making the same mistake Zaun did when they made Jinx a Baron.”

Hex’s grin widened even further.

“But I know the truth ‘General’, you’re the real deal,” Hex told her. “I’ve seen every part of you, I’ve seen you at your worst and your best. You can fool the Topsiders but not me. I’m in your blood, your very soul.” Six grimaced as she felt a familiar fire encircling her heart. “You’re a Kiramman, a hunter, and it's time you got your prey. He’ll be alive but he’ll wish he wasn’t.”

Oh, how tempting Hex’s words were.

The sheer thought of that bastard knowing the pain they felt was enough to make Ren tremble.

Hex stepped in front of Ren and looked at her with a mischievous glint in her eyes. “I’m going regardless, but his petricite might be a problem. Will you deal with it for me?” Hex pouted and looked up at Ren with an innocent expression, one she always used since she was a child to get what she wanted when violence wasn’t an option.

Which, for Hex, was rare.

“Please?”

Ren sighed knowing how this game of theirs went. Ever since they were children, Hex had her wrapped around her finger, always giving Ren “choices” whenever she wanted to push Ren out of her comfort zone. Hex would suggest something ridiculous, immoral, and then provide a second option that Ren would never accept.

The last time this happened, they ended up in the fucking Freljord.

And that’s what was happening now. Either she became complicit in the sheer staggering number of atrocities Hex was about to commit or she’d stand back and let Hex fight Sylas and his army alone.

She’d never let Hex fight Sylas alone.

If she ever had to choose between the world or Hex, the last of her family…

…the world could fucking burn.

“Just make it quick, they don’t need to suffer,” Ren said pointedly, her eyes like cold steel as she gazed down at Hex.

Hex pouted. “You’re no fun, but whatever I knew you’d see it my way,” Hex said before she looped an arm around Ren’s. “You’re the best, come on, let’s go! I can’t wait to personally see Piltover’s newest ‘legend’ in action.”

“Yeah, yeah.” Ren sighed. “Let’s get this over with, though I have to ask, are you really going to fight in that? No armor, no weapons?”

“General, when you’re as powerful as me? You can fight in whatever you want,” Hex drawled. “Though you’re one to talk, dress blues aren’t exactly meant for battle.”

“Don’t worry about me,” Ren said ominously. “I’m more than prepared.”

-Flashback: END-

 

And she was.

Not just for the battle but for the horrors Hex would rain down upon the resistance that would have left her men sick. Hex did as she asked and made it quick, one moment there had been a sizable settlement of mages prepared to attack one of Noxus’ cities…

…in the next moment, there was just ash and a distraught Sylas whose petricite meant nothing to the General. Ren captured him and Hex burned a rune into his face in case he ever escaped before they dumped him in front of the Trifarix.

After that life went on.

Though not for “Ren”, if Annie died in the frozen waters of Zaun, it was only fitting that “Ren” died in a blazing trial by fire. All of Ren’s “I’ll nevers” died that night, in that attack, no, that massacre that she and Hex delivered upon the resistance. Granted they didn’t kill all of them, Sylas had men stationed everywhere, but those in Noxus were gone.

Between that tragedy and the loss of Sylas, his resistance went quiet as expected no doubt losing most if not all of their morale.

That night, Ren died with the mages and all that was left was “Six”, the Grand General of Piltover.

A title that was no longer just lip service.

No, Six had fame, respect, and fear that rivaled even that of Camille’s before she was killed by Renata. The Council was a sham, Piltover only had two leaders which were her and Lady Ferros, Camille’s grandniece who began to look more and more like the cybernetic woman with each Hextech augmentation.

While Six’s role as General became legitimized, Hex took her place as the Chem-Queen of Zaun and while these were positions of power in two separate governments, they worked as one. Hex made Zaun powerful enough to uphold both itself and Piltover while Six protected the financial interests of both cities.

Six punched the machine with enough force to make it collapse in on itself and release sparks as Six panted tiredly.

Ren: 10000

Hex: 8700

Six was sure Caitlyn and Vi would be disappointed in how she turned out but life was good…

…which meant it was time for shit to go south.

Six knew it was coming soon, this train was never late.

“My Lady,” a voice spoke up as Six grabbed a towel to wipe off her sweat. With a raised eyebrow she turned to see one of her maids bowing their head while offering up a letter. “A message from the Council, an emergency summons, they need you at your earliest convenience.”

Six sighed.

She hated being right.

-Later: Piltover: Council Chambers-

 

 

She really fucking hated it.

Sitting dressed in her dress blues which now bore many more medals and had six gold stars on its collar, Six felt her eye twitch. “Run that by me again,” Six’s voice was deathly calm as her steel gaze landed on Lady Ferros who was the Council’s Chief Intelligencer.

Lady Ferros sighed. “The leader of the mage resistance, Sylas, has managed to escape his captivity in Noxus. It was assumed that he fled north to Freljord to reconvene with his men that were living amongst the Winter’s Claw.”

“I see.” Six said and her voice sent chills down the spines of all the room’s occupants except Lady Ferros who appeared to be unfazed.

“There’s more,” Lady Ferros continued. “We’ve received news from Queen Ashe, it appears that around the time Sylas would have made it to Freljord, the hero of the North was found dead.”

Six’s body went still.

“Excuse me?” Six questioned. “The hero of the North, Nunu, was found what?”

“Dead.” Lady Ferros repeated. “An autopsy is still being performed but there are few people who could kill a mage of his caliber, and unfortunately Sylas is one of them. That mixed with the timing of his escape, well, I doubt I have to spell out the implications.”

“I should have killed him,” Six muttered as she rubbed the bridge of her nose as her heart broke from the loss of one of the best men she knew. “Has this news reached Zaun?”

“Gods no,” Lady Ferros scoffed. “I did everything in my power to ensure it didn’t reach Zaun before you knew. You’re the only one that can stop the Undercity’s Queen from starting a global war.”

“Starting? Lady Ferros this war had been ongoing longer than I’ve been alive,” Six said dryly. “Use your connections, find him, and when you do send me the information. I cannot go to Zaun’s Queen without his location.” Six sighed. “I’m far from her favorite person in the world as it is right now, but even then, it has to be me to give her the news to make sure she doesn’t do anything drastic. Something which will be impossible if I show up with nothing.”

Mel looked at the General with a concerned frown. “If she has his location, she will kill him.”

“I’m well aware, Councilor Merdarda, that’s the whole point,” Six said dryly though, of course, that was assuming Six didn’t get to him first. It was an open secret that she and Hex were close to Freljord’s hero, the three having united their forces to overcome a total of five Harrowings to date.

The loss of Nunu would be a loss felt throughout Runeterra.

“That can’t happen,” Jayce said with a shake of his head. “Noxus was clear that his death would be seen as a personal attack-”

“With all due respect, Councilor Talis, fuck Noxus,” Six interrupted, slamming her fist down on the table with enough force to dent it. “Sylas isn’t even on their soil anymore. We gave them their chance and they failed. They want to use him as insurance against Zaun but let this be perfectly clear, and I want you to inform the Trifarix of this, any further interference in Clan Kiramman’s affairs with Sylas will turn both Zaun and Piltover into their enemy.”

“You could start a war!”

“Again, we are at war, Councilor!” Six snapped, her fiery temper on full display. “It’s just that up until now it’s been cold. Here is what’s going to happen. Clan Ferros will get us his location, I will personally inform Zaun’s Queen, and together we will end this threat once and for all. If Noxus even dares to interfere they will be cut off, their children will be left to starve in the streets while their men and women either rise against them or be crushed under our might.”

The Council was silent as Six rose from her seat, her palms pressed down against the table’s surface as she glared at them all, daring them to challenge her.

“Councilors you all come from a time where Noxus was the biggest threat on Runeterra,” the General began. “You all fear them and with good reason, during your times their might was unmatched but times have changed. We have changed. We have weapons, both Chemtech and Hextech, that those primitives can’t even fathom.”

Jayce after his eyes, clearly pained by how his technology, tools meant to better mankind had been warped and twisted into weapons of war that could bring about untold destruction.

“If they want this cold war to turn hot, then by all means we will burn them down, but I like to think they are smarter than that,” Six told them before turning to Lady Ferros. “We will call their bluff and I will deal with Sylas. I made a decision years ago to not let a single one of my men die because of him, and that’s a decision I will continue to uphold.”

Lady Ferros raised an eyebrow. “You plan to fight him alone?”

“Of course not, as I said earlier this is a Clan matter,” Six reminded her. “Queen Hex and I will be more than enough. Now get the formality out of the way and give me the approval. You think there is a choice to be made but you know there isn’t. I want this matter dealt with quickly because Janna forbid it reaches Lady Gray.”

At Six’s words, even Lady Ferros seemed to pale, her Hextech blue eyes widening with fear.

Quickly swallowing a lump in her throat, Lady Ferros quickly regained her composure.

“I-I see, then, I will find his location and have it to you before sundown,” Lady Ferros said before she raised a hand, causing a light to shine down upon her. “I approve General Kiramman’s mission to eliminate Sylas.”

Mel, obviously still shaken by Six’s words, raised a trembling hand. This caused a light to shine down upon her. “I second the notion.”

“Mel…” Jayce trailed off looking at her in disbelief.

“It’s the only way,” Mel told him, the fear in her eyes evident and soon Councilor Tariost raised a silver hand. One by one, the Councilors raised their hands until it was just Jayce left.

“Well, Councilor?” Six questioned and Jayce sighed as he looked at Six. The daughter of his closest friend, a once happy girl that had been turned into a tried and tested dog of war. There was no more of that innocence that Caitlyn died to protect in the General’s eyes. No optimism. No, all that remained was a grim resolve that told him she would go get her vengeance with or without their approval.

Caitlyn would be so disappointed.

But not in her but him.

The General had been left under his care and what did he do? Hand her some Hextech and let the Council send the girl off into active war zones for the sole purpose of protecting gold and raising morale. Hell, to him she was still just a kid yet they suited her up, gave her the crushing responsibility of a fucking General, and why?

Because it worked out?

Because it was convenient?

As long as she got results it didn’t seem to matter.

Her successes which were once praised became expected and her failures had been harshly admonished as if Ren wasn’t damn near a child soldier when she first enlisted.

No, not Ren, Six.

After her last confrontation with Sylas, the poor girl wasn’t even a person anymore, just a number and a sign of Piltover’s “Pride”.

The General had lost so much after that battle even though she appeared fine and the Councilors would just let it happen again.

It made him sick.

“A vote of this level has to be unanimous we are risking a global war if Noxus turns out not to be bluffing,” Jayce spoke up and he seemed to age before their very eyes as he rose from his seat. “And it will be unanimous despite my feelings because I will not be a part of this.”

“Jayce,” Mel said, clearly surprised as the man stared down the General.

“We’ve lost so much, committed so many wrongs in the name of “progress” and I am sick of it,” Jayce said before gesturing at the General, a woman decorated with more military honors than anyone her age had any right to be. “The progress Piltover sought was to improve the lives of all, but more importantly the lives of our children but look at what we’ve turned them into?”

Jayce gestured toward Six.

“In the pursuit of great, we failed to do good,” Jayce told them. “Still, I won’t preach to you all, your votes have already been cast.” Jayce turned back to Six. “I doubt you remember much of your mother, but revenge isn’t worth it.”

“It’s probably not,” Six admitted. “But what I want is the peace of mind that comes after.” Six stood up straight and folded her hands behind her back. “And you’re wrong, I remember her clearly. Her ideals were noble, transformative, and you stood in her way. Often, I wondered how much good she could have done without you in her way.”

The General turned walked to a window, gazing out at the massive golden spires and towers that made up Piltover since its economic boom after what was merely known as “The Deal”

A deal that gave Zaun a Hexgate and Piltover access to the Storm Gate.

A deal that was spearheaded and made by the General of Piltover and the Queen of Zaun.

“And I took it upon myself to find out,” the General told him and perhaps this was one of the few times Six ever got close to revealing the true nature of their arrangement. As she said earlier, this vote was a formality.

Because Clan Kiramman fucking owned that table.

Jayce leaving would change nothing.

Oh, yes, Clan Ferros could be inconvenient at times but between the loss of Camille and “The Deal” their power had been dwarfed by Clan Kiramman’s. In the end, the twin cities were just glorified dollhouses for the last two daughters of Clan Kiramman.

“Thank you for your service, Lord Talis,” Six told him without even looking back at Jayce. A saddened expression crossed his face and he shook his head, finally having some sort of understanding of what Professor Heimerdinger must have felt when he was in a similar position. Turning away, Jayce went to leave but before he did, he glanced back on last time.

“Just be careful, General, nothing good has ever come from a Kiramman going into Zaun,” Jayce warned her, and with that, he left.

“He seems to forget that worse things would have happened each of those times if a Kiramman hadn’t gone,” Six muttered before she turned to Lady Ferros. “Get me that location.”

“I will.” Lady Ferros swore as Six faced them fully.

“Good. Dismissed.”

-Later-

Never let it be said that Clan Ferros wasn’t efficient.

“I’ll admit it, you’re good,” Six said as she stopped in front of a cloaked figure in a dark corner of Piltover’s train station. No longer in her uniform, Six instead opted to put on a pair of pinstripe slacks and a black and red hoodie that had a single five-pointed star on its back. “But I have to admit, C., you came all this way to give me this in person? Worried about me?” Six smirked. “Don’t tell me our Chief Intelligencer is getting soft.”

“Hardly.” Lady Ferros scoffed as she offered up a datapad. “But if you’re going to risk plunging us into war, I can personally see to it that this information gets in your hands. For better or worse, you are Piltover’s greatest asset, the light to Zaun’s darkness. Someone has to watch over you, so it might as well be me.”

Six nodded and went the pluck the data-pad from Lady Ferros’ hand. “Touched.” Six said but before she could remove it, a thin but powerful hand gripped her wrist which made her pause. Honestly, if it weren’t for the small lines of circuitry she could see, Six was sure anyone would mistake the hand as one belonging to a normal woman’s.

Something that proved to be the downfall of many who were ignorant of the true power behind the Grand Master of Clan Ferros’ elegant frame.

To say Hextech had come a long way was an understatement.

Still, as powerful as the grip was, Six could feel it tremble slightly.

Unfazed, Six met the cold Hextech blue eyes that pierced the shadows of the woman’s hood. “You’re nervous. Don’t tell me you let Talis’ words get to you.”

“I’ll be the first to say that the only thing that man’s brain is good for is making me money,” Lady Ferros began. “But he’s not wrong. Nothing good has ever come from one of your Clan going to Zaun. You were too young to remember the Split despite your closeness to it but you remember the incidents that came after. Incidents that were far worse than the Split.”

“And your Clan was better?” Six questioned. “How many of Zaun’s worst criminals were born from your Aunt’s seemingly unending need to orphan as many Zaunites as possible?”

Lady Ferros’ eyes flashed and Six sighed.

“Apologies, that was uncalled for.” The General apologized sincerely. Was it uncalled for to bring up the blood on Clan Ferros’ hands? No, not at all, they had hurt a lot of Zaunites but that was under Camille’s reign. Camille’s niece had done her best to leave Zaun alone and after Camille’s death, she went even further to bridge helpful relations between the cities. The current leader was in many ways the exact opposite of her predecessor.

But that didn’t mean she was any less deadly.

No, in all honesty, she was even scarier than Camille was, having run Clan Ferros for most of Six’s life without anyone truly realizing she was legitimately in charge until Camille’s death.

The looks on the other Councilor’s faces when they realized Camille had been the figurehead the entire time had been priceless.

Finally, Lady Ferros sighed. “I worry for you. Likely far more than I should for a Kiramman.”

“Don’t,” Six reassured her as she pocketed the datapad. “People tend to forget that my family actually liked each other. For every travesty that happened, there were a dozen more visits to Zaun that went perfectly fine, trust me, C.”

The cybernetic woman shook her head and despite the situation smiled a bit at the nickname. “Are you ever going to tell me what that stands for?” Lady Ferros questioned. Ever since Six returned from Noxus after capturing Sylas the first time, Six had called her that and it could have stood for anything.

Clan Head.

Councilor.

Chief Intelligencer.

Hell, even Camille jr. as some of the other Councilors called her when they somehow forgot she could hear them talking behind her back with her enhanced hearing. Yet, whenever she’d ask Six the younger woman would just smile cheekily, an increasingly rare expression for her, and claim that each guess was wrong. It was a small, trivial, thing in the grand scheme of things but she couldn’t help but try to figure out what it was.

Maybe it was her sheer dislike of not knowing that made her play this little game of theirs but whatever it was made her feel…human.

“Tell you what, next time you hear from me after I leave for Zaun, I’ll tell you, promise.” Six smiled. “Clan Kiramman keeps their word. Always. So let that be your insurance that I’ll come back.”

“You lot are insufferably noble,” Lady Ferros muttered. “Well, your side of the Clan anyway.”

“Hey now, Hex is noble too…in her own way,” Six defended her cousin. “After all,” Six leaned forward and whispered her ear. “She still never told Grandma the truth about your aunt’s ‘death’,” Six pulled back and noted the small grimace on Lady Ferros' face at that reminder.

The truth was five years ago, Renata killed Camille when she caught the woman lurking around her business…

…for all of five minutes until Camille’s emergency life support systems came online. 

After that, Camille decided that the slip-up was more than enough proof that she was too old to do her job anymore and retired to go live in one of the Clan’s foreign properties.

It was one of Clan Ferros’ most guarded secrets, but unfortunately, secrets didn’t seem to last long between Clans Ferros and Kiramman lately.

“She’s going to tell one day, mark my words.” Lady Ferros muttered.

Six chuckled. “She won’t,” Six said knowing full well that was the truth. “You would cut all ties with our Clan if she did.”

Lady Ferros scoffed. “As if she cares.”

“She doesn’t,” Six admitted. “But I would and that’s enough for her. You’re the only other brain cell left in those chambers, C.”

At this, the cloaked woman laughed which made Six grin.

“I suppose that’s true,” Lady Ferros said before she glanced behind Six. “Your train is coming.”

Six watched her posture straighten as that cool mask once more appeared on her face. It reminded Six of when she was younger when the Council first started sending her on missions. Lady Ferros had been the only Councilor that didn’t send her off with barely restrained guilt or a sneer, instead, she gave each assignment with cold professionalism.

No matter what mission, no matter how trivial or dangerous, the woman would tell her the same thing.

“Be careful and return home, soldier.”

This is how it went every time despite Six being the one to lead the soldiers now. It was routine, and in times of uncertainty, “routine” was a comfort. Though in the last two years, there was one change in the routine that Six was comforted by and that was that now there was a hint of warmth that now appeared just behind that cold gaze.

“Of course,” Six said, smiling as she gave the woman a lazy salute. When she heard the train stop, Six glanced at it and when she turned back to her companion, the woman was gone. With a chuckle, Six shook her head and pulled up her hood before boarding the train.  Six made sure to keep her head down and keep to herself in the corner of the compartment as more and more Piltovans boarded the train.

Something that had long since stopped being an uncommon occurrence.

Instead, it was the way of the land now, the way of the cities. Both Piltover and Zaun had their own sustainable workforces and governments but the citizens traveled between the cities in unprecedented amounts after “The Deal” had been made.

Between the two cities, Zaun easily had the bigger populace, their birthrates had never been something Piltover could match despite the Undercity’s poverty-stricken origins. Even now, Six could vaguely recall once hearing Marcus mutter that Zaunites populated like rats, which was crude.

Yet not entirely incorrect.

With more people than they had jobs, many would become mercenaries but a larger amount would simply work in Piltover, a city that had more jobs than their generally wealthy populace deemed worthy to do themselves. So, during the day, the Zaunites would go to Piltover for pay to feed their families and would return to the Undercity in the evening.

However, they wouldn’t return alone.

If a decent amount of Zaunites came to Piltover to work then arguably even more Piltovans would go to the undercity to play.

And just like with her father, Six could now recall Vi constantly complaining that except Caitlyn, Piltover was boring as fuck.

Which, again, wasn’t entirely incorrect.

Piltover was a beautiful haven but it failed to scratch that deep, almost visceral itch to indulge in one’s vices as Zaun did. During the day, Zaun worked to generate wealth but during the night? Well, the night was when the Undercity came alive.

A party was far from the hardest thing to find in the city. In fact, it was a common sight to see younger Piltovans and Zaunites partying together in various alleyways. Laughing, drinking, maybe even indulging in a chem or two, doing whatever it was they wanted to feel alive as more often than not one of Seraph’s could be heard blasting around them.

To say the singer had earned her stripes, and hell her place as a legend would be an understatement.

Under Baron Ekko’s management, Seraphine’s music truly did make a difference as it stopped being about all of that, as her aunt Jinx would say, “Kumbaya bullshit” and about the actual struggles both cities faced. From Zaun’s desire to survive and Piltover’s desire to live.

The first time Six had ever attended a concert of Seraph’s had been with Zeri and Hex. Zeri had never actually paid much mind to Seraph’s music after her husband signed her. The only reason Zeri even had the tickets was that Ekko thought it would something fun for the three of them to do while she and Hex spent a week with their aunt and uncle. Hex couldn’t care less about music if she tried, rather she agreed to go because she was bored, and Six had merely been curious.

All three of them had been reduced to tears.

It was a night Zeri, Hex, and Six had agreed to never speak of again.

The singer had changed for the better, and her voice was heard by the world as it conveyed the love and rage of the twin cities. As she had always dreamed, Seraph truly became the bridge and represented both cities proudly. Her attire would often be expensive, practically screaming Piltovan wealth but it was also now, more often than not, dark in color. It was symmetrical but showed pinstripes or it would be asymmetrical but free of the stripes.

Seraph represented both cities equally and was loved by both.

She had come far under Ekko’s guidance but he couldn’t take all the credit. He could give her tips, book her shows, even help with some lyrics from time to time but he couldn’t give her the attitude needed to gain Zaun’s respect and Piltover’s love.

No, ironically, that came from someone that wasn’t a part of either city.

From the woman who single-handedly ruled Ixtal, a nation whose tribal markings Seraph wore proudly on her skin.

She was more than a singer now, she was royalty, and as Hex would tell the singer on the day of her coronation, a Queen either carried themselves as one or they died.

Weakness was no longer a luxury she could afford to have.

Even now, as the skies darkened when the sun set, Six could begin to hear Seraphine’s powerful voice echoing loudly through the night. Sure enough, when the monorail rode down and broke through the Zaun Gray, Six looked up and saw a large recording of Seraphine singing that was displayed on the side of a massive skyscraper.

If the golden spires of Piltover pierced the heavens, then the dark depths of Zaun were deep enough to reach hell.

This was the city of sin, the city of freedom.

A city that lacked fear.

Given its tragic history, one would think that the last thing Zaun would do would be to dig itself even deeper below sea level. Yet instead of letting their past scare them, Zaun laughed in the face of fate, daring it to repeat itself as it used its Chemtech, revolutionary engineering, and faith to protect them from the sea.

Even during the worst storms, Zaun remained unscathed and that was no surprise. Between the twin cities, it was clear which was Janna’s favored child.

After all, only one still bothered to pretend she didn’t exist.

Not that Six cared, Piltover was more than capable of solving its own problems. Unlike most Piltovans, Six did believe in Janna she just also believed that the goddess had never done a fucking thing for her so her respect for the deity only went so far. No matter the storm, the General would lead Topside through to the other side, giving her all for Piltover as she knew Zaun was protected.

When the monorail stopped and landed in the station below, Six was snapped from her thoughts and soon poured out of the compartment with the other passengers. A few lingered, discussing their night plans or were waiting for an air taxi, but Six simply made her way out of the station with her hands in her pockets.

She knew these streets like the back of her hand and knew exactly where to find the Queen of Zaun.

-Later: The Last Drop-

 

 

It didn’t take long for Six to find herself in front of The Last Drop which like always had remained the most popular spot in the Lanes. That said, however, if one hadn’t been to Zaun in recent years, they would not have been able to recognize it. Long gone was the popular yet modest-sized nightclub Queen Jinx had managed and it is place was a massive tower that was easily the largest building in the undercity which extended high enough to pierce the Zaun Gray.

Even from across the street, Six could feel the music vibrating against her body from the building and she could see a line of people from both cities extending down the block and around the corner. With her hands in the pockets of her hoodie, Six crossed the street and went straight to the door which was guarded by two Chemtech enhanced soldiers.

“Halt!” One of the soldiers ordered. “No cutting, back of the line!”

Six could hear many of the people that she had blatantly cut voice their agreement, some even shouting at her, but before she could respond she heard the sound of thrusters in the air behind her. Glancing back, she saw three Firelights floating above them on their hoverboards having been alerted by the crowd’s anger.

“Hey, is there a problem?” One of the Firelights questioned.

With a sigh, Six reached up and removed her hood before giving them a dry expression. “I don’t know, is there a problem?” Six questioned and she noted that the Firelight looked as though he had just bit his tongue as his comrades visibly stiffened.

Glancing to the side she saw the clubbers visibly paling as their protests suddenly went silent, no doubt recognizing her tattoo if not her face, and when she glanced at the guards, she just raised an eyebrow.

“Well?”

“Uh-er-s-sorry ma’am, right this way,” one of the guards said before they both stepped to the side and bowed. “Please, enjoy your stay.”

“I will, though, Her Majesty might not be too pleased to see me right now,” the General drawled as she watched them shudder at her words. “If we trash the place, again, l apologize in advance.”

With that out of the way, Six strolled inside and a few of the Clubber who had been blessed enough to be able to hear her blatantly left their positions in line knowing full well what a displeased Hex could mean.

A night on the town was not worth risking getting caught in the crossfire of the twin cities Best.

When Six entered the building, the first thing she saw was a large lift being guarded by a massive mechanical golem, a golem that Six immediately recognized which put a small smile on her face.

“Blitz,” Six said as she approached Blitzcrank and gave him a nod of acknowledgment. After the Firelights truly hit their stride there was less and less need for Blitzcrank to be on his patrols and instead, he would find his strength better used in protecting Zaun’s VIPs who in turn rewarded him by pitching in for his repairs and upgrades.

Though all the Barons had access to him when needed, Blitzcrank actively spent most of his time protecting Hex’s interests. It was a habit he had picked up-or a glitch he developed-when she was a little girl, shortly after Jinx…

Six shook her head and stopped that train of thought as she gazed at Blitzcrank whose eyes literally lit up when he saw her.

“General!” Blitzcrank greeted, pleased to see her. “Where would you like to go?”

“Straight down,” Six told him as she stepped on the lift. “Need to speak to my cousin.”

“Queen Hex is not pleased with you, should I initiate evacuation protocols?” Blitzcrank questioned.

“Be on standby,” Six told him. “The second you see flames, get the people out.”

“Acknowledged,” Blitzcrank said as the doors to the lift closed behind her.  As it descended into the depth of the building, Six looked out of the glass of the window and took in the beautiful sight. The interior of the building was hollow, allowing every floor to be seen as was as the clubbers on each one of them. In both directions, the tower seemed to extend indefinitely as citizens of the twin cities could be seen lounging about the various balconies conversing, dancing, and doing whatever else they wanted to feel free.

With the tower piercing the Zaun Gray, a clear view of the night sky could be seen through the massive skylight which bore the Eye of Zaun insignia that belonged to Hex’s side of the Clan. The large eye seemed to watch down over them all, keeping them safe in its protective gaze while the moonlight shone through it.

That was the other change with The Last Drop. This was no longer just a place for entertainment, it was a home for any citizen of Zaun who was strong or cunning enough to steal or earn themselves a room.

It was also the home of Queen Hex whose private chambers were within the tower as well as she had made it a point to live amongst her people instead of insolation like most regents.

It was ingenious.

This move helped Hex’s global image and also helped her as she lived amongst the people in the Undercity’s biggest gathering hub. To say Hex was privy to a lot of information was an understatement and it made it so that it was virtuously impossible to make a play for her crown without her knowing.

They had once said that the Eye of Zaun saw all, and Hex took that to heart.

If it happened in her city, she knew about it. It was hard to tell Hex something she didn’t know, to catch her off guard, which made the news Six would have to deliver all the more bitter. That is if Hex didn’t kill her first when she saw her. At that moment, let lift came to a stop and Six sighed as the doors opened.

Well.

It was now or never.

Stepping out into the lowest level of the club, Six found herself in a room filled with exotic dancers in various stages of undress. This level was filled with diplomats and ambassadors from other nations, a couple Six even had a meeting with earlier that week. When they saw her, they looked at her in surprise, probably a bit embarrassed to be caught indulging in their vices by Piltover’s General.

Six just chuckled and nodded to them, there was time for work and time for play. She cared little what others did in their free time as long as it wasn’t wasting hers. Strolling forward, Six nodded at the bartender she passed and took note of a couple of masked dancers that were dancing in what looked like tubes of chems which illuminated the room in ultraviolet light.

Soon she came to a stop before a set of stairs that led to a “pit” in the room and at the center of the pit, Six saw her.

Her cousin.

Queen Hex.

Just like their Zaunite mothers, Hex and Six were physical opposites.  Whereas Six was a tall woman with a lean and athletic build, Hex was a shorter more endowed woman whose body appeared softer than her soldier of a cousin’s.

Sitting on an ebony throne forged from twisted burnt scrap metal, Hex appeared almost bored despite the copious amount of drugs, sex, and alcohol that surrounded her. Hex’s eyes were closed as she rested her cheek on her fist and her face was twisted in that seemingly permanent scowl she always wore whenever she wasn’t laughing maniacally at the death she caused.

Still, between Hex’s black-painted lips and the matching eye-liner that had been done in a way that made it look as though Hex had been crying, the scowl seemed even more unnerving than usual somehow.

“Hex,” Six greeted. “You look well, did you do something with your hair?”

The answer to which was no unless letting it grow until it was as long as Aunt Jinx’s counted which even then would make it only one inch longer since the last time Six had spoken to Hex. That said, Hex did seem to have a bit of a wardrobe update. Her hairband had been replaced by one fashioned to look like a black tiara and she now wore a short sleeveless black dress that was laced together on both sides which allowed the full extent of her blue cloud tattoo sleeve to be seen.

Hex also wore a pair of black thigh-high boots and a single black fingerless pinstripe glove that covered most of her arm that wasn’t covered in tattoos. Six’s eyes were drawn to the familiar jacket Hex wore over her shoulders; it was the same one Jinx had worn though the lining was constantly lit by a harmless flame that surrounded Hex’s neck like a fur collar.

“General,” Hex spoke and her visible eye cracked open, her emerald gaze seemingly shining like the necklace she always wore around her neck. Raising and hand, which honestly looked more like a claw given how deadly her black painted nails looked, Hex snapped her fingers. In a swirl of fire, a pitch-black sword- Aunt Lux’s sword which had been burnt by the years of exposure to Hex’s flames-appeared embedded in the ground before Hex’s throne. “You’ve got some nerve coming here after what you did.”

Reaching forward, Hex gripped the blade, and immediately, Six saw the occupants of the room quickly evacuate. Hell, even the dancers in the tubes, scrambled out from the top and ran away not wanting to be anywhere near “ground zero”.

Six sighed as she raised her fists and scowled at Hex who rose to her feet with a dark expression on her face. “Do we have to do this?”

Actual fire poured from Hex’s visible eye in response.

“Okay, yeah, guess we have to do this.” Six muttered before she suddenly shot forward. With two swift slashes of her blade, Hex sent arcs of fire at Six who ducked and dodged past them before cocking her fist back.  When she was within arm’s distance, Six’s fist was suddenly covered by a golden metallic glove before she delivered a vision right at Hex.

Before the blow could land, a flaming sphere of magic appeared around Hex which acted as a barrier to defend her from the attack. Though the attack didn’t land, the sheer force was enough to blow back the nearby furniture. With narrowed eyes, Six cocked back her left fist and it too found itself coated in the golden metal before she released a barrage of powerful blows which began to create cracks in Hex’s barrier.

“Please,” Hex said before summoning Lux’s handgun to her free hand. The Queen twirled it in her hand before aiming it point-blank at Six and pulling the trigger. The force of the shot made Six’s head whip back and caused her to stumble away from Hex. Though instead of falling, Six regained her footing and lifted her head to glare at Hex as a flattened bullet fell from the mask that covered the lower half of her face. Lifting her leg, Six slammed her boot into the cracked barrier with enough force to shatter it and send Hex stumbling back into her throne.

“Damn it, Hex,” Six hissed before she bolted forward. “Why are you always so difficult!?”

“You know what you did!” Hex aimed at Six once more and just as she pulled the trigger, her cousin covered the barrel of the weapon with her palm. Twice, Hex pulled the trigger which released muffled shots in Six’s armored hand before the General swiftly dismantled the weapon before Hex could keep firing.

With a glare, Hex slammed her heel into the ground which caused a loud audible click to echo throughout the room before walls of fire exploded around them. Slamming her fists together, Hex ignited them both in flame before taking a boxing stance which Six mirrored. As one the cousins stepped toward each other, locked in vicious close-quarters combat and delivering blows upon each other that could only just barely be avoided.

Now and then their punches would slam into each other which made Hex grimace slightly from the pain and Six wince from the sheer heat of Hex’s fire. Eventually, however, they caught each other’s hands and stood grappling in the middle of the room and struggling for dominance. Though the General was physically superior to most, including Hex, she could see runes appear over Hex’s body that burned bright red, reinforcing her body and quickly closing that gap between the cousins.

This wouldn’t end any time soon at this rate, and as Six noticed the flames getting dangerously close to the large tubes of chems she knew she had to end this quickly.

“Hex, for the last time I’m sorry I missed the brunch you planned for my birthday,” Six apologized for what had to have been the tenth time at this point. Seriously, how long would her cousin hold a grudge for this long about that!? Yes, it was a dick move but it was also an accident. “I overslept!”

“Overslept? You get up earlier than Blitz does and he doesn’t even sleep!” Hex hissed. “Honestly, I went out of my way to surprise you after not seeing you for a year and you ditch me?”

“You not seeing me for a year was your fault!” Six countered. “No one told you to go into a self-imposed isolation for damn near a year!”

“I was just busy, besides you knew where to find me if you wanted to see me!” Hex countered. “It's not like Zaun moved.”

“As if you were in Zaun,” Six scoffed. “Not even the Barons saw you, the only reason there wasn’t a search was because you still managed to rule from where ever you ran off to and that at least Uncle E seemed to know where you were.”

“My point still stands!” Hex retorted. “Zaun didn’t move, Uncle E is still here which means you could have gone to him to contact me whenever you wanted! So don’t use my absence as an excuse for you ditching my plans I spent so much time setting up for you.” Hex shook her head and glared at Six. “Seriously, ‘overslept’ give me a break. You? What happened did you finally get laid?”

Six’s face went as red as her as she tried to sputter out a response.

Hex's eyes went wide and the flames swiftly vanished as she looked at her cousin with a shit-eating grin.

“Oh no fucking way, you did?”

“W-wait-”

“Oh Janna, finally!” Hex released Six’s hands with a laugh before she practically skipped toward the bar. “Chuck! Two shots of whiskey, we need to celebrate!”

“O-Of course Your Majesty,” an older Theiram said as he poked his head up from behind the counter where he had taken cover. Not much had changed for the man over the years who now sported a clean black tux. Though his hair did begin to gray slightly though that was likely due to his time working for Clan Kiramman than age.

“Damn, soldier girl, why didn’t you just say that?” Hex questioned as she took a seat at the bar. “You know I of all people would have understood.”

“Because it's private,” Six muttered as she approached the bar, face-palming the entire way.

“Since when is their privacy between us?” Hex questioned with a raised eyebrow.

“Between us? Never, but this didn’t involve just us,” Six said with an eye-roll. “I was raised not to kiss and tell.”

“Why not? I tell you everything.”

“Which I really wish you didn’t,” Six sighed before downing the glass of whiskey Theiram. “One more please, Theiram.”

Theiram gave her a knowing smile. “Of course, General.”

Six glowered at Hex. “Forgive me for thinking a sincere apology would have been enough to satisfy my dramatic ass cousin.”

Hex rolled her eyes. “I wasn’t pissed that you left me hanging, I was pissed that you lied about it. You’re a fucking terrible liar so the fact you tried to lie to me of all people was insulting. Now I see it wasn’t a lie, but just not the whole truth.” Hex knocked back her drink and raised a finger, signaling to Theiram that she wanted another one as well. “I’m the Queen of Zaun, Six, I deal with more lies a day than you could imagine, hell it feels as though my life is a lie most days, you’re the one person I won’t accept a lie from. Ever.”

Six sighed and nodded her head. In many ways she felt the same, Piltover was no different, hell they probably lied more than Zaun daily. Knowing that her cousin who was so outrageously talented at the art of lies and half-truths would always be honest to her had given her no small source of comfort.

“Next time, I’ll just say it’s not your business.”

Hex nodded. “That would be smart.” Hex said and despite herself, Six found herself smiling a bit at the situation. Hex was dangerously paranoid and irrational at times, but in that madness, Six found the comfort of being near something familiar, the comfort of home. When Theiram handed them their next round of drinks she nodded at the man.

“Thank you,” Six said before frowning a bit. “Though I am surprised you are not at home? I thought you only worked at the Church now?”

Theiram nodded. “I do, but Her Majesty needed my aid so here I am.”

Six shot Hex a questioning look.

“My old bartender took off, so I needed a last-minute replacement,” Hex said which made Six look at her in horror.

“Was…was she insane?” Six asked hesitantly. After all, if you were under Hex’s rule if she gave you a job you did it without fail and no questions asked. Hex wasn’t a slavedriver, well, not most times but it still took a brave, if not foolish, soul to abandon their post at the last minute in one of Hex’s operations.

“Insane? No. Pregnant? Yes,” Hex explained. “Nearly shit herself telling me she had to leave, but she did it. I tell you, Six, a kid makes a woman crazy, will have them ready to destroy their whole world.” Hex chuckled and with a more subdued smile, she raised a finger and requested another round from Theiram. With a somber expression, the man nodded and poured them more drinks. “Still, I was impressed and gave her the time off, I’m even paying for her still to help out a bit for as little as that all matters in the end.”

Six felt her heart clench at that but nodded all the same. As she always expected, deep down, Hex was a good person but over the years that person had left a cage of senseless destruction and entered a cage of pure nihilism. Hex’s heart had so much capacity to love but it was in the body of a woman who had all but given up on the world.

“So, how’s Cyber-Milf?” Hex questioned which almost made Six choke.

“E-excuse me?”

“What? That’s what ‘C.’ means right?” Hex questioned innocently. “Though in my opinion, it should be C for cun-”

“Hex!” Six interrupted with a hiss. “I know you two don’t get along but have some respect, please? For me?” Hex rolled her eyes but nodded all the same. “Besides you know what it means do stop being petty. Seriously if you two just took five minutes not taking jabs at each other you’d get along.”

“Doubt it, soldier girl, maybe in another life,” Hex chuckled which made Six shake her head but she didn’t press the issue. Normally this would be the time she would ask Hex about any news on Nunu but with a pit in her stomach, she knew that this time it would be her giving the news.

And of course, the one time that happens it’s the worst news of all.

“Speaking of C. she gave me some news,” Six began, her expression grim, something which immediately put Hex on alert. “It’s about Sylas…he escaped.”

“You serious?” Hex questioned before scoffing. “What the fuck am I saying? You’d never joke about this. We should have put that bastard down when we had the chance.”

“We should have,” Six agreed wholeheartedly. “There’s…there’s more though.” Six swallowed a lump in her throat. “Nunu…Nunu was found killed, he ran into Sylas in the Freljord.”

At this Hex stilled as Six shut her eyes, waiting for the Queen’s reaction.

There was no fire, no yelling, no crying-oh who was she kidding? Hex ran out of tears years ago.

There was only laughter.

A hollow, soul-shattering sound that had managed to escape Hex’s throat and Six shuddered. It was a sinister sound, one that could only come from a woman that was barely holding on to her sanity.  A blood-chilling sound that she hadn’t heard since her parents’ funeral.

“I’m sorry, Hex, truly I am,” Six spoke up quietly when the laughter finally ended. “He was a great man.”

“The best,” Hex said quietly. “He was enough to almost, almost make me believe that this life of mine mattered.”

“It does, Hex!” Six said urgently as she placed a hand over Hex’s. “It does, and as tragic as this is, we both know that he would tell you the same, make you believe the same.”

“But he can’t, can he?” Hex questioned which made Six avert her eyes. “He can’t because as good of a person as he was, as powerful as he was, he died all the same.” Hex downed her glass. “I was in Freljord, you know? When you can teleport it’s not hard to rule Zaun from there, or, well, anywhere for that matter. I wanted to spend time with him, to try and see how he could find so much beauty, so much to live for in a people buried in ice.”

Hex rose from her seat and grabbed the bottle.

“I judged his people, judged life, and found them and everything to be lacking,” Hex told her. “He found so much worth in people that I believe had none and I knew then that I had to come back. That I had to leave him before I destroyed anymore of his light. His innocence. People like him, good people, deserve to be ignorant of the truth that nothing in our world matters. He asked me if he’d see me again, and I told him no.”

Hex chuckled.

“Oh, how right I was, huh Six?” Hex questioned before she raised the bottle and downed most of it. Then, in true Zaunite fashion, she unceremoniously poured the rest out onto the floor for the man who was no longer there as both six and Theiram bowed their heads. “He was a great lay, and an even greater man, the world will be a darker place without him.”

Raising her hand toward her dismantled gun, the runes on her fingernails began to glow as she moved her fingers as if typing on an invisible typewriter. With each movement, one of the runes would flash and when her fingers went still, the gun reassembled itself before flying back to her palm where it disappeared in a swirl of fire.

“Any word on the status of Nunu’s magic?” Hex questioned Six. “His magic was some of the strongest in Runeterra, easily stronger than mine, but he wasn’t a natural-born mage. His power came from a powerful artifact, a crystal that had been buried in the ice of Freljord which means it could easily be extracted from his corpse.”

This news made Six pale.

“No, but the fact that Sylas chose to confront Nunu instead of simply regrouping with the last of his men…” Six trailed off.

“…means its best we operate under the assumption that Sylas is a lot more powerful,” Hex muttered. “Come on, General, we have work to do. I trust you know where he’s hiding?”

“I do but I can also do you one better,” Six said as she rose from her seat. “I know what his next target is.” Six revealed which made Hex turn to face her fully. “We need to go see Uncle E.”

 

-Zaun: Baron Ekko’s Territory: Ekko’s Office-

If Ekko was surprised to see his nieces appear in his office in a swirl of fire, he didn’t show it.

“Hey, Uncle E. How’s it going?” Hex questioned while Six stood grimacing as she placed a hand over her mouth.

“Good all things considered,” Ekko said before raising an eyebrow. “Though seeing you both pop up so suddenly together has me a bit worried. Janna knows soldier girl wouldn’t travel with you unless it was an emergency.” Ekko gestured towards a waste bin. “If you’re going to get sick, do it there,” Ekko smirked. “The whole point of you two moving out of my house was that I’d stop cleaning up after you.”

“I’m fine, I just…need a moment.” Six muttered but eventually, the green left her face. “Seriously, Hex, you should have never learned how to teleport.”

“Why? It saves like so much time,” Hex said as Ekko stood up from behind his desk. Over time Ekko had developed a much more solid build that could be seen even beneath his black pinstripe suit. His dreads had grown and were now tied back behind his head and he even sported a goatee now. His face was slightly weathered by both time and stress but over all the years hadn’t treated him too badly.

“Come on girls, bring it in,” Ekko said with a grin before he pulled them both into a firm yet gentle embrace. The women smiled and hugged their old guardian tightly before he released them and stepped back. “So, to what do I owe this visit? Good news I hope?”

“Sylas attacked and killed Nunu,” Hex answered as blunt as ever and Six saw Ekko’s jaw drop before he closed his mouth and tightened his jaw, clearly angered by the news. “It's time for me to burn everything down. I was going to come here about that as soon as Six informed me of what happened, but she believes she has some information that required your attention.”

“Oh?” Ekko questioned before turning to Six. Immediately, Six’s posture straightened in a way that reminded him of Caitlyn as she entered “business” mode.

“Yes,” Six answered. “Clan Ferros intercepted and captured one of the mages in Sylas’ inner circle. Interrogated him and found out he was after something called a ‘Hexcore’ I figured if anyone in Zaun besides Singed or Viktor would know what is, it’d be you.” Six’s eyes narrowed when she saw him clench his fists. “I take it I’m right?”

“You are, and funny that you mentioned Viktor seeing as he made it,” Ekko muttered. “His ‘glorious revolution’ that he’s always rambling about? If you ever wanted to know what made Viktor what he is today, you ain’t gotta look much further than the Hexcore.”

Six grimaced. “Well, I can already tell it's nothing good. What can you tell me about it?”

“Not much,” Ekko admitted. “I only know as much as I do cause’ Viktor told me about it when we were building the Storm Gate. It was the first ‘successful’ attempt at fusing Hextech and Chemtech and the last project Viktor and Jayce worked on together. It’s a conduit of energy that can be used for, well, just about anything if you got the imagination and drive to wield it.”

“Shit,” Six cursed before glancing at Hex. “If your guess is right and that bastard took Nunu’s magic if he can get his hands on something like that there’s no telling what he can do.”

“No, there is,” Hex muttered. “I’m in regular contact with the Trifarix and I asked them to keep tabs on Sylas for all the good that that’s done. They ordered Katarina to give them reports on his status which were pretty bland and straightforward.  But, one thing that stood out was that he’d always tell Katarina that he’d bring back his brothers and sisters. Like her, I wrote it off as his madness finally sinking in but if he had the Hexcore and Nunu’s magic at his disposal?”

Six paled. “You don’t think…he could resurrect the entire mage resistance, do you?”

“He could,” Hex muttered. “No, in fact, I am certain he will. Mastering runes and the arcane have become my hobby over the years, as you know. I have researched both subjects thoroughly. Viktor once showed me his blueprints and notes on something that I believe might have been this ‘Hexcore’. If what I saw and what Sylas seek are the same, then there is nothing he can’t do with it. It’s practically a living codex on the runic language itself.”

“Well, I wouldn’t call it living,” Ekko spoke up with a thoughtful frown. “The thing’s been destroyed for a while now. Jayce and Viktor both buried it at what would later become the construction site for the Storm Gate. It was unearthed and crushed by accident during the construction. That’s why Viktor told me about it in the first place.” Ekko shrugged. “If that’s what he’s after he’s shit out of luck.”

Six’s shoulders sagged in relief. “That’s good. Then that means we won’t have to worry about him resurrecting an army of mages.”

“You’re wrong,” Hex muttered. “Sylas is a powerful and broken mage that’s drowning in despair. Just because he can’t get the Hexcore now doesn’t mean he can’t get it at all.”

“What do you-” Six paused and her skin paled as she turned to a grimacing Ekko. “Uncle E, no, I thought you destroyed it! You promised-”

“I promised not to use it,” Ekko interrupted her before sighing. “When I first made the Time Gate it was to help minimize the destruction caused by the Harrowings. It was to be a tool for good but Sylas proved no matter how good those intentions were, such a device could not be used.”

“Sylas caught wind of the experiment through his spies and attacked,” Hex recalled with a sneer. That was perhaps the one drawback of Zaun becoming a breeding ground and asylum for mages, not all the refugees it took in were loyal. “Aunt Z sacrificed herself and turned her body into pure energy to shut the gate. To destroy the Time Gate would be to destroy all that remained of her,” Hex rubbed her temples. “But still, that was pure magical energy she turned into which could be manipulated to turn the gate back on. Something he’s likely figured out by now, after all, he’s had nothing to do but plan for years.”

“Shit…” Six scowled as the idea of a resurrected army somehow became worse. It would be one thing if Sylas was messing around now but she could only imagine what havoc he could cause in the past. “And this is the man your mom said had a good heart beneath his extreme ideals?”

“She fell in love with Jinx, take her opinions on what is ‘good’ with a grain of salt.” Hex said dryly. “Maybe he was good but, the world he lived in wasn’t. This is why I am glad to be bad. Much harder for the world to break and twists your morals when they’re already fucked up.” Hex looked at them both. “This is how this will play out. As we speak, Sylas is likely attacking Piltover, more accurately, he’s attacking Hextech and will likely interrogate Jayce to find out about the Hexcore.”

“Jayce would never tell,” Six said as though she didn’t see eye-to-eye with the former Councilor she at east knew his conviction was reliable.

“He’s a mage, Six, and an experienced interrogator, he doesn’t need Jayce to tell.” Hex reminded her. “He just needs to ask the right questions and glean the answers from Jayce’s mind. From there he’ll find out where it's buried and I doubt it’ll take long for him to realize that the Storm Gate is where it’s supposed to be which to him would imply that the Hexcore was moved. His next stop will be Viktor who will simply tell him the truth. That it was destroyed. That means his last stop since I assume rationality has all but left the man, will be the Time Gate.” Hex revealed each step in this scenario with ease. “Which is where we will intercept him.”

“How do you know he will do all of that?” Six asked skeptically

Hex waved her hand dismissively. “As I said, he’s a powerful but broken mage that’s drowning in despair. I like to think that I, of all people, might know a thing or two about the thought process of such a person.”

Six grimaced but nodded. “I say we intercept him at the Storm Gate. It’s too late to get to Piltover and trying to get him between the cities risks too many civilians. Waiting until he gets to the Time Gate is way too late.”

“You’d risk damaging the Storm Gate?”  Hex asked skeptically. “The place where goods and gold from all countries in the known world passes? We always prioritize the gold because to do so-”

“-is to prioritize our people,” Six finished with a sigh knowing full well the extent to which the twin cities depended on their trade. “I know, I know, but waiting until he gets to the Time Gate feels too late.”

“It gives us the most time to prepare, and with it the biggest window of opportunity for success.” Hex pointed out. “A window that’s getting smaller the more we debate. Janna forbid we miss our chance and have to go to Lady Gray for help.”

Both Ekko and Six shuddered at that.

“Fine, fine, let’s head to the Time Gate,” Six conceded which made Hex smile.

“As always, I knew you’d see it my way,” Hex turned to Ekko. “Get the Firelights ready, I doubt Sylas is traveling alone.”

Ekko raised an eyebrow. “You know I haven’t been their leader for years now, right?”

“Yeah, but you’re still the best at boosting their morale,” Hex countered. “Against a small army of mages? They’re going to need it and you, even if you no longer have the Z-Drive. A legend will always be a cut above the rest, even if they’re missing a toy or two.”

“Fair,” Ekko nodded before smirking. “Fuck it, I can show the rookies how it’s done, we’ll make these bastards pay for what they’ve taken from us. By the way, speaking of toys. I got yours ready, want me to grab it for you?”

“That would be appreciated,” Hex said before Ekko left the office.

“Toy?” Six questioned.

“Yep,” Hex confirmed. “My newest and most favorite one. If we’re lucky, one day you’ll be able to see my toy in action. For now, though, let’s get ready, one way or another, this mess with Sylas will end.”

Six nodded before leaving the room with Hex to prepare for the upcoming battle.

-Later: Zaun: Baron Ekko’s Territory-

 

 

“Do you sense him?” Six questioned as she stood at the base of the massive tree next to Hex who appeared to be meditating.

“I do, but his magic feels…off,” Hex said as she opened her eyes. “Or rather, the magic in the world around him does. I think he might be packing an ungodly amount of petricite.” Hex stood up. “Funny, even if I didn’t want to kill him, I’d have to just for the sheer amount he decided to bring into Zaun.”

“How does a nation with only three laws manage to have this many people breaking them?”  Six questioned rhetorically. “I’ll deal with the petricite for you. You still can’t manipulate the magic in it as well as he can so try and keep your distance.”

“I’ll try,” Hex reassured her. “Though if he’s moving this boldly, he must have something big planned, can’t make any promises.” Hex then smiled and picked up what Six could only describe as a metal coffin though it was only around a third of the size of an average one. In fact, when Six saw how Hex used the two metallic straps attached to in other to carry it on her back, it reminded the General of her cousins’ old backpack.”

“Seriously, what the hell is that?” Six asked, still confused by the true nature of Hex’s ‘favorite toy’.

Hex just grinned in response. “That would ruin the surprise. I call it a toy, but Jinx would probably call it the ‘punchline’ if she was still alive.”

“Punchline? I don’t recall ever hearing a joke.”

“Oh, sweet Six, this life is the joke.” Hex snickered but before Six could respond a loud explosion shook the territory and when they turned, they could see the concrete barrier begin to collapse. Sirens blared as they saw the hooded form of Sylas walk out from the dust, followed closely by the remnant of his resistance. “It’s time, let’s get ready to put an end to this nightmare.”

Six nodded before she bolted forward, toward Sylas as Firelights swarmed the sky. Even though she had no hoverboard of her own, Six crossed the distance before any of them and in an instant appeared before the hooded form of Sylas, her now golden fist clenched tightly as blue sparks of Hextech energy danced across her body. With narrowed eyes, she released a devastating right only for him to catch the blow.

The resulting shockwave from her fist hitting his palm knocked back a few of his men and cause some of the Firelights to almost lose their balance as the ground shattered beneath their feet.

“Well, if it isn’t the shiniest cog in Piltover’s wheel,” Sylas spoke as his hand gripped her fist tightly. Now that she was close, Six could see that the space resulting from his missing arm was now occupied by one that was forged from pure petricite and covered in bright red runes that glowed just as menacingly as the one on his face. “I was wondering why I did not encounter you in Piltover, to think the city would let its dog off its leash.”

“There’s only one dog here, Sylas,” Six muttered. “Unlike you, I’ve never been caged and forced to live off scraps. So many plans, battles, lives lost, and for what? What do you have to show for all of that besides a stone arm?” Six questioned before Sylas’ palm exploded from the force of her ripping her hand free.

Before Six could attack again, the runes on Sylas’ arm burned brightly as the stone rapidly reformed and transformed into a blade of pure petricite. Thinking quickly, Six raised her forearms to block his blade which tore through the fabric of her hood before shattering against golden metal coating her arms beneath it. Though unharmed, the sheer force of Sylas’ swing did manage to push her away from him. After this exchange the mages and Firelights around them began to battle, turning Ekko’s territory into a battlefield within moments.

Sylas’ arm quickly repaired itself and just as he went to follow up his attack on Six, he was forced to block a blast of fire with his petricite arm which absorbed the magic effortlessly.

“And now the Rat Queen makes her appearance,” Sylas drawled as Hex made her presence known. Even though he had successfully absorbed her attack without injury, the sheer heat of the blast still managed to make beads of sweat form on his brow. Sylas scowled as he looked at the two women who stood before him now, each who were just as powerful if not even more so than he was that could fight together with an unparalleled level of synergy.

Safe to say there was no way for him to deal with both Hex and Six simultaneously and they knew it.

Fortunately for him, he wouldn’t have to.

Before Hex could reduce him to ash, a pillar of magic exploded from his body as crimson runes burned themselves into the ground.

“The hell?” Hex questioned in surprise the very ground began to tremble from his might.

“I’ve learned not to face either of you unprepared,” Sylas said as he raised his petricite arms, the runes on it spreading like cracks. “I have no doubt you heard I made a couple of detours on my way here, one was Freljord, the other was Demacia, or rather, what was left of it. You’d be surprised at what sort of friends you can make out of former enemies if you share a common goal.”

With a snap of his stone fingers, the world around them exploded with light which blinded them briefly like a flashbang. Still, even while temporarily blinded, Hex was able to conjure a burning barrier to protect herself and Hex from the sudden influx of magic. When the light died down, the two cracked open their eyes only for them to widen when they saw a massive shadow behind Sylas.

“What?” Six questioned in confusion as Hex scowled as she immediately recognized the figure.

The Colossus.

The Titan Who Ate Magic.

Galio.

A being so powerful that it was able to almost single-handedly crush one of Sylas’ assaults when summoned by Lux.

Though even Hex could tell something was wrong when she saw him.

The supposed ivory titan of unparalleled majesty was dark and corrupted by whatever Sylas had done to him. What was once a beacon of hope and protection for Demacia was now a corrupted armored behemoth covered in burning runes that looked more like a savage beast than a noble knight.

Her mother had never returned to her homeland or even spoke fondly of it, but she did regale Hex with multiple stories of the countries’ legends in her youth. Though these stories came from a need to inform the future Queen of potential dangers in the event a conflict arose between the Twin Cities and Demacia rather than some sense of nostalgia.

Regardless of why Lux told her, Hex committed all of these stories to memory.

Which was why she hoped Six wouldn’t be too annoyed with her after this.

Clapping her hands together, Hex’s magic exploded from her body, trapping the four legends in a vortex of wind and fire. Hex’s scowl deepened as she glared at her opponents, fire burning in her visible eye while her hair whipped around violently from the force of the storm.

“You said, you’d deal with the petricite right?” Hex questioned her cousin. “Because that’s a lot of it right there!”

“Hex, what are you doing!?” Six questioned, a sinking feeling in her gut.

Hex smirked as crimson runes appeared along her arms. “Sending you on a trip.”

With that, Hex rose her hand much as Sylas had and snapped her fingers which caused them all to be engulfed in a blazing explosion that seemed to set the very sky ablaze. The metal around the surrounding area including the weapons of both the Firelights and the mage resistance warped from the sheer heat. Moments later, when the inferno died down, Six and Galio were nowhere to be seen as Hex stood before Sylas alone.

“I was curious about how you would respond to Galio,” Sylas admitted. “But to think you would teleport him and the General away. I’m not sure what’s more unbelievable, the fact that you would try such a feat knowing that Galio would absorb most, if not all, of the magic or the fact that you succeeded.”

“If you thought for a second, I wouldn’t teach myself how to manipulate magic in the presence of petricite like you do, you’re a fool,” Hex scoffed. “Though I will admit to not being as adept as you are at it. Yet.”

“Clearly. You left yourself dry, almost completely devoid of your power.” Sylas sneered. “What exactly was the end goal here? Do you think you, as defenseless as you are now, can still fight me?”

“Defenseless?” Hex scoffed before unholstering her gun, twirling it in her hand, and aiming at Sylas. “Trust me, a bullet can be just as fucking useful as any spell. Magic is just a toy, and I have far more of those than you do.” Hex chuckled. “Now enough talking, this is the first time I’ve been close to excited in years.” Hex grinned at him before she bit her lip gleefully while pulling the trigger of the gun. Her eye shone as it reflected the flash of fire the weapon released.

This was more like it.

It had been far too long since she last felt her back be pressed against a wall.

Hopefully, Sylas didn’t disappoint her, she wanted to feel alive for once even if it were for only a moment.

-With Six-

 

 

“I’m going to kill her,” Six muttered as she picked herself up from the ground. With a scowl, she noted that Hex had teleported her and Galio to a mountain top just past the outskirts of Piltover. Looking down at her body, Six saw bits of gold shining brilliantly from beneath the burnt and tattered remains of her clothes. “If she isn’t stealing my clothes, she’s destroying them.”

The ground trembled and Six looked up impassively to see the massive form of Galio rising from the ground.

It was tragic really.

When she looked at the once-fabled protector of Galio all she could truly see was herself should she ever buckle under the weight that she carried.  Galio was a powerful, nigh-indestructible guardian that failed his country, and where was once a gold and ivory majesty, there was only dark corrupted petricite that seemed to break down as it tried to absorb the dark magic born from those insidious runes Sylas used to control him.

“You deserved better,” Six told him before she extended her food and dug the heel of her boot into the soil. “But you failed your nation, Demacia is gone, and I can’t let you bring mine down to resurrect it.” Six dug a line in the ground as the golden city of Piltover shone brilliantly behind her. Raising a golden hand in front of her, she clenched it tightly as a bright blue light shone on her chest in the shape of a five-pointed star. “I will hold this line.”

In response to the General’s declaration, Galio released a bestial roar as his cracked wings spread wide behind him. Six shot forward as the titan raised his hands and put them together before bringing them down swiftly upon Six like a massive sledgehammer backed with so much force that it cracked the mountain.

The mountaintop practically exploded from the force yet despite the sheer force behind the attack, Six stood strong, her forearms crossed above her head as she blocked the attack. Galio’s hands trembled as he tried to push her down only for Six to grit her teeth and refuse to budge while the star on her chest shone brighter.

[Hex Suit: Initialized]

Six’s once cold gray eyes now shone blue as they were filled with vibrant Hextech energy. A sudden influx of power exploded from Six’s body, knocking Galio back and shredding the remains of Six’s outfit leaving her standing in a suit of golden cybernetic armor. The armor appeared cleaned and polished to the point that its sheer luster seemed to illuminate the darkness of the night.

As if it were a second skin, the suit hugged Six’s body tightly as it enhanced nearly every muscle in her body to superhuman levels. Hanging over her shoulder navy blue and gold hood that sported the Piltovan emblem and cover the cloth that covered her shoulder was a pauldron that had been forged to resemble the head of a roaring bear. Metal plates on the armor seemed to shift with every breath she took as her body crackled with Hextech energy that originated from a brightly blue five-pointed star in the center of her chest that had a much smaller unlit star in front of each one of its points.

[Gauging Danger level: Three Stars]

The energy generated by the suit increased dramatically as two of the much smaller stars on her chest suddenly shone just as brightly as the main one.

“Three stars? In that condition?” Six shook her head as some of the energy coursing around her was redirected toward her back where a heavily upgraded version of Caitlyn’s rifle rested, empowering it. “I would have loved to have fought you in your prime.”

[Combat Data-set: Vi: Installed.]

[Combat Data-set: Caitlyn: Installed]

The armor around Six’s fists shifted, reinforcing them with extra plating. Six slammed her fists together as they crackled with power. As much as she would have loved to truly see what Galio could do, even in this weakened state, she knew it was best to bring an end to this quickly.

Both for the sake of the Twin cities…

…and for Galio himself.

Galio swung a massive fist at her as she swung back at him in kind.  She’d give him the mercy he deserved and put him out of his misery, end his torment, once and for all. For in Piltover, she wasn’t just the General.

She was the Judge.

Their fists collided and though she felt her strength weaken slightly due to the Petricite, the blow had already been enhanced to the point it could shatter the titan’s arm the moment their fists made contact.

The Jury.

Six slammed her fist inside a large crack in his other arm and spun around. With a roar, she ripped the limp from his body and tossed it to the side.

And…

Six grabbed the high-impact Hex-tech rifle from her back and watched it unfold itself before she rested it on her shoulder and pulled the trigger, causing a bullet to shoot behind her and slam directly in between the titan’s eyes.

…the Executioner.

Small cracks spider-webbed out from where the bullet impacted but the shot did no true damage to the colossus. Still, as Galio thrashed wildly, enraged by the loss of his arms, the bullet in his head began to blink, releasing small rapid blue flashes of light before finally…

-Runeterra: Orbit-

 

A gold and blue clockwork satellite moved to aim at the continent of Valoran, or more specifically at the outskirts of Piltover. The back of the satellite soon opened up, revealing large glowing runes that absorbed the solar energy from the sun. The front of the large machine began to shine with the suns’ golden energy which continued to be focused by the satellite.

-With Six-

 

A beam of pure golden solar energy slammed down onto the mountain into Galio’s body, erasing both it and part of the mountain top in a blaze of pure destruction that would have brought a tear to Jinx’s eye. The mountain top shook but Six paid it no mind as she placed her gun on her back once more while a forcefield protected her from the blast. When the light died down, Six didn’t even have to look back to know that Galio was gone.

Six’s eyes gazed down upon the golden city of Piltover and narrowed when she saw smoke arise from Hextech, likely a result of Sylas’ earlier search for the Hexcore.

Six felt her blood boil at the sight of the “scratch” on her beloved city.

Sylas would pay.

[Combat Data-set: Vi: uninstalled]

[Combat Data-set: Jinx: Installed]

Six crouched down and placed her hands on the ground, taking a sprinter’s stance as Hextech energy gathered around her body. Six moved her eyes from Piltover to Zaun and suddenly blasted forward toward the undercity like a railgun.

-With Hex-

 

Hex and Sylas found themselves in a stalemate as the war raged around them. On one hand, with most of her magic depleted, Hex found herself unable to do any real damage. Yes, she was good with weapons but unlike her predecessor, those she carried were nowhere near powerful enough to cause damage even remotely comparable to her magic.

That said, on the other, Sylas despite having his magic found himself unable to land an attack on Hex. Whether he was simply too out of practice due to his imprisonment or if Hex was simply too skilled, he didn’t know but regardless actually hurting her proved to be almost impossible.

Her movements were simply too much to keep up with which was bad since the longer fight continued, the more magic he would lose, and the more she would recover and unlike her, he knew he could not dodge her magic.

Soon a loud explosion echoed throughout the night in the distance and when Sylas felt his connection to Galio vanish he knew he had to make his move.

Especially as he noted the Firelight’s getting an edge over his resistance.

If this battle kept up for much longer, he’d lose his only chance to set things right.

Well then…

…looks like it was time for plan B.

“Enough!” Sylas declared after using his chains to block Hex’s shots. The resistance leader swung his chains toward Hex who barely managed to duck in time to avoid being impaled. “I refuse to lose to any crown, especially yours!”

With that declaration, Sylas pulled back on his chains which had embedded themselves into the ground behind Hex. The sheer strength of his pull ripped free a large chunk of the ground and sent it rocketing toward Hex. Spinning around, Hex grabbed her blade and cut through the attack effortlessly before returning her attention to Sylas.

To her surprise, however, the chains didn’t return to him and instead shot behind and wrapped around two of his subordinates.

“Now is the time!” Sylas shouted, his voice ringing clear throughout the warzone. “For the sake of a better future for our people, no, for all of Runeterra, we will give all! We will sacrifice all!”

Hex’s eyes widened in alarm when she saw bright red runes appear across the bodies of all of his subordinates. Whipping his arms forward, Sylas launched the two mages at Hex as their runes shone even brighter before their bodies simply exploded in bright crimson light. The last thing Hex saw before she was engulfed by the magical blast was a shadow appearing in front of her before she felt something hard slam into her frame, knocking her down onto the ground.

Hex’s vision went black but considering she was alive when her vision returned, she figured she couldn’t have been unconscious for too long, or else Sylas probably would have killed her. With a groan, Hex forced herself up as she heard terrified screams around her which didn’t surprise her as Ekko’s oasis now looked more akin to a burning wasteland.

“Damn, I miscalculated-” Hex’s voice stopped cold when she quickly replayed what had just happened in her mind. Hex didn’t even need to look around to know that the self-destruction of all of those mages had created an untold number of casualties amongst the rankings of the Firelights. A tragedy, truly, it was but currently, this sudden loss was overshadowed by the fact that one of the Firelights had intercepted the blast to protect her…

…and there was only one Firelight, retired or not, that was skilled enough to do so at such short notice.

Hex swallowed as she registered the weight on her lap and shakily, her gaze lowered to find a heavily wounded Ekko.

“No…” Hex whispered. “Uncle E-“

“Stop, now’s…now’s not the time,” Ekko gasped out as blood spilled from the corner of his lips. “I’m alright, girl.” Ekko gave her a weak smirk. “If your mom couldn’t kill me, this bastard definitely can’t whether I have the Z-Drive or not.”

Ekko used what little strength he had left, to push himself off of Hex’s legs, using one hand to grip his side tightly as he laid back on the ground.

“Now go,” Ekko instructed. “It’s unfortunate but that last trick of theirs blew a hole in the ground straight to the Time Gate. He’s making his way there now. You have to stop him or all of these deaths will be for nothing.”

Hex gritted her teeth but nodded and forced herself to her feet, rushing off to where she knew Sylas had departed. Fortunately, or unfortunately, depending on how one could look at it following after Sylas was far from the hardest thing to do. The earlier explosion had blown a massive hole in the ground which revealed a hidden path that led to a door that had been ripped open below the roots of the massive tree.

It was the Firelight’s hidden research lab and the resting place of the Time Gate.

Jumping into the hole without hesitation, Hex raced off toward the Time Gate in hopes to bring an end to Sylas once and for all.

-Zaun: Baron Ekko’s Territory: Time Gate-

 

The Time Gate was a construct that truly lived up to its name as it truly was just that, a large silver gate that rested on top of a large pathway made out of tree roots. Bright gold runes were engraved into the gate that radiated power that just waited to be released. The massive doors of the gate were sealed shut by what appeared to be a statue of Zeri that was carved from petricite.

Though those in the know knew it wasn’t a statue.

No, it was Zeri who stood before the gate, arms wide with her back pressed tightly against the doors as tree roots bound her body to it. This was the unfortunate fate of the Spark of Zaun, one last sacrifice. It was an unending burden she chose to carry to protect humanity from its obsession with the past and the temptation to change it that came with it.

It was a noble sacrifice, yet it would be one made in vain as Sylas now stood before the gate. Raising his petricite arm toward Zeri, Sylas watched as the runes on his arm shone brightly as those on the Time Gate turned from gold to red.

Suddenly, in true Zaunite fashion, two shots fired out from the darkness without warning but before they could reach Sylas, his petricite chains intercepted them. Sylas glanced back and saw Hex standing at the opposite end of the path. Without a word, his chains shot back at her. Fortunately for Hex, she regained some of her magic and with a swift swing of her blade toward the ground, she erected a wall of wind to intercept the chains.

Though the wind wall was formidable, it was still defending against petricite and was dispersed quickly though it did succeed in buying Hex enough time to avoid the chains. Cocking her sword back, she ignited the blade with her fire before launching it at Sylas who just barely managed to block it with his prosthetic arm. The blade managed to embed itself an inch into the limb before the petricite absorbed the fire.

Thinking fast, Hex summoned flames beneath her heels and used them as makeshift thrusters to blast herself in front of Sylas in an instant. Quickly grasping the hilt of her sword, the flames exploded from the blade with a vengeance before she pressed forward and cut the arm from his body while the blade continued to leave a large gash in his chest.

Sylas shouted in pain as the explosive force of the attack knocked him back into Zeri’s petrified form. With her scowl deepening, Hex strode toward him while twirling her blade in her hand before launching herself at him once more. However, before her blade could connect, Sylas surprised her by catching it with his bare hand.

“Out of all the Kings and Queens I have been forced to endure, Your Majesty, you are the one I detest the most,” Sylas told her as crimson runes appeared on his arm. “Yet, ironically, it is from you that I have learned the most. You’ve forced me to learn the importance of having contingencies even for my contingencies.”

Hex watched in surprise as the illusion around his arm dropped, revealing it too to be a prosthetic forged from petricite. With a roar, Sylas pushed forward, and the rune pulsed and released a concussive wave of magic that slammed into her with enough force to crack some of her ribs before blowing her away from him. Spinning around quickly, Sylas slammed the palm of his hand onto Zeri’s chest which caused the blazing runes to spread from his arm and onto her body.

Soon crimson cracks appeared on her body before spreading to the roots and the doors of the Time Gate. With a groan, Hex winced as she tried to force herself up only for her eyes to widen in horror as she saw Zeri’s form break down along with her seal as her magic suddenly burst out threatening to engulf everything within the lab. As fast as lightning, Hex’s vision was suddenly engulfed by the powerful magic that had broken free as the Time Gate simply collapsed from the influx of power.

-?-

 

Hex blinked and looked around herself in confusion as she found herself standing in a plane of white.

“Damn, well, I held on for as long as I could.”

Hex’s eyes widened as she suddenly turned to find Zeri standing with her back to the Queen, gazing forward as if seeing something Hex couldn’t. Soon, however, that changed as a powerful wind soon made itself known. Eventually, in the distance, Hex could seed a powerful storm rapidly approaching them.

“Aunt Z?” Hex questioned quietly. “What happened? Am I dead?”

“Nah, you’re not dead little bear, though not for a lack of trying.” Zeri mused. “Just a bit of an out-of-body experience. Which is fortunate because, as we both know, you still have a path only you can walk.” Zeri chuckled at the look of surprise on Hex’s face. “Hey, just cause my body was strapped to the Gate, doesn’t mean I wasn’t able to watch over you, you know? Don’t let this miscalculation knock you off your path. Adapt, improvise, and overcome just like Jinx would.”

“Jinx is dead,” Hex muttered and Zeri nodded.

“Yeah, but she has you to show for it,” Zeri pointed out. “Fair trade if you ask me. Though, as noble as that sacrifice of hers was, best believe that the second I step into that storm, I’m going to let her have it. The world hasn’t been right since she left, something you know all too well, unfortunately.”

The storm was now dangerously close.

“Look,” Zeri began as her hair began to blow wildly in the breeze. “If you want to defeat your opposition, you’re gonna need every bit of strength you can get. It’s the only way you can make it to the end of your path. I don’t envy the burden you chose to carry, hell I know I could never hope to shoulder it, that said though maybe I can help you out a bit.”

Zeri raised her hand and Hex saw a spark dancing across her fingertips.

Zeri’s last spark.

“Take it, it's not much but it’ll give you a jumpstart while you work on recovering your magic,” Zeri told her. “Try not to blow it all in one place.”

Hex shut her eyes tightly, before raising her hand and grasping Zeri’s, shuddering when she felt the magic jump into her body, its shocking nature sending tingles down her back.

“I’m so sorry,” Hex whispered.

“Don’t be, little bear, you’re just doing what you have to.” Zeri released Hex’s hand and turned back to the storm. Zeri began walking towards it but before it could consume her, Hex called out.

“When all is said and done, will I be able to do it?” Hex questioned. “After this tragedy is long over with, faded along with lessons learned, will I still be able to this role and do it well?”

“When I was strapped to the Time Gate, I saw a lot of things,” Zeri respond. “The past, the present, but oddly enough never the future.” At this Hex bowed her head. “That said, if Jinx could do it, you can. Just push forward. You’ve gotten this far, and have done this much, don’t let your resolve weaken now.”

With those parting words, Zeri vanished into the storm and Hex saw the world around her crumble.

-Later: Baron Ekko’s territory-

 

“Come on, Hex, get up!”

Hex groaned as she felt herself being shaken awake and opened her eyes to see a worried Six above her. Seeing her cousin was alive, Six released a shuddering breath as she helped Hex sit up.

“I made it in time, thank goodness,” Six whispered, at Hex’s confused look she explained. “I made it to the Gate just as it exploded, I covered you with my barrier but it couldn’t withstand it for long. My Hex suit kept me safe, so I tried to cover you as best as I could until it died down.”

“Well, you succeeded, my ribs are a bit fucked but I’m alive,” Hex responded which brought a small smile to Six’s face which soon fell too fast for Hex’s liking. “What’s wrong?”

“It’s Uncle E.” Six sighed. “He’s in pretty bad shape and is refusing treatment.”

“Take me to him,” Hex said and Six nodded before she helped her cousin up and moved over to the crowd of survivors that stood around the former Firelight leader. Hex grimaced when she saw him propped up against a piece of debris, clutching desperately at his side as blood pooled beneath him.

“Sir, please, take this,” one of the Firelights pleaded as they handed him a small vial of Shimmer only for him to refuse with a grimace.

“No, I haven’t needed chems to live this long and I don’t want them now,” Ekko told them. “If it's my time, then it’s my time.”

“Baron Ekko?” Hex spoke up, silencing the Firelights and civilians as they saw their Queen approach with Piltover’s General.

“Your Majesty,” Ekko greeted with a nod and a tired smile. “Looks like my time is up.”

“Only because you’re refusing treatment,” Hex pointed out.

“As I said, I don’t want those chems, besides that vial right there is all we have left in my territory right now,” Ekko told her. “The explosion took out the plants, and I think you need it more than me. I know you have a bit of Shimmer around your neck, but that strain shouldn’t be wasted here. So take the vial, you need to be in perfect condition. After all, Sylas got away, didn’t he?”

“He did.”

Ekko nodded. “Then the path in front of you is going to be a long and hard one to walk, girl. You need that more than me."

Hex clenched her gloved fist tightly. “You told me you were fine.”

“Wrong, I told you I wouldn’t let him kill me,” Ekko corrected. “Something I still believe, come here Your Majesty, with Zeri’s seal broken she’s been freed to go into the storm and it's time to send me on my way as well.”

Six’s eyes widened at his words. “What? No-”

Hex raised a hand to stop her, before looking down at Ekko impassively before she released Six. Ignoring the pain in her side, Hex strode forward and knelt in front of Ekko so that she could look him directly in his eyes.

“Are you sure about this?” Hex questioned as she raised her gloved hand and cupped the side of his face which made Ekko jump a bit as he felt a small static shock the moment her hand made contact. “Once you go into the storm, you don’t come back.”

“I am,” Ekko confirmed as he reached up and grasped her wrist. “I feel her presence within you, can’t mistake the feeling of Zeri’s power. She gave you a little something for the path you still gotta walk, didn’t she? Well, I’ll do the same. Take whatever little bit of power you can squeeze from my soul and move forward. Make your dreams a reality.”

Ekko released her wrist and sat back, taking a moment to gaze at her and Six as tears fell from his eyes.

“You’re the best of us all, girls, keep your heads high and push on like I taught you,” Ekko instructed them. “No matter how bad it gets, no matter how much of yourselves you think you’re losing, keep pushing forward cause’ I promise the world you desire is waiting at the end of this path.”

Six bowed her head as Hex quietly moved forward.

“Goodbye, Dad,” Hex whispered as Six straightened her posture and gave the retired Firelight’s leader a firm salute. Hex pressed her lips to Ekko’s forehead and his body released a bright orange flash of light before he was swiftly reduced ashes which Hex scattered by conjuring a powerful breeze. As the ashes were scattered, a green light caught the attention of all that were there, and silently they looked up to see hundreds of Firelights flying through the sky as if the insects could feel Zaun’s loss as well.

Around the cousins, civilians and Firelights alike wept at the loss of their leader, of the legend that was The Man Who Shattered Time. Igniting the index finger of her ash-covered hand, Hex placed the burning digit on her neck and grafted the ashes into her skin in the shape of a small hourglass. Once she finished, she offered a hand to the Firelight that had tried to treat the late Baron.

“Give me the Shimmer,” Hex instructed and the Firelight swiftly surrendered the vial to the Queen who took it before returning to Six’s side.

“What now?” Six asked quietly. “Sylas is gone and so is the Time Gate.”

“Well considering that our reality wasn’t set ablaze, not all is lost,” Hex told her. “Either he went back in time and immediately got himself killed or it’ll take some time for whatever changes he brings about to take effect. Either way, we can’t go on without knowing what Sylas has done. We have to intercept him.”

“But how?” Six questioned. “Again, the Time Gate is gone, and the Z-drive is nowhere to be found. Exactly how can we intercept a man who traveled to the past?”

“Easy,” Hex sighed. “We need to reach out to her.”

Six paled. “You…you don’t mean…?”

“Afraid so, we’ll need help from Lady Gray,” Hex sighed. “We can’t let Sylas play around in the past, we need to follow him but without a Time Gate, or hell, even a Z-Drive, we’ll need to ask her for assistance. If anyone can get us to the past it’s her. Let’s just pray to Janna she won’t be too irritated with us disrupting her ‘great work’.”

Six shuddered at the thought of seeing her. “Are you sure we can’t just bank on your theory of Sylas dying as soon as he arrived in the past? Maybe he appeared over a chasm and fell to his death?”

Despite herself, Hex chuckled. “Don’t tempt me. Come on, let's get this over with but first, let me stitch myself back together.”

With that, Hex popped open the small vial and knocked back the Shimmer as if it were a shot. Her body lurched as her emerald eye flashed ultraviolet.

-Later: Zaun: Central Lanes: Memorial of the Eye-

 

“Color me impressed, you’ve gotten better at taking Shimmer,” Six said before she raised an eyebrow. “No one got burned alive that time, I’m happy but please don’t tell me you’ve been ‘practicing’, the last thing you need to be doing is partaking in your stock.”

“Believe me, though the rush is addicting, I’ve only taken Shimmer when necessary,” Hex reassured Six as her once more emerald eye twinkled with mischief. “I’ve just been making it a habit to practice Uncle Yas’ meditation techniques. Helps me control the wind better and apparently not going on a berserk rampage when downing Shimmer.”

“Good,” Six said before she shuddered. “I think we’re still washing the blood and ash off the walls after the last time you lost control.”

Hex giggled at that but her amusement was soon cut short when they found themselves standing in front of the memorial. Where there was once a statue of Vander and Silco, there now stood a statue of Silco and Jinx. The statue of Vander which had once stood proudly had been torn down and replaced by a statue of the Undercity’s First Chem-Queen. With fishbones hoisted over a shoulder as Pow Pow hung from her hip, the statue of Jinx pointed up at the gray sky of Zaun with a bright smile.

Jinx would have hated it.

“Girls?”

The Queen and the General turned at the sound of the familiar voice and saw a large older man approach them with a bouquet in his hand. His expression was worn and tired, yet his eyes still held a level of warmth that only deepened the more he stared at them.

“Old man,” Hex greeted Vander before she glanced down at the chem-tech empowered harness strapped to his chest. The machine glowed a vibrant green as it continuously siphoned the mutagen from Vander’s bloodstream. “Your tank is getting full, what are you doing out here? You should be getting grandma to replace it before you wolf out on us again.”

“Bah, I’ll be fine,” Vander waved off her concern. “After all these years, even if I did ‘wolf out’ I’d still have control.”

“Good.” Six nodded her head before letting a small smile play on her lips. “I’d feel bad beating up the elderly.”

At this Vander barked out a loud laugh.

“You’re just like your mother!” Vander grinned and soon that grin fell as he glanced between them. “Hell, you girls resemble them more and more each time I see you.” Vander clenched the flowers in his hand tighter as he moved toward the memorial. Hex said nothing as she stepped aside and let the old legend place the flowers before the memorial, mourning both the daughter and brother he had lost. “Word in the Lanes travels fast, faster than you know, I heard about what happened to the boy.”

“Baron Ekko served his city and the crown until his final breath,” Hex told him. “The Eye weeps for Zaun’s loss, but he will live on in the hearts of every one of Zaun’s people. Through his legend, he has gained immortality, of that, I am positive.”

Vander’s expression softened as he nodded at her words, staring at Hex as if he could see the pain she hid so well.

“You’re going to be a busy man,” Hex continued. “Until we can find a suitable replacement, I will need you to take over as a temporary Baron. Tell Grandma that until this situation is sorted, your duties as head of her security will be postponed.”

“What?” Vander repeated in surprise. “Me? A Baron? I’m not sure I’m the right man for the job.”

“Well, I am,” Hex told him firmly. “With all due respect Vander, that was not a suggestion.”

It was an order.

As the Queen of Zaun, her words were law no matter who you were.

Vander grimaced.

“I see, fine girl, I’ll play along,” Vander muttered, knowing Hex wouldn’t order him to do this unless there truly was no other choice. “Though I am surprised you don’t have Glasc look over the place, I think she’s more than able to run two territories.”

“She’ll be acting as Queen Regent,” Hex revealed. “A Firelight is already en route to deliver the news to her as we speak. The General and I are going to be indisposed for the foreseeable future as we put an end to this mess with Sylas once and for all.”

Hex then reached inside her jacket and revealed an old flare which made Vander’s eyes widen.

“That bad?” Vander asked and when both Hex and Six nodded, he cursed. “Damn, fine I’ll head off to Glasc’s to get the tank replaced, and then after that, I’ll swing by Ekko’s stomping grounds. Just promise me you two will be safe. Please. I am tired of outliving you kids.”

Hex gave him a sad smile. “No promises.”

“We’ll watch each other’s back,” Six reassured him. “Just focus on your health and the new job. It’ll all work out in the end, old man, promise.”

Vander gave her a grateful smile and turned to leave.

“They’d be proud of you two, remember that,” Vander told them. “You girls are stronger than you know, well, when you remember how to guard properly anyway.”

With that Vander left them alone at the memorial.

“Always has to get the last word.” Six muttered.

“Wouldn’t be him if he didn’t,” Hex mused before she shrugged off the straps of the metallic case she carried. “He’ll be fine as a Baron, I’m sure the old dog can learn a couple of new tricks. Now hold on to my toy, tightly.”

Six nodded as she grabbed the case from her cousin who turned back toward the statue and began to climb it. Once she got to the top, she sat on Jinx’s shoulders before raising the flare high into the air and popping it. Silently, Six watched as vibrant blue clouds poured from the flare with baited breaths.

“Come on,” Hex muttered after a moment as she watched the clouds rise. “Pick up.”

Silence echoed throughout the memorial and just as the last of the clouds spilled from the flare, golden runes soon etched themselves into the statue. Soon, a hole appeared in the gray just where the statue of Jinx was pointing, revealing the night sky and the full moon shining within it. Within moments, a pillar of light fell from the hole and engulfed both Hex and Six, and when this strange light died down…

…there was no trace of the cousins left at the memorial.

-Zaun: The Gray-

The Zaun Gray.

The mid-point between the two cities where Piltover’s oppressive weight and Zaun’s desperate desire to survive met and converged into a dense fog of pure toxicity that only just managed to not lethally poison the citizens of Zaun.

Filled with toxic chemical fumes and the dust created from the production of countless Hextech crystals, the Zaun Gray was the catalyst in the creation of a new age of mage. It was a man-made phenomenon that shifted the balance of magic on Runeterra, providing nigh unrivaled power to any mage brave and strong enough to call Zaun their home. Should the mage be found lacking, well, the Gray would be sure that the mage paid for their weakness.

This cold, lifeless realm rewarded the strong and laid waste to the weak, converting them into nothing but more fuel to sustain its magic.

Few had truly seen the Gray for what it was, had known that it was more than mere cloud, that it was ‘habitable’ and of those few, fewer could claim to have set foot in the Gray. Those few who were able to survive in the Gray were legends that were on the precipice of becoming gods.

Standing on surprisingly solid land, Hex and Six took in their surroundings before they glanced at each other, noting that like the rest of the realm they appeared to be devoid of color. Gone was the pink of Hex’s hair or the gold of Six’s armor and in their place were varying shades of gray.

“Well,” Hex began as a gray flame engulfed her hand as the now colorless runes shone on her fingernails. “We’re here.”

The clouds in front of Hex’s palm parted, revealing a staircase that led up into a building that was identical to the old Chem-Baron Chambers that once existed long before Hex’s rule. Though, in reality, the building wasn’t identical.

No.

It was those very chambers that had been torn from the Undercity in a fit of rage from this realm’s one true ruler after Zaun suffered a loss unimaginable.

Hex sighed. “Let’s get this over with.”

Silently Six nodded before walking behind her cousin who led her through the chambers. As they stepped through those cold gray halls, Six couldn’t help but notices dozens of life-sized statues of mages carved from petricite. Some seemed to have been carved with expressions of joy and even bliss etched onto their faces while most seemed to depict feelings of terror and agony.

It truly was a twisted and morbid sight.

“And here I thought petricite was illegal in Zaun,” Six muttered.

“It’s…frowned upon,” Hex corrected. “If I didn’t approve it then, yeah, you’re probably getting burned alive if caught.”

“And you approved all of this?”

“You know I didn’t,” Hex said dryly as they stopped before a massive door. “Though we can mostly rule our cities with an iron fist, you know as well as I do that no matter how shiny my crown or your medals are, only one person has true power.”

Hex pushed the door open and they walked into the main meeting room. Just like the rest of the building, the walls were lined with the morbid statues as the massive table where the Chem-Barons once sat rested in the middle room surrounded by eight chairs.

Renata never did get her a seat added, jokingly crediting her eternally healthy physique to her good posture habits and not the potent strain of Shimmer in her veins. As for the ninth seat…her throne…it no longer sat at the end of the table.

No, instead, on the opposite of the room a second staircase could be found that led to her seat which had been vacant ever since the harrowing. Empty and in pristine condition, that empty seat stood with Fishbones and Pow Pow leaning on its sides while Zapper laid on its arm-rest. The three weapons appeared to be lying in wait as if expecting that one day their creator would somehow break free of Janna’s storm and wield them once more.

And they weren’t alone in that belief.

Knelt before the staircase was one last statue, a statue of a woman Hex and Six knew all too well. On her face was a serene smile, and her petricite arms were raised toward the throne as if trying to reach something that simply wasn’t there anymore.

Hex’s eyes softened at the sight, briefly, before her annoyed scowl returned with a vengeance.

This was not the time or place for sympathy.

And there wasn’t anyone to give that sympathy to anywhere in this room. After all, her mothers had died together as far as Hex was concerned. Though that lone statue resembled Luxanna so much, the truth was that she was gone and all that was left in her place…”

“Ah, Annie, Ren, to what do I owe this visit?”

Was Lady Gray.

Hex and Six tensed at the sound of the voice which echoed throughout the entirety of the room, if not the building. It was gentle yet somehow exuded a feeling of unmatched power. Though the lips on Lux’s statue didn’t as much as twitch, the voice was unmistakably hers.

“For the last time, it’s Hex and she is Six, we haven’t gone by those other names in years,” Hex stressed as she rubbed the bridge of her nose while Six herself shifted a bit, clearly uncomfortable.

“Years? Oh, surely you jest, though…you do appear a bit older, has it truly been that long?”

“It has,” Hex bit out, glaring at the statue. Though she could feel Lady Gray’s magic and presence all around them, it helped to have a face to talk to even if it was made out of petricite. “Honestly, every fucking time I have to visit you I need to remind you of my name. Hell, I had to the last time and that was three years ago.”

“Now, Annie such language is unnecessary.”

Hex bristled at the reprimand before forcing herself to take a calming breath. This was why she hated talking to Lady Gray, it was as if she were talking to a wall.

“And three years? I’ll admit I have been very preoccupied with my great work, but three years is a long time by your standards. Have you truly not visited me in such a long time?”

Hex rolled her eyes. “Well, the last time I visited you, you told me that I came by too often and was distracting you from your ‘great work’. Keep in mind that that visit was a year after the one before that. Safe to say I decided to keep to myself, not like I ever needed anyone.”

Six's expression softened as she placed a hand on Hex’s shoulder.

“Ah, well, my apologies then. It appears that I can be just as distracted as Jin…as your mother when it comes to my projects.”

“Don’t you ever compare what you did to the time she spent on her projects,” Hex hissed.

“I know it might have seemed…harsh…perhaps even cruel, but I’ve always had your best interests in my heart. My work is dedicated to giving you girls the lives you deserve as well as protecting you from any and all harm. One day when you’re a mother, you’ll understand.”

Hex’s eye twitched at the patronizing tone, the Queen having not been subjected to such blatant disrespect since she was crowned.

“Protect-I just had to take Shimmer to stitch my ribs together, after your old boy toy attacked my nation! Again!” Hex snapped. “Ekko is dead now, another corpse on the pile that belongs to my family because you couldn’t just let a criminal die!”

“Enough.”

The word was spoken calmly yet was accompanied by a feeling of crushing pressure that sent both Hex and Six to their knees.

“Had it not been for Sylas’ rebellion, you’d have no family to speak of outside of my beloved and that’s, unfortunately, assuming she didn’t perish even sooner.”

Hex gritted her teeth as she heard Lady Gray speak.

“Now arise and watch your tone. I will ignore that outburst because of your grief.”

Just like that, the pressure was alleviated and the voice turned gentle once more.

“To think Ekko would be lost to us as well.” The sorrow in the voice was palpable. “Your pain is understandable and there was truth in your disrespect. Sylas has cost this family as much if not more than even the Harrowing. Fortunately, my great work is near completion. For you, mere days remain until I will finish it and fix the wrongs of this world.”

At this both Hex and Six’s eyes widened.

“But what is this I sense? A spark on the fabric of time that threatens to set everything ablaze before that day comes?” The voice appeared more curious than afraid or angered, surprisingly. “Of course, with Ekko gone and you two defeated, Sylas would be able to use the Time Gate, even now I feel the magic and souls of those he sacrificed being absorbed into the Gray. This is a mistake that must be rectified.”

Suddenly, Hex and Six saw a circle of runes etching themselves into the ground, so bright and powerful that their golden color managed to pierce the Gray.

“Listen and listen well, when a substantial change is made to the timeline the further back the change is made, the longer it takes for the timeline to burn. This is why Ekko’s Z-Drive was considered harmless and why the Time Gate Project had to be brought to an end. I doubt I need to tell you what all would be lost should he succeed. Many of Your citizens would cease to exist, children not even born. It is a grave sin to carry, one that I once tried to myself.”

“What is this?” Six questioned, unlike her cousin she only knew that bare minimum when it came to runes yet even, she could tell how complex and powerful the array before her was.

“A Time Gate,” Hex answered as she watched the array etch itself into the ground. “One made purely out of runes. I once told you runes were the building blocks of existence, Six. If you know, truly know, what something is made out of you can recreate it with the correct combination.

“And Lux helped Ekko build the Time Gate,” Six muttered. “Lady Gray, if this is true then why haven’t you used this sooner?”

Six’s question was clear, but the unspoken question was somehow louder.

Why didn’t you save our family?

“As I said, I tried to carry this sin once before.” They could hear the voice sigh. “Traveling to the past is a feat much easier to perform through science rather than magic. With the Time Gate sealed by Zeri, I simply lacked the power to make my own while trapped in my mortal shell. Currently, I am in a sort of…middle-ground…between human and celestial. My evolution will not be complete until my great work is, that said, I have afforded myself more than enough power to do something as simple as time travel.”

“So why has nothing changed!?” Six questioned, demanding an answer.

“Because there are far more powerful beings than me that you cannot even fathom out there.”

 

At that Six went silent.

“Do you honestly think that my first action upon shedding that cage you call flesh wasn’t to save our family? I tried and my power got the attention of powerful, terrifying, beings that laid waste to countless lives including our family’s.”

Six paled.

“The only way out was to revert my changes and simply let those unfortunate events play out or else I risked destroying the world. This is why I can’t go back but you can. You two lack the power to draw the attention of those entities lurking in the great expanse.”

 

“So why not send us earlier?” Hex questioned disdainfully.

“Because I love you girls too much to let you be defenseless. Say I sent you back and you save our family, I would not walk down this path to become a celestial and if those same beings that attacked me once decided to destroy our world you would be defenseless. My great work will even the odds and afford me the strength necessary to bring back our family.”

“Are…are y-you serious?” Six questioned, dumbfounded by the prospect.

“I am. Believe in me Ren, it will be ours, a world free from pain with those we love.” The emotion in the voice nearly drowned them but Hex’s scowl didn’t waver as she crossed her arms.

“Stay grounded, Six,” Hex warned. “First rule of Zaun, everything has a cost. No matter what it is, there is always a price to pay and something tells me that goes double for this supposed perfect word of hers.”

“You’re not wrong my daughter, but the price has long since been paid. We need not look further than the pain that burns in our chests for the proof of that.”

Hex rolled her eyes but didn’t comment on the matter any further. Soon she hissed when she felt the back of her bare hand burn and when she looked at it, she saw The Eye of Zaun insignia glowing on her skin. If the way Six suddenly shook her armored hand was any indication, Hex supposed she must have gotten a similar mark.

“What is this?”

“Insurance. For our perfect future to exist, the past must remain the same. I’ve sealed within you a powerful memory spell that will target anyone you communicate with on your trip. The seal will weaken when you arrive and shatter when you leave, freeing the spell, and ensuring that the past plays out as it should.”

“And what of Sylas?” Hex questioned. “I doubt a simple memory charm will affect any actual damage he causes.”

“You’re correct, but that is where you two come in. It will be up to you to defeat him before he causes too much destruction. I will send you as close to the time that Sylas arrived in the past as possible but my accuracy may not be perfect. You were smart enough to at least place a tracking rune on him even if you ignored my advice to weave a compulsion rune into the array.”

“I’ve never been a fan of mental manipulation, it's so boring,” Hex said dismissively. “Besides Sylas may not have had the teachers we have had, but even self-taught he’s a prodigy in the runic arts. If he noticed something like that in the array, he’d kill himself which would have invalidated the entire deal with Noxus back then.”

“And such a shame that would be.”

“My homeland actually helps the city, so their loyalty is a must-have.” Hex said dryly. “Something you might not be used to Demacian.”

“Just be careful. Remember Annie, there is no such thing as a loyal Noxian. The moment your interests no longer align they will betray you. I doubt I have to explain why Noxus chose to keep Sylas alive in the first place.”

Hex scowled but didn’t respond.

“Now sit in the array, both of you we are about to perform an astral projection of an unprecedented scale.”

“Projection?” Six questioned as she turned to Hex.

“Our bodies are staying here,” Hex explained. “She might have helped make the Time Gate but she only worked on the magical half, the half that would let us get there physically was all Uncle E and his tech. Probably for the best, it’s bad enough there will be two Sylas running around, imagine four of us? We’re just going to possess our past selves for a couple of days.”

Not to mention it did give Lady Gray extra insurance that they’d try to preserve the timeline if their bodies remained in the present though Hex didn’t feel like opening that can of worms.

“Well put.”

Hex ignored the pride in Lady Gray’s voice at Hex’s accurate deduction.

“So, I’ll be useless?” Six asked with a dry expression.

“No, you will take your current forms but most of your ‘bodies’ will be made of my magic. I doubt I have to spell it out for you but approach Sylas with caution, you will be far more susceptible to petricite, Ren.”

“I’ll show you how to better manipulate magic around petricite,” Hex reassured Six. “I am far from perfect at it, but knowing you you’ll get a better grasp on it than me in a day.”

Six nodded but before she could step into the array, Hex stopped her.

“Wait, put my toy down,” Hex told her. “Not sure how well that will mix with her magic, no point in breaking the last thing I ever got from Uncle E.”

“Got you,” Six said before setting the case down on its side. With that out of the way, she and Hex stepped inside the pseudo-Time Gate and sat down. Almost immediately their hands began to burn with an intense heat before they felt their very souls begin to be ripped from their bodies and absorbed into their burning marks.

“Though I would prefer as little interference as possible, I like to think I still know you girls. If you absolutely must contact those left behind, use the chance to get closure. They may not remember your time together, but you will. Upon your return, a much better future will await you.”

“I’ll believe it when I see it,” Hex said, being no stranger to broken promises when it came to Lady Gray. Six simply gave a respectful nod but said nothing more on the matter, she was never one to pick sides when it came to family disputes.

And to say the situation between Hex and Lady Gray was complicated would be an understatement.

All she could do was hope and pray that for once Hex heeded Lady Gray’s advice because heavens knew the woman needed closure.

They both did.

With that last thought, Six felt her soul be tossed into the flames of time and catapulted back into the past so that they could hopefully finally bring this mess with Sylas to an end.

-13 Years Ago: Singed’s Lab-

 

Clan Kiramman was a mess.

They had all gathered at Jinx’s manor to celebrate her being crowned earlier that morning when suddenly, both Annie and Ren collapsed without warning. There had been no warning, no hint that anything was wrong. One moment the girls were giggling and talking to each other and the next they simply passed out and sported temperatures that somehow managed to melt the thermometers used.

Jinx and Lux, who had once nursed Annie back from a cold, had expected this, but none of them expected it from Ren.

“And the girl has never shown any signs of having magical talent?” Singed questioned.

“For the last time no,” Vi hissed as she passed back and forth impatiently as both Lux and Caitlyn sat on the edge of their respective daughter’s beds. “The only talents we have seen Ren are an amazing memory and a mean right hook. That’s it.”

Vi was already on edge being forced to entrust her daughter’s health to this monster.

But the unfortunate truth was that there was no one better to look into this mess.

“I understand your frustration, I too used to have a daughter,” Singed said patiently. “I am only asking because from my research and travels it is exceedingly rare for a mage to get to her age without any prior bouts of magic. For her to exhibit the same magic as Zaun’s new princess is even rarer.”

Ren groaned and Caitlyn sighed as she brushed Ren’s hair from her face before beckoning her frantic wife over.

“Vi, come here, you’re just making yourself more nervous,” Caitlyn said though her eyes appeared tired as well.

“Sorry,” Vi sighed before she knelt and cupped the side of ren’s face, grimacing at how hot her skin felt to the touch. “Come on little star, you got this.”

Caitlyn, despite the situation, smiled softly at that “star?”

Vi blushed. “Yeah, uh, cause’ you know she shines bright and helps me find my way forward on the bad days.”

“Honestly you sisters and your nicknames,” Lux laughed lightly before turning to her wife who had been surprisingly silent. “Honey, are you alright?”

“Hm?” Jinx was snapped from her thoughts, her eyes moving from Annie to Lux.  “Oh yeah, I am…just…confused.”

“About the girls?”

“Yeah, well, kinda? I’m just trying to figure out what the hell this is.”  Jinx said as she raised one of Annie’s hands and gestured to The Eye of Zaun mark that appeared on the back of it. “Because I didn’t do this, because you know, it's magic, and Annie’s art still needs a lot of work. If anything, it looks like you drew it which is weird, cause like, I know you didn’t but I know your penmanship.”

“I’m sorry, mark?” Singed strolled forward quickly, his eyes showing a bit of surprise at the strange brand's appearance. Quickly he switched from Annie to Ren and sure enough, she too had a brand though hers was the official Clan Kiramman Crest.

“What?” Caitlyn questioned as she saw the emblem. “What the hell is happening to our girls?”

“I do not know, but whatever it is clearly a phenomenon that must be documented further,” Singed said before turning away. “I will get the children something for the pain along with my private stock of filtered water, they’ve perspired far too much.”

With that Singed swiftly left the lab leaving the parents alone with their children.

Sighing, Jinx ran a hand through her hair before she bent down and kissed Annie’s forehead. “Come on, Firelight, pull through for me.”

At that moment the door to Singed’s lab burst open, instantly putting them on alert. Turning around swiftly, they were surprised to find a frantic Ekko and Zeri.

“Oh, thank Janna, you’re still here!” Zeri exclaimed

“Huh? What’s wrong?” Jinx questioned as she looked between Zeri and Ekko.

“Word got around about your coronation,” Ekko explained. “And when I say around, I mean every inch of Zaun must have heard the news.”

“Okay? And?” Jinx did not see the problem in this. “That’s good right, let the city know who’s in charge.”

“Normally you’d be right but between the praises of Zaun’s new leader and the increased number of graffiti being put up with your mark, it sounds like it may have set off Warwick,” Ekko revealed which made Jinx, Vi, and Caitlyn pale.

Lux, who had been made aware briefly of the Warwick situation was surprised but she didn’t feel the same level of danger the others had since she never confronted the mutant before.

“He’s been tearing through the lower levels, roaring Silco’s name,” Zeri explained. “We have Firelight’s trying to track him down before he can do more damage but he’s hard to find. Those who did find him…well communication has been lost.”

“Shit!” Jinx cursed before she rose to her feet. “Now of all times? Really? For fuck’s sake, come on Ekko, we need to go now.”

“Jinx?” Lux questioned in surprise.

“Whenever Warwick gets this riled up, it never fails, he always finds his way to the Doc,” Jinx explained. “The Doc is not only our best chance at saving our girls but they’re both in his office right now. Ekko and I need to cut him off, he’s hard to track down but not for me.”

“Hold on, you’re not going alone,” Vi said as she stood up and while Caitlyn grimaced at the thought of Vi confronting that monster, she didn’t protest. No. She knew just how much this mattered for Vi. “Vander is just as much as my responsibility as he is yours, sis. I’m not letting you and little man fight him alone.”

“Fine, I don’t have time to argue, grab your fat hands,” Jinx told her which made Vi nod before she went to equip her gauntlets which were resting on a nearby wall. “Flashlight, Zeri, you’re our biggest guns so I need you to stay here and keep the girls safe. Between you two and Big Hat, you should be able to keep them safe from Warwick or even the Doc if he gets too enthusiastic in trying to help.”

Jinx turned to Caitlyn.

“Seriously, you have good eyes and I need you to keep them on the Doc.” Jinx said seriously. “The second he so much as reaches for a syringe without talking to you all, put him down.”

Caitlyn nodded with a scowl, knowing the full details of how Singed resurrected Jinx. Lux wanted to protest but the sight of something she rarely, if ever, saw in Jinx’s eyes made her pause.

Fear.

Jinx was, for once, showing actual fear thanks to The Wrath of Zaun but it wasn’t fear for herself but rather fear for the family she now had to lose.

“Be safe.”  Lux pleaded and Jinx nodded before turning to Vi who clenched the fists of her gauntlets tightly.”

“I’m ready,” Vi told them and quickly the three of them rushed out of the office to confront one of the most powerful beings in Zaun.

“There was no talking her out of it, any of them,” Caitlyn told the mages. “I know what you’re feeling, but there was no stopping them. I doubt I need to explain just how personal this is for them.” Caitlyn glanced at Lux. “Before Jinx adopted Annie, the only thing that could unite those three for an extended period was Warwick and the desire to stop the beast and save the man that was once a father to them.”

“Can he be saved?” Zeri questioned as like Lux she had minimum exposure to The Wrath of Zaun, though she had occasionally heard his howls in the Undercity’s depth which made her blood run cold every time. Lux turned to Caitlyn, curious about her thoughts, and in response to the question, Caitlyn grabbed her rifle.

“Providing he doesn’t touch our girls? Yes, I believe he can be saved.” Caitlyn told them before readying her weapon. “That said if he gets too close, I’ll prefer to help my wife mourn the father she lost rather than the daughter.”

Something told them that if push came to shove, it wouldn’t be the mages that put the fear of God into Warwick when provoked. As Lux and Zeri exchanged surprised glances, the marks on Annie and Ren’s hands burned even brighter.

-Later: Zaun: Sewers-

Silently, Vi strolled through the sewers of Zaun as she heard the sounds of flesh ripping and bones cracking echoing throughout the massive pipes. As she walked, she glanced at the graffiti that lined the walls, marks of numerous local gangs that were covered with fresh blood.

With a grimace, Vi stopped at the entrance of a massive chamber and looked up to see that the ceiling of this part of the sewers had been blown apart revealing the broken buildings above and the gray sky of Zaun which continued to pour rain down upon the Undercity. The echo of the rain crashing against the metal pipes was loud.

But not as loud as the sickening sound of fangs ripping through corpses.

With an expression that showed nothing but pain and grief, Vi looked forward and saw the hulking beast hunched over at the opposite side of the chamber, feasting on the bodies of Zaunites. As Warwick ate, his ear twitched and his nostrils flared before he suddenly tensed and whipped his head back toward Vi. His bright crimson eyes burned as he snarled at the enforcer while blood dripped from his maw.

“Vander, what the hell happened to you?” Vi asked and she wasn’t referring to his transformation. No, she had unfortunately long since been acquainted with Warwick. However, unlike their previous encounters, this time Warwick's body had jagged crimson symbols etched into it and was also covered by pieces of a strange white stone that was attached to him like some sort of make-shift armor.

Vi was now extremely glad that Jinx had the mages stay back and that they managed to intercept Warwick before he could get further into the Lanes.

“Who did this to you?” Vi questioned as she stepped forward, an action that made Warwick release a growl that she could practically feel. The question, in the end, had been asked in vain as she expected, his glowing eyes had already tipped her off that he was frenzied.

Which she had learned long ago meant that he could not be reasoned with.

But unlike before, this was worse because it was clear someone had intentionally put Warwick in this state. Vi didn’t have to be even half the enforcer she was to deduce that, it was clear that there was foul play at hand.

Still, she owed the beast the attempt to speak reason into him even if all he did in response was release a powerful roar that shook the soon-to-be battlefield. Vi scowled, her eyes narrowing as the powerful roar blew her hair back and sent ripples throughout the shallow water. In an instant, Warwick was upon her and released a vicious swipe of his claws that would have killed her had she been the same woman that had last confronted him.

But she wasn’t that woman anymore.

She was stronger and had far more to protect and live for.

Crossing her arms, Vi projected her barrier and blocked the attack. As Warwick began to release an onslaught of devastating blows against the barrier, Vi felt her body tremble both from trying to withstand his might and from the sheer rage and agony she heard in his roars. As her shield began to crack against the beast’s strength, Vi felt her heart do the same as she came to a chilling realization.

This had to end.

Warwick had to be put down.

Killing him would be giving Vander the mercy he had deserved.

For years, Vi thought it was her duty to save Vander, to help him become the man he once was because she loved and owed him so much. That, as his daughter, she had to bring him back because she loved him so much which was something that had never changed. Her love for Vander was eternal but, once again, she was not that woman anymore.

She was still his daughter.

But now she was also a mother.

Now that she found herself in the same position Vander was in, as a parent, Vi was able to put herself in his shoes. She was able to ponder just what she would have wanted if it was her who had been killed and resurrected into a beast. A savage beast that had now been controlled to attack her family.

Controlled to fight her daughter.

Vi would rather be fucking dead.

And she knew the same went for Vander.

When the barrier shattered, Vi ducked under the claws and slammed her right gauntlet into his chest. Vi felt her eyes burn, shining with Hextech energy, as she held nothing back. Beneath the power of her gauntlets, she felt his rib cage break which sent his mutated blood spray from his maw as he was launched backward.

Of course, with Warwick being one of Singed’s masterpieces, the fatal blow was only a minor inconvenience as a healing factor that put even Jinx’s to shame stitched him back together in moments. What should have been debilitating pain only served to enrage Warwick.

And with that rage, came power.

Releasing a howl so loud Vi was surprised her eardrums hadn’t burst, Warwick slammed his fists into the ground, creating a concussive force that slammed into Vi like a truck and knocked her into the wall behind her.

Crimson eyes blazing, Warwick was about to follow up on his prey when he suddenly stopped and began sniffing the air.

“Death…” Warwick growled. “Blood! I smell death and blood!”

With that declaration, Warwick suddenly turned and swiped at Jinx who had shot out from the shadows. Using her enhanced reaction speed, Jinx was able to duck under his attack when it was a mere inch away from decapitating her before sliding his legs.

“You!” Warwick shouted, now remembering this scent, this scent that was mixed with another’s that made his blood boil like lava. Soon, however, he registered pain in his legs and looked down to see a pair of flame chompers latched onto them, their metal teeth digging into his thick hide and drawing blood. In that instant, the grenades exploded, engulfing him in fire as Jinx unholstered Pow Pow.

“I gave you your shot,” Jinx told Vi. “But whatever set him off is caused by magic and just cause’ I can understand runes doesn’t mean I can do shit about this. I’m not a mage and with that petricite, Flashlight and Zeri won’t stand a chance. There’s no other choice, we gotta put the dog down.”

“I know,” Vi said, surprising Jinx and when she glanced at her sister, she saw a grim resolve appear in Vi’s Hextech blue eyes as she once more raised her fists. “I know.”

For once, Jinx didn’t smile as she saw the obvious pain on Vi’s face before returning her attention to Warwick.

“It’s time we put an end to this mess,” Jinx said and when the smoke settled, they could see Warwick on all fours glaring at Jinx as if she were food while the muscles and ligaments in his legs repaired themselves.

The sight of Jinx triggered something dark within Warwick and the scent he smelt mixed with Jinx’s became much more prominent.

-Flashback-

 

In the cold waters beneath the bridge connecting Piltover and Zaun, two brothers fought each other to the death.

*Flash*

 

“I knew you still had it in you.” The younger brother said before pushing the other over and into the flames.

*Flash*

 

“We’ll show them, we will show them all.”

The older brother didn’t even have the strength to speak as he heard the sinister promise his sibling made to his daughter who would no doubt fall into the darkness of the Undercity that he tried so hard to protect her from.

Even now her earlier cries still echoed throughout his ears and they likely would long after he passed on.

*Flash*

And they did.

Years later when there was nothing but a beast in his place, he still heard those cries and as he hung in the damn lab that birthed him, he heard those cries joined by even more as his daughter was robbed of death’s sweet embrace as he was.

-Flashback: End-

 

“YOU WERE THERE!” Warwick boomed at Jinx. Though it wasn’t Jinx he now saw standing before him. “SILCO!”

Jinx wasted no time and immediately began releasing a storm of bullets at Warwick who tried to cover himself with his arms. Each bullet tore flesh and fur off his body as Jinx tried to fill him with lead and put him out of his misery. Much to her dismay, however, Warwick healed almost as fast as he was getting shot and the flesh that replaced what he lost seemed to grow thicker and stronger until he was practically shrugging off Pow Pow’s attack.

With a roar, Warwick suddenly launched himself forward at Jinx even faster than she could react and was upon her in an instant. Jinx tried to dive to the side but she was too late and with a single swipe of his claw, he tore her torso from her body.

<<<Rewind<<<

 

Just as Warwick leaped at Jinx, a temporal grenade intercepted him and exploded on contact, drastically reducing his movement speed and granting Jinx enough time to reposition herself. Taking advantage of this, Vi rushed in and delivered a haymaker powerful enough to cave in part of his skull and knock him away.

“Jinx! You okay!?” Ekko questioned as he dove down into the battlefield on top of his hoverboard.

“Yeah, I’m fine little man, nice save,” Jinx praised him. “He was faster than I remembered and got the drop on me,” Jinx smirked as she felt her blood burn while her heart pounded loudly in her chest. One look at Ekko was all she needed to know that she had died. “Now I’m excited. You two watch out for yourselves, I should be able to keep up now.”

Between her now enhanced speed and reflexes due to her excitement, Ekko’s Z-Drive, and Vi’s barrier the three together should be able to keep up with, defend against, and outmaneuver Warwick.

“We’re playing for keeps, little man, don’t hold back,” Jinx informed Ekko who grimaced at the news but nodded, having known deep down that one day this day would have had to come if he wanted Zaun to be a better place.

But that didn’t mean it didn’t hurt like hell.

-Flashback-

 

Seeing a group of enforcers crowding around a terrified woman, a much younger Vander stood in one of the Undercity’s alleys with Silco and Renata. Vander grabbed his gauntlets as Silco flipped his blade and Renata rested a metal pipe on her shoulder. Soon they rushed out from the shadows and sprang into action.

Once more they would have to confront the forces of Piltover and stop their evil to protect the Lanes.

They would have to fight again and Vander was finally starting to grow tired from the fighting.

Still, someone had to do it, someone had to stand up for their people even when it hurt like hell.

So, it might as well be them.

Perhaps one day they could hand over to fight to someone else, ideally after they succeeded in their goals. Though Vander couldn’t help but shudder at the thought, because if there was a need to fight after they laid down their flags, then whatever those who came after them fought would have to be even worse than the Pilties.

He hoped, whoever their successors were, that they would be up for the task.

-Flashback: End-

 

Warwick roared in fury as the three Zaunites attacked him, doing their best to bring an end to the threat to the Undercity’s streets and their families. Vi rushed forward once more when Warwick staggered to his feet as his skull healed before their very eyes. Cocking her fist back, Vi’s gauntlet charged with even more power before she delivered another powerful blow at him.

Cease.

Warwick raised his claw and caught the punch, the force of which sent shockwaves through the sewers and tore up to concrete beneath their feet.

“WHO TAUGHT YOU HOW TO PUNCH!?” Warwick snarled as Vi glared at him.

“A great man,” Vi said before she removed her hand from the trapped gauntlet, an act that sent Warwick stumbling forward. Taking advantage of his loss of balance, Vi slipped past his guard and leaped high into the air as she charged her other gauntlet

And Desist.

The powerful blow knocked Warwick to the ground and forced him to release the gauntlet. Landing next to it, Vi shoved her free hand back into the gauntlet before charging Warwick while he was down.

“But life taught me everything else!” Vi slammed another blow into Warwick but just like with Jinx’s minigun, the beast seemed to grow more and more resistant to her attacks. This was fine though, she would just have to hit harder, and just because his body grew more durable didn’t mean that the petricite did.

With that thought in mind, Vi cocked her fist back once more before throwing another punch with even more force behind it.

*Flashback*

 

“Oof! Well, hey now girl, you’re getting good,” Vander praised after Vi successfully landed a punch into his stomach which knocked a little of the wind out of him. “I told you, you’d grow into those fists eventually.”

Vi grinned at the praise before he suddenly bopped her on the head and knocked her down, The blow was far from painful, but it was just firm enough to startle Vi and leave her a bit dazed.

“But we still need to fix your guard.” Vander chided.

Vi sighed. “I really won’t ever beat you, will I?”

“In time,” Vander said as he helped her to her feet. “Every day I grow older while you get closer to your prime. At some point, we’ll be on an even playing field physically but that’s only half the battle, Vi. I will always have more experience than you but it won’t be the same experience.”

Vi frowned. “What do you mean?”

“I mean that you will live your own life, fight your own battles,” Vander explained. “The world grows more dangerous every day and the threats you kids will face will be much different and possibly even far worse than those that I had to. The experience you get from that, no matter how small, can put us on even ground. Though, you’ll have to live long enough to get that experience so, again, work on your guard.”

Vi rolled her eyes but raised her fists any way as he mirrored her.

“Live life and never stop fighting, Vi,” Vander told her. “Manage that, and you’ll be even better than me in no time. You’re a strong kid with a good heart.”

Vi smiled a bit at that before they continued their sparring session, Blow after blow they landed on each other, and while Vi was still a long way from ever reaching Vander’s level, she felt herself getting closer and closer.

Who knew, perhaps one day she could be the one to protect him for a change!

After all, he always made her feel safe, she owed it to him to return the favor one day.

 

-Flashback: End-

 

Vi delivered one more blow which managed to stagger Warwick and send him stumbling to the side but he didn’t fall as Vi intended. Faster than she could react, Warwick righted his footing, catching himself, before lunging forward and piercing her straight through the chest with his claws.

<<<Rewind<<<

 

Unbeknownst to the beast, a temporal grenade landed right next to Warwick just as he righted his footing. Before he could he could kill Vi the grenade exploded, slowing his movements tremendously and providing Vi with enough time to back off.

“Jinx!”  Ekko called out as he soared above them and without missing a beat, Jinx began throwing her flame chompers at Ekko which attached themselves to his board. Within moments, six of the grenades were now attached to the hoverboard, blinking rapidly as Ekko dive-bombed Warwick.

As soon as Ekko was close, he flipped back off of the board and let the payload crash into Warwick. Grenades exploding, they ignited the chems powering the hoverboard’s engine which transformed from a mode of transportation into a bomb.

A powerful bomb.

The explosion shook the battlefield and both Ekko and Vi, who were the closest to Warwick, back away as the beast howled in pain after being engulfed by the fireball.

-Flashback-

 

Ekko sighed as he sat behind the counter of Benzo’s shop.

“Kid? You alright?”

Ekko looked up to see Vander standing in the entrance, looking at the boy with obvious concern. Ekko’s first instinct was to just smile and nod, playing off the question like he always did but for some reason he couldn’t. He was just tired and Vander caught him at the worst time so instead, he found himself opening up to the kind man.

“It’s just…I…I miss my parents,” Ekko confessed, his eyes glistening. “I know shouldn’t complain, mine are at least alive unlike Pow and Vi’s parents and they’re working hard for me. Not to mention Benzo and you are always looking out for me, but I still miss them. Does that make me ungrateful?”

Vander sighed before walking up to Ekko and placing a hand on the boy’s head.

“No, the fact you even asked that shows you aren’t ungrateful,” Vander told him. “You got a good heart and you’re a good kid, both Benzo and I know that, but you have to understand that you’re still just that. A kid. It's fine for you to miss your folks.”

Ekko sniffled. “I just…I just don’t get why the adults have to work so hard, why we have to suffer so much while Topside gets to be happy. The kids there can see their parents every day, how is that fair?”

“It’s not,” Vander said and he seemed to age before Ekko’s very eyes. “But it’s, unfortunately, the hand we’re dealt and we have to play those cards as best as we can. When I was your age, I felt the same, and when I was in my prime, I tried to make things better.”

Ekko smiled at that. “I know, you’re a hero! Benzo tells me about it all the time.”

At this, Vander cracked a smirk. “I’m just a person, Ekko, just like you. I did my best to improve things for everyone but those days are behind me. It’s up to kids like you to pick up where I left off, to become the best versions of yourselves and make this place the best it can be.”

“Kids like me?” Ekko asked in surprise.

“Especially, you,” Vander told him.

“But I’m small and weak,” Ekko said with a confused frown. “I’m not like Vi or Claggor, and especially not like you I have like no muscles.”

At this, Vander laughed. “You’re smart, smarter than most. That muscle in your head is the most important one and with it, you can be a greater ‘hero’ than I ever was. Just gotta believe in yourself.” Vander’s expression turned somber. “Intelligence is the most powerful weapon in Zaun, the strongest man I’ve ever known once told me that. We don’t always see eye to eye, hell I’m sure he hates me but we agreed on that.”

Vander frowned as he appeared to be lost in his memories.

“We always agreed on that,” Vander mumbled before he shook his head. “You’re small now, and like I said, you’re still young but it’s kids like you and Powder that will grow into the best Zaun has to offer even if it doesn’t seem like it now.”

“Wow,” Ekko said with wide eyes before he grinned. “Have you told Pow that? Mylo’s always getting on her case but Vi and the rest of us believe in her.”

“You know? I don’t think I have,” Vander muttered.

“You should,” Ekko told him, looking wiser than any kid had any right to.

Vander barked out a laugh. “Yeah, I should. See? I told you, you were smart. Even smarter than me at least.”

At this Ekko beamed.

-Flashback: End-

 

The second, Ekko could get a clear visual of Warwick who roared in agony, covered in flames, Ekko ran forward, ducking under Warwick’s frantic slashes, and tabbed his clock hand in between the wolf’s ribs. Raising his leg, Ekko kicked the weapon with all his might, forcing it in even deeper and causing Warwick to bleed profusely from the wound. Infuriated, Warwick lunged forward, mouth open wide, and attempted to bite and rip Ekko’s head from his shoulders.

Fortunately for Ekko, Jinx landed on Warwick’s back and brandished her knife.

“Just. Fucking. Die!”

With each word, Jinx stabbed Warwick in each of his eyes before burying it into the beast’s throat. The Shimmer in her veins burned like fire as she ripped the knife across his neck while releasing a roar of her own. Unlike with Vi and Ekko, a clash between her and Warwick wasn’t a fight between family.

No.

It was just a clash of monsters.

-Flashback-

 

On her bed, Powder laid curled into herself as her body shook from her sobs. Once more she had messed things up and had made things harder for the others and this time, not even Vi tried to console her. Vi was her rock, and even though she messed up she still didn’t yell at her like the others had but Powder could see the disappointment in her sister’s eyes, her frustration with Powder's inability to do anything right.

But what could she do? No matter how hard she tried it was as if her mind just didn’t work right. Yeah, the others were pissed, and they had every right to be, but it wasn’t like she wasn’t just as mad at herself as they were!

She was useless, she knew it and no matter what anyone said, no matter what lies they told her, she knew this to be fact.

Even Vander, as great as he was to them, couldn’t hide the look he sometimes got on her face when alone with her, the look that screamed that Powder had just been born wrong.

Maybe it would be best if she just…disappeared…the word would be a better place if she did.

Would Vi even miss her? Or would she be glad to finally be free of her burden?

As these dark thoughts circled within her mind, unknown to her Vander stood just outside the door, peeking in through the crack as he tried to figure out how to fix this.

He knew what happened, it was the same thing that always did. The kids would get into trouble, doing something they had no business doing, and Powder would accidentally hinder their escape somehow. She was a young, frail thing, who had yet to fully grow into that wonderful mind of hers or get used to her ever-changing body, unlike the older kids.

To blame her was wrong, because she had no business being with them in the first place, not while she was still so young. Still, he knew better than to try and dissuade her, he had tried to once with another and it had blown up in his face spectacularly.

Janna, Powder reminded him so much of his estranged brother it was uncanny.

In his youth, his brother was the same as Powder until he grew into his mind, became a man capable of attempting to carry out his ever-growing ambitions. Ambitions that Vander once shared until he saw how his advice and leadership ended up tossing his brother head-first into the darkness of the world.

A darkness that his brother turned into his home.

His kingdom.

How could he of all people even dare to try and give Powder advice after what happened with Silco? When he lost his brother, his heart was ripped from his chest along with his will to live. These kids saved him, gave him a purpose beyond maintaining the status quo, and if he failed one of them, especially an innocent little girl like Powder, just as he failed Silco he would lose all that he had left.

With Vi it was simple, she was so much like himself that he knew exactly how to deal with her insecurities, her struggles, and her frustrations. However, Powder was a different story, every single time he saw the girl he couldn’t help but fear the thought of history repeating itself. The thought of his daughters fighting each other tooth and nail as their world burned around them once more was a fear that led to many sleepless nights for him.

He couldn’t risk it.

Did it make him a coward? Probably, but he’d rather live and die as a coward than to lose his daughters to the darkness of the Undercity, to let their ever-growing light diminish.

Powder was a strong girl, stronger than she knew, she could pick herself up and lick her wounds just like the best of those who came from the Lanes. Things may have been easier with Vi but he didn’t love Powder any less and was just as proud of her as he was her sister. When she calmed down and healed like she always did, he’d be there at the bar with her favorite drink ready, and watch her go back to her usual self and continue down the path to becoming the brilliant woman he knows she’d become.

Powder would be a kind, gentle, and brilliant woman, but still filled with that Undercity grit that would show her siblings and the world that she was not a jinx.

And when that day came, he just hoped he would be there to see it, to take her in his arms, and tell her that she did it, that she made it.

-Flashback: END-

 

“I’ve had enough of this shit!” Jinx exclaimed before she lifted Fishbones while the Hextech Gemstone within him sprung to life, crackling with power and covering the legendary weapon in runes. With a deep scowl that made her resemble her daughter, Jinx aimed as the others paled.

Jinx truly did wish she could have given them more warning, but the thing with Warwick was that the second one stopped laying on the damage and allowed him any time to breathe, no matter how serious his injuries, he’d heal and turn the tide of the battle back to his favor.

This was something the others knew and understood if how they prepared for the inevitable explosion instead of trying to talk her down was any indication.

The world around her turned blue from the power being gathered and Ekko immediately gripped his Z-Drive and bolted away from Warwick as fast as he could while Vi created a barrier.

Good.

They’d be safe and Warwick would finally be put to rest.

As the power reached its peak, Jinx laughed and her scowl was replaced with a made grin as the sheer joy she felt at finally ending Vander’s agony filled her chest.

“Bye Bye!” Jinx practically sang before pulling the trigger. Both her and her surroundings in a bright blue flash while the Super Mega Death Rocket shot forward and true, slamming into Warwick’s chest and creating an explosion so powerful that it simply erased this portion of the sewers off of the Undercity’s map.

-Later-

 

Jinx wasn’t sure how much time had passed when she regained consciousness after being uncharacteristically close to the explosion. Everything hurt which is something she took as a good sign as that meant she hadn’t lost any important body parts.

As long as her ass was still attached, her wife probably wouldn’t be too mad.

Spitting some of her Shimmer-filled blood to the side, Jinx placed her hands on the wet concrete below as the rains above finally came to a stop. As she forced herself to her feet, she lost her balance but was quickly caught by Ekko who wrapped one of her arms around him to help support her.

“Thanks,” Jinx said before pointing to the side of the room where a groaning Vi was trapped beneath some rubble. “But I think sis needs your help more.”

“Shit,” Ekko cursed. Once he made sure Jinx could maintain her balance, he let her go but before he could make his way to Vi, a crimson light caught their attention. Turning toward the epicenter of the blast, they all looked on in surprise and horror as the half-shattered lupine skeleton that was once Warwick began to be covered by crimson runes.

As the runes burned, the bits of flesh that barely clung to the bones which managed not to be disintegrated by Jinx’s rocket began to twitch and move. Ekko felt his stomach churn as flesh and organs began to reform around the skeleton. Twin crimson lights burned brightly from the wolf’s eyes sockets as the eyes and flesh around Warwick’s skull healed.

Soon the body began to move, and when the monstrosity tilted its head back it released a terrifying shattering howl. They could only watch as Warwick returned to life without as much as a scratch looking more powerful, and filled with even more rage.

“Shit!” Ekko cursed, unable to believe what he was seeing.

“Get Vi out of here, little man!” Jinx ordered as she released him only to fall to her knee.

“No, don’t leave her! Get her out!” Vi shouted at him as she saw that Jinx was too injured to run. Yes, she would heal in time, but against Warwick, it would be far too late. Ekko looked torn as he now found himself forced to choose between Jinx and Vi, he couldn’t save both, and whoever would be left would die.

“He’s locked on to my scent,” Jinx told him. “He won’t leave me alone. You need to leave with Vi and continue the hunt with the others. We got rid of the petricite, Flashlight and Zeri should be more than enough to deal with him now.”

Jinx’s expression then softened.

“I’m your Queen now, little man, you gotta listen to me no matter what,” Jinx reminded him with a sad smile which made him grit his teeth. After all, it was because she was his Queen now that he also had a duty to not leave her.

Her sudden death so soon after the recent power shift would cripple the city.

“Go!” Jinx shouted. “Trust me!” Jinx said as she pulled out Renata’s gift to her and Ekko’s eyes widened when he saw the perfume bottle. “I’m not out of options yet. I’m asking you to protect VI from me not him!”

After all, Jinx was already a monster with the Shimmer in her veins, mental instability, and lack of morals. Under the influence of Renata’s infamous Bailout, Ekko didn’t even want to think about what kind of demon was lurking within Jinx when she wasn’t ‘sober’.

With a grim expression, Ekko raised his Z-Drive just as Warwick lunged at them.

<<<Rewind<<<

 

“Get Vi out of here, little man!”

Not wasting any time debating his next action, this time Ekko went to save Vi as soon as Jinx ordered him. Vi looked surprised and horrified by how quickly Ekko left Jinx, ignoring Vi’s protests for him to save her sister.

Unfortunately, just like a rabid animal, Warwick’s attention moved from Jinx to the moving target and quickly made Ekko his next target. Jinx cursed as Warwick lunged at Ekko, but before she could utilize Renata’s gift a massive figure slammed into the airborne beast, knocking him away from Ekko. The sheer force of the two massive figures slamming into the ground, shook it enough that Ekko lost his balance and fell. Quickly scrambling to his feet, Ekko turned to find Tibbers pinning Warwick to the ground as both beasts fought for dominance.

Both startled and understandably confused, Ekko looked toward Jinx who had an expression of growing horror on her face.

A feeling both he and Vi soon felt.

After all, if Tibbers was here that meant-

Soon the sounds of heels against concrete could be heard coming from the main tunnel which led to the decimated battleground. As the winds suddenly picked up and flames now lined the walls, turned to see a single flame burning within the shadows of the tunnel which grew bigger and bigger the closer it got.

“Hop, skip, jump!” a strange voice said before a figure hopped out into the main chamber.

For a split-second, Jinx saw her little girl grinning at her before that image was swiftly shattered by the pink-haired woman that now entered the area that showed nothing but amusement on her expression. Off to the side, Warwick managed to push back Tibbers but before he could do much damage to the bear loud shots echoed throughout the chamber and he howled in pain as the bullets tore into him.

Looking up, Ekko and Vi saw Caitlyn and a mysterious figure garbed in golden armor shooting down at Warwick with their rifles. Taking advantage of Warwick’s distraction, Tibbers once more knocked the wolf down and continued to maul him.

“Keep covering him,” Six instructed Caitlyn before hopping down into the crater and quickly making her way toward Vi.  Once she made it, she knelt and gripped the large debris that had Vi trapped tightly in her hands.

[Combat Data-set: Jinx: uninstalled]

[Combat Data-set: Vi: Installed]

Effortlessly, Six moved the concrete and freed Vi before offering the enforcer her hand.

“Get up, soldier,” Six said softly with a sad smile playing on her lips. “This is no place for you to die.”

Stunned, Vi could do nothing but accept the hand and let the armored woman help her to her feet as she found herself staring into eyes she knew all too well. Even Ekko looked at the General as if something had blown up in front of him.

While Vi and Ekko struggled to reboot their brains, Jinx fared no better as her jaw dropped while she continued to watch the pink-haired woman stride toward her.

With a roar, Warwick pushed Tibbers off him and began rushing toward Hex as Caitlyn’s shots continued to slam into him. When he got close to his prey, Hex raised her hand as he lunged at her from behind and snapped her fingers. In a flash of fire, her sword appeared and stabbed him in the chest, an action that was strong enough to knock him off course and crash into the ground beside them.

As the sword burned in his chest, the runes covering his body shone brightly before shattering into particles of light. Now, no longer controlled by that sinister magic, Warwick felt the previous battle finally take its toll on him, and, for the first time in years, he fell unconscious. The sword in his chest disappeared which allowed his newest wound to begin healing as he slept.

Still, Hex and Jinx paid no mind to this as they continued to stare at each other before Hex came to a stop. Now, standing before Jinx, Hex offered her hand.

“Get up, the floor of a sewer is no place for a Queen,” Hex said as Jinx absentmindedly accepted her hand and let the woman pull her up to her feet. Releasing Jinx’s hand, Hex smirked at her, nodding in approval as she placed her hand on her hip. “Much better.”

Jinx blinked owlishly as her brain tried to process what she was seeing and her mouth opened and closed several times after she found herself struck silent. Jinx knew who the woman was, but her mind simply didn’t know how to explain her presence.

After all, Jinx knew puberty could hit hard but this was ridiculous.

Finally, after a few moments, Jinx seemed to find her voice much to Hex’s unending amusement.

“Are…are you real?”

To be Continued.

Next Chapter: The Answer (Possibly part one. This will be the end of the story but a lot needs to happen so it might end up being a 2-3 parter)

Notes:

Will: To be honest, I anticipated this to be the case last chapter when you dropped a time-skip on the readers, Reb. Perfectly understandable if it does end up being a three-parter with this kind of length. Also, F in the chats for Nunu, at least he got some before he got unceremoniously offed.

RebukeX7: RIP to my little homie, hurt me to write too T_T

F.

Chapter 12: The Answer (Part 1)

Summary:

Hex gives out spoilers and proves her mettle

Notes:

Random tuesday: *exists*

Me: *Drops this shit on everyone and leaves again for an undetermined amount of time*

Alright here it is, the beginning of the end!

As the title implies you're finally going to start getting some answers but there will also be new questions, questions that will all be answered by the end of the fic. That said there is enough in this chapter to finally start piecing together what's actually happening and how this will all wrap up.

As always, for the best experience you can wait a day or two so I can finish another read through or two to catch any typos that slipped pass or you can just read now, up to you!

Also lets celebrate not only breaking the 200k barrier, but shattering it by 10k!

The Answer (Part 1)

-Flashback-

 

“Jinx, look, bears!” Annie gasped out with proverbial stars in her eyes as sat on a tree branch with Jinx. Annie had found out earlier that week from Ren that zoos were a thing and like all children her age, she wanted to go immediately.

Of course, with Zaun being Zaun there were a grand total of 0 zoos in the nation which meant that the closest one would be in Piltover.

And of course, with Jinx being Jinx, she was banned from the zoo considering that the last time she went she released all of the animals out into the public and rode a rhino that she had spray-painted.

Ah, good times.

Now Jinx didn’t care about rules but she had to admit that the fact that the zoo still openly banned her despite her change in social status took balls, and with those balls came her begrudging respect.

Now Lux could take Annie to the zoo, but Jinx decided to let her wife have a quiet and peaceful day at home for once. Jinx also didn’t feel like trying to schedule a trip with Vi and Caitlyn which meant Jinx had to improvise.

So, she decided, fuck the zoo.

If Annie wanted to see animals, she’d show her little girl some animals!

And this is how Jinx found herself sitting in the trees of the Ixtali Jungle with a very pleased pyromaniac little girl.

“Aww, they're playing!” Annie cooed.

Of course, by “playing” what was happening was that a large bear was mauling a few Piltovan miners who she perceived as a threat to her cub.

“So even grown-up animals like to play?”

“Actually, Firelight, that’s not it,” Jinx answered with a shake of her head. Jinx thought it over for a moment and realized that with Annie being able to maintain a safe friendship with Ren and going a whole two weeks without killing someone, she was ready for the big girl talk. “See, what she’s doing is protecting not playing.”

“Protecting?” Annie repeated with a confused frown as if the word was foreign to her.

“Yep!” Jinx nodded with a bright smile. “See as you get older, you’ll learn there are different types of fighting. Playing is what you do to people who say mean words to you or look at you the wrong way. You know? The type of fighting that makes you happy? That’s playing. Now protecting? That’s not about fun, that’s just about keeping someone or something safe. Maybe you’ll still have fun, but that’s not the goal.”

“Hmm,” Annie thought it over a bit before a lightbulb seemed to turn on in her head. “Oh! So, it’s like when you work instead of play?”

“Exactly!” Jinx said happily, privately surprised at how quickly her daughter caught on. “I work to keep you and Lux happy and healthy, which will keep you safe. Your mom and I are like that bear right there or TIbbers. If something threatens you, we’ll maul it to death. Not for fun, but to keep you in one piece. A mom, a good one, will burn down the world for their kid, and Lux and I are the same.”

“So, moms are bears!” Annie said in a way that only her mind could understand and Jinx chuckled a bit as she thought about just how similar she and Annie were. “But she’s protecting a small bear. Like you two and Tibbers protect me. Am I a bear too?”

Realizing that being a bear equated to being a mother in Annie’s mind, Jinx quickly nipped this in the bud.

“Nope!” Jinx said almost too quickly. “Not until you’re much, much, much, much-” This went on for a little while, but Annie, bless her little pitch-black heart, listened with rapt attention. “Older. Not until you’re a woman. Right now? You’re my bomb, not a bear.”

“Aww.” Annie pouted. “I guess bombs are cool too…” Annie’s shoulders slumped. “When will I be a woman?”

Jinx chuckled. “Listen to me Firelight, enjoy being a kid. I didn’t and I regret it so be better than me. Yeah, you’re from Noxus and nothing will change that, it's in your blood, but one day you’ll be a woman of Zaun. For a girl Zaunite? The two most painful moments in their lives will be when they become a woman and when they become a mom.”

Jinx’s expression turned remarkably gentle as she cupped the side of Annie’s face.

“You won’t be a woman in Zaun until you prove your mettle,” Jinx explained. “Mettle you won’t begin receiving until you’re just a little bit older than you are now. Once you receive it all, I’ll put you to the test. It’ll hurt, a lot, but you’ll be better for it. If you can weather that pain, then maybe, we can revisit this topic of you being a bear one day, kay’?”

Annie smiled brightly. “Okay!”

Wrapping an arm around Annie’s waist, she pulled the girl closer and kissed the top of her head.

With each and every day her little bomb’s fuse got closer and closer. Though Jinx watched the fuse burn elated as always when it came to her explosions, for once she felt a bit of fear, for what would come after that glorious explosion? An explosion that would make even Fishbones seem dull in comparison?

Annie was Jinx’s magnum opus, after her what would happen next?

After all, there wasn’t anything remotely as undoing as a daughter…

…right?

 

 

-Flashback: End-

 

-Zaun: Baron Kiramman’s Manor-

 

“This is only as awkward as you make it,” Hex mused as she sat at the dinner table. “You act as if we’ve never had family dinners before.”

“Well, you know, you two were a bit…smaller, the last time we had one,” Vi spoke up, still visibly trying to wrap her mind around the fact that the two girls they had tucked into bed a day ago were now women.

“Fair.” Hex conceded before her lips twisted into a scowl after taking a sip from her glass. “Soldier Girl, what the hell am I drinking?”

“Filtered water,” Six answered dryly as she took a seat next to her cousin. The only clear liquids Hex drank tended to be filled with alcohol. “We’re possessing the bodies of children which means no alcohol till we’re back in our time. So, for once, your ass is going to be sober.”

Hex groaned before placing the glass back down. “Great…”

This seemed to have snapped Lux from her stunned stupor as she gave Hex a concerned look. “You aren’t drinking too much are you?”

“Got to get to sleep somehow,” Hex chuckled which made Six shake her head. To say that Hex didn’t have the healthiest lifestyle would be an understatement if there ever was one.

“Sheesh, what’s keeping you up at night, Hexy?” Jinx questioned which made Hex groan once more while Lux looked very concerned by Hex’s response.

“Janna, I’m not sure what’s worse, you butchering my name or her not remembering it.” Hex said but there was no bite in her tone.

“Not remembering it?” Lux questioned with a frown. “Though your birth name will always have a place in my heart, Hex is…fitting, and only three letters. How can I not remember it?”

“You’re a…very busy person,” Six intervened diplomatically just as Hex opened her mouth. Hex glanced at her cousin and let her take control of the conversation as she gave her mother an appraising look. “A lot of things slip your mind.”

“Like my own daughter’s name?” Lux repeated skeptically. “What could I possibly be occupied with, that takes that much of my attention?”

“Seriously, Flashlight physically drags me out of my workshop whenever I’m in there for too long,” Jinx snickered. “There’s no way I don’t return the favor.”

At this, Six showed her Piltovan roots as she was unable to mask the wince she had at Jinx’s words.

Something which did not go unnoticed if how her parents suddenly turned pale, was any indication.

“Ah shit,” Jinx said, her perpetual smile waning at that moment. “I got myself killed, didn’t I?”

Once more, Six winced and quietly nodded her head.

Lux froze.

“W-what?” Lux stuttered out.

“Yeah…” Hex spoke up getting their attention. “…went out in a blaze of glory, for whatever that’s worth. You kept your promise of not dying alone so, yeah, props. Managed to keep one promise to me, I guess.” Hex frowned in thought. “You did say something before you went, but I couldn’t hear you given everything that was happening.” Hex shrugged. “Not knowing bugged me for a while but I got over it. Knowing you, it was probably a joke or something to calm me.”

Six sighed and rubbed the bridge of her nose. “Hex…”

“What?” Hex questioned, not sure what was up with Six. “Not like it matters, they won’t remember any of this anyway.”

“That’s not the-”

“Wait, what do you mean we won’t remember this?” Vi questioned and Hex jerked a thumb at Lux.

“Insurance for her so that we don’t destroy the timeline.” Hex answered before showing her brand. “This will pop when we’ve tracked down and killed Sylas, and this entire mess will be forgotten by whoever we come in contact with. It's why we didn’t join Uncle E in delivering Vander to Grandma.” Hex explained before pointing at Jinx. “You die.” Hex then pointed at both Vi and Caitlyn. “You both died protecting us from Sylas.”

Ekko and Zeri walked into the room and Hex pointed at them as well.

“Them too, but each at a different point in the future,” Hex said before pointing at Lux. “And you went sky diving off the deep end.”

“Uh…what did we just walk into?” Ekko questioned while Zeri blinked owlishly.

Hex grinned at them as Six rubbed her temples. “Spoilers, Uncle E! Come take a seat. Did Grandma take in the old dog?”

“She did, but to say she was very confused would be putting it lightly,” Ekko answered. The look of pure confusion and disbelief that Renata was able to convey despite her mask would be stuck in his mind forever. “But do you think we can trust her and the Doc with Vander?”

Hex waved off his concerns. “Warwick caused Glasc more issues than anything else in Zaun, rehabilitating him would do more good for her than not. Plus, she’s the only one besides Jinx that can keep the Doc in line. Not that she needs to, he’d do anything to erase his ‘greatest failure’.”

“Wait, back up,” Lux interrupted before Ekko could respond. “I went sky diving off the-wait-what does Sylas have to do with anything!?” A suitably horrified and confused Lux questioned. After all, Sylas, her biggest mistake should have been left up in the North, away from her and her family. None of his goals required him to be anywhere near them.

The thought of the powerful ex-mage seeker turning his attention to them, especially when she was nowhere near Galio, made her blood go cold.

“Perhaps…” Caitlyn began, once more being the calming force of the Clan that she always was. “…you should start from the beginning.”

“And that’s your cue,” Hex told Six as she stood up. Hex grinned as she patted her cousin on the back before gesturing to the rest of their family. “With your perfect memory, you can keep them busy with history lessons while I set up the tracking spell. Bastard is hiding somewhere in my city and I’ll be damned if I let him get another one over me in my territory.”

Six looked like she wanted to protest but after years of dealing with Hex, she knew when she would be fighting a losing battle.

“You believe he’s still here?” Six decided to ask instead of asking Hex to stay.

“Yeah, you saw what he did to the old dog.” Hex told her. “He’s creeping around here somewhere and I will find him. I haven’t failed a hunt yet and I don’t plan to start now. I’ve got Tibbers patrolling the property in case he makes a desperate attempt on our lives. He has to know we’re here by now. Lady Gray’s magic isn’t the most subtle thing in the world. Still, I doubt he’d be that stupid. If he was, he’d have been dead by now. He probably won’t make a move until he’s confirmed the Hexcore’s location.”

Six frowned in thought. “And you’re positive about this?”

“Vander was his best bet to kill my predecessors without drawing suspicion to himself,” Hex continued before she raised her hand and gestured to her brand. “He doesn’t have the same freedom we do. People won’t forget the shit he pulls in this timeline, and the last thing he needs right now is for his current self to be aware of his existence. The fallout from that is something none of us wants. The next chance he’ll get at their lives will be the Harrowing which is months from now and there is no fucking way I am staying in this shithole that long. Zaun is great, but my Zaun is greater.”

“Then we should go straight for the core, wait for him there and eliminate him.” Six said as if it were obvious.

“Great plan! Where is it?” Hex questioned, which made Six give pause.

“I thought you knew?”

“All I know is what Uncle E told us,” Hex gestured toward Ekko. “It got destroyed during the Storm Gate’s construction which hasn’t started yet. This was also before my ascension so it’s not like I was privy to the info. So right now, it’s probably buried under a mountain of rock and destroyed buildings. When Viktor wants to hide something, he does it well.”

Six groaned. “Shit.”

“Yep.” Hex nodded, fully understanding her cousin’s frustration. “So, here’s the plan, I start the tracking spell, you keep the young-old folks busy, maybe we let Sylas track it down. That depends on how much damage his searching causes. When we find him, we’ll kill him and get rid of the Hexcore while we’re at it.”

Six frowned in thought. “Do you really think we should risk letting him track down the Hexcore?”

Hex shrugged and crossed her arms. “Honestly? It’s up to you. You’re the one with those pesky little things called ‘morals’. Way, I see it, letting him track it down will be the easiest way to get him to an isolated place away from the civilians for our confrontation. Remember, you’re mostly magic now. As skilled as you are in our time, his new resistance to your attacks will make a normally quick battle very messy. I doubt you want my people caught in the crossfire.”

Six cursed, knowing full well that Hex was right.

She hated when Hex was right.

“So, I’m going to get started on the spell,” Hex told her before she made her way to the door. “If you want things to go faster, let me know and I’ll just torch the city.”

“That would destroy the timeline.” Six reminded her which only made Hex giggle.

“Only one of us cares about that, Soldier Girl,” Hex reminded her. “I just care that you care.”

And with that Hex left.

“Could…could she do that?” A very pale Zeri asked Six.

“What? Destroy Zaun? Of course, she could she’s our daughter,” Jinx answered before Six could and the General nodded, confirming Jinx’s words.

“The real question is, would she?” Lux murmured, which made Six give her a sad smile.

“Of course, she would, she’s your daughter,” Six answered just as bluntly as Jinx had. “The thing about my cousin you need to understand is that she’s lost a lot of herself over the years. Pieces of her that made her a better person, that made her that little girl you remember that was capable of being more than a monster is gone. Do not get me wrong, I love my cousin and would gladly die for her but she is a monster.”

Six’s words held no bite, no animosity, she was just stating facts.

Hex was a monster.

But a monster on their side.

“I’ve seen her do things that even Aunt Jinx wouldn’t do,” Six said before turning to Jinx. “Well, at least not while you’re sober.”

Jinx’s eyes widened a bit at that and suddenly Renata’s perfume felt a bit heavier in her pocket.

Six turned to Caitlyn and met her calculating gaze head-on.

The room suddenly felt tense and it quickly became apparent that there were two heads of Clan Kiramman in the room at the moment.

“You told me once that the world made monsters,” Six told her mother. “You were right, and our world? It makes even worse ones. Hell, I’m sure even I live rent-free in the nightmares of whoever stood against my city.”

Hell, she had already risked a war with Noxus solely to call their bluff.

Caitlyn and Vi grimaced at the thought of that. They had both already known Ren would follow in their footsteps one day. Their daughter loved fighting, and not only was she raised by Piltover’s Finest her father had been a Sherriff as well. Protecting Piltover was simply her destiny at this point.

That said, the woman before them was not an enforcer or a warden.

She was a soldier.

Piltover currently had no military, to hear that it created one was jarring but to hear that their daughter led it was even more so especially with her being so young.

Caitlyn and Vi would never stand in the way of Ren’s ambitions but there was also no way in hell that they would let their daughter lose herself as much as she had to the position. Hell, she wasn’t even Ren anymore, by her admission she was simply a number, a symbol to a people who had long forgotten she was a person.

This unfortunately confirmed Hex’s claim as the only way this would have happened is if they were dead.

And not just them, but their extended family as well.

“For us to work together efficiently,” Six spoke up snapping them from their thoughts. “We need to know each other. Hex and I know you and you all know each other, but you only know Ren and Annie, not us. So, as you requested, I’ll start at the beginning.”

Six turned to Jinx.

“I’ll start a couple of months from now when you die.”

Jinx frowned a bit at that but looked mostly curious while Lux visibly paled, clenching her fists until her knuckles turned white.

“No person in the world could kill you, Aunt Jinx,” Six gave her a sad smile. “So, it’s oddly fitting that what did kill you wasn’t a person at all. No, you stood alone against the storm. Against monsters and died taking the worst of them all down with you.”

“She wouldn’t be alone,” Lux spoke up. “There is no way I wouldn’t be by her side.”

“Nah, I can see it,” Jinx spoke up, rubbing her chin in thought. Lux’s head snapped toward her, silently demanding an answer. “I mean, think about it Flashlight, we’ve got a kid. You’re a great wife, but an even better mom. If Firelight was in danger and I told you to escape with her you would.”

Lux froze at that.

It cut through her very soul but Jinx was right.

“Where the hell were we then!?” Vi questioned, not pleased in the slightest to hear that her baby sister would die.

And from the sounds of it, would die soon.

“Saving lives,” Six told her. “All of you were. When Jinx found out about the Harrowing, she asked all of you to assist with evacuating Zaun. Thanks to your efforts, the casualties were low and Zaun would continue to prosper.”

“But at what cost?” Lux murmured and Six sighed.

“I’ll be honest, Aunt Lux, I’m not sure.” Six answered. “On paper, it seemed like the best possible outcome, Jinx’s sacrifice saved not just Zaun but Piltover as well. Yes, the loss of her was a tragedy for our Clan but the cities survived…yet…”

“…yet…?” Caitlyn gently urged Six on.

“I don’t know how to explain it,” Six said honestly. “In our time, I can’t shake this sense of foreboding that I’ve felt since that horrible day. It’s like I am missing something, that everything was just the calm before the storm. The way Hex puts it, Jinx saved the city but broke the world which makes no sense because the world keeps spinning just as it always had.”

“You girls have always had good instincts,” Caitlyn pointed out. “I would not be quick in disregarding this feeling.”

“I try not to, but there’s only so much I can do when I don’t know what’s causing it,” Six said honestly. “But back to what I was saying, the turning point I guess was when you died, Aunt Jinx. This led to the domino effect that was everything else that went wrong in our lives.”

“Right, a Harrowing,” Jinx muttered. Jinx had heard about those, they all had, but they were rare occurrences. In her travels, Jinx had even seen the aftermath of a couple of them. Few things made Jinx uneasy but it was something about the aftermath of a Harrowing that creeped her the hell out. “How did I even know one was coming?”

“Janna,” Six answered. “That’s what Hex told me. She visited you in a dream and warned you about the Black Mist and that you needed to evacuate Zaun immediately. Of course, many were skeptical but it’s not like people could ignore the orders of Zaun’s Queen. Sure enough, you were proven right when everything went down.”

“Janna,” Lux said the name almost as if it were a curse. If there was ever a moment Lux truly looked like a Demacian it was then. For a moment, Six thought she was in the presence of Lady Gray. “You mean a supposed goddess couldn’t protect her people? She can foresee a Harrowing but the best she can do to deal with it is sacrifice my wife? Is that why she’s kept Jinx alive all this time?”

“Honestly I don’t know,” Six answered honestly. “Janna hasn’t done shit for Piltover and, at least in my time, you two have never seen eye to eye.”

Lux blinked at that as the others looked at Six incredulously.

“I…I have been in contact with Janna?” Lux questioned.

“According to Hex it isn’t often, but yes,” Six answered. “Because of what happened with Aunt Jinx, you can probably guess you two don’t exactly get along. There is also an abundance of people from the Twin Cities who fear you enough to give you a growing following of your own.”

Lux felt her jaw drop at that and suddenly she remembered Hex’s comment about her diving off of the deep end. “What the hell did I do in your time?”

Six’s forced smile reassured absolutely no one.

“Nothing too bad that I am aware of. You’re just…very powerful and very dedicated to your work.” Six explained. “Though, truth be told, Hex knows better than I do you’ve been in contact with her more than me.”

“What the fuck could I possibly be working on!?” Lux hissed, startling them all with her anger. Slowly but surely, Lux was starting to see an image painted of who her future counterpart was and it wasn’t an image she liked at all.

It was an image that felt too familiar.

Too much like home.

Lux would be damned if she somehow managed to perpetuate the long list of generational curses that came with being a Crownguard.

“I’ll get to that later, you’ve recently told us about what it is,” Six told her. “If it’s true, then, it was all worth it, I suppose. Anyway, while I am personally not a follower of Janna, I’ll say that she did the best that she could. A god isn’t like us, their power directly comes from their followers and Janna still has only a fragment of the power she once had before the canal incident.”

Six turned to Jinx.

“You’ve gotten her power to return faster and faster, which is probably why she chose you,” Six explained. “That said, she doesn’t even have enough power to appear before her followers physically yet in this time. The faith still has a little bit of time to go before she can reach that point. I will say that after your sacrifice, you bought Zaun enough time for her to gain the strength needed to protect the city from the Black Mist with her divine winds according to Hex. Given how much more frequently the Harrowings have been occurring, that’s a very good thing.”

Caitlyn’s eyes narrowed. “Harrowings are becoming more common?”

“Yes,” Six answered. “Piltover is one of the first responders to these events. Along with Hex and…” Six trailed off. “…Nunu, we’ve stopped more than a fair share of them.”

“Yeti boy?” Jinx asked in surprise.

“You know him?” Six asked in surprise.

“Ran into him when I was looking for Braum,” Jinx explained with a grin. “Cute kid, did he ever find his mom?”

“He did,” Six answered, her expression sad.

Jinx’s smile fell. “Did he find her alive?”

“No,” Six answered sadly. “He found her grave sometime this year actually and ever since then, he spent his life dedicated to being a hero to his people. They called him Freljord’s champion, but honestly, he was just helping whoever he saw, he just happened to live in Freljord so he helped them the most.”

“Sounds like a great kid,” Ekko mused and Zeri nodded.

“Though, I don’t think ‘kid’ is the right word in her time.” Zeri pointed out.

“He was a great man,” Six nodded.

“Was?” Jinx questioned which made Six sigh sadly.

“Unfortunately, he didn’t make it, we believe Sylas killed him to harness his power.” Six revealed. “Nunu was a powerful mage like Hex that controlled Ice, but unlike Hex, he wasn’t born with his magic.”

“What?” Lux asked in confusion which made Jinx nod.

“Yeah, the kid got his power from a magic crystal buried in Freljord,” Jinx explained. “Kind of funny, cause even as we speak, people are fighting and dying for its power and don’t realize that it's inside the kid already.” Jinx turned to Six. “You think Sylas has his power along with his own?”

“At the very least, that’s what Hex implied after I delivered the news to her.” Six explained.

“Again, with Sylas, why is he doing all of this?” Lux questioned. “Shouldn’t he be focused on his rebellion? Or be captured by Demacia?”

“You’d be right, except that neither Demacia nor his rebellion exists anymore,” Six revealed.

Lux’s heart stopped.

“W-what?” Lux stuttered out. “What do you mean Demacia doesn’t exist?”

Lux had a very complicated relationship with her homeland, to say the least, but to hear that it was gone hit hard. Demacia was an old nation that was traditional to a fault, but it wasn’t weak. Even without her family or Jarvin, there were more than enough champions, legends, of the nation even stronger than them that would have protected it.

“Noxus made a gamble,” Six began. “Their people were finally feeling the effects of prolonged war on multiple fronts so they withdrew from Ionia. With the help of Zaun, they threw everything at Demacia, even the Trifarix themselves joined the fray. It was an entire empire versus a nation fighting a civil war. Demacia held on strong, it did, and your heroes did their best but the people couldn’t hold out.”

Six sighed.

“Honestly the records are impressive,” Six continued. “I have even incorporated some of your brothers’ tactics into my strategies. They could have pushed back, at least long enough to deal with Sylas and regroup, but Zaun proved to be too much.”

“Wait,” Ekko began, his confusion evident as Lux placed her face in her hands. “If Jinx died, then the power would go to rich girl here, and something tells me she wouldn’t crush her old home unless provoked.”

“You’d be right, and she didn’t,” Six explained. “With Jinx gone and Hex’s seat secured, Lux stepped away from the throne, again focusing on her work. The power went to Renata who had no ties at all to Demacia. Being completely impartial, destroying Demacia did nothing but benefit her and Zaun so it was a smart decision.”

“You can’t be serious,” Vi said, looking at her daughter in disbelief.

“I said smart not right,” Six explained. “Honestly, she didn’t even do much besides send some mercenaries and Chemtech. Yes, it was effective on the citizens of Demacia, but once the gods started joining the fray Zaun’s role was minimized.”

Six turned to Ekko.

“I doubt I have to say you didn’t approve,” Six continued. “And to stop a civil war from breaking out in Zaun, Renata stepped down without argument. She made more than enough gold from her actions and retired as a hero to your people. You took over and kept Zaun out of conflicts until Hex took her seat. Hex avoided wars, but she did have Zaun deal with the Harrowings.”

“All of that happened, all of that pain and death, the fall of Demacia just because I was too busy to do my duty?” Lux repeated and the disgust on her face was clear. “What happened to me? Tell me truthfully.”

Six grimaced before answering. “You changed.”

Lux scoffed. “Clearly.”

Six nodded. “Yes, but I mean you truly changed, mutated actually.” Six explained, confusing Lux greatly. “The Zaun Gray does more than just birth mages. It empowers them, changes them.” Six turned to Jinx. “You noticed it when we came to save you, right? That wind?”

Jinx blinked at the question before recalling the wind she felt that accompanied Hex’s fire.

“Ancient mages, I heard, could control all aspects of magic,” Six began. “Modern mages on average seem to be more attuned to specific aspects. Like Aunt Lux and her light or Aunt Z with her electricity. However, prolonged exposure to the Gray can cause a mutation to appear in mages who have mastered their power. For Hex? She learned to control wind which was something the faithful claimed as a mark of Janna, proof of Hex’s divine right to rule.”

Six shook her head at the thought.

“Janna had nothing to do with it, but we decided to roll with the story,” Six said as she shrugged. “It helped increase Hex’s reputation and loyalty and also increased Janna’s followers which meant a safer Zaun. Wind and fire is a devastating combination as you can expect in Hex’s hands, and she was personally taught by Yasuo and Qiyana how to wield it and multiple elements.”

Six could see the others, even Jinx, pale a bit at the thought of how much power Hex had.

A bead of sweat slid down Jinx’s brow but she grinned at the thought. “The explosions must be beautiful.”

“They’re a sight to behold, for sure.” Six nodded. “Though I can do without the screams of terror and agony that tend to accompany them.”

At that Lux suddenly laughed, laughed in a way that had a few questioning her sanity.

Those who had already questioned her sanity, just shuddered as they thought they caught a glimpse at the ‘crazy’ Lux hid so well.

“Flashlight?” Jinx asked curiously.

“Sorry,” Lux apologized. “It’s just that when we first started raising Annie, one of my motivations was to make sure we didn’t have a you that could make explosions with their mind.”

Suddenly, those besides Jinx and Six froze as looks of horror crossed their faces.

“Why not? That would be awesome.” Jinx said as Lux shook her head.

With a resigned sigh, Lux returned her attention to her niece. “So, what did I get stuck with?” Lux questioned and if the thought of Hex hadn’t terrified them, Lux’s question surely would have. Lux was powerful, deadly, and used her light in ways that had confirmed for many that there was something dark beneath Lux’s cheerful demeanor.

One had to look no further than her Final Spark for that. It was an attack arguably more destructive than one of Jinx’s full-powered Super Mega Death Rockets which was already considered an international war crime when used outside of Zaun.

“Darkness,” Six answered with a somber expression, and if Zeri were a lesser woman she’d have fainted. “Your mutation triggered around the time of Jinx’s memorial service. They had just unveiled Jinx’s statue and I guess… your heart just…broke. All that darkness suddenly shot out from you that you couldn’t control and we had multiple funerals to add to the one for Jinx.”

Lux sat speechless as she looked at her niece with wide eyes along with the rest of the family.

“Not only could you not control it well, but it seemed to hurt you, consistently.” Six continued. “Hex still doesn’t know why that happened. Your own magic shouldn’t hurt you according to her but yours did.”

“Was it because her elements are opposites?” Jinx questioned as she wrapped an arm around her wife in a vain attempt to comfort her.

“That’s the leading theory.” Six nodded. “Until another mage comes along that develops an opposing aspect of magic, we won’t know.” Six looked back at Lux. “The only thing that seemed to stop the pain was petricite which is something you grew increasingly fond of. Eventually, an alternate solution came from Singed.”

“Oh Janna, no,” Jinx whispered. “What did that bastard do to my wife?”

“Stop the pain,” Six answered sadly. “He was the one in charge of finding out what was wrong with Aunt Lux. Eventually, Zeri developed an affinity for ice magic which brought up the question of why Aunt Lux’s changed first despite the overwhelming amount of exposure to the Gray that Zeri had over her…the answer was you, Aunt Jinx.”

“Me?” Jinx repeated. “What the hell did I do?”

“Love her, intimately,” Six explained. “With a body filled with Shimmer.” Six groaned as she looked at Lux, clearly showing the face of someone who knew more about another’s love life than they ever wanted to. “You apparently have a thing for biting, not to mention whatever else you do with your mouth.”

Caitlyn blushed and was embarrassed on her in-law’s behalf. “Six!”

“Believe me, mom, I was just as horrified having it explained to me by Hex,” Six said dryly.

Lux wasn’t sure what was worse, having her kinks just outed like that to her family by her niece or the fact that having sex with Jinx mutated her.

Suddenly, Lux realized that there was a chance she was literally addicted to Jinx.

With a slight blush, Six powered through with her expression as stern as ever. “Your exposure increased the rate at which you mutated and Singed believed that in that discovery there was a cure of sorts. So, with your permission and under Renata’s supervision, they changed you.”

“No,” Jinx muttered. “No, no, not her!”

“Jinx?” Vi questioned in concern as she saw her trembling sister.

“You don’t know what this shit does to you, sis,” Jinx said as she placed her head in her hands. “This shit ain’t free. Your mind doesn’t just bounce back from that. Even Glasc didn’t come out unscathed, not even Big Hat could come out the other end with all her marbles.”

Caitlyn grimaced at that, remembering just how unhinged Jinx became after that process. Yes, she had gotten better, but she would never be the woman she was before the Shimmer, which was saying something as she wasn’t even sane then.

Lux swallowed nervously. “Did…did it work?

“Did it stop the pain? Yeah, I think.” Six frowned in thought. “You were able to move unhindered. Whether the pain was gone or you just got more tolerance for it, I don’t know.”

“The latter,” Jinx answered resolutely. “Even if her magic didn’t hurt her, her blood would until she just became numb to it.”

“Ah.” Six looked at Lux sadly. “I’m sorry to hear that. We’ve all gone through a lot in the years to come, but life consistently seemed to be out to get you. You still couldn’t control your new power which only continued to grow every day after the procedure and people began to die as much as they had when Hex was still learning to control her fire.”

Six sighed.

“Your mind, body, and even your soul took devastating blows in the years to come,” Six continued as tears filled Lux’s eyes. “Eventually, you had to hand us over to Uncle E and Aunt Z for our safety when I turned 13…I think…I think that was the last straw.” Six said softly.

And Lux knew personally that it would have been.

Six powered on. “Eventually you found a mentor, a powerful mage that was sympathetic toward you and trained you to control the power. It worked, but at that point, you had begun your ‘great work’ and I didn’t see you much since. The few interactions you did have with Hex only seemed to further the gap that had grown between you. As it stands, she only reaches out when she has to, like now.”

At this, Lux finally broke down as Jinx held her tightly.

The rest of the family looked at Lux sympathetically. Yes, they had died but it seemed Lux was delivered a fate somehow even worse than that.

Lux loved her wife and daughter more than anything in her life. To hear that Jinx had died and that it had gotten so bad between her and Hex that the world had to almost end for them to talk cut deep. That didn’t even account for the years of tragedy that she had to endure on top of it.

“Who was this mentor?” Caitlyn asked as Lux tried to calm down.

“A survivor of the Mage War, Ryze,” Six explained, which startled them all. None of them were experts on the subject but what they did know was that the fabled war was a very long time ago. “Found out from Councilor Talis that he was the mage that inspired him to make Hextech. Ryze was looking for something called a ‘World Rune’ in the twin cities but couldn’t find it. He did, however, find Aunt Lux.”

“And he taught her to control the magic?” Caitlyn questioned

Six nodded. “He did. He couldn’t stay long, he had an important mission he needed to complete, but those few weeks were more than enough for Aunt Lux. That said,  I think you two had a disagreement. A bad one.” Six frowned in thought. “One day, he was just…gone, a week earlier than he said he would leave. Still, that was more than long enough for you to develop your nullification magic. After that, people either feared or worshipped you though you kept to yourself to focus on your work.”

“My what magic?” Lux questioned and Six shrugged.

“No idea,” Six admitted. “Hex is a better person to ask for specifics but you found a way to control light and darkness to make things…disappear. I only saw it once, it's every bit as terrifying as it sounds. There is just a flash of light and one moment something is there and the next it isn’t.”

Everyone took a moment to try and fail to comprehend that.

“After that, people have started calling you Lady Gray,” Six continued. “You live in the Zaun Gray, don’t ask me how, I am still trying to figure that out. Mages from around Runeterra go to Zaun in an attempt to gain an audience with you-not that you have time for them. You didn’t have time to teach Hex so she decided she would go to who taught you. Somehow, Hex managed to convince me to look for Ryze so that she could learn, and we managed to track him down in Freljord when I was 15.”

-Flashback-

 

“You’ve come a long way, princess,” a voice spoke from the shadows of the frozen cavern. Annie, Ren, and Nunu stood silently as they saw a tall hooded figure sitting on what could best be described as a throne sculpted from True Ice. From the shadows cast by his hood, they could see a pair of bright blue eyes staring back at them. Each eye felt as though it contained more power than they could ever hope to achieve. His weathered hand reached out and summoned his ancient staff. “Leave.”

His tone instinctively made Ren raise her fists which were covered by a pair of lightweight gauntlets. From beside her, Willump moved to stand in front of them. The Yeti’s eyes shone brightly as it prepared to protect the girls and his closest friend and partner.

Ignoring both the Yeti, and Ryze’s tone, Annie strode forward.

“I can’t do that, I’ve come a long way to find you,” Annie told him. “I want you to train me.”

“Centuries could pass, and the audacity of royals will never cease to amaze me,” Ryze muttered before he exerted a bit of his magical power which sent everyone but Annie to their knees. This almost made him pause, for how she remained standing defied all reason. She had far less power than the boy and his yeti yet she was able to withstand his power.

It was not as if she were unaffected either, her body was clearing straining not to collapse and she grit her teeth so hard that he could see blood spill from the corner of her mouth as she glared at him. Ryze studied her a bit as her body trembled and only when he saw a trail of blood leak from her nose did, he let up on his power.

“From where does your pride come? Your crown or the Noxian blood that flows through your veins?” Ryze questioned rhetorically. With a slight shake of his head, he sighed. “Be fortunate that I am not one to punish children for the sins of their mothers. Why have you sought me out?”

“As I said, I wish for you to train me.”

Ryze scoffed. “Child. Are you unaware of what transpired between myself and your mother?”

“I am not.”

“Then are you, perhaps, ignorant to the definition of insanity?”

Annie shook her again. “No, I am very familiar with that word in particular. I still want you to train me.” Annie’s gaze did not waver even as she wiped away her blood. “I am to be Queen of Zaun, I do not ask for favors or make demands of those who owe me nothing. I make deals.”

“And what could a child like yourself offer me?”

“A mutually beneficial arrangement,” Annie strolled forward and Ryze watched her curiously as she stopped before him and gently reach out her hand. Grasping his cloak, she moved it a bit to the side to reveal a festering claw-shaped wound that refused to heal. The injury seemed to pulse with dark magic. “I don’t want to learn runes or destruction magic. I simply want you to teach me how to heal. Your magic’s compromised, right? Teach me how to heal you.”

“Why would you wish to heal me?” Ryze questioned curiously.

Annie gave him a sad smile. “You’re the only one that can set things right.”

-Flashback: End-

 

Six shook her head at the memory.

“I still can’t believe she convinced him,” Six murmured, fully convinced that Hex could get whatever she wanted from anyone at this point. “Her magic is scary, but her ability to worm herself into everyone’s hearts and minds is scarier.”

“You two went to Freljord by yourselves!?” Caitlyn questioned incredulously and her voice held a tone that somehow still made Six wince.

“I had to make sure Hex didn’t get herself killed!” Six said defensively. “I lost enough family.” Caitlyn’s expression softened at the admission and Six ran a hand through her hair. “Hell, I’m not even sure how she found him but she found out he was in Freljord. We met Nunu there and after he kicked her ass, he helped us track him down.”

“She lost?” Jinx asked. “Bet she didn’t take that too well,” Jinx said in an attempt to lighten the mood which Six appreciated. Hell, even Lux, despite herself, chuckled at the thought as she wiped her eyes.

“She didn’t,” Six confirmed. “Lost every rematch she demanded after that too. Makes her falling in love with him even funnier–er–pretend you didn’t hear that part.” Six grimaced when she saw the shell-shocked expressions on her aunts’ faces.

Hell, they didn’t even know Hex was capable of making friends until Six came along, let alone falling in love.

“Love?” Zeri repeated incredulously. “My little hellspawn? Falling in love?”

Six’s shoulders sagged. “Yeah, she handled that about as well as you would think she did. Even now I don’t think she would admit it but that’s not the Zaun way, her actions betrayed her emotions ten times over.”

Suddenly, Lux’s smile fell, and once more tears fell from her eyes as she wept for her daughter.

Jinx was confused until it clicked.

“Shit and Sylas killed him,” Jinx said reminding them of the recent death of the Ice mage.

“And the city is still standing?” Ekko questioned knowing full well what would happen to Zaun if it had been Jinx in Hex’s shoes. Zaun would have been a crater if it meant she could find Sylas.

“I don’t…I don’t think she has any more tears to shed, to be honest,” Six answered solemnly. “I know she has long since grown numb to the pain. As horrible as it sounds, I don’t think she cares at this point. Not just about him, but about anything. If something were to happen to me at this point, she’d probably just laugh it off.”

“Nah, don’t say that,” Jinx lightly reprimanded her. “She said it herself earlier, she cares about the future cause’ you do. You’re her last anchor from the sounds of it.”

“You’re right,” Six said with a small smile. “But that’s not an easy burden to carry.”

Jinx’s smile was pained. “I know.”

Finally, Vi released a long-suffering sigh. “Is there any good news you could tell us? Or is it all shit?”

“Vi!” Caitlyn reprimanded but deep down she felt the same. “What about you?” Caitlyn asked Six.

“Me?” Six repeated in confusion.

“Yeah,” Jinx piped up. “Vi’s right, is there anything good in your life right now? Blow up anything cool? Dating anybody?” Jinx questioned and her grin widened when she saw how caught off guard Six was by that last question. “Oh~ There is, please, do share!”

“Aunt Jinx!”

“Jinx!”

“What?” Jinx asked defensively. “I just had to hear that my daughter likely got banged by yeti boy and I can’t do shit cause he’s dead and I won’t even remember this conversation when they leave. If I have to suffer, Vi does too! That’s like, the natural order or some shit.”

“Gee, sis, thanks,” Vi said dryly. “Really feeling the love here.”

“I knew you would agree!”

Six cleared her throat, her cheeks still flushed. “I’m afraid that’s confidential.”

The best part about Six’s response?

It was literally confidential.

Caitlyn’s eyes narrowed.

Six’s blood went cold though she maintained her composure.

“Oh?” Caitlyn questioned, after all, she would like to think she was an open-minded person and that in the few years they would still have together, Caitlyn would be able to show that. Hell, her wife should have been proof of that. Which meant if Six was this secretive, it was someone she would not approve of.

Anyone that she of all people wouldn’t approve of could not be good news for the Clan.

“You do realize I’ll figure it out, correct?” Caitlyn questioned as she raised an eyebrow and gave Six a look that she knew all too well.

Swallowing a lump in her throat as she tried to reassure herself that was impossible, the General nodded. “I’m sure you’ll try Sheriff, I look forward to seeing your legendary deduction skills again.” Six smiled as Caitlyn’s eyes narrowed further.

Six ignored the unease she felt.

She was from 13 years in the future and a grown woman.

There was no feasible way for Caitlyn to figure it out not when there were people in her life Caitlyn didn’t even know existed yet.

“Still, we have a few more important things to gloss over,” Six said as she changed the subject.

“I’ll say, tell me more about this ice magic of mine!?” Zeri asked excitedly as Ekko shook his head with a small smile at his wife’s enthusiasm. But he understood her excitement. That could potentially be a devastating combination. Zeri’s magic already made her arguably the fastest person in the twin cities, combined with the ability to hinder others' movements she would be an even stronger force to be reckoned with.

Six chuckled a bit at Zeri’s enthusiasm and nodded her head with a small smile before explaining not just more about Zeri’s powers but the future of the twin cities as a whole. All in all, with the heaviest of the topics now having been discussed they could enjoy a slightly more pleasant conversation. Sitting here with her family again after all of these years filled her heart with warmth.

A warmth she desperately hoped Hex would indulge in before it was too late.

-Later-

 

“And…it’s done,” Hex said awhile gesturing to a simple floating fireball that rested in the middle of the living room. Ekko and Zeri had returned to their territory with the promise to have their Firelights on standby in case shit went south. “Well, the casting at least, the spell itself still has to find him,” Hex explained. “That’s the good and bad thing about it, to find someone will always take about a day or two no matter where they’re hiding. Useful when they can be hiding anywhere in the world, annoying when they’re probably just in the same city you are.”

“How will you know when it’s done?” Lux asked curiously.

“It’ll transform into a map,” Hex answered as she gestured to the fireball. “It’ll ping his location for us and then I can just teleport myself and Six over there. We’ll kill him and be done with this mess before you know it.” Hex suddenly snapped her fingers as if remembering something. “Speaking of teleporting, here.”

Jinx blinked as Hex suddenly pulled her teleporter out and handed the tablet to her.

“What the-when?” Jinx asked as she quickly patted her pockets and realized that her teleporter was missing.

“Casting the spell is long and tedious so I needed to kill the time somehow.” Hex said unapologetically. “Besides, you always had decent games on that device.”

Jinx pouted at that. “But my save files…”

Hex waved her dismissively. “Don’t worry, didn’t touch them. I did, however, destroy your high score.”

Jinx quickly turned on her teleporter and sure enough, her eyes widened when she saw that her score had been beaten. Turning off the device, she flipped it over to inspect the back. “I hope you didn’t destroy anything else.”

Hex scoffed as if offended. “I am an expert. Everything is fine. I learned how to handle tech from the best after all.”

Jinx smiled.

“Uncle E is amazing.”

Jinx frowned and flipped the woman off who laughed in response.

“Screw you.” Jinx’s pout returned full force.

Hex snickered at that before turning to Six. “No point in wasting time waiting if he’s hiding in Zaun,” Hex continued. “I’m going to go out and search for him and don’t worry, I’ll stick to the shadows.”

“Wait, what?” Six questioned as Hex made her way to the door. “You can’t be serious. You want to patrol alone?”

“Of course, few know these streets better than me,” Hex reminded her before scowling. “And I’ll be damned if I let anyone make me afraid to walk the lanes. This is my city, past or future.”

“Surely, you would like some assistance?” Caitlyn asked, concerned for her niece.

Lux nodded in agreement. “That’s too dangerous Hex, Sylas was one of the best mage seekers.”

“Believe me, I don’t need you to tell me about Sylas,” Hex said dryly. “But here’s the problem with getting back up. All of you, minus Six, will die if he sees you. You’re his targets after all.” Hex reminded them before turning to Six. “And you are technically in the body of a child if we find nothing, I don’t want to risk compromising your stamina with an all-nighter.”

Six scowled. “You’re younger than me!”

“Yes, but I am used to many sleepless nights at this age,” Hex reminded her. “Besides you know I can’t sleep in unfamiliar places. I’ll just be up and restless anyway so I might as well put my insomnia to good use.”

Though she didn’t intend for it or even notice as she was busy debating with her cousin, Hex’s words caused Lux visible pain. It had taken Jinx a long time to get Annie to the point where she could sleep around her on her own without having to exhaust her in combat first. Something she and Jinx both had to redo when Lux joined the household.

And even after that, it took months to get Annie comfortable enough to not wake up before the crack of dawn, let alone sleep in as she had when they truly, and fully, earned their daughter’s trust.

To hear that Hex was back to square one was not pleasant in the slightest for Lux. Jinx, on the other hand, appeared to have expected this though her gaze did soften a bit. Caitlyn and Vi looked at the other two sympathetically.

“You know your lack of sleep is why you’re so short,” Six told Hex.

Hex glared. “Oh, and here I thought that you were supposed to be the mature one.”

Six stuck her tongue out only to yawn moments later. Now it was Hex’s turn to smirk as her cousin blushed.

“Oh fine, you win, go out just don’t get your ass killed.” Six yawned once more and rolled her eyes when Hex gave her a mock salute as if she were one of Six’s soldiers. “I’m going to get some winks in on your bed since you’re not using it.” Six turned to their parents. “Good talking to you all, and really, it’s great to see you. It’s been a long couple of days so I’ll chat in the morning.”

And with that Six left to finally get some well-deserved sleep.

“I’m heading out,” Hex told them. “Get some rest, if something comes up that I somehow can’t handle, you’ll know.”

Before they could respond, Hex vanished in a swirl of fire leaving the four of them alone.

“What a fucking day,” Vi muttered as she collapsed onto a chair. Vi rubbed her eyes before looking at the others with a tired expression. “So, safe to say, we have to stop this shit, right?”

“Of course,” Caitlyn said as she crossed her arms. “Their future sounds dreadful. Yes, the cities are prospering but at what cost? How much of our daughters will we have to lose?”

“But how?” Lux questioned quietly. “We won’t remember a thing. The magic involved in the brands anchoring them here is more complex and filled with more power than I have experienced. Simply tampering with it could kill us all. I don’t know what the hell I did but it was fool proof.” Lux gritted her teeth. “I never thought I could hate myself this much. I can’t apologize enough to you all for letting you down.”

“Sounds like you grew into a powerful workaholic bitch,” Vi said bluntly. “But that’s not you now Princess, and it won’t be if we figure something out so don’t apologize.” Vi glanced at Jinx. “What about you sis? You always have some scheme cooking.”

“Nah, not this time,” Jinx shrugged, and honestly, she sounded as if she didn’t even care about the situation in the slightest. “I say leave it alone.”

“Excuse me?”

“What!?”

“Jinx!”

“That’s me!” Jinx grinned before snickering. “Honestly, you’re racking your brains over nothing. Let it go.”

Vi was the first to find her voice as they looked at her in horror. “Sis, you heard the same story we did. You would let us all die and let our girls suffer? You’re a lot of things Jinx, but you are loyal at the very least. If not to a flag, then to family, you would let our family be destroyed?”

The “again” went unsaid.

“Would our daughters?” Jinx responded curiously which made Vi pause as they looked at her in confusion. “Let’s talk about it, sis. Letting our family relive a horror, willingly letting those they love the most die simply cause a woman they used to love promised it’ll all work out in the end. Does that sound like the girls we raised? The girls who loved us more than the world itself?”

A deafening silence was Jinx’s response.

Curiously Jinx tilted her head. “Those girls, who even after we died, continued to be raised and taught by the craftiest, smartest, and strongest people we know. Some of them even being good people who respect us. You think the few friends and allies we have would let them become women like that?”

As Jinx spoke, shame began to fill their faces as they saw what she was getting at.

“There comes a time when you just have to let the bomb explode,” Jinx continued. “A time when a mom picks their kid up and puts them down for the last time. This isn’t our fight, our obstacle to overcome.” Jinx explained. “If Sylas didn’t fuck with Warwick, we wouldn’t have even known they were here.”

The truth of that statement hit hard.

Jinx suddenly giggled. “I mean come on, I’ve placed my life in the hands of a goddess I can’t even see or talk to. What would it say about me if I couldn’t do the same with my daughter? They’ll figure this out, anything we try to do will probably just get in their way which is why they keep asking us to let things happen.”

“You…you think they have a plan?” Lux questioned before shaking her head. “What am I saying?” Lux released a humorless laugh even as her eyes glistened. “Of course, they do.”

“With Jinx and Cupcake as moms, yeah, no way they don’t.” Vi sighed. “Sorry sis, got too worked up.”

“Don’t be,” Jinx waved off the apology. She had long since learned that things that were obvious to her were not to most people for whatever reason. “I’ll be honest, I believe that they have a plan without a doubt. If they got the strength to do it, is a different question altogether.”

“They might be the most powerful people currently in the cities,” Caitlyn pointed out. “Either one of them could have handled Warwick alone. If they don’t have the strength needed to fix this, who does?”

“Nah, that ain’t it, Cupcake,” Vi spoke up. “That’s not the strength Jinx is talking about. We all know they’re powerful, but if they had the strength that matters, the strength within is another story.”

“They’re smart, powerful, and brave…” Lux began before her expression fell. “…but they’re traumatized beyond belief. No one should be so desensitized to death to the point they think nothing matters.”

“And no one should be so willing to give all of themselves to a rank,” Caitlyn muttered. Yes, she worked hard to make a change as the Sheriff but there was still a cutoff point between her job and herself. In her daughter’s case, there was only The General and that was it.

“Exactly,” Jinx nodded. “No matter how much you want to save people’s lives, it’s kinda fucking hard to fight for life when you’re praying for a stray bullet to put you out of your misery.” Jinx glanced at Vi. “Fortunately, this is something Vi and I, in particular, can help with.”

They looked at Jinx in confusion, but soon Vi at least seemed to catch on if the way she paled was any indication.

“Jinx, someone could die, most likely us,” Vi told her. “Morality is a foreign concept to Hex and I don’t need to be some fancy head doctor to know that my little star is shell shocked.”

“They’re bombs waiting to blow,” Jinx said though her expression was giddy. “You don’t know the thrill of seeing how close a fuse can get before you need to evacuate.”

“Six is a Piltovan and proud of it,” Vi continued. “I didn’t do the whole proof of mettle thing myself and I obviously didn’t force that on her.”

“Doesn’t matter,” Jinx shrugged. “Putting the proofs to the test is a rite of passage for the mother, not the daughter,” Jinx informed her. “Your kid is a Piltovan but you are a Zaunite. I totally reinstated you after that whole assassin thing.” Jinx’s smile waned a bit. “We need to learn to let go, Vi, for them.”

“I’m sorry, but what are you talking about?” Caitlyn questioned before narrowing her eyes at Vi who shuddered. “Is there another local custom I was not made privy to?”

Vi raised her hands defensively. “In my defense, I legitimately did not think it applied to us.”

Caitlyn sighed and rubbed the bridge of her nose while Lux looked at her wife cautiously.

“What are you about to do, Jinx?”

“Work,” Jinx said as her smile fell completely. “I need to do the hardest job in my career. For once, I can’t hold a single thing back.” Jinx said before she moved to a nearby closet and removed a sledgehammer.

“Where are you going?” Lux questioned as she rose to her feet and began to follow her wife.

“To the workshop, need to crack open my piggy bank and open my special arsenal,” Jinx told her. “Stopped using them because they made things so boring but, this is about work not play so it's fine.”

With that, a concerned Lux left with her wife.

“What are you two about to do?” Caitlyn asked apprehensively.

“Probably get ourselves killed,” Vi sighed before getting up. “But there is a good chance we’ll all still die anyway so at least it’ll be on our terms. I’m going to go raid Jinx’s chem supply so I can sleep off the beating I took from Vander. Need to be in the best condition possible tomorrow.”

Caitlyn shook her head with a sigh.

“You had a choice, Kiramman, you chose this family,” Caitlyn murmured to herself before she followed her wife to ensure she took an appropriate amount and didn’t accidentally O.D.

She hoped that somehow her Clan made it through to the other side of this storm.

- The Next Morning: Zaun: Bridge-

 

Standing alone on the bridge, Hex looked up silently at Zaun’s sky.

“Oh, how I wish I could have shared it with you,” Hex murmured as she closed her eyes. “This steel sky. Though, in our time, I suppose it’s been stripped of the promise and potential it currently has.”

A chill went down Hex’s back and when she opened her eyes, she could see him.

It was a man no older than she was who stood tall and had a solid build that was garbed in furs. With his messy black hair, tanned skin, and bright gentle blue eyes that seemed to stare right through her, Hex was sure there wasn’t a more beautiful sight.

“Everywhere I go, I’m haunted by your ghost,” Hex said as the image of the taller brunette man smiled down at her. His eyes held a certain kind of wonder in them that always made him appear as though he were seeing Hex for the first time no matter how often he saw her. “I hear your voice, see your smile…” the man reached out and cupped the side of her face. Hex closed her eyes as she leaned into her touch “…feel your touch.”

Hex opened her eyes and gazed at him with a blank expression.

“Why do you, even now, continue to urge me on?” Hex wondered. “No matter what sin I commit, your loyalty refused to waver and what do you have to show for it besides an early grave?” Hex sighed. “I told you, I told you, that you should have left me alone. Everyone that I’ve so much as kissed has died horrible deaths, what made you think you would survive the hex I would place on you after all we did? What made you think you would be an exception?”

Hex placed a hand on his bare chest which was littered with scars from countless hard-fought battles and pyrrhic victories.

The moment her hand touched his skin, his image exploded into countless bright blue particles of light which quickly dissipated.

“Or did you simply not care?” Hex wondered to herself. “You never were one to put much thought into the future. As long as you were able to wake up, you’d dedicate that day to showing your love for all you held dear.” Hex shook her head and held Tibbers in her hands as she leaned against the railing. “It should have been me, Tib.” Hex’s grip on the doll tightened as her hands shook. Closing her eyes, Hex rested her forehead against the doll’s. “Should have been me-”

Hex’s ear twitched though she showed no outward signs of being surprised when she heard Jinx behind her.

“But it wasn’t.”

“But it wasn’t.” Hex agreed before turning around, her eyes widening ever so slightly when she saw her mother.

-Flashback-

 

Annie screamed herself hoarse as she and an unconscious Lux found themselves being whisked away from Jinx who looked back at her with the same wide grin she always wore. Annie saw the woman’s mouth move, but couldn’t make out her words before Jinx hoisted Fishbones up on her shoulder and faced the powerful demon before her.

The last memory Annie would have of her mother would be of her silhouette against the bright light of Fishbones’ point-blank explosion.

-Flashback: End-

 

Hex absentmindedly scowled at the intrusive memory that had so suddenly broken free. The Queen wasn’t quite sure what triggered it, Jinx looked just as she always had which was consequently exactly how she appeared before her death. Yet, still, it was as if something had changed about Jinx as if her very presence had shifted.

Suddenly, Hex chuckled as she looked at Jinx in amusement. “You know, as I grew older, I thought the ‘legendary’ stealth I remembered you possessing was just a result of me being too young to know any better, and being too weak to spot you.” Hex mused. “The fact you managed to sneak up on me, shows my mistake. You are good.”

“You too!” Jinx snickered as she played with the silver strap that kept Fishbone’s to her back. “I was going to flick you on the back of your head, but you caught me.”

Hex shook her head. “Jinx if you had succeeded at that, my reflexes would have turned you into ash, and then we’d both be fucked.”

“Good thing you caught me then!” Jinx grinned and Hex rolled her eyes at her mother’s blatant disregard for death.

“Where’s Lux?” Hex questioned curiously. “I figured after Six told you everything, she would be the first to confront me.”

“Flashlight’s still working out what she wants to say,” Jinx answered with a shrug. “You know how Demacians are. Which works fine for me, need her out of the splash zone anyway.” Jinx pointed at the opposite side of the bridge. “She’s somewhere over there, wants to get a good view.”

“View?” Hex asked curiously. “Of what?”

“Us!” Jinx said as if it were obvious. “Judging by those proofs on your neck, I’m guessing Glasc took over for me in teaching you how to be a woman of Zaun.” Jinx guessed and Hex nodded. “I take it you passed? I see you have some of her product on you, and she doesn’t part with that particular brand lightly.”

“She doesn’t,” Hex agreed knowing full well how stingy Renata could be with her private stock of chems. Hex tapped the perfume bottle hanging from her neck. “It was a reward for proving my mettle, I ran Zaun without issue for a year and she gave me this perfume, custom made from your blood.”

Jinx tilted her head at that. “My blood? Now how did she get her hands on that?”

“Singed,” Hex answered. “You gave him a sample when I was a kid after your whole sky diving incident.”

“Ah, yeah, that’s right. Forgot about that,” Jinx mused as she remembered the sample she gave Singed to keep the mad doctor in her debt.

Hex smiled a bit at that. “I didn’t. It was one of the few times I was able to use my fire for something besides death and destruction.”

Jinx blinked. “I thought you loved death and destruction?”

“I did back when there was some challenge to it,” Hex explained with a scowl. “Everything just became so easy as I got older. Between you and me, though I was grateful, I was incredibly disappointed by Renata’s test of my mettle. For years she strung me along with the promise of some insurmountable task when I come of age and that’s what I had to do? My job? How can I prove my mettle by performing a task I could do in my sleep?” Hex questioned rhetorically. “I would have much rather simply fought her but she claims to be too ‘sane’ to fight me.”

“Ew, sanity is so overrated,” Jinx complained which made Hex’s lip twitch a bit. “Well, good thing I’m not sane. How about you let your mom put you to the test?”

Hex went still.

“What?” Hex questioned and her face was completely devoid of emotion.

“Yeah!” Jinx nodded enthusiastically. “I mean, how often do you get a chance to be properly sent off into womanhood by your dead mom?”

Suddenly, the ‘shift’ in Jinx’s presence made sense.

Now, Hex knew full well why she was reminded of that day when she saw Jinx.

Jinx approached her prepared to die.

“Jinx, don’t challenge the Queen of Zaun.” Hex scowled. “As a Queen, if only for a couple of days, you know better.”

To challenge a Queen anywhere in Zaun was the same as challenging a Baron on their turf.

One didn’t just walk away after that.

“I’m trying to stop Sylas from harming you so that you can go walk off into the storm on your own later,” Hex reminded her. “What good would putting you in a box myself do?”

“I dunno, help you vent?” Jinx shrugged. “You seem like a woman that needs to vent. You remind me of your mom that way.”

Hex took a deep breath and shook her head.

“Your words are…cruel…even for you,” Hex said as she turned away from Jinx. “Fighting you one last time is a wish I have harbored for years. To offer it when you know I can’t accept-”

“Says who?” Jinx questioned. “Only one stopping you from throwing down with me is you.”

Angrily, Hex whipped around only to pause when she saw Jinx, pressing Zapper to her own temple.

“If keeping me safe is holding you back, I’ll just pull the trigger now,” Jinx told her. “I’d rather die than be forced to accept that I can’t give my fucking daughter the one thing she wants from me. Zaun is the nation of freedom and you’re its Queen. If you aren’t free to do whatever you please, if everything I’ve done for you is pointless, then there isn’t a reason to keep this going is there?”

Hex clenched her fists but didn’t respond immediately as she knew that Jinx would pull the trigger.

And she couldn’t deny that Jinx’s words caused something to stir in the vast emptiness of her heart.

“So, what do you say?” Jinx questioned when she saw her daughter waver. “Come on, it’ll be fun~”

-Flashback-

 

Annie smiled as she saw Jinx stand before her in the burning Noxian forest. Annie had no idea who the strange woman was, she was so much unlike the others who tried to play with her.

She looked fun.

So much fun!

Maybe she could even be the one, the one to end her boredom!

Or…at least…make it so that she and Tibbers weren’t so…lonely.

-Flashback: End-

 

Hex’s hand whipped out to the side, gripping Tibbers tightly as she kept her head bowed with her face shadowed by her long hair.

Suddenly, Tibbers ignited in an all too familiar flame and grew until he was his usual size.

“Even after all of these years I still can’t ignore a challenge, especially not one from you,” Hex muttered. “Go,” Hex ordered and Tibbers stalked off.

“You’re sending him away?” Jinx questioned.

“I haven’t fought with him in years,” Hex explained. “His absence plays no factor in my fighting style. He can keep Lux company, keep her safe in case Sylas tries to attack.” Hex sighed.  “This is pointless, you know you stand no chance, right? I’m not a child anymore.”

“Oh, believe me, honey, I know.” Jinx raised an eyebrow. “Your dress alone told me that.”

“Oh, I know you of all people aren’t about to judge how I dress.”

Jinx laughed. “Me? Nah, if you got it, flaunt it, just glad you’re healthy. Well, physically anyway.”

 Hex rolled her eyes. “Let’s make things a little less one-sided.” Hex strolled forward and stood in the middle of the bridge. Hex crossed her arms and a small ring of fire formed around her and scorched a circle into the bridge just big enough for her to stand in.

-Flashback-

 

In the backyard of their manor, Lux and Annie stood in their workout clothes. Curiously, Annie looked at her mother who used her rod to dig a small circle around her in the ground. When she finished, she looked at Annie with a bright smile.

“Today, we’re going to do things a bit differently,” Lux began as she twirled the rod in her hand. “I’m going to be a bit more...liberal with my magic in today’s sparring session.”

Annie’s eyes lit up as she released an excited gasp. “You mean we’re going to play for real!?”

Lux giggled at that despite herself. “No, Annie, you’re still much too young for something like that.”

Annie pouted at that but Lux just shook her head in amusement. Annie had a lot of power for her age, but she was still a child and against an adult mage like herself who had been one of the top soldiers of her nation, there was no outcome where Annie wouldn’t come out severely injured in an actual fight.

Perhaps, one day, Annie would be able to stand against her on even ground.

But today was not that day.

“Today we’re going to teach you something important.” Lux began before tapping her temple with her index finger. “We’re going to teach you how to use your greatest asset.”

Annie tilted her head. “My head? Headbutts hurt.”

Lux laughed. “No, honey, Your mind,” Lux corrected. “I’ll bring out more of my power than I’ve ever used against you before. Your job is to knock me out of this circle, you can use whatever method you want to accomplish this. The goal here is to teach you how to use your mind and think critically to overcome an obstacle when your magic alone isn’t enough.”

Lux suddenly smirked. “After all, Jinx has no magic at all and can easily move me from this spot. If she can, then surely you and Tibbers can do the same?” Lux winked. “Pull it off and I’ll have Jinx take us out for ice cream.”

At this, Annie grinned viciously at Lux, intent on winning her frozen prize!

Unfortunately for her, Annie would learn quickly that this new game of Lux’s was not one in her favor as she would fail over and over in getting Lux to step outside of that circle. To say she was frustrated by the end of it all was an understatement but before she could have a full-blown meltdown, Lux reassured her that a day would come that she would succeed.

Unfortunately, unbeknownst to them, that day would never arrive.

-Flashback: End-

 

Hex gazed intently at Jinx. “I won’t move from this spot, if you can force me out of this circle it’s your win. This is my handicap for you, don’t waste it.”

Don’t disappoint me…

Hex’s gaze wavered ever so slightly.

…please.

As if hearing her daughter’s unspoken plea, Jinx’s grin widened even further as she holstered Zapper and lifted Pow Pow from her hip.

“You had more power than me as a girl,” Jinx spoke up. “I can only imagine how much you have now, but I have something you don’t that’ll even the odds.”

Now Hex was curious.

“Oh? And what’s that.”

Jinx snickered. “Prep time!” Jinx said as the barrel of her minigun began to spin. “Time you learned why they call me a Loose Cannon!”

Hex’s eyes widened when the bullets ripped from Pow Pow and it was only due to her experience that Hex knew to summon her sword and block them with the blade rather than attempt to protect herself with a barrier.

Why?

Because each one of those bullets was made from petricite.

But though these bullets were lethal to anyone, the petricite they were forged from was weaker than the Demacian steel in her sword. As her sword spun rapidly in front of her, the bullets shattered upon impact

Jinx challenged her with the intent to play for keeps. If even one of the bullets landed it would cause irreparable damage to Annie’s young body which she was currently possessing. Even though Jinx was laughing loudly as she rained down the hellfire of petricite, Hex knew that Jinx had to kill her heart to do this.

To prove one’s mettle was to show, without a shadow of a doubt, that one could handle anything thrown at them.

“Come on Hexy! Fight back!” Jinx shouted. “Don’t tell me this is the best that the Flame of Zaun has!” Jinx continued cackling. “I bet in your time you’re stuck in my shadow huh!?”

“You’re not wrong, I am in your shadow,” Hex raised a hand and could feel her wind magic begin to swirl around it rapidly to the point that the compressed air began to release a high-pitched ring that echoed throughout the battlefield.

Scalpel

With surgical precision,  Hex swung her hand to the side and a blade of wind cut into the concrete and tore up a large chunk of the bridge. Using her wind magic, Hex launched the debris at Jinx and ignited it with a scorching hot flame. “But only because I choose to be!” Jinx was forced to jump back to avoid the makeshift meteor which had slammed into the ground with explosive force. “From where else would my flame burn brightest?”

Jinx was knocked back even further by the explosion which shook the entirety of the bridge as Hex summoned her gun and took aim. Igniting the weapon with her flames, Hex pulled the trigger, which caused massive blasts of fire-each shaped like the head of a ferocious bear-ripped free from the gun and toward Jinx. Laughing, Jinx swung Pow Pow toward the blasts. The petricite in each bullet was too small to absorb the blasts but it was enough to make them explode before reaching her.

Hex’s chest burned with a long-forgotten feeling of anticipation when she felt the concussive force of the explosions blow her hair back even as her feet remained planted firmly on the ground.

Could it be?

Could this possibly scratch the itch she had?

Hex wasn’t sure if it could this early into the fight but what she was sure about was that Jinx had entirely too much petricite at her disposal for a woman who was practically the reason the shit was outlawed in Zaun.

Seriously where had she been hiding this!?

As Hex soared through the air, dodging the hellfire of bullets from Jinx, Lux could only watch restlessly from her vantage spot on the opposite side of the bridge. The very moment, Jinx had actually fired those damn bullets at their daughter, Lux wanted to intervene, to try to find another way to reach out to Hex yet she found herself blocked by Tibbers.

And judging from the overwhelming amount of magic she felt flowing from him, she knew that she would continue to be blocked if she made any attempts to pass. So instead, she could only sit, watch, and despite herself, pray that Jinx once again knew what she was doing.

-Flashback-

 

“Jinx? What are you doing?” Lux questioned after following her sledgehammer-toting wife to the bottom of her workshop. There was a lot of shrapnel littered on the scorched ground, the aftermath of years of Jinx testing her weapons. Lux couldn’t help but grimace at the strong scent of chemicals and gun powder though Jinx didn’t seem fazed in the slightest.

“I want to throw a party for Hexy,” Jinx explained before they came to a stop right in front of a large monkey emblem that had been made with glowing paint which shone through the darkness. “But you can’t throw a party without party favors!”

Lifting the hammer high, Jinx grinned before she slammed it down on top of the emblem with all her might, over and over, cracking the cement more and more with each blow. As the monkey emblem cracked and shattered, Lux, strangely enough, felt her power begin to wane.

“What-wait, petricite?” Lux questioned as she recognized the uncomfortable feeling.

“Yep, sorry about this Flashlight, probably feels weird,” Jinx apologized as she continued swinging. “When I adopted Annie, I buried some petricite down here to use when she got older.”

“What? But why?”

“You’ve been here a while now, you ever stumbled across someone getting their ass beat in broad daylight?” Jinx asked curiously. “Completely outnumbered while everyone else just watched?”

“Yes,” Lux answered, frowning at the memory. “I was shopping with Zeri, she told me not to intervene.”

“She tell you why?”

“No, she just said it had to happen.”

“Well that guy was likely leaving his Baron’s gang,” Jinx answered. “There’s no paperwork to file when you leave a gang. You get your ass beat hard enough to make you rethink your decision and then you’re left alone and broken, forced to pick yourself up and continue down the path that led you away from the gang. Even the Firelights do this, he’s a nice guy but you don’t abandon Ekko’s cause unscathed.”

“But…why?”

“Tough love,” Jinx answered simply. “You leave the gang, try to go out on your own and they’ll make sure you’re certain that’s what you wanna do. Besides, it builds character.”

Jinx slammed her hammer down once more with a force that had no business coming from her small frame

“Families here work the same way,” Jinx revealed. “In Zaun, a family is just the Gang you’re born into. When a girl becomes a woman, she gets ready to start her own family. Gets ready to break off from the one she was born in. It’s her mother’s duty to make sure she’s up to the task.”

Jinx slammed the hammer down again.

 “Zaun has this tradition where moms test their daughters to see if they can handle the world. Annie being, well, Annie, meant testing her would be simple. She just needs to beat my ass when I’m not holding back. A bit ahead of schedule, but looks like I need to crack open this armory a little earlier than I expected.”

Jinx chuckled a bit.

“Kids, am I right? They grow up so fast.” Jinx mused. “There’s also a couple of items I got from the Trifarix as payment for some work I did instead of gold. Probably should have just taken the gold, to be honest, shit made playing boring and even work too easy. Had to bury them with the petricite to keep things interesting. I don’t think I’ve gone ‘all out’ like, ever, so this will be a learning experience. Sucks I won’t remember it though.”

Incredulously, Lux stared at her wife for a moment as she let what she heard sink in. “Wait,” Lux continued looking horrified. “That’s your plan? You’re going to fight her?”

And damn near to the death base on how things were sounding.

“Yep!” Jinx grinned. “And I’m going to need you to stay calm, Flashlight, cause’ it will get messy.” Jinx’s smile fell then. “As her other parent, you have the hardest job out of the three of us. You have to watch. I’m not like you Flashlight, I can’t reach out to her through words, never could, you know this. Hex may be grown, but she needs her moms more than ever, both of us, and this is the only way I know how to reach her.” Jinx winked at her then. “Destruction is my love language after all.”

Lux clenched her fists tightly until her nails broke the skin of her palms but she said nothing.

Why?

Because Lux knew her girls and knew Jinx was right.

Both she and Jinx were broken women, but she was broken in a way that at least allowed her to reach out and nourish their daughter’s humanity.

But Jinx, by her own words, was a monster and so was their daughter.

Hell, if she was being completely honest, she was a monster too. She just hid it better which might have made her the worst one. One of her biggest fears being the one to prove the mage-deniers in Demacia ’right’ because was always so close to the edge of giving in to the monster within her which caused her no small amount of shame.

But Lux had realized over the time she spent with her new family, that that part of them was not something to be ashamed of, to hide away, it's what made them who they were. The darkness within her wife and daughter complimented her light perfectly and as her darkness grew, that too found its match in the burgeoning light within Jinx and Annie.

Annie was a girl and she was a monster and after meeting Hex, Lux saw that remained the same.

Hex was a woman, and the beast within her had done nothing but get stronger over the years. And while this revelation would have horrified any other parent, Lux found herself being…proud.

And why wouldn’t she be?

Hex lived through hell, witnessed more horrors than even she had, and while her daughter had lost countless parts of herself in the process, she remained standing and remained just as fierce as ever. Hex had gotten power, respect, fear, and even love and she hadn’t compromised who she was to obtain it.

She became the woman Lux wish she could have been when she was younger, trapped in the ivory cell that was Demacia.

“We’ll do this just like we dealt with anything concerning Firelight,” Jinx spoke up, snapping Lux from her thoughts. “I’ll deal with the monster. You deal with the woman. While Hex and I are fighting, you take the time to relax and sort out your thoughts, really get down what you want to say to her.”

Lux frowned. “Time? I don’t need time.”

Jinx’s hammer slammed into the ground and she stopped to glance back at her wife with her single visible eye which shone through the shadows of the workshop. Jinx’s expression softened but there was a firmness to it that would not be ignored.

“Take it anyhow.”

Most times, Lux loved how well her wife knew her.

This was not one of those times.

Feeling as though Jinx was staring into the very core of who she was, Lux felt more naked and vulnerable than she ever had before. The quiet intensity in Jinx’s eye was almost downright suffocating and for the first time, Lux felt an intense desire to get away from her wife if only so she could collect herself and stop the flood of emotions that the recent events had created within her from bursting free.

Without another word, Lux turned and left and the sound of Jinx’s hammer slamming against shattered concrete continued as if it had never stopped.

-Flashback End-

 

Jinx and their daughter had “played” countless times, and every single time they did Lux was terrified to no end for their well-being. That said, this was different, something in the very atmosphere had changed and Lux could see just by watching them that neither were pulling their punches, each attack was aimed to kill and they could only do that because of the sheer faith they had that the other could take it. Even with the self-imposed handicap that Lux could recognize from a glance, Hex held back nothing in her attacks.

Lux knew then and there why it had to be Jinx face Hex.

Lux simply did not have the heart needed to use such force against their daughter. Lux had witnessed the visceral aftermath of her spells too often to even entertain the idea of casting one with its full power at one she loved. Still, it was clear that her wife and daughter had no problems using such force against one another.

No.

That wasn’t fair.

Even from where she stood, she could see that even though they both could use such deadly force on one another that it was far from easy. Both women had a sizable investment in the other. For Hex, she needed Jinx to survive to save Zaun and consequently her future and for Jinx she needed Hex to live to reach her full potential.

And both of these could be lost from something as minor as a stray bullet hitting its mark.

As Lux continued to look on at the fight, Hex found herself curious as to whether or not Jinx would find a way to make her move. Jinx had no idea just how powerful she truly was, but Hex knew firsthand that something as banal as “overwhelming obstacles” would never deter Jinx.

Nor would it stop her from overcoming them.

Though she was far from satisfied by Jinx’s current performance, Hex did find her curiosity piqued which was a much better feeling than the sheer emptiness she had grown used to.

Suddenly, the wind in the area grew stronger and stronger, surrounding the bridge within a powerful vortex which would have sent Jinx flying away had it not been for the sheer weight of her weapons keeping her grounded. Incredulously, Jinx looked at her daughter as her braids whipped around wildly in the air. Her expression shifted into one of manic glee as pride could be seen shining in her eyes along with the shimmer.

Before long, the flames on the bridge that came from Hex’s attacks seemed to grow and surrounded the bridge and at that moment, Jinx came to a startling realization. Her daughter grew into more than just the Flame of Zaun.

She was its fucking fan too!

At that moment Hex’s visible eye closed as she inhaled deeply, and to Jinx’s surprise, sucked in all of the wind and fire into her body leaving nothing behind but the scorched concrete that made the bridge. When Hex’s eye opened, fire spilled from it as she glared at Jinx while wisps of pitch-black smoke escaped from her tightly pressed lips.

Black Lung

Hex tossed her head back and that was all the warning Jinx had before she released a mighty breath of flame which flooded the bridge in front of her in an instant. The flames were hot enough to melt the concrete. The flames were white-hot in their intensity and engulfed Jinx, removing her from sight as magma began to drip from the bridge.

When the last of the flames left her mouth, Hex licked her lips as she looked at the sheer destruction, she had wrought with little to no effort. Jinx was smart to challenge her with petricite, Hex would admit that, but there was a reason Sylas had to use Galio against her.

She simply had far too much magic at her disposal.

For a moment there was no sound to be heard besides the crackling of flames that made up the inferno before her but Hex didn’t let her guard down or allow herself to fear that she may have accidentally killed Jinx.

She knew better than that.

She knew her mother better than that.

It would take far more than a spell of that level to bring down Jinx. This thought was soon proven right when Hex felt the bridge shake from an explosion that echoed out from within the flames. That explosion was quickly followed by a cackling Jinx riding Fishbones up into the air as if it were one of Ekko’s hoverboards. As Jinx’s laughter rang out through the sky, Hex didn’t appear fazed in the slightest that Jinx somehow came out of that unscathed because of course she did.

Hex’s lip twitched ever so slightly.

“What will you do now?” Hex mused as she watched Jinx fly up into the sky.

As if feeling Hex’s gaze on her, Jinx glanced down at her daughter with a bright grin before simply hopping off of Fishbones. Cackling loudly as she free fell toward Hex, Jinx shrugged off Pow Pow’s strap from her shoulder.

“Catch!” Jinx called out before flipping as she fell, using the momentum to launch her minigun at Hex who raised an eyebrow at the new tactic. When Hex took a closer look, she could spot a few flame chompers hastily attached to the minigun as well.

In response to this desperate move from Jinx,  Hex cocked her free hand back and a blazing fireball appeared in her palm but before she could launch it at the incoming weapon, she saw Jinx vanish in a blue flash of light.

It was then that Hex’s ear twitched and it was only because of her attunement to wind enhancing her hearing that she was able to hear Jinx behind her. Time seemed to slow to a crawl as she glanced back to see a grinning Jinx aiming Zapper at the approaching minigun.

“Boom,” Jinx said before cranking Zapper to its highest voltage and blasting weapon just when it was mere feet away from Hex. Jinx always joked that the funniest thing about Pow Pow was that so many people got distracted by what it was that they didn’t realize what it was.

Yes, the weapon was a very powerful minigun…

…but it was also Chemtech.

It was volatile by nature and liable to leave even a bigger crater than Hextech if tampered with incorrectly.

Or in this case correctly.

Once the powerful blast of electricity hit Pow Pow, its Chemtech core became unstable in an instant which turned the minigun into a bomb liable to even put Warwick down for a few hours. Yet despite knowing this, and knowing that this weapon was so close to her and mere moments from having a critical meltdown.

Hex chuckled.

“So, this is how you’d do it,” Hex mused before her image became little more than a silhouette against the backdrop of the multicolored fireball that exploded right behind her.

Truly, Jinx was something else.

Even If she erected a barrier, from this distance the explosion would knock her away and give Jinx the win. And, because of those self-imposed rules, she couldn’t teleport to safety either. It was an unwinnable situation that Hex had found herself in. As far as Jinx was concerned, she had left her daughter with two options.

Lose this game or die.

Yet despite this, Jinx still had faith that Hex could turn this around, that her daughter had grown into a woman that could somehow still win this game.

And she was right.

Because this game…

…was rigged from the start.

Jinx teleported away at the last moment to avoid being caught up in the explosion and even when she reappeared at a “safe” distance the concussive force of the shockwave still knocked her on her ass. Jinx crashed back against the concrete with a small bounce and scrambled to her feet, searching desperately for any sign of her daughter who was somewhere lost within in the neon inferno that burned on the opposite end of the bridge.

Yet, no matter how hard she looked she saw nothing.

“H-hey…Hex?” Jinx called out, a bit nervously despite the situation. Though she knew Hex was more than strong enough to survive that attack, the question remained of whether or not Hex wanted to. Jinx didn’t have to be a genius to know that from the little bit of Hex’s private conversation that she had overheard earlier that her daughter was not in a good space.

And suicide via Jinx oddly enough wasn’t a new thing to the Loose Cannon.

Still if that small but important piece in her bomb, that will to live, was compromised then she'd just have to knock it back in place.

In a worst case scenario she’d even replace it with her own.

“Is that worry I hear? I’m almost insulted.” Jinx felt the ice creeping into her heart thaw immediately at the sound of her daughter’s voice. That relief, however, was short-lived as the very world around her began to melt. “Is that how you imagined my end?”

Sweat poured from Jinx’s brow as she felt an intense heat surround her. Before long the melting scenery caught fire and she found herself captured in a sphere of fire. Quickly, Jinx reached for her teleporter but before she could leave the flames simply dispersed. Eyes wide, Jinx found herself once more staring at the neon inferno she had created but something was off.

It was as if the very world tilted off of its axis and Jinx found herself feeling incredibly disoriented. It took a moment but soon it clicked.

She knew what was wrong.

Currently, both she and the fire she had created were on the wrong side of the bridge.

A chill went down her spine as she found herself giggling and glanced back to find Hex inspecting her nails with a bored expression as she remained still standing in her circle.

“Welcome back to reality,” Hex spoke, not once sparing her mother a glance.

“I shoulda known,” Jinx chuckled as she turned to face Hex. “You are your mom’s daughter. Though I thought illusions were more of a light magic thing.”

“Well light magic certainly makes it easier,” Hex admitted. “With light, you only need to fool the eyes. With fire, well, you have to dig a bit deeper, get into the mind. It’s just semantics but it’s more of a fever dream than an illusion but at that point, I’m just being nitpicky.” Hex met Jinx’s gaze as she placed a hand on her hip. “Your mind has always been like a broken window. Sharp, dangerous, but oh so easy to get through.”

“Well…shit…”

Hex smiled a bit. “Indeed.”

-Flashback-

 

“Almost got me that time, you’re getting a lot better at bluffing, and you have a natural poker face,” Jinx praised a pouting Annie as she scooped up the small pile of cookies that they were using as chips. “But that’s not enough either. Sometimes you have to make others show you their hands while keepin’ your cards closer to your chest.”

With that, Jinx pointed behind Annie and the little girl looked back in confusion only to widen her eyes when she saw Jinx’s make-up mirror open on the counter behind her. It was positioned in just the right way for Jinx to have a clear view into Annie’s hand.

“You cheated!” Annie gasped.

Jinx laughed before reaching forward and ruffling her daughter’s hair. “Always, Firelight, remember I play to win. You did good but, unfortunately, the game was rigged from the start. Let this be a lesson to always be aware of your surroundings. Once you master how to bluff and keep your hand close, we can move on to some more tricks. This is just the tip of the ol’ iceberg.”

Jinx split the pile of cookies in half and pushed some back toward Annie.

“But we can save that for another day, come on let’s have dessert!”

Annie perked up and beamed at Jinx.

“Yay!”

-Flashback: End-

 

“Thanks for the peek at your hand,” Hex said and Janna was that an understatement. Jinx gave Hex a perfect display of her tactics and even lost her primary weapon in a fight against thin air. “Your mind has always been a fragile thing. I’ll admit I was a bit hesitant to do this at first because of that but I had faith in you.”

Hex’s scowl returned.

“But even my faith in you has limits,” Hex continued. “Give up before I hurt you. I don’t know what you thought you’d gain from this but whatever it is, it’s not worth it.”

“It’s not about what I have to gain, Firelight, never was,” Jinx chuckled. “It’s about you. I see it, you know? That crushing weight you decided to take up. Hell, it’s so heavy you can barely stand up straight.” Jinx noted and it was true. Hex carried herself with a slight slouch in her posture that betrayed just how run-ragged she was behind her powerful and seemingly aloof exterior.

Jinx’s smile was a bit sad.

“You’ve always been my bomb and I can see something has lit your fuse,” Jinx continued. “At some point, for whatever reason, you found a path only you can walk. A target that only you can explode, and you’re committed to seeing through even though anyone with eyes can see you’re breaking with each step you take down this path.”

Hex’s eye narrowed slightly but she didn’t outright dismiss Jinx’s words. “Let’s say you’re right, what is this farce of a fight supposed to do? Knock me off of this path you claim I walk?” Hex questioned and unbeknownst to Jinx the image of Nunu flashed through Hex’s mind. “I’ll tell you now, much stronger than you have tried and failed.”

In response, Jinx shook her head. “Nah, sometimes there are things you just have to do. Paths you have to walk. Even if it hurts like hell and hurts those you love even more. It's not right but it is life. But Hexy, you can’t half-ass it. I don’t need to be as good with people as your mom to know that your heart’s not in it. You’re just going through the motions.  If it keeps up like this when you get to the end of that path, when it's time for you to go boom, you won’t light up the sky, the heavens, you’ll just fizzle into nothing without even a ‘pop’.”

For the first time a genuine emotion, one of anger, flashed across Hex’s face and she almost, almost, took a step out of the circle to give her mother a piece of her mind but manage to catch herself. Instead, she found herself distracted by that very feeling of anger that shot through her.

With a short laugh, Hex placed a hand over her chest and looked down in wonder.

“What is this?” Hex questioned. “This…pain…this fire…that burns in my chest?” Hex wondered. “Anger? Rage? How long has it been…?” Hex glanced back up at Jinx and shook her head with a chuckle. “Well, if there was ever one thing true about your legend it's that you can get under anyone’s skin.”

Jinx smiled sadly. “I try.”

Hex snorted. “You claim I’m just ‘going through the motions’. That my heart ‘isn’t in it?’ There seems to be a misunderstanding, one that’s obvious seeing you had the nerve to challenge me in the first place.”

Suddenly, both Hex and Jinx’s hair blew upward as a blazing inferno exploded into existence around them. The very ground of their battlefield, if not all of Zaun trembled from the sheer might Hex brought forward.

“You clearly don’t know who the fuck I am.”  Hex said as the flames and high-speed winds swirled around them. To Jinx, it was as if she were trapped in a maelstrom of hellfire, a hurricane of pure destruction and chaos that’s eye was Hex herself. Hex’s eye blazed vibrantly as she glared at Jinx. “Allow me to educate you.”

Once more the surroundings seemed to melt as the world and the flames seemed to be sucked into Hex’s blazing eye that continued to gaze deep into Jinx’s very soul. Unable to look away, Jinx could do little but allow herself to be sucked in and be put at her daughter’s mercy.

 

-?-

 

There were a lot of things, Jinx expected after being engulfed in an inferno by her pissed-off daughter but finding herself in a doctor’s office was not one.

“On a scale from 1 to 10, how would you rate your pain?”

Jinx blinked at that and turned to face a woman that was definitely her daughter. Though her outfit seemed to be replaced by a long black turtleneck and a white lab coat. Amused, Hex looked at her mother as she waited for an answer.

“Pain? Like a 1 or 2, but my confusion is a fucking 12,” Jinx answered as she raised an eyebrow. “You playin’ doctor now?”

Hex chuckled as she rose to her feet. “What can I say? It’s always been a passion of mine. An unlived dream if you will. Hell, most of my spells are named after some sort of ailment or medical tool.”

Now, this was news to Jinx. “Wait, you wanted to be a doctor?”

“Since I was 9,” Hex answered. “Saving your life, seeing the potential my power had to do more than take lives….it felt nice.”

“Shit, I didn’t fuck you over by making you Queen, did I?” Jinx questioned in concern only for Hex to wave off her concern.

“No, no, I wanted the crown too. You know how greedy I am,” Hex reassured her. “I want it all and most times I have the power needed to take it all. This was not one of those times though. The world I’m from is not kind, and our people needed my flames of destruction far more than my flames of healing.”

It was a cruel fact, but a fact nonetheless.

“We become who we’re meant to be,” Hex continued as she summoned a small, flickering, pink flame above her index finger before blowing it out. “Still, I’m not bitter. Life happens and we have to play with the cards we’re dealt. You taught me that.” Hex rose to her feet and her clothes caught on fire before turning back into her normal outfit. “Let me show you something.”

As if they were in a box, all four walls of the office simply fell and Jinx suddenly found herself standing in a massive city. The towers seemed to extend into the sky forever, and Jinx found herself unable to repress a shudder as she realized just where she was.

Zaun.

“Through my flames, I forged an empire.” Hex said and Jinx paled when she looked up and saw a colossal version of Hex who held the city in the palm of her hand as if she were some sort of god. Her massive form was little more than a silhouette and her blazing eye illuminated the sky like the sun itself. “And through my flames, I could destroy it on a whim. To be able to build or destroy Zaun in either a literal or figurative sense is what it means to be Queen of the Undercity.”

Hex’s massive hand tightened around the Undercity and blazing fissures began to crack open throughout the streets.

“Something as banal as feelings have nothing to do with it.” Hex continued. “It’s all about power and you either have it or you don’t. This path I walk will be completed simply because I have the ability to reach its end.” Hex’s scowl deepened and the cracks soon formed beneath Jinx’s feet. “If feelings mattered you wouldn’t have died.”

The ground beneath Jinx suddenly caved and she found herself falling further into the depths of Zaun. After she landed, Jinx groaned as she picked herself up off of the rubble and looked up at the hole, she fell through to find Hex gazing down at her.

“If feelings mattered, you’d be able to move me,” Hex continued. “You’re far more invested in this fight than I am but you can’t because no matter how much you may want to reach me, you can’t. Your legend is larger than life at times but at the end of the day you’re just another chemically altered Zaunite with a gun.”

A roar suddenly shook the very realm, forcing Jinx to cover her ears as her hair blew back from the sheer force that accompanied the sound. Eyes wide, Jinx looked forward into the shadows of the pit she had fallen into and found two large blazing orbs staring back at her.

“At the end of the day, like you always say, we’re both monsters,” Hex continued. “I’m just a far worse one.”

A large beast suddenly shot forward from the shadows at Jinx and the madwoman stumbled back in response and fell onto her rear. Fortunately for her, the beast’s movements halted at the last moment and its claws stopped mere inches from her face. The beast's hide was suddenly engulfed in flame, illuminating the pit and revealing itself to be a massive bear that was at least three times the size of Tibbers.

With the pit illuminated by the bear’s blazing fur, Jinx could see broken statues littered on the ground. Upon closer inspection, Jinx could see that each of the statues depicted people she knew such as Vi and Caitlyn, and a few she didn’t. Though one of the ‘unfamiliar’ statues depicted a young man which she guessed was Nunu due to the shattered Yeti that flanked it.

Jinx's heart clenched slightly as she realized the broken statues were all people that Hex loved.

When Jinx looked toward their arms, she could see the remnants of shattered chains that she supposed were used to keep the monster before her at bay. This was confirmed when Jinx looked back at the massive bear and was able to make up two chains that were still attached to its neck and were the only reasons the beast had been unable to reach her.

One chain was forged from gold, and when she followed it to its origins, Jinx saw the chain being held by a golden statue of Six which had remained standing strong in pristine condition. Jinx’s eyes quickly moved to the second chain and when she followed it back to its origin…

…her blood ran cold despite the shimmer pumping through her veins.

“Two.” Jinx looked up and saw a tired Hex sit down on the edge of the hole. “There are only two shackles left that are keeping the monster at bay. They’ll be gone like the others in time. No chain, no matter how well forged last long enough to keep my true self at bay. When the day comes that I lose them too…when I am finally as free as the nation I rule…there will be nothing I cannot overcome, feelings be damned.”

Jinx bowed her head at that, her expression hidden from Hex who watched her mother’s fingers dig deep into the ground until they drew blood.

“So that’s your plan,” Jinx spoke as she gazed back up at her daughter. “Wait until you finally have nothing left to lose and then take the whole world with you in a blaze of glory. Well, can’t say I’m surprised. You are my bomb after all and that’s one fitting end.”

Jinx forced herself up to her feet.

“But I think I pieced together the whole situation. Found the answer to just what's wrong with you. You’re in for a rude awakening, Firelight, if you think that just having nothing to lose will be enough to do what you want to,” Jinx said with a bitter smile. “Yeah, there’s a freedom to having nothing to lose, and yeah, with that freedom, comes power. But, as fucking cheesy as it sounds, that ain’t true strength.”

Hex rolled her eyes.

“And what would you know about this?”

“Everything,” Jinx answered. “You’re my kid in more ways than one, you think I’ve never been where you are? Felt that numbness? I once thought the same thing as you, thought I found power where there was none and let myself drown in it. And it breaks my heart knowing that no matter how hard I tried, I still couldn’t stop you from making the same mistakes I did.”

Hex didn’t respond and Jinx just chuckled.

“My words are just going in one ear and out the other, ain’t they?” Jinx mused with a shake of her head. “Damn dad, is this how you felt? Karma’s a bitch. Fine, let me show you what I mean. Talking was Flashlight’s thing. You think your monster’s worse, but honey you haven’t even seen mine. The fuck do you think I’ve been trying to protect you from?” Jinx gave Hex a sad smile. “But you’re not a little girl anymore and you can handle me at my best, but let’s see if you can handle me at my worst. It’s time you learned just who your mom actually is.”

At that moment a silver sphere of light flashed around Jinx’s body and Hex’s eye widened in alarm when the very world around them shattered.

-Zaun: Bridge-

 

Hex could barely catch her bearings after being flung from Jinx’s mind as the flames around them dispersed into harmless embers which rained down around them. So caught off guard, Hex couldn’t register Jinx standing with Fishbones aimed at her until it was too late.

Without speaking a single word and without a moment of hesitation, Jinx pulled the trigger and was covered by the resulting flood of Hextech blue light. From within the light, a Super Mega Death Rocket shot directly at Hex. With blinding speed, the projectile was upon Hex who seemingly had no way to protect herself. Before it could connect, Hex’s bangs covering her eye lifted and ice blue magic shone brightly from it.

A flash of intense blinding blue light flooded the battlefield, drowning everything in sight yet no sound or shock wave that would normally accompany the explosion of the dangerous rocket occurred. When the light faded from the battlefield it was as if Jinx had never pulled Fishbone’s trigger…

…as if the rocket itself had been nullified.

The only evidence of Jinx’s most powerful weapon was the wide-eyed look of shock on a panting Hex’s face. Her legs felt both numb and heavy from her brief brush with death. Her bangs covered her eye once more and looking down with her emerald eye, Hex glared when she saw the back of her heel dangerously close to the edge of her circle.

It was a sight that made Hex clench her fist so tightly that she drew blood.

It had been brief, oh so brief, but for an instant Hex felt it.

That intoxicating yet foreign feeling.

Fear.

Though quite the powerful emotion, for Hex it was gone all too soon as she looked up to see a thick bright purple cloud of smoke in front of her, and within that cloud, she could see the dark shadow of Jinx’s silhouette staring back at her with bright shimmer filled eyes.

-Flashback-

 

“Why did I make your test so easy?” Renata repeated Hex’s question as she stared out of the window of her office. “Well, to put it bluntly, as fond of you though I may be, you’re Noxian. I’m not as liberal with our traditions as your mother is.”

“Excuse me?” Hex questioned with a frown. “I’ve lived in and ran these streets longer than I have ever lived in Noxus.”

“You have,” Renata agreed wholeheartedly. “My girl, do not take my words as an insult. I trust you more than any Zaunite and consider you family. I just have an admittedly older view on things. Times are changing, and with them, beliefs, but I still believe in the strength of one’s nature. Of their very blood.”

Renata glanced back at Hex with those eyes that had been so similar to her mother’s yet still so different.

“You’re a Noxian, and not just any Noxian but one of noble descent,” Renata continued. “And I am sure the Grand General of Noxus has taken it upon himself to inform you of just how nobility is earned in your homeland. Had I tried to take your crown, you’d have just taken it right back with force.”

Hex scowled but didn’t deny Renata’s words.

“There was never anything for you to prove to me,” Renata explained simply. “I’ve known just who and what you are the moment Jinx introduced us. A starving beast that would one day be able to conquer any man or break any woman and I was right. Besides, I promised your mother that you would have your crown. A true Zaunite keeps their word which is why it’s not given lightly.  The throne is yours, apologies if your ascension is a bit underwhelming for your tastes.”

“Well then, what about Jinx?” Hex questioned. “You gave her a test, truly made her prove her mettle, correct? What did you have her do?”

At this, Renata chuckled, as if recalling a fond memory.

“I beat her within an inch of her life, stripped her of both her proofs and all her weapons– save her father's knife– and threw her out of this very window,” Renata explained. “Jinx was a Zaunite, and unlike you, was much harder to get a read on. I told her if she wanted to get her weapons, she’d work for me and earn them back. Though of course, back then she had no idea I was making her prove her mettle.”

Hex blinked at that. “That’s it?”

Renata’s eyes crinkled in a way that let Hex know she was smiling beneath her mask. “Well to work for me is not easy. I require my ‘employees’ to leave no trace and no connection to myself or my business. ‘new hires’ are not allowed to use guns or explosives, minimizes the evidence and if they are caught they are fully expected to either escape capture or kill themselves.”

Hex wasn’t surprised by that last part, Glasc was liable to remove entire bloodlines from Zaun if she was displeased. Her compensation to her workers knew no equal which is why she stayed staffed but the second someone became a liability they were expected to remove themselves from the equation or suffer a fate far worse than death.

“And how was Jinx as an employee?” Hex questioned curiously and for the first time since she’s known the woman, Renata looked downcast though she schooled her expression so fast Hex thought she imagined it.

“The best,” Renata answered. “Which is why I had to let her go when she succeeded. You see, after the split she caused, it was up to me to ensure that the fissure between the cities could never be repaired. The Topsiders had to understand that our independence was non-negotiable, that there would be no peace unless Zaun was left alone.”

“Who did you have her kill?”

Renata barked out a laugh. “Who didn’t I? Men, women, children, potential competitors, politicians that would do more harm than good, you name it. Jinx removed them all and without a trace, she was the Shadow of Zaun, Topside’s boogieman. Without her explosions, Topside thought that the Jinx they knew and what they believed to be a group of various mercenaries were two different parties. They effectively made her an alibi for her, it was perfect.”

“Sounds like it, so why give her up?” Hex questioned knowing full well that Renata was one to exploit an asset until there was nothing left.

“Because we at Glasc Industries, truly do care about our employee’s mental health,” Renata said which made Hex roll her eyes at the bullshit PR message she had heard countless times. “Before you and Lady Gray came along, the only things keeping Jinx alive were her ‘art’ and Shimmer. Without access to the former, she needed to depend more heavily on the latter and what she had in her body was no longer enough.”

Renata's eyes tightened a bit.

“Normally, I don’t care about chem addicts but as I said, I keep my word and I promised her father I’d protect her,” Renata explained. “So after one last job, and when I knew for certain the twin cities would remain split, I gave her back her toys and sent her on her way. I still remember that mad broken smile of hers and ever since I knew I made the right decision in letting her go.”

“Because you cared?”

“Because I was scared,” Renata corrected and she wasn’t ashamed of her confession in the slightest. “You’ve only seen your mother at her best when she was trying to be better. You better thank Janna that she never showed you the other part of her, that shadow that to this day strikes fear in the hearts of those in the twin cities. I don’t know what she had planned, but she was getting desperate.”

Renata glanced back at wide-eyed Hex.

 “Even now I am still finding random explosives in my territory. I lose at least five men to them annually.” Renata revealed. “I didn’t understand then, I thought it was pride that forced Jinx to earn her weapons back. But you know better than I do, Jinx repaired and rebuilt her primary weapons, but she never replaced them. To her…”

“…They were her children,” Hex finished knowingly and she could see Renata shudder. An Image of Tibbers flashed through her mind then. “You have no idea how lucky you are that you returned them.”

“On the contrary, I know all too well.” Renata faced Hex fully. “It’s you who doesn’t know how lucky I am. You’ve never seen your mother at her worst, be grateful for that. There was a reason she was able to defeat Warwick all those years ago and kill that demon in the Harrowing. Hell, at least two of the Trifarix were interested in her, and for a good reason. The second you underestimated her, it was too late. You were already at her mercy.”

“Why are you telling me this?”

“Consider it my final lesson and a warning, underestimate no one,” Renata warned her. “History has this awful habit of repeating itself and I don’t want to see Zaun in flames because you thought some girl no bigger than a twig was no threat.”

Hex didn’t respond but she did acknowledge Renata with a nod.

“Now, enough chit-chat, you have a nation to lead.”

-Flashback: End-

 

From the cloud of chemicals, Hex saw Jinx step out, inhaling it as if it were fresh air. With a wide grin, Jinx’s head was aimed toward the sky, and her eyes were closed as she looked as though she were basking in the non-existent sun.

“Wow, you made my rocket vanish, ain’t that a neat trick?”

Hex cursed knowing all too well that Jinx had forced her to use something she’d rather have kept to herself.

Jinx laughed.

She laughed and laughed and that laughter turned into a deranged cackling which mixed with the sound of birds crying in the distance. Hex looked up and grimaced when she saw a murder of crows fill the sky, flying above Jinx as their feathers rained down upon the laughing woman.

Before long the laughter came to an end.

“Oh yeah, that’s the good shit,” Jinx spoke and with each word, purple smoke spilled from her lips. When Jinx finally opened her eyes and looked at Hex with that mad grin, Hex felt her breath catch in her throat. The whites of Jinx’s eyes were now pitch black and were now identical to Renata’s.

-Flashback-

 

As the armored man carried her and an unconscious Lux away from Jinx, Annie saw her mother glance back at her one last time with that ever-present grin despite the horrific monstrosity before her. Jinx mouthed something to her as a tear fell from her black and pink eyes which looked so much like Granny Glasc’s.

-Flashback: End-

 

“What did you do?” Hex questioned and in response, Jinx giggled madly as she raised a half-empty perfume bottle.

“I got a bailout,” Jinx answered as she playfully wiggled the bottle before pocketing it.

Hex’s eyes narrowed. “Getting high isn’t enough to break my spell.”

“Nah, but this helps too,” Jinx said as she played with the strap that kept Fishbones in place on her back. Hex was confused for a moment but upon taking a closer look at the silver strap supporting Fishbones, Hex realized that the piece of fabric was far more than that.

-Flashback-

 

“Honorable Trifarix, with all due respect, what are these?” Hex questioned curiously as she stood in the Trifarix’s chambers. The three sat in their respective thrones before her and between her and them there was an ornate table. On that table, Hex looked curiously at a thing that was a silver sash of some sort and an ancient ornate dagger that’s blade was so curved that it almost resembled a hook.

“Coronation gifts as well as proof you passed your lessons from us,” General Swain drawled as he rose from the centermost throne. The tall man’s shadow all but engulfed her but she paid no mind to it. Hex absentmindedly place a hand over her forearm which was covered by her glove and looked at him in surprise.

“Another one?” Hex questioned. “That’s quite generous.”

Swain waved off her words dismissively. “That last ‘gift’ was more of a favor. As a child of Noxus, heir of House Hastur, and soon to be Queen of Zaun, we figured the least we could do was…spoil you a bit.”

The faceless giggled, her body obscured by shadow. “Indeed. These gifts are not unearned, you survived all that we threw at you and grew into a perfect woman of Noxus. The blade is from my private collection. Phantom Dancer is its name, I once gave it to a Zaunite mercenary under our employ as a reward for culling the weak from my followers.”

“That Quicksilver sash shares a similar history,” Swain revealed. “I once gave it to that very same mercenary to use to infiltrate the Shadow Isles. I fully expected them to die but when they didn’t I figured it would serve them well as a bonus to the coin promised.”

“Must have been quite the mercenary for you to gift them such prizes,” Hex mused. “What happened to them.”

The Trifarix shared a glance amongst themselves before Swain answered. “They perished a few years back. With them gone, we had our men return these artifacts to Noxus until the day came we found someone else as amusing as them.”

Hex laughed lightly at that. “Well, I am glad I amuse you.” Hex turned to Darius who appeared as stone-faced as ever. “I take it I didn’t manage to amuse you though?” Hex questioned as she only saw the two ‘gifts’.

“On the contrary, Darius has a gift for you as well,” the Faceless answered, clearly amused. “At least, that is what he claimed.”

Darius shot her an exasperated look before reaching to his side and pulling out a thick tome. Unceremoniously, Darius tossed it onto the table where it landed with a loud thump and enough force to make the other ‘gifts’ jump. Frowning in confusion, Hex picked up the large book and inspected it.

When she saw its title, she looked up at the Hand of Noxus in surprise.

After all, out of the potential gifts, she could have gotten from Noxus’ commander, her even getting a gift being a feat in and of itself, an anatomy textbook was not what she expected.  Even Swain and the Faceless who had both known he had gotten Hex a gift were surprised by his choice.

“Commander Darius, thank you for the gift but…why?”

At this question, Darius grunted before answering. “I’ve taken a month off.”

Hex blinked at this, not sure what his answer had to do with her question or the book. Yes, she was surprised the workaholic was stepping away from his duties that long but wasn’t quite sure what his vacation had to do with her.

“You are not due back in Zaun for a month,” Darius interrupted her thoughts. “During that time, I will teach how to use a blade like a true Noxian. A Demacian steel sword does not suit you as much as a Noxian battle axe would but if you are determined to use such a blade, I will make sure you know how to use it properly. Your magic is powerful but, in its absence, I will not see your might diminished.”

Darius glanced at the others.

“Also, unlike them, I wished to give you something practical that you’ll actually use,” Darius continued. “Despite what you might think, physical combat is not just swinging your weapon blindly until your opponent dies. A true warrior of Noxus knows where to strike their opponent.” Darius explained and Hex understood then why he had given her such a book. To know the body would be to know the shared strengths and weaknesses of every human, including herself. “Better to enhance your existing arsenal rather than give you even more to it that you won’t use.”

Well, he was right about that, the last thing Hex wanted was to make fights even easier. Hell, they hadn’t even told her what the items did, not that she expected them to. Hex had long since learned that Swain and the Faceless preferred to have her figure things out instead of just telling her what she needed to know.

Which was why she appreciated Darius.

He just got to the point.

Hex already knew that she’d accept the gifts to be polite but would likely toss them into her armory when she returned home. Darius’ gift, however, was one she was looking forward to.

“I will not go easy on you,” Darius warned. “Hopefully that Ionian you lived with before you returned to your homeland taught you how to hold a blade.”

“Uncle Yasuo taught me how to control my wind, but refused to teach me how to wield a blade,” Hex revealed. “Though we are close, he would never teach his techniques to a Noxian.”

“That’s unfortunate for you then,” Darius said bluntly and Hex already knew his training would be severe.

Severe but worth it.

In a way, she was almost sad to be leaving her homeland so soon. The Trifarix were as legendary and as powerful as Jinx had said, but they looked after their own. In their own ways, they made this castle feel like a home. To the world, Noxus was an evil empire, and there was more than a little truth to it, but there was far more depth to the nation than that. She could understand the patriotism of those who lived in Noxus as true citizens and not slaves. For them, it truly was a grand empire.

Still, the feeling of patriotism they had was not one she could share with them for she knew she had to return to the Undercity.

It was her duty.

Her destiny.

The place where this wretched path she walked would finally, finally, come to an end.

-Flashback: End-

 

“You,” Hex murmured as she gazed at her mother, finally understanding just who that mercenary that amused the Trifarix was and why they had given her those items. “Of course, it’s you. It’s always you.”

Every hard-fought lesson.

Every teacher.

Every home.

They were all connected to Jinx.

For years, long after her body had gone cold and rotted away into nothing, Jinx’s love still shaped, protected, and raised Hex. The thought alone made something flicker in Hex’s chest and she finally understood the sheer lengths a paranoid woman like Jinx went to to ensure her well-being. Jinx’s shadow was one she would never escape from.

But she didn’t want to.

That shadow was the only thing that stopped the pain.

Hex’s body began to tremble. “Jinx.”

“That’s me!” Jinx practically sang as she brandished Phantom Dancer in one hand and her father’s knife in the other. Around her father’s knife, a green ethereal copy of the ancient dagger encased it. “It’s short for Jinx!”

And with that Jinx vanished in a flash of blue light.

Hex’s eyes darted around the battlefield rapidly as she tried to find her mother to no avail. Suddenly, her ear twitched as she heard a giggle behind her and turned to attack Jinx only to find no one there. Hex was confused for a moment until she remembered her mother’s talent of throwing her voice.

Realizing she had been tricked, Hex cursed and turned just in time to see Jinx descend upon her, her blades poised to kill. Unable to completely avoid the attack, Hex moved just enough to avoid a lethal blow but still found Jinx’s knife buried deeply into her shoulder.

Jinx cackled when the blood splattered on her face and grinned madly at Hex, her face inches away from her enraged daughter’s.

“Looks like I got first blood!” Jinx taunted as Hex glared darkly at her. The blade in Hex’s shoulder stung, but the blow to her pride stung more. Hex ignited her fist in fire and swung at Jinx who ripped her knife free and snickered as she easily side-stepped the blow.

At that moment, Hex’s control slipped and for the first time in years, she had been blinded by rage. Momentarily forgetting where she was and who she was fighting, Hex summoned her sword into her blazing palm, igniting it in her scarlet flame, before releasing a powerful swing at Jinx that caused her blade to tear through Jinx’s midsection as the resulting arc of magical fire blew up the bridge behind her.

Suddenly, something akin to fear cut through Hex’s psyche as her mind caught up with her actions. However, that fear turned into confusion when she realized that though her blade passed through Jinx she hadn’t felt that familiar sensation of steel cutting flesh. Jinx herself appeared perfectly fine, and she quickly took advantage of Hex’s confusion and delivered a spinning kick into her chest which sent Hex crashing down onto her rear, outside of her circle.

“You lose!” Jinx taunted, sticking her tongue out at her dumbfounded daughter. “Are you mad? Don’t worry! Win streaks are meant to be broken. Like people!” A dark gleam appeared in Jinx’s eyes as she gazed down at Hex. “Or bonds.”

-Flashback-

 

“I win!”

“Huh, how!?” Annie questioned, completely caught off guard when she looked at her mother’s cards. It didn’t make any sense, she cheated just like Jinx told her to do and managed to get a good look at Jinx’s cards. Annie knew her hand was better yet when it came time for them to reveal their hands, Jinx’s had changed completely!

“Confused, huh, Firelight?” Jinx questioned, snickering at the look of disbelief on the child’s face. “Here’s the thing, just because you think you have the upper hand doesn’t mean you’re not getting played yourself. I let you see my hand because while you were distracted by my cards, I got a nice look at yours.”

Jinx then rubbed her empty palms together in front of Annie’s face and, with sleight-of-hand, performed a “magic trick” that made a small stack of cards appear in her hands from seemingly nowhere. Giggling, Jinx spread the cards out a revealed a much better hand.

“Your real mistake here was underestimating me,” Jinx told her. “It’s fine to be confident that you can win, but if you become so confident that you believe you can’t lose, well, you just become another mark getting ready to be taken advantage of.”

-Flashback: End-

 

Jinx took a deep breath, basking in her high. Even when she was most excited, the high she would have gotten then paled in comparison to the high she had now.

“This feels great, why did I stop doing this again?” Jinx wondered rhetorically. Around her, she could see the faces of her demons, her friends, her family, she could see her responsibilities, and hell, she could even see Janna herself. She was so fucked up yet their voices were drowned out by the rush and their figures were obscured by bright purple clouds of Shimmer.

Everything and everyone that had made her who she was now was being completely blocked out by the chems and soon Jinx felt something in her head get dislodged.

Something that, had she been “sober”, she’d have thought was important.

Not that she cared at the moment.

No, for once she was free and her mind could rest.

The fear, the paranoia, and the pain were all gone and that was enough to let herself succumb to the Shimmer’s allure.

“I don’t feel the same,” Jinx murmured as knocked her knuckles against the side of her head as if trying to jog something back in place. “Kinda feeling like a bad girl, everything feels so strange.” Hex watched a look of pure ecstasy appear on Jinx’s face. “Is this…bliss? No, it’s freedom.”

When the clouds in her mind shifted, all the figures she had envisioned, all the people she cared about, had been replaced by shackles that had bound to her tightly, keeping her grounded.

And in an instant, they all shattered.

“How much time did I waste, duct-taping sinking ships?” Jinx wondered. “Control Zaun’s rot? Why bother, let it fester, grow, and turn into something unstoppable. Maybe in a Zaun like that, you could have grown into a woman even with me six feet under.” Jinx gazed at Hex with something akin to pity.

Hex’s blood began to boil.

“It’s my fault you couldn’t become a woman of Zaun so I’ll give you another chance to redeem yourself,” Jinx spoke up. “Mainly because I’m bored, but hey! You might be able to wash the taste of defeat out your mouth.” Jinx grinned. “One more round, double or nothing, no stupid rules, just me and you until one of us falls. What do you say?” Jinx asked. “It’ll be fun. You can show me if you’re the bomb, I thought you were…” Jinx’s smile fell so fast and her expression turned so dark that it sent a chill down Hex’s spine. “…or another disappointing dud that needs to be scrapped.”

Like a switch had been flipped, Jinx was suddenly all smiles once more. Up above, the murder of crows continued to release their horrible cries as they blocked out the few beams of sunlight that managed to break through the Gray, casting a shadow over Jinx that made her appear to be more of a demonic specter than the mother Hex knew.

But, then again, this wasn’t her mother, The Loose Cannon, this was Jinx.

The Shadow of Zaun.

“You’ve never seen your mother at her worst, be grateful for that.”

“The second you underestimated her, it was too late. You were already at her mercy.”

“Consider it my final lesson and a warning, underestimate no one.”

“Your real mistake here was underestimating me.”

Hex gritted her teeth as she pushed herself up to her feet. Her heart pounded in her chest as she was reminded over and over again about exactly where she had made her mistake. About how she fucked up. Hex had made the monumental error of underestimating Jinx and now she stood to suffer far more than just wounded pride.

Hex had long since gained a full idea of Jinx’s mental illness over the years through both her studies and simply looking back on things she hadn’t fully understood as a child through the lens of an adult. This meant that she, of all people, knew the sheer damage Jinx had just inflicted on her psyche by taking the chems Renata gave her.

The damage could have been irreparable whenever Jinx finally came back down from her high.

And what was worse was that she knew that Jinx was all too aware of this.

Yet still, Jinx harmed herself this much, and for what? To teach Hex a lesson? If anything, this only proved Hex right as Jinx had only managed to beat her after breaking free of her emotions. After all, the Jinx she knew-the one she called a mother- would have never been able to threaten to kill her and mean it.

“Scrapped? You would try to kill me?” Hex questioned.

“I ain’t your chem-dealer, but I’ll still send you flying through the clouds,” Jinx shrugged, though her eyes glinted dangerously. “After all, if this is your best, then that means you wasted my time. A lot of people have died for less.”

Hex sneered at her though Jinx just looked amused.

“Come on,” Jinx said as she strolled forward, twirling her blades as her body twitched. Hex tensed as she realized that no matter how hard she tried she couldn’t hear Jinx’s footsteps. Gripping her blade tighter, Hex raised it as her fire seared the wound on her shoulder shut. Without another word, Jinx giggled and shot forward at blinding speeds, leaving twin trails of ultraviolet light in her wake from her eyes while Hex braced herself.

So fast did Jinx run, that the chain around her neck snapped, leaving her jacket discarded on the bridge

Hex’s magic allowed her to match and surpass Jinx’s weaponry and even reinforce her body to the point where she could surpass Jinx’s strength when she was “sober”. Even Jinx’s agility while much better than her own, wasn’t too much of an issue thanks to her superior defense.

The problem with fighting Jinx came from her reaction speed, and her ability to think of entire strategies in an instant. The Shimmer didn’t just alter her body it altered her very mind and at the end of the day, Hex’s mind was still that of a ‘normal’ human’s.

She had limitations magic simply couldn’t fix.

She just hoped to Janna those limits wouldn’t be her downfall.

Hex’s eye moved around frantically as she tried in vain to keep up with Jinx who moved around her at speeds that left nothing but after-images in her wake as her laughter echoed throughout the battlefield. Now and then, Jinx would land a blow, her blades slicing through Hex’s flesh without mercy. When Hex would move to counter-attack, Jinx would just taunt her as her blade passed through Jinx as if she were a ghost.

With a growl, Hex erected a blazing barrier around her which slammed into Jinx with enough force to knock her away while setting her on fire. Despite her burning flesh, Jinx would continue to laugh as she recovered and rolled to her feet before her sash released a silver flash of light which dispelled the flames. Jinx giggled before teleporting away and reappearing above Hex.

Hex glared up at Jinx who descended upon her and landed on top of her barrier before slamming her blades down upon it. Of course, the weapons couldn’t pierce it even when backed by Jinx’s shimmer enhanced strength. Still, the sheer act of attacking the barrier made the ancient dagger flicker with ethereal light and soon Hex could only watch in horror as Jinx turned intangible and phased through the barrier before resolidifying and stabbing her blades into Hex’s shoulders.

Hex screamed in both pain in rage as she forced herself to weather the attack to run her sword through Jinx’s abdomen. Yet, even despite such a visceral blow, Jinx’s laughter was uninterrupted as she suddenly headbutt Hex with enough force to make her release her sword. Jinx’s body then turned intangible once more, causing the blade to fall from her body.

“Nice stab,” Jinx praised as she released her blades which were still stuck in her daughter. Jinx’s body solidified as she used her foot to kick up Hex’s sword and catch it. “But you didn’t put your back into it!” Jinx shouted before she stabbed forward with the blade that had been coated in her blood. Hex quickly shielded herself with a barrier but, to her growing horror, she saw her magic waver just as the blade made contact, shattering her blazing shield as if it were made out of glass.

The sound of metal piercing flesh cut through the cries of the crows.

Stunned, Hex could only look down between herself and Jinx incredulously.

Crimson dripped down on the bridge as Hex grasped at the blade piercing her abdomen with shaking hands.

“W-what?” Hex questioned and it wasn’t clear if she was more confused by the fact that she had been dealt such a lethal blow or if it was the fact Jinx had been the one to deal it.

“Bout time it kicked in,” Jinx mused before tilting her head as she looked down at her daughter. “What? You thought the bullets were the only petricite I brought? You should know me better than that.”  Jinx snickered as Hex coughed violently, grasping at her neck as she felt her very lungs seize. “Packed it in my rockets and grenades too, all of that petricite reduced to dust from the explosions, filling the air.”

Jinx took a deep breath as her grin somehow widened.

“Filling your lungs and coating your skin,” Jinx continued. “Doesn’t bother me, Zaun’s air is filled with worse but I ain’t a mage either. You’ve got some resistance to petricite, you told me that much, but how good is it when the shit is inside you?”

Hex’s vision blurred as pain shot through every part of her body. When Jinx ripped the sword free, Hex stumbled back a bit, grasping desperately at her throat while she felt her connection to her power being cut off in a way she had never experienced before. Falling to a knee, Hex saw her crown fall from her head and bounce on the concrete as her vision began to swim.

In the distance, a firelight shone brightly as it flew through the sky only for its light to be snuffed out when a crow shot past and trapped it within its beak.

“Remember what I said when this first started?” Jinx questioned and when Hex looked up, she saw Jinx smiling darkly as she held a detonator in her hand. “I have something you don’t.” Jinx’s grin turned cruel and finally, it returned.  An emotion that pierced the numbness, a powerful emotion that drowned out all of the weaker emerging ones that burst open the floodgates to Hex’s heart.

Pure.

Unadulterated.

Fear.

Shaking a bit, Hex looked down and her eye widened when she saw that her flames had ignited a gas trail beneath her that had been poured into an all too familiar shape of a monkey.

“Prep-Time.”

The monkey seemed to laugh as its eyes and mouth exploded with flames and enough force to not only engulf her in an inferno but also tear down her side of the bridge sending her crashing into the frozen waters with the rubble.

-Flashback-

 

“No, no, no! What do you mean it's too late!?” Annie questioned angrily, glaring at Ryze before she raised her hands toward his wound once more. Briefly, a pink flame sparked to life beneath her palms, just over his festering wound, and for a moment the rotting flesh seemed to burn and receded. Yet mere moments later, the flame died leaving Hex panting in exhaustion while the rot returned with a vengeance seemingly spreading even faster. “No! I can’t fail!”

“Enough, child,” Ryze cut in, placing a weathered hand over hers. “You didn’t fail. Like your mother, you surpassed even my expectations and successfully created a new type of magic in mere weeks. Your potential and talent are something I thought I’d never see in mages of this era.”

“What about this is a success!? It doesn’t even work!”

“It does.” Ryze denied. “Had you found me sooner, I can tell you would have succeeded in reversing this injury. I will admit, that your spell is weak, but that weakness comes from a lack of wisdom and experience. Things I cannot teach you. You’re young, and up until now that was a source of strength but now, to perfect this magic, you need to live life, grow, and mentally and emotionally so you can truly master this magic.”

“We don’t have time!”

“Correction, I don’t have time,” Ryze opened his eyes and gave Annie a look she had never seen from her impromptu mentor. It was a look of pride that filled the eyes of a man that appeared to know more about the past, present, and future than she could ever dream of knowing. “But you do, more than enough to grow into a woman capable of solving her own problems.”

Hex grit her teeth. “And what about your mission!? You said you would complete it at any cost, did you lie?”

“No,” Ryze said and for once he held an expression of amusement, it was an expression that Annie was sorely tempted to slap off of his face. “Life is the most complex of journeys, filled with multiple paths that twist, turn, and stop on to resume later at a different juncture. Even if I fall here, I shall rise again and continue my work.”

“You’re not making any sense.”

Ryze chuckled. “You will understand when you’re older. Leave me, child, reunite with your companions and go home. Live, learn, and master that magic of yours, that cure to the rot that’s overtaken your kingdom.”

“This ‘cure’ was too weak to heal you, how could it possibly stop that which infects Zaun?” Annie questioned bitterly though Ryze’s knowing smile never wavered.

“If there is one thing for you to ever take away from my teachings, let it be this. Even ‘weakness’ can be a strength.” Ryze said ominously. “Surely your mother has taught you that?”

Annie scoffed. “I don’t think Luxanna has been weak a day in her life.”

At this, Ryze gained a slightly mischievous gleam in his eye. “Wrong mother.”

-Flashback: End

 

Laying broken, bloodied, and within an inch of her life on top of a pile of rubble, Hex could only watch as Jinx walked to the edge of the now broken bridge and gazed down at her. However, unlike before there was no mad grin on the Loose Cannon’s face, just disappointment.

Yet it wasn’t quite the disappointment a mother would have toward their wayward daughter but rather the look of an inventor whose favorite project failed.

And somehow that burned worse.

“You’re a liar,” Jinx began without preamble as she popped a squat. “That’s why you lost, and that’s why I am pissed off.”

Hex opened her mouth, but the only thing that came out was more blood.

“I told you once that there was a time and place for lying, and that you could even lie to me.” Jinx continued. “That’s still true, but listen up Hexy it’s never okay to lie to yourself. You tell yourself you’re emotionless, that’ you’ve run out of tears, and hell you even got the others believing that bullshit but not me.” Jinx tapped her temple. “You went into my mind, twisted it, but doing that left you open for me to see what was in your head.”

Jinx chuckled as she recalled the monstrous beast that had been held back by two chains.

“I saw why you fight, what pushes you forward, mama bear,” Jinx informed Hex. “And I get it, why you lie. After all that you lost, if you acknowledge your feelings, and admit you care it all suddenly becomes real, doesn’t it? The idea is that there is still something left for you to lose. A weakness, something that if lost or endangered would break you beyond repair.”

Hex’s body trembled and despite herself, her eyes began to glisten at Jinx’s words.

Jinx sighed. “Hexy, you think that if you have nothing to lose, you’ll be strong but you’re wrong. Being strong is having something to lose and going above and beyond to protect it. Strength ain’t having no fear, it's being scared shitless and still pressing forward. You taught me that. It’s why I can break myself like this, why I can risk everything in the hopes that you can finally get it.”

Jinx pulled out a flame chomper and began to play with it in her hands.

“You’ve been on this path for longer than I know, but you’ve finally reached a fork in the road,” Jinx continued. The blood loss had Hex fading in and out of reality as she began to hallucinate while Jinx spoke. “It’s a fork that leads to three different cities.”

-City 1-

 

“The first city is a city of light.”

Hex looked around at her surroundings, at the twin cities which had once again become one. The darkness of Zaun had been banished by the seemingly unending flood of light which was bright enough to somehow flood the illustrious golden spires of Piltover, leaving nothing behind but a petricite white. Beams of light surrounded the twin cities, extending indefinitely into the air and enclosing them in a barrier.

A barrier that felt more like a cage.

“Admittedly, you know more about this city than me. It’s the one you’ve been trying to avoid right? I’m only able to piece together an image by reading between the lines of what you’ve told us.”

Hex clenched her fists tightly as her heart thundered in her chest.

“The path to this city is simple. You give in to your fear, let it help you muster up enough strength to escape me. You can hide, lick your wounds, stop Sylas, and be on your merry way back home where your mom will keep you ‘safe’.”

Hex looked up toward a massive staircase, atop of which had a petricite statue of Lux staring down at her with bright gold eyes.

“Life will be boring but you will never have to worry again if I know my crazy wife as well as I think. You’ll be safe in her arms. Forever. Nothing will be taken from you again. Hell, if she keeps her promise like she always does, I’ll even be there with you!”

Hex felt someone grab her hand and looked to the side to find Jinx smiling sadly at her.

“Or, well, at least some version of me at least. Us crazy folks tend to idealize people we care about, so all the details may not be right.”

Gone were Jinx’s bright pink eyes and deathly pale skin and in their place were a pair of sky-blue orbs and sun-kissed skin. The woman was now garbed in white, and her signature twin tails were gone, instead, her ocean of blue hair just hung freely.

To Hex she appeared healthy and unburdened.

And that, was simply, wrong.

“Still, we may be bored, we may not always be happy, but we’ll be safe. Even if that safety comes at a price.”

Hex glanced out of the city, toward the outskirts that surrounded their cage, and saw nothing but death and desolation. Countless souls were sacrificed for what was “the greater good”.

“Don’t look, Annie,” Jinx warned her, gently but firmly turning her daughter's head back toward her. “It’ll only break your heart.” Grasping her daughter’s hand once more, Jinx began to lead her toward the stairs. “Come, your mother’s waiting.”

Against her will, a smile formed on Hex’s face as she once more forced herself to play the role of the ‘grateful’ daughter. It was a role she played every day in this utopia, this cage, this personal hell she had called home.

Why did she let this happen?

Why did she give up?

Or no…

…better yet…

…why did she even fight in the first place despite ‘not caring’ about what happened?

The sound of an infant crying shattered the image like glass.

-City 2-

 

“Now city two is a different story. I know all about this one and it will come if you ignore that fear, grip tightly onto your pride, and try to fight me…”

Hex found herself in another city. Just like the previous one, it seemed as though Piltover and Zaun had merged but only because Piltover itself seemed to have collapsed on top of Zaun leaving nothing but death and destruction in its wake. Off to the side, Hex could see the shattered statue of Janna surrounded by a destroyed church.

“…and lose. This is a city of shadow. Your time has become a growth on mine, it's like a rot with no cure. So, to save the body, I’ll have to remove the ‘limb’ so to speak.”

It was only then that Hex realized she was in front of a memorial only instead of Silco, Vander, or even Jinx, it was a memorial for her…

…for Annie…

“I’m fighting you tooth and nail because I know you can take, I know you can beat me, but that doesn’t mean you will. Not if you don’t know you can win. I’m not holding back anything, if you fight me and lose you will die. Your future? Nonexistent.”

Hex paled as she thought of the implication. There was no telling how much damage Jinx had already caused to Annie’s body, at this rate the girl truly would die and with her, the future. The brand Lady Gray had given her would not be contained if she died which meant the memory spell would continue, leaving her parents with no memory of how or why they would find Annie dead in a ditch.

“You probably realized it now, but your mom and I’s relationship is like a game of tug of war where our love for you is the rope. I pull just enough, ‘ruin’ Lux to where she can be a bit selfish and stop seeing herself as a resource. Lux pulls just enough to ‘fix’ me to the point where I can take control of my life. That said…if that rope is gone, if Lux’s purpose is ‘gone’…”

Hex heard bone-chilling laughter, echoing throughout the cesspool, and found herself turning to find a mountain of dead mercenaries, enforcers, and abominations. Hex paled, as she looked atop the mountain to find that the maddening laughter hadn’t come from Jinx.

No.

It came from Lux.

With a pair of black and gold eyes, and a grin too wide for her face, Lux laughed as she used her magic to blow apart any who challenged her mercilessly. It was a level of carnage that somehow surpassed even herself and Jinx and while Hex had grown desensitized to such acts of gruesome violence, it just seemed wrong coming from Lux.

“The loss of you would give us a pain you couldn’t-er-well-shouldn’t have to imagine. Still, pain, no matter how great, can be drowned out by Shimmer if you have enough of it.”

In a flash of flight, a blood-soaked Jinx appeared next o her cackling wife. Her black and pink eyes shone with pure madness and amusement as she looked at the destruction Lux caused. Jinx took out an inhaler and breathed in the chems deeply before handing it to Lux who did the same. Giggling, Lux pocketed the inhaler and, ignoring the blood, kissed Jinx deeply before they continue wreaking havoc on every man woman, and child unfortunate enough to get in the crossfire.

The screams of the innocent were short-lived as they found themselves drowned in the flood of darkness Lux created.

Jinx was crazy, yes.

But Lux was crazier.

Hex realized that in this city, Lux had succumbed to the rot that was Zaun and didn’t bother to fight back against the darkness she would develop as she had in Hex’s time. Hex wasn’t sure if this willingness to surrender to it relieved Lux of that agony that accompanied it or if she was too damn high to feel it.

Perhaps she did feel it and simply embraced that pain so that she could feel something.

Regardless, that rot had taken hold of Lux and it appeared that she and her wife were content on waging a war on the rest of the world to spread it. Truthfully, Hex had seen a lot of powerful individuals in her time and doubted her mothers would win that war, but it didn’t seem as though they cared.

They waged war simply because they could and thought it was funny, winning or losing didn’t matter in the slightest.

“Yeah, you died, but if you want to go the martyr route, is this so bad? You’ve got nothing to live for anyway so what do you care about protecting your future? Just stay still, let me relieve you of your burden, and everyone you lost will be okay…as long as they stay out of our way.”

Jinx’s words hit hard because her mother, in her own twisted way, was right.

Even she had said she was better off dead so why not surrender?

Why not finally rest, knowing that everything she lost in the future could be preserved if she went in their place?

It would be a sacrifice befitting a queen, and though this ‘Zaun’ would be far worse than hers, the people themselves would be even stronger if they could survive in the chaos her mothers would create.

So why did she fight?

Why did she feel the desire to live burning at her breast so intently despite everything?

Once more, the scenery shattered when she heard the cry of an infant.

-City 3-

 

“The last city is the one you’re fighting for, so I’ll call it a city of fire.”

Hex stood emotionlessly as she saw the twin cities burning as the citizens of both screamed in pain and agony. No matter where she looked, no matter how far or how wide her gaze went, there was only a flame that consumed everything with an insatiable hunger.

“I don’t know a thing about this city, only that I assume it's one where you get everything you want.”

Hex could see the statue of Jinx melt in a pool of magma as the sky itself set ablaze.

“But what I do know is that to get to it, you’ll have to find the strength to get up and not only face me but win. I have an idea of what the last obstacle in your way would be if you can get past me but if you can’t even beat me, then don’t even bother wasting your time. She has always been the more dangerous one of the two of us.”

This was a fact, the one that stood between her and this glorious flame possessed a power Hex could hardly fathom. It was a power so rare and unique that the only explanation for obtaining it besides sheer luck would be if they were destined to possess it and stand amongst the gods.

A power that could and would shape the very world.

So why bother?

Why go through all of this, sacrifice all she had, just for a chance to fight a losing battle?

The idea itself was void of rationality and at times even left Hex questioning her sanity. So why? Why did she fight? Especially when she claimed not to care.

Even in this city of flame, even with all the cries of those who died around her, the sound of that infant’s cry cut through it all.

-Flashback-

 

“Will you please shut that thing up!?” Hex snapped as she held her head, trying to fight off the headache she felt coming as Ekko held a bundle of cloth in his arms.

“If you can’t stand a little crying, you should have kept your legs shut in Freljord,” Ekko said dryly, before looking down at the bundle and cooing softly as he rocked it in his arms. “It’s okay little man, not your fault your mama has a temper somehow even shorter than her.”

Hex glared at him.

“Honestly, I’ve heard some insane schemes, and I grew up with your mom, but this takes the cake,” Ekko said dryly. “You were so upset that you developed wind magic instead of ice magic, despite how powerful it made you, so you went and did this!?” Ekko shook his head. “I would say you’re your mother’s daughter, but even Jinx wouldn’t go this far.” Ekko narrowed his eyes. “I taught you better than this, this is a living being, not a weapon.”

Hex scoffed. “Believe me, I am quite aware. Its incessant crying is more than enough of a reminder. I’ve long since scrapped my plan of using him against her.”

Now at this, Ekko was both surprised and pleased.

“Seriously?” Ekko questioned, after all, Hex was not one to give up on a plan once started, especially when she put as much into it as she had with this one. “What happened? Did he not have the ‘spark’?”

“Oh, he does,” Hex answered. “I can feel my heat and Nu’s cold saturating his very soul. Each day his power grows and if we don’t find a way to hide it quickly, he’ll draw her attention. So please, make the device I requested.”

“I will, but what changed?” Ekko questioned. “If he’s as powerful as you said, why wouldn’t you exploit it?”

“Would you exploit an infant for your own gain?”

“Of course not, but I’m not you,” Ekko said bluntly. “I tried to raise you better than that, but since you made it this far into such a hair-brained scheme I can tell not all my lessons stuck.”

Hex bristled. “Watch your tone, Baron.”

Ekko rolled his eyes. “Yes, Your Majesty. I’d bow but your brat’s in my arms,” Hex glowered at him before she made her way to the door, Ekko spoke up once more. His voice was far gentler this time. “What did you name him?”

“I didn’t.”

“Bullshit,” Ekko said but when Hex didn’t respond he corrected his question. “Okay, what did Nunu name him?”

After all, it was clear who the more sentimental of the baby’s parents were.

Nunu was a selfless and loving man, if he named the child, it would be given a name worthy of Zaun, of his niece’s legacy.

Once more, Hex didn’t respond but she did turn and move toward his desk. Pulling out a pen and grabbing some of Ekko’s paper, Hex wrote the name down and then began to write a list of instructions on just how to care for the child. Peeking over her shoulder, Ekko’s eyes widened when he saw the name before softening when he saw the list of instructions.

Silently he watched, rocking the baby in his arms, as Hex grabbed two more sheets of paper and filled them both completely with instructions. When she was done, she placed the pen down and simply walked away. Ekko said nothing as he watched her leave, nor did he comment or try to comfort her when saw the few wet drops that stained the parchment.

He understood why Hex never spoke the child’s name, to do so would make it all real. Would force her to acknowledge a bond she had seen as a weakness, and admit she had something else to lose.

“I'm going with plan B,” Hex said and that was the last thing she told him before leaving his office. Alone with the baby, Ekko shook his head and looked at the black-haired babe who looked back up at him curiously with mismatched emerald and sapphire eyes.

“Your mama’s definitely a Zaunite, I’ll say that much,” Ekko murmured, briefly forgetting that Hex could still hear him even though she was almost out of the building. “Don’t let her words fool you, her actions show just how much she loves you. No matter what happens in the future, remember that you were loved, little man.”

-Flashback: End-

 

“Well, now that I laid out your options, it's time to pick which road you’re going down,” Jinx said before swiftly pulling the pin on the grenade in her hands and tossing it down at Hex unceremoniously. Jinx laughed once more, and her laughter matched the ‘mouth’ of the flame chomper that descended toward Hex, making it appear as though it were the weapon itself laughing at her weakness.

This was no good.

When Jinx said it was time to decide, she meant it.

This bomb would be a death blow if it landed. Hex knew that if she didn’t make a choice, didn’t find a way to turn this around and save not just herself but her mother who was falling deeper and deeper into her madness, everything would be for naught.

She needed to fight.

Something, anything, that the spark within her could feed on to reignite her inferno. Jinx was out of tricks, Hex knew this, there was only so much Jinx could reasonably do with the time she had to fight a mage like Hex.

Hex could win.

She just needed the strength to get up!

All she needed was to find a reason to!

Tears fell from Hex’s eyes when she could hear the sound of a baby crying and weakly raised her hand as if trying to catch the incoming grenade.

No….she didn’t need to find a reason…

…she just had to acknowledge the one she already had.

She’d have to open the floodgates, bare her heart open, and allow herself to have the potential to be hurt once more.

As she opened her mouth, a pink spark appeared above her fingertips as she spoke a single word.

“…Silco.”

-Flashback-

 

“Sorry, Firelight, looks like I win again,” Jinx said as she reached for the cookies.

“I wouldn’t be so sure,” Lux said as she made dinner. From where she stood, she had a perfect look at Annie’s hand and looked amused.

“I win!” Annie cheered as she placed the cards down and much to Jinx’s surprise, her daughter truly did have the better hand. Somehow both proud and appalled, Jinx looked at Annie incredulously.

“H-how?” Jinx had seen Annie’s attempts at cheating, and though they had gotten much better, they still weren’t good enough to trick her.

For some reason, Lux looked even more amused as she hummed to herself.

Annie grinned. “I played fair!” Annie turned to Lux. “You were right!”

“W-what?” A still stunned Jinx asked Lux. “What does she mean?”

Lux chuckled. “Honey, I love you, but when you think you’re right about something, you believe it to a fault. Nothing can convince you otherwise until it bites you in the ass. So, when you think Annie’s cheating, you think you know what to expect.”

Annie nodded enthusiastically. “I did everything you showed me, but I didn’t change any cards. I left it up to luck and I won!”

Jinx’s jaw dropped as she slumped back in her seat.

“Well…damn,” Jinx said before giving Annie a bright grin. “Guess it's your win! The cookie jar is all yours!”

Lux cleared her throat. “After dinner, of course.”

Both Jinx and Annie winced before sharing a nervous look.

“Y-yeah, of course…after dinner.”

-Flashback: End-

 

The explosion shook the bridge as Jinx cackled.

“I knew you’d find a way to destroy your family! You always do–” Jinx’s hand whipped out and grabbed Mylo around his neck. Jinx tilted her head as she stared him in his eyes, tightening her grip more and more which caused blood to spill from his mouth as he struggled to breathe. Eventually, there was a loud crack and his body went limp before the hallucination was replaced by a deceased crow. At this, Jinx laughed as she dropped the lifeless bird onto the ground.

Her laughter, however, was short-lived when Lux slammed down on the bridge in front of her, gripping a somehow battered-looking teddy bear in a vice-like grip. It seemed as though Tibbers tried to intervene as instructed and failed to subdue a pissed-off Lux.

“Jinx!” Lux snapped as she stalked toward her wife, her eyes blazing gold. The crows around her seemed to recoil in pain from the light she produced. “What did you do!? I trusted you!”

Jinx’s ear twitched and her grin widened much to Lux’s confusion.

“I know, and I trusted her,” Jinx retorted. “Three…two…one…”

A second explosion shook the bridge and they both glanced back to see a fireball slam onto the bridge. When the flames died down, they could see Hex on her hands and knees, panting tiredly.

“Well, definitely can’t say we raised a coward.” Jinx laughed she twirled Hex’s sword in her hand and turned to face her daughter fully. “City one is off the table, so is it gonna be two or three?”

“Jinx…” Hex began before raising a hand, revealing a small pink fireball which she then slammed into her chest.  The fire spread across her body, covering her with gently burning pink flames. Unlike Hex’s usual fire, this flame seemed to lack the overwhelming power and intensity that accompanied Hex's magic. In fact, in comparison, it seemed pretty weak. “My time with you was short, but in that time, you taught me countless lessons, each of which I am grateful for as they have all saved my life.”

Hex grabbed her dislocated shoulder and popped it in place as the pink flames stitched the gaping wound in her abdomen shut before their very eyes. Hex began to cough, releasing puffs of black smoke with each one as the petricite was burned from her lungs. When she settled down, her eye met Jinx’s unwaveringly.

“Even this latest one I am grateful for, despite the pain.” Hex gripped the blades sticking from her shoulders. “So, allow me to teach you a lesson that could save your life in return. One that you will remember despite Lady Gray’s magic, whether you are alive or dead,  and regardless if it's this time or mine.”

Hex ripped the blades free and glared at Jinx with an intensity that made both of her mothers tense.

“You do not endanger my son!” Hex boomed, her very voice shaking the battlefield as-for a moment- Jinx saw her daughter’s image replaced by that of a blazing bear. The sight alone made both of her mothers stumble back as Hex ripped the blades free, her injuries healing in an instant.

“Her what!?” Lux questioned incredulously.

“Long story,” Jinx answered. “We’re not done. Get back Flashlight, gotta see this through to the end.”

“Listen to her,” Hex warned. “She and I have a score to settle.” Hex’s gaze cut to Lux and the light mage saw a fire burn in Hex’s eyes that reminded her so much of Annie’s. It was a fire that she, like Jinx, had feared her daughter had lost after so many tragedies.

Lux clenched her fists tightly.

It was clear that Lux did not approve in the slightest, but she also knew just how stubborn both her girls were. As brutal and as hard to watch as their fight had been, Lux could see that something in her daughter had changed, something vital.

Lux had promised not to interfere and she had succeeded up until now, though given the fact she thought her daughter was dead she figured she could get a pass.

Still, for better or worse, she gave her word.

And she’d keep that promise.

“Fine, but I am not happy,” Lux said before she glowered at Jinx. “Don’t get yourself killed.”

“Aww don’t worry–”

“Killing you is my job when this is over, not hers,” Lux cut in, making Jinx snap her mouth shut with an audible click. With that said, Lux flew off away from the battlefield as Jinx and Hex once more met each other’s gaze.

“Sheesh, and people think I’m the scary one,” Jinx drawled before she met Hex’s hardened gaze with her signature grin. Though their expressions differed, their thoughts seemed to be in line as Hex suddenly tossed both of Jinx’s blades back to her at the same time that Jinx tossed the sword in her hand back to Hex.

Hex gazed at her black sword briefly before raising it high into the air as the pink flames spread to the weapon. The blade began to crack as its color began to chip away rapidly and reveal the shimmering silver of the Demacian steel that had been buried beneath. Raising a hand to her neck, Hex unclasped the chain that held up her jacket and let it fall behind her. Resting the burning blade on her shoulder, Hex felt her scowl deepen as she prepared to face her mother one last time.

Hex took a step forward and Jinx looked on in surprise as her daughter left behind a flaming footprint that began to spread and cover more and more of the ruined bridge with a bright pink flame that seemed to pulse like a heartbeat. The winds picked up around them, but instead of a violent torrent, it was a gentle breeze that when making its way through Hex’s blazing pink hair, blew off vibrant embers which soon took the form of firelights.

Hex raised her hand while extending her index finger and watched as a pink firelight formed on top of it with a look of wonder before she watched the insect take flight.

The flaming pink magical constructs flew toward Jinx only to be snatched from the air by the murder of crows. However, when the birds bit down on these ‘insects’ they released agonizing cries as they found themselves burned alive violently from the inside, their bodies turning into little more than chalk that painted the pavement. From those charred remains, more pink firelights rose from the ashes and began to swarm Jinx.

One firelight landed on Jinx’s arm and she hissed from the pain that had been so severe that she couldn’t shrug it off even in her current state. Eyes wide, Jinx looked at her arm only to find no trace of a burn at all. Jinx’s grin wavered at that point as even though she was fine she still felt something was off. Looking at her approaching daughter in confusion, Jinx asked the only question that came to her mind.

“What are you?”

“The Queen of Zaun,” Hex answered. “And as I told you, to be Queen is to be able to destroy Zaun. If Zaun is rot, then I am its cure.”

Something within her words made Jinx’s eyes become filled with something close to fear.

“H-hey now, that’s not funny.”

“The time for jokes has long since passed,” Hex said before a pink explosion from behind propelled her toward her mother at blinding speeds. Reacting quickly, Jinx stabbed forward at Hex who didn’t even attempt to avoid the attack as she stabbed forward with her side.

As one, both women found their blades tearing through flesh. Hex’s, slicing her mother’s cheek while Jinx’s grazed her daughter’s side. Spinning around quickly, Hex swung her sword at Jinx only for its blade to phase through her body.

“Though defense can be the best offense, there will be times where the opposite is true. Times where the only way to defend what you cherish is to fight through the pain and decimate everything in your way.”

Darius’ words rung out in Hex’s head as she used the momentum of her swing to incorporate Darius’ legendary decimate maneuver to spin around completely and deliver a second slash and third slash at Jinx.

Both of which landed true.

Jinx released a pained scream as the burning blade cut into her back while her very blood felt as though it had been set ablaze, burning hotter than it ever had. Stumbling forward, Jinx’s screams only worsened when the firelights swarmed her without mercy, landing on her and burning her to her core despite leaving no marks from their ‘attack’.

“I’ve got you figured out.” Hex declared as she stared at Jinx with a calculating gaze that reminded the Shadow of Zaun far too much of Caitlyn. Though, perhaps that was fitting as it was only because of her aunt’s guidance that Hex finally figured out the secrets behind Jinx's weapons.

The dagger seemed to allow Jinx the ability to avoid pain once for each time she inflicted it. The sash, however, seemed to let Jinx break free of any ‘ailment’ that befell her though it appeared as though that required a considerable amount of stamina as Jinx hadn’t chosen to invoke it yet.

And due to the currently burning flames that ate away at Jinx, Hex doubted that was by choice.

Hex’s flames intensified. “This is for your own good.”

“Fuck!” Jinx snapped as a silver sphere erupted from her body and banished the firelights. Jinx panted and glared at Hex with genuine anger burning in her eyes. “Damn it! I said that’s not funny!” Jinx boomed seemingly both enraged and terrified like a cornered animal.

And honestly, that’s what she was.

For, when she looked at Hex now, she no longer saw her daughter but rather a ravenous beast, a burning bear that threatened to consume her which sent her survival instincts into overdrive.

“It’s time you took your medicine,” Hex said and Jinx saw the wound she had inflicted heal before her very eyes as Hex raised her blade once more. “And I am going to give it to you one way or another.”

Releasing a sinister laugh, Jinx grinned madly as she shot forward at Hex like a ravenous beast that had just eyed its prey. Jinx’s speed left nothing but twin trails of ultraviolet light in her wake as she moved at blinding speeds, still, that was enough for Hex to get a read on her position.

Seeing Hex ready her blade, Jinx suddenly flipped her blades on herself and stabbed herself with them just as Hex’s blade came down upon her head. Now intangible, Jinx let the blade pass through her as she phased through Hex’s body while ripping her blades free.

Having expected something like this, Hex didn’t let Jinx’s trick get the better of her and after igniting her foot with her pink flame, Hex kicked backward as Jinx turned around to attack and slammed her heel into the madwoman’s midsection, knocking her back.

Jinx coughed up her shimmering blood after feeling the full force of the attack. As she flew back, Jinx threw her bloodstained knife at Hex who had turned to attack her. The knife slammed into Hex’s chest, burying itself to its hilt. The shimmer in the blood that stained the knife, felt like lava and forced Hex to drop her sword. Jinx watched apprehensively as she saw Hex stumble forward as if she were about to collapse which was perfect timing as Jinx felt her strength rapidly declining and was unable to understand why.

-Flashback-

 

“Aunt Vi, are you going to fight Jinx?”

Vi finished punching the machine before her and looked at her niece in confusion. They had invited Annie over for the week to spend time with Ren though her daughter still had private lessons to attend which meant Annie would spend time with her to kill the time.

“No?” Vi answered though it sounded more like a question. Vi turned off the machine and grabbed her towel to wipe away her sweat as she faced her niece fully. “What brought this on?”

Annie shrugged. “It’s just…you’re always training,” Annie answered. “Training to fight someone fast.”

“Ah.” Vi forgot how perceptive the little girl could be, especially when it came to fighting. “Nah, kitten, I’m not planning to fight her. It’s just that Jinx has always been the worst type of opponent for me to fight. If someone as fast as her ever threatens our family, I need to be ready.”

“But why?” Annie was still confused. “Jinx has her bombs, Lux has her light, even aunt Cupcake has her gun…you just have your fists. Shouldn’t one of them be protecting you?”

Rather than being offended, Vi just chuckled at the question.

“Well, they’re definitely deadlier than I am,” Vi agreed wholeheartedly. Many thought she was the stronger one between herself and Caitlyn, and she was in the literal sense, but Cait’s mind terrified her at times. “But that just means that they are better off protecting you girls than me.”

“But I’m strong!”

Vi laughed and ruffled her hair. “You are, but there are things your magic can’t solve kitten. My sis told you about petricite, right?”

Annie’s grimace was all Vi needed to know.

“No matter who you are or how strong, eventually life throws a problem at you that you can only solve with your own two hands,” Vi told her gently, kneeling so that she was eye-level with the little girl. “Your moms and aunt are unstoppable when they’re in their element, but they’re a little out of practice with dealing with threats outside of their comfort zones. When the day comes that they need to use their hands to deal with a problem, I’ll be there with a nice strong pair for them to use.”

“I want to help!” Annie spoke up, surprising Vi. “Jinx was hurt because someone broke the rules and brought petricite into Zaun. She did it to protect Me and Lux because we’re weak to petricite. I don’t want her to be hurt because of that again. I don’t want to be useless.”

Vi’s expression softened. “Jinx was hurt, but if I remember correctly, you kept her alive. You aren’t useless, kitten.”

Annie pouted. “I feel like it.”

Vi was silent for a moment as she regarded her niece, realizing what it must have felt to be in Vander’s shoes when faced with Powder’s insecurities. Unlike Ren who was so similar to herself and Caitlyn, Annie was just like Jinx which often made Vi uncomfortable as she had no idea how to deal with the girl without repeating the mistakes of the past.

It was then that Vi realized that just as she saw Jinx in Annie, Vander must have seen Silco in Powder which suddenly made his more hands-off approach to raising Powder to make more sense.

Vi frowned at this.

“Put them up.”

Annie’s head rose as she looked at Vi in confusion.

“Your hands,” Vi clarified as she raised her fists, silently telling Annie to mimic her. When the little girl raised her fists, Vi nodded and unclenched hers so that she could offer her palms to Annie. “If that’s how you feel, then the only thing to do is make sure you can handle yourself around petricite. That would take a lot of stress off your moms and make you stronger.” Vi explained. “Who knows, one day it might be you saving Jinx.”

At this Annie giggled which made Vi smile.

“Come on, show me what you got,” Vi challenged and soon she felt Annie punching into her open palms. Annie was nowhere near as talented as Ren and her form was sloppy, but that was fine. Annie would find her path.

This was just one of the many steps she would take as she walked down it.

Vi wasn’t as smart as Jinx or their wives, but even she could see a clear pattern, she was one of Piltover’s Finest after all. Generational curses could be a terrible thing, but at the end of the day they were just patterns, and when recognized it only took a bit of effort to break them.

-Flashback: END-

 

The sound of Hex’s heels clicking against the concrete was deafening as she caught herself and ignored the pain in her chest. The pink wildfire spread from beneath her heel as she raised her head and glared at Jinx before rocketing toward her with her fist cocked back.

Eyes wide, Jinx could do little more than watch as Hex buried her fist into Jinx’s face. Perhaps it was the strength behind the blow, Annie’s pink hair, or the look of determination she saw within that emerald eye of her’s…whatever it was, Jinx found herself uttering one word as her head whipped to the side from the blow.

“…Vi?” Jinx said stunned before her head exploded with pain as Hex slammed a second blow into her face with enough force to make Jinx drop her ancient dagger. Though she was now unarmed, Hex did not let up her assault, knowing full well just how dangerous Jinx could be. With a snarl, she threw a punch of her own at Hex, only for her daughter to dodge it at the last moment before delivering two more lightning-fast jabs to Jinx which made the madwoman recoil from the pain.

“No matter who your enemy is or how powerful they are, if they can bleed, you can win. For that blood is proof of their mortality.”

Hex recalled Darius’ words as she saw Jinx hemorrhaging from the wounds she had inflicted. Growing visibly desperate, Jinx attempted to kick Hex away only for her daughter to sidestep the blow and grab her by her ankle.

After successfully apprehending Jinx, Hex pulled her close while ripping Jinx’s knife from her chest before stabbing the knife into Jinx’s leg, delivering a crippling blow that ruptured an artery. Releasing Jinx’s leg, Hex delivered a vicious haymaker which knocked Jinx back to the ground.

Quickly straddling the downed woman, Hex began to rain blow after blow upon her in an attempt to knock her out. At one point, Jinx had looked up at her with a pleading look, appearing defeated and ready to surrender but Hex knew better. Hex had been raised by this woman and knew her tricks so where a weaker opponent would have hesitated, she did not and kept swinging.

Eventually, Jink raised her arms to block the blows and when Hex grabbed one of them to move it to the side, Jinx forced herself up and slammed something hard into Hex’s chest. Surprised, Hex looked down to see Jinx pressing her teleporter tightly against her breast and before she could react, she found herself being teleported away.

“Shit…” Jinx fell back and looked up at the Zaun gray with a grimace as she lay in a growing pool of her shimmer-filled blood. “I’m not healing, why aren’t I healing?” Jinx questioned though she knew the answer.

She could feel it.

Hex’s burning magic inside of her, forcing her wounds to stay open.

Jinx grimaced as the world around her began to ‘glitch’ out as specters from her past returned with a vengeance, their voices growing louder and louder as she began to come down from her ‘high’.

This was the issue with Glasc’s stock. The woman made the best chems which only meant that the recovery period hit the hardest. With eyes rapidly flickering between pink and blue, Jinx gritted her teeth and forced herself up, ignoring the myriad of voices screaming in her head, telling her to just lay down and die.

“Shut up!” Jinx hissed. “If I’m dying it’s gonna be as me!”

Unable to stand, Jinx, forced herself up onto a knee as she grabbed Fishbones and held it on her shoulder, aiming up at the sky itself.

-Above Zaun-

 

High in the sky above Zaun, above even the Zaun Gray, Hex reappeared in a blue flash. Hex took a moment to reassess her situation as she began plummeting back down and scowled.

“Fine, if that’s how you want to play this,” Hex muttered before correcting her body so that she was now facing the Zaun Gray. Her teleport spell required a level of concentration she simply did not have which meant she’d need to improvise. Hex raised her hands in front of her as she fell into the Gray.

-Flashback-

 

Annie screamed herself hoarse as her surroundings were set ablaze, yet despite this, her Aunt Zeri didn’t let her go as she cried. While Ren wept silently beside her, Annie reached out desperately for the cloaked woman before her. The woman reached into the cloak and pulled out a flare which she gave to her Uncle Ekko.

“Give this to her when she settles.”

Ekko accepted the flare but it was clear he was not happy.

“It doesn’t have to be like this, we can figure something out.” Ekko tried to reason with the woman as she began to walk away.

“Ten Firelights died in my last outburst, Ekko. If you all were to join them, I don’t know what I’d do.” The woman said before she stopped just before reaching the foliage of the forest. Turning back to glance at Annie, the girl could see the woman’s golden locks of hair and her blazing gold eyes which were filled with both power and an untold amount of sorrow.

“I’m sorry I couldn’t be the mother you deserved in the end,” Lux apologized sincerely. “But if you were to be hurt because of me, I don’t know what I’d do. One day you’ll see this was for the best, but until then, if you’re ever afraid or if you ever feel weak, look to the Gray. That steel sky was her last gift to you, allow it to be a source of comfort that I can no longer provide.”

And with that last request, the woman known as Luxanna died that day, her heart shattering into a thousand, thousand, pieces as her daughter’s cries only grew louder which each step she took into that dark forest. As she walked away, Annie could see the darkness surrounding her as black crow feathers fell gently to the forest floor.

-Flashback: End-

 

The skies seemed to darken and the winds picked up as that steel sky began to twist into itself as if it were becoming a storm. Jinx’s eyes narrowed as she saw the Gray begin to burn as the eye of that storm opened to reveal the blazing form of her daughter who was descending upon her rapidly, her body now looking as though it were forged from the fire itself.

From its place on top of the bridge, Hex’s sword vanished in a swirl of flames as its master summoned it back to her hands once more.

With each passing moment, Jinx felt Fishbones become heavier and knew that soon its weight would be too much for her.

It was now or never.

Eyes shining with pink, Jinx held onto her resolve to avoid a fate worse than death and pulled the trigger. Her surroundings turned blue and it almost felt as though her very body would be erased from the sheer power of Fishbone’s roar.

Fishbones fell to her side, its weight too much for her to bear as her rocket was upon Hex in an instance. However, just before its impact, a large pink barrier made of Hex’s fire exploded from Hex’s body in the shape of an enraged bear. With her face turning pale from something besides her rapid blood loss, Jinx could only stare with wide blue eyes as Hex released a deafening roar of her own which threatened to shake the heavens just as the rocket slammed into her.

The explosion was likely heard throughout both cities ,if not some of the neighboring countries, as Hex was obscured by the cloud formed from the explosion. For a moment, Jinx had no idea what had happened to Hex but soon her confusion was alleviated when her daughter burst free from that smoke cloud.

Hex’s gaze was determined as she tightened her grip on the blade Jinx knew would strike true.

“Is there anything so undoing as a daughter?”

Jinx’s shoulders sagged as she accepted her defeat, and despite her fear of what was to come she couldn’t help but smile despite it all.

“Heh.” Jinx chuckled.

“Never let your blade waver. If left alone, your enemy will learn and grow from their defeat and come back to defeat you, and when they do you may not be victorious. When your enemy is before you, beaten and bloodied, it is your duty to yourself and your people to send to them to…”

The Guillotine.

Hex was above Jinx in the blink of an eye and without hesitation, she brought the burning blade down upon Jinx without mercy. Like a hot knife through butter, Hex’s blade cleaved through Jinx, leaving a massive blazing gash in its wake as the blade slammed down and stabbed into the concrete. Mouth open, Jinx’s trembled in agony, her eyes wide, as all the hemorrhaging cuts on her body began to shine.

Releasing her blade, Hex rose to her feet as she met her mother’s resigned gaze and gently cupped the side of her face. Silently, Hex stepped forward and placed a soft kiss on Jinx’s forehead.

“Thank you,” Hex said sincerely as a clear tear fell from Jinx’s eye.

It was at that moment that Jinx was engulfed by a pillar of pink fire that burned her to her core, causing her to scream in agony yet she was not reduced to ash. No, on the contrary, her wounds began to heal rapidly as Hex’s magic flooded her body. It only lasted a moment, but to Jinx it felt like an eternity, and when it ended the woman fell to her knees.

Hex pried her blade free and looked down at the woman who was trembling, looking like a scared child as she stared down at her shaking hands.

“What…what have I done…?” the woman question, horrified. “Those men…women…children…I-” Green seem to fill the woman’s sun-kissed skin as she became visibly ill at the thought of all the carnage she had caused. “I’m sorry…I’m so sorry…” the woman began to weep uncontrollably. “Violet–”

The word alone made the woman choke as she continued to sob.

Hex's expression was one of pity as the woman reached up and clung to her desperately.

“Please…make it stop…it hurts…It hurts!” the woman shut her eyes tightly as if trying to reject reality. A reality in which she knew she couldn’t live. “Please, kill me.”

Gently, Hex placed a hand on top of the woman’s head.

This woman wasn’t Jinx.

She wasn’t the first Queen of Zaun.

She was simply Powder, a woman far too weak to live in this cruel world and an unfortunate citizen of the Undercity. Which made her just another of her subjects and as Queen it was her duty to put her subjects at ease.

“Rest, Powder,” Hex rand her fingers through the ocean of blue hair much as she had when she was a child. “Relax, this is just a bad dream. When you wake up, you’ll be right back in the storm,” Hex promised.

And she kept her promises.

Before Powder could respond, Hex slammed the hilt of her blade into the woman’s head, knocking her out instantly. It was then, that Hex’s legs gave out on her and she found herself falling to the ground as she held Powder close. The exhaustion had caught up to Hex quickly the moment she had allowed herself to relax and now she too found herself on the ground.

As Hex’s vision began to swim, she gently caressed the woman’s face as she felt a myriad of emotions flowing through her heart. Feelings she had tried so hard to bury, that she felt made her weak only to realize that they had been the only things that kept her moving forward.

Tears fell from her eyes as soon as she found her vision going black.

-Later-

 

When Hex next opened her eyes, she stared up at the ceiling blankly as she found herself resting on the couch of her family’s living room. Her body ached, more than it had since she had gone through labor, yet just like then her body felt light despite the pain.

It was a good feeling.

One that wouldn’t quickly be drowned out by the overwhelming fear of the future as it had last time.

“Well, one of you is up at least.”

Hex blinked and turned her head to find Lux reading Jinx’s journal, no doubt trying to find something to keep her busy as she waited for her family to recover.

“I was terrified that Sylas might have struck while you were both unconscious,” Lux told her. “But he didn’t, which is strange as I know he must have felt your magic. For him to not take the opportunity is…odd. Though I guess that just means that you have this situation under control.”

“I do,” Hex responded simply, grimacing a bit at how dry her mouth felt. Eyes flickering to the side, Hex saw Jinx still unconscious on the sofa across from her.

“Will you two be alright?”

“I’ve been through worse,” Hex said before she forced herself up into a sitting position. She felt a weight fall off of her chest and saw Tibbers on the ground. Picking up the bear, Hex grimaced as she slumped back into her seat. “She'll be fine. It broke my heart to do so, but I had to heal her.”

“Heal…” Lux trailed off as she paused, her fingers gripping the book a bit tighter. “You mean she’s…?”

“Cured? No.” Hex shook her head. “I wouldn’t do that to either of you or, hell, myself.  Though Powder is ‘healthy’ she is not the person we love. Not to mention she’s weak, too weak to handle the things she’s done, the sins she’s committed. Left alone, she’d take her own life in an hour.”

“So, what did you do?”

“I had to fix the damage she caused to herself from using Renata’s chems,” Hex answered. “Her mental state was far too delicate to handle the high. My flames healed her body and mind but I made sure to keep my cleansing flames from her heart. The source of her ‘rot’. It will continue to pump Shimmer into her body and destabilize her mind a bit more so that she can cope with her own existence.”

“So, she’ll be back to normal?”

“Well, her mind will be a bit sturdier,” Hex smiled a bit to herself. “But not in any way that will change who she is. It’s just insurance in case the day comes she needs to use those chems once more. I won’t be there to heal her so this will make it so she can at least withstand another hit. She’s surprisingly more fragile than I remember.” Hex’s smile fell. “That said, I didn’t expect her to be so…dangerous.”

“That makes two of us. Though what’s dangerous to me and what’s dangerous to you are two very different things.” Lux flipped a page in the book. “She could have beaten me but you…you held back. A lot.”

Hex chuckled. “Of course, you noticed.”

“How could I not? When you made her rocket vanish, I almost collapsed from the amount of magic I felt within you.” Lux informed her. “Why?”

“I suppose I was feeling a bit…sentimental.” Hex mused. “I limited myself to the amount of magic I would have had years ago if she had given me the test and not Renata. I couldn’t remove the years of experience, but I could at least do that much.

Hex closed her eyes with a grimace.

“And it was only through experience that I survived.” Hex continued. “No matter what she may believe, I lost as far as I am concerned. I would not have beaten her years ago, not as I was.” Hex closed her eyes and smiled ruefully. “The hardest obstacle on this path is still to come but I know now not to face it with a hardened heart, but rather, an open one.” Hex looked toward Lux. “And I’ll start by apologizing to you on behalf of not just myself but for Jinx as well.”

Lux blinked and looked at Hex incredulously.

“What?” Lux questioned as she closed the book and placed it on the table. “What could you possibly have to apologize to me for? Especially given how much I let you down?”

“Let me down? You’ve never let me down.” Hex informed her. “Even at your worst, when you hurt me more than any other, it was for my benefit. To keep me safe and strong. I don’t agree with your decisions but now, as a mother myself, I do understand them.”

Hex looked down with a short laugh.

“The things I almost did to and will do for my flesh and blood make your actions seem merciful.” Hex clenched her fists tightly. “You’re my hero Lux. One of the few that really got me. Everything changed when Jinx brought you to me. Even now I struggle to see what you saw in a monster like me, but despite that, I still try to become someone deserving of your attention no matter what happens.”

Something wet began to drop down onto her lap as she kept her head bowed, unable to look Lux in her eyes.

“Even now, as bad as things are, we still want the same thing.” Hex informed her. “We’re still on the same side, the same team. It’s our missions and our visions that differ.” Hex’s tears began to flow freely. “You have no idea how many times I debated just giving up and being your perfect little doll. When I was weak and powerless you showed me how to fight. When I was lost in the darkness, it was your light that showed me how to move through the night. You both taught me how to think critically, but it was you who taught me how to distinguish wrong from right.”

Hex released a shuddering breath.

“So, when I see you about to cross a line, I can’t fall in line.” Hex took deep breaths in an attempt to not fully break down. Speaking to Lux like this was like going to one of Janna’s confessionals, it was a way for her to finally speak to her mother who refused to listen for so many years. “But after everything that I’ve done, what right do I have to oppose you, especially when my alternative might be worse? Yet, I can’t change how I feel or stop myself from seeing this through to the end.”

Hex placed her face in her hands.

“You gave and you gave to us and we took and took until there was nothing left.” Hex’s body trembled. “You chased the bad things out of us but we ignored the ones in you, not realizing they existed until it was too late. You and Jinx fought over this when she finally caught on but it didn’t matter because she died a week later and I was too weak to help.”

Hex was close to the edge now and there was no stopping it.

“I was always too weak, always too late,” Hex said with her voice filled with frustration. “I’m sorry, mom, I’m so sorry that I couldn’t save you from that darkness that forced itself into your heart.”

“Don’t apologize.” Hex’s eyes snapped open and she looked up to see a tearful Lux pull her into her arms. “It’s not your fault. Do you hear me? You were just a child, my child, you shouldn’t have been put in that position in the first place.”

Hex was tense in Lux’s arms but as she registered that long-forgotten feeling of warmth Lux’s embrace contained as well as the sweet scent of her hair, Hex finally broke. Holding her mother tightly, Hex began to cry, cry as hard as she had as a child while Lux rubbed soothing circles on her back.

“Life’s been so cruel to you,” Lux said softly. “I’m so sorry.” Lux held her for a moment, not saying another word as she allowed the woman who had been strong for far too long to have her well-deserved moment of weakness. “You deserve the world and I mean that.”

When Hex calmed down, Lux pulled back a bit and gently grasped both sides of her daughter’s face in her hands. Lux’s eyes were shining gold as she gazed at Hex intently.

“Look at me, do what you must. Become what you must, burn it all down if you have to and use that fire to forge a path that will get you everything you want for you deserve nothing less,” Lux told her firmly. “You’ve always done your best with the cards life handed you and even when you lost constantly, you still manage to win in the end.”

“I…I don’t know if I can.”

“You not only can, you will,” Lux told her, smiling sadly as she brushed away Hex’s tears. “Come on, don’t cry, you’re perfect. What I saw in you, why I am proud to call you mine, was a fire that burned so brightly that even my light was drowned out by it.”

Lux released Hex and rose to her feet.

“Even if that spell on your hand erases this time from my memory, and even if things play out the same and I turn into Lady Gray, know this,” Lux began as she smiled brightly at Hex. “I will never stop loving you. I can only hope that one day you will see what I see when I look at you.” Lux reached into her cloak and Hex’s eyes widened when she saw Lux brandish her crown. “Now raise your head, Queens don’t bow.”

At this, Hex gave Lux a watery smile, laughing lightly as she wiped her eyes and retrieved her crown.

“That’s my girl.” Lux beamed before she turned around and picked up the book, grimacing as she saw Fiddlestick’s entry. Grabbing a sealed envelope that rested on the table, Lux used it as a bookmark before closing the journal and handing it a confused Hex. “Here.”

“What’s this?”

“A gift from your mother,” Lux answered before shooting Jinx an exasperated look. “One she’d have given you had she been conscious. It was something she put together last minute after hearing your story but she figured this would help give you some closure. Give you the answers to some questions that plagued you.”

Perturbed, Hex grabbed the book and opened it. Her eyes widened briefly and she soon folded the corner of the page to read later before removing the envelope. When she opened it, she was surprised to find out what was inside.

“This is her will.” Hex said as her brow furrowed. “Weird thing for a Zaunite, and it says what I expect, everything is left to me just like it was in my time.”

“Keep reading,” Lux urged her gently. “You said you didn’t care what she said, but Jinx stayed up all night wracking her brain, trying to think of what could have possibly been her last words to you.”

Hex looked at Lux incredulously before she looked back down at the letter.

“It may not be exactly what she said,” Lux admitted. “But if you ask me, what’s written seems to be on-brand for her, especially in such a terrible situation.” Lux saw Hex’s hands shake, her fingers tightening around the parchment as she continued to read. “Well? Do the words in there fit what you think she might have said that day?”

Hex didn’t verbally respond but then again Lux supposed she didn’t have to.

Her freshly flowing tears were answer enough.

To be continued…

Notes:

Will: Is it fucking weird that I was very damn close to sobbing when editing this monster of a chapter while listening to a megamix of the Transformers movie franchise OSTs? I mean, I probably would cry later to sleep when the impact hits me in my dreams but damn, Rebuke outdid himself. Too bad I am already a veteran of Honkai Impact 3rd so I’m pretty used to this feeling. *insert this is fine meme* Anyways, if there are any typos or any grammar errors I missed, kindly tell Rebuke in the comments so he can edit them in a jiffy. See you all soon, time to go back to what has kept me busy…being a practice teacher. Thanks for giving me this honor once again Rebuke! Also, thanks for telling me I was close to calling it, knew that there was something more to that feeling I had about Hex (Annie) and motherhood.

Rebuke: Lol! For context, last chapter Will made a joke about Hex experience motherhood for herself and I broke out into a cold sweat as I tried not to spoil him lol. He’s an awesome BETA but he’s another reader like you all first so even he doesn’t know how this ends yet! Also, if you're bored go look up Darius' in game skill set, it'll explain why some-not all- of the words during Hex's fight were bolded. He taught her well.

Chapter 13: The Answer (Part 2)

Summary:

Long-con part 2, electric boogaloo.

Hex and Six are their mothers' daughters.

Notes:

Here it is, second to last chapter hang on tight because the climax and reason for all this madness is coming soon!

Sorry for the wait, I wanted to do this last month but between writing this update and publishing two books while dealing with covid...safe to say your boy has been stressed lol.

Also I do have a twitter RebukeX7 @LJBranch2 (There's been a surprising amount of fanart on this story, please tag me I love to see it!) as well as a website worldofpresence.com

Yeah safe to say the time between last update and this one has been my "anime time-skip" lmao.

As always, I will be re-reading this over the next day or two for any extra typos that may have slipped through the cracks. For the best experience you can wait a couple of days or you can just read now at your own peril!

Now on to the story!

 

 

Chapter 13: The Answer (Part 2)

 

-Piltover: Kiramman Estate: Gym-

 

How the hell did it get to this?

Caitlyn watched silently on the sidelines as her wife and daughter panted tiredly as they rested on opposite sides of the ring. When Vi had suddenly challenged Six to a fight, she had been very worried but those fears had dissipated a bit when she saw that it was a boxing match, one free of any Hextech-empowered weaponry.

That was good, her family had some sense.

After all, what mother and daughter could fight each other with such lethal weapons?

Caitlyn was still not pleased by the thought of her girls boxing each other, but figured it wouldn’t be much more different than their usual sparring sessions.

She was wrong.

Oh, so very wrong.

As Vi and Six boxed, Caitlyn was reminded very quickly that Vi’s fists were registered as lethal weapons in Piltover and if she had to guess, so were her daughter’s back in her own time.

It was rare nowadays to see Vi hit anything without her gauntlets that weren’t a punching bag and to see her fight now was a reminder of just how skilled Vi was at close quarters combat. Vi had spent countless hours perfecting her craft, her art, and through blood, sweat, and tears Caitlyn was sure that not even the top fighters in Piltover could beat Vi in a boxing match.

Vi could have easily gained fame and fortune through her strength but rather than profiting off of it, she used it to protect those she loved even if it meant using that strength against them. Until now, Jinx was the only one of Vi’s loved ones that Vi had actually used that strength against but now she was using it against Six.

And Six responded in kind.

Seeing her daughter in one of Vi’s spare sets of training clothes which hung off her loosely, Caitlyn could see that underneath her armor, Six’s build was not quite as large as Vi’s. That said, the girl had grown into a woman even taller than she was and her muscles were just as toned if not more than Vi’s.

If Vi’s punches were like sledgehammers, then Six’s were like blades that cut through the air.

As the two fought, Caitlyn could see that they were evenly matched and she would have felt proud of how much her daughter had grown if it weren’t for one thing.

Six’s eyes.

Six’s eyes were like those of veteran Wardens and Enforcers who had long since retired that were traumatized from dealing with the Zaunites for most of their careers. Individuals who had become volatile due to their trauma from the horrors they’ve seen on duty.

Somehow, despite being nowhere near the age of these individuals, the look in Six’s eyes seemed even more severe.

With each successful blow Vi landed, Caitlyn could see Six’s gaze darken and her counterattacks seemed to be backed with more and more force. For some reason when Caitlyn saw Vi fight Six, she was reminded of someone ignoring the warning signs at the local zoo and repeatedly tapping the glass which kept them safe from the beast held on the other side.

Caitlyn didn’t need her talent in deduction to see that Six was getting more and more pissed off.

Something about fighting Vi was triggering something dark that was buried deep within her daughter and Caitlyn found herself becoming increasingly worried. Soon, Six overstepped and Vi took full advantage of the opening provided to slam a vicious right hook to Six’s face which knocked Six down onto the mat.

When Six didn’t move for a second, Caitlyn quickly began the countdown, silently praying that this was the end of the fight. Caitlyn didn’t care who had won, but it was clear that this fight had long since stopped being about the sport of it all and she needed an end to the growing sense of dread she felt building within her.

*Flashback*

 

I believe that without a shadow of a doubt, I have been under pressure since the moment I was born.

 

“I’m sorry, Sheriff, your wife…your wife didn’t make it,” the doctor said softly as Marcus looked down at the small bundle in his arms. Within it, he could see the tiny infant looking up at him with silver eyes and wisps of red hair that reminded him so much of his beloved wife.

A wife that was no longer with him.

“Do you have a name for the little one?” the doctor questioned and the sheriff closed his eyes tightly causing a couple of tears to fall. When he opened them, he looked down at his daughter with a look of anguish.

“Ren.”

The doctor nodded at that and gave the new father a sad smile. “A fine name, one that would suit her just as well as it had her mother. I’ll give you a few moments to be alone with the little one.”

 

*Flash*

 

I was three the first time I saw my father smile. It was the day he discovered my ‘gift’.

 

“You should be proud Sheriff,” an elderly woman said as she, Marcus, and Ren sat in the Sheriff’s living room. “She inherited more than her mother’s looks, she has a mind that comes around only once in a generation.”

Marcus looked at the woman in surprise. “Really!?”

“Indeed, had I not been so close to retirement I would offer to personally tutor her as I did her mother,” the woman told him with a smile. “I know you’ve climbed your way up from quite the humble beginning, but it was all worth it. If she applies herself and takes advantage of her natural talent, no door will be closed to her in our fair city. With a memory as perfect as hers, she may find herself sponsored by even the likes of Clan Ferros, Merdarda, or even Kiramman.”

Marcus beamed at the news, overjoyed that his daughter was blessed.

*Flash*

 

It was a year after that, that I realized my gift was a curse instead.

 

Ren cowered in a corner as the other children in the orphanage surrounded her calling her names, cursing her and her father for being ‘traitors’. A few pulled her hair and even kicked her and as this happened, the caretakers turned a blind eye.

They always did.

They didn’t care about Ren, her pain, or how she would remember each spite-filled word, each blow, and each cold stare every single day for the rest of her life.

*Flash*

 

Five years.

 

It took five years for me to find the light in all of that darkness.

 

“Hi!” Ren blinked as she stared incredulously at the shorter girl in front of her. The sounds of claws ripping through flesh distracted her from the pain she felt after being manhandled and the hunger that ate away at her stomach.

Of course, that light came from the most dangerous flame in the world, but I wasn’t scared.

 

Ren managed to look away from Annie when she saw Vi and Caitlyn approach her.

Not when it came with hope…

 

*Flash*

 

…and a purpose.

 

“Alright, I’ll admit we aren’t the most normal family ever but we are still that family,” Vi said as she knelt in front of Ren and placed a hand on her shoulder. “Because of that, I have an important mission for you.”

“Mission?” Ren repeated, her eyes filled with proverbial stars at the thought which made Vi chuckle.

“Yep!” Vi grinned. “Annie’s your little cousin now, so I’m going to need you to look out for her for me.”

Ren tilted her head in confusion. “But she’s strong, like, really strong.”

“She is, but you also know that she’s…different,” Vi said carefully. “She doesn’t understand the importance of life just yet, your aunts are doing their best to teach her. Because of that, I need you to look out for my sis’ little bomb when we’re not around, alright? Make sure nothing sets her off.”

Ren shuddered at the thought of that and understood immediately.

She loved Annie but she also knew that her cousin was a time bomb waiting to explode.

“But…what can I do?”

“What you already have done, be there for her,” Vi answered and her eyes held a hint of pain. “Even if she does go off, do your best to stay by her side. I’m asking a lot, I know, you’re just a kid but no matter what I want you two to always be there for each other, got it?”

Ren grinned. “Got it!”

A purpose that I would give my all to…

 

*Flash*

 

…even though I was broken.

 

“I don’t understand,” Caitlyn said looking troubled. Currently, She, Vi, and Ren were sitting in a therapist’s office. Ren looked distinctly uncomfortable to be there and VI didn’t seem much better but they showed up for Caitlyn’s sake.

The Sheriff had made it clear that attendance would be mandatory.

Something about their entire Clan needing ‘professional help’.

Caitlyn rarely ever pulled rank as Clan Kiramman’s matriarch, especially when it came to their Zaunite branch. However, she had made it known that the entire Clan would be getting professional help in some capacity whenever Annie stabilized some more.

Neither Aunt Jinx nor even Aunt Lux seemed willing to cooperate. Aunt Jinx seemed to share Vi’s opinion of therapy not working and Lux, while at least seeing the merit, appeared very uncomfortable at the idea of digging into her problems.

Oddly enough, it was Annie who got her mothers to agree, having developed an interest in anything relating to the medical field. Just hearing the word ‘doctor’ seemed to pique Annie’s interest, something that made her even more unlike other children their age.

Aunt Lux still seemed to hold a grudge against Vi for telling their daughter ‘an apple a day keeps the doctor away’ because it had become impossible to get Annie to touch the fruit anymore.

“Ren’s memory is even better than mine,” Caitlyn continued, snapping Ren from her thoughts. “Yet, she told us herself that she barely remembered much of Sheriff Marcus despite remembering everything else from that time nearly perfectly.”

“Such a thing is, unfortunately, not uncommon,” the therapist said as he removed his glasses. “The late Sheriff was, unfortunately, one of the direct causes of young Ren’s traumatic experiences up until now. Even if she couldn’t forget most of them, her mind likely did its best to forget the cause of them as much as possible.”

“Am…am I broken?”

“Ren, no.” Caitlyn quickly reassured the frightened girl as Vi nodded her head. “You’re not broken.”

“Cupcake’s right,” Vi agreed. “You’ve just been through some bad shit.”

“Though a bit cruder than I would put it, she’s right,” the Therapist said as he looked gently at Ren. “This lapse in your memory isn’t a result of weakness but rather a result of being too strong far too long for a child your age.”

“But isn’t being strong a good thing?” Ren asked in confusion.

“Not always, as with everything in life, even strength needs moderation,” the therapist replied. “As it stands, your lapse in your memory may seem inconsequential, even natural given how young you were, but I wager these are memories you are repressing which is a different issue altogether.”

The therapist pointed to his head.

“There’s a pressure building, one that will only grow over time,” the therapist warned. “It's an unfortunate truth but life is filled with highs and lows, eventually you will experience more pain and there is a limit to how much you can repress, how much pressure can build before it all comes bursting back out in the most violent of ways. You should try to avoid this, all it takes is one bad day, lashing out at the wrong person, to change the entire trajectory of your life and the lives of others for the worst.”

At his words, Vi tensed and Caitlyn placed a hand on her wife’s shoulder and squeezed it reassuringly.

“We have a long road ahead of us,” the therapist told them. “But bit by bit, step by step, we can get your Clan down the path of recovery. It won’t be easy, but something tells me each member is up for the challenge, that is if you’re willing to work with me.”

Caitlyn nodded and looked at him with a determined expression.

“We are.”

*flash*

 

But, as always, life had other plans.

 

Ren was thirteen now and all thoughts of walking down the path of recovery had long since been destroyed. Destroyed by a treacherous mage from Demacia that felt the need to take away all she held dear.

She’d make him pay.

If it was the last thing, she did…

…she would make him pay.

 

Standing in the gym of Clan Kiramman’s Piltovan estate, Ren knelt and shoved her hands inside of her mother’s gauntlets. Immediately they whirled to life, emitting a Hextech blue glow as Ren gritted her teeth trying, to no avail, to lift the massive weapons that her mother had wielded with ease. With a shout, she managed to make them budge slightly before she collapsed forward, panting tiredly as the light in the gauntlets died again.

“Oh dear, not again.” Ren glanced back to see her adopted grandfather, Tobias Kiramman, quickly approaching her with a face filled with concern. “Ren, are you okay!?”

“I’m fine,” Ren reassured him though her expression was completely defeated. “I’m just too weak, like always.”

“My dear, you’re one of the strongest girls I have ever had the pleasure of knowing,” Tobias said firmly. “Do not speak of yourself as anything less.” He placed a hand on her shoulder and squeezed it gently before assisting her in removing her arms from the gauntlets. “You’re not weak but you are trying to grow up far too fast, you’ll hurt yourself at this rate.”

“But I need to get stronger, Tobias, I need to make him pay!”

Tobias looked at her sadly. “Revenge? Is revenge truly worth pushing yourself this far? Is it hurting yourself this much? You know that neither of your mothers would approve.”

Ren rolled her eyes and rubbed her forearms once they were freed. “Yeah, well they’re not exactly here now, are they?”

“They’re not,” Tobias said patiently. “They gave their lives so that you could live, darling. Tell me, are you living right now? Is what you’re doing now what they died for?” Ren’s eyes glistened but she averted her eyes and didn’t respond. “If you have to fight, then fight for the right reasons and do so correctly. Do not fight for revenge, fight to protect that which is most important to you, that is the Kiramman way.”

Ren blinked rapidly, forcing back her tears as an image of Annie flashed in her mind.

“What if what I want to protect is stronger than me? What if it can protect itself?” Ren asked quietly. “When…when my moms died, Annie kept me safe while all I could do was cower in fear. Maybe if I wasn’t there, she could have helped them, she could have kept them alive.” Ren trembled. “My weakness killed them, grandpa, don’t you see that? I have to get stronger.”

“You’re just a child, Ren, both of you girls are no matter what talents you were born with,” Tobias reminded her. “You’re supposed to be protected, it's not your job to protect anyone.” Tobias gave her a sad smile. “It’s the job of the adults, of old people like me, to keep you safe. Which, I’ll admit, is hard with you girls in Zaun.” Tobias said pointedly. “Is there no way to convince you to stay in Piltover?”

Ren continued to rub her arms and gave him a knowing look. “You know why I can’t.”

Tobias sighed but nodded all the same. “I’ll admit I have never been too sure how to deal with the ‘other side’ of our family, but any misgivings I may have had never extended to you children. Annie is more than welcome to come up here as well.”

“I know and so does she, but she doesn’t handle change that well, especially after all that’s happened,” Ren explained. “Piltover can’t handle her panic attacks. I can’t protect her from others, but I can protect others from her and at least attempt to protect her from herself. She needs me, grandpa.”

Tobias shook his head. “You are far too mature for your age. No child should be burdened with such a weight. Still, perhaps it's because of that maturity that I’ll trust your judgment and not invoke my power as Clan Head to force you both to stay here. That said, I’ll only allow you to stay in Zaun as long as you both continue to be raised by the Firelights. I refuse to entrust your upbringing to Glasc.”

Ren nodded at this, knowing that this was non-negotiable. “You know, technically in Zaun, she is kind of Annie’s grandmother.”

“Yes, but she’s not yours,” Tobias said firmly and it spoke volumes of how serious his distrust of Glasc was for the normally gentle man to be willing to separate the girls. “Stay with the Firelights, they’re a bit too rowdy for my liking but they’re a good bunch. They will help you find power the correct way, and if not, you’re more than welcome to find it up here. Piltover is your home, Ren.”

“Find power the correct way?” Ren questioned before shaking her head as she was truly getting desperate. If her self-loathing for her weakness got any worse, she could see herself eventually asking Dr. Singed for help at this rate. “What is that supposed to mean?”

Yet despite all of life’s different plans, there is one constant.

Before Tobias could respond another voice interrupted them.

“Perhaps I could help with that?” the two turned to see Jayce in the doorway. “Sorry for the intrusion, Lord Kiramman.”

“Jayce?” Tobias questioned, surprised to see him. “I haven’t seen you since the funeral my boy.”

“I know, a mistake on my part,” Jayce said they could see the man appeared emotionally drained yet his eyes held a fire in them as he stared at Ren. “Caitlyn was like a sister to me, I loved her like family, but every time she or her family needed me most, I let them down. I’m here, sir because I would like to finally do right by her and help her daughter.”

Tobias frowned a bit. “And just what would this ‘help’ entail?”

“Your granddaughter is a fighter, sir, something I believe you know all too well,” Jayce said knowingly. “A trait she shares with her mothers. No matter the status she inherited or how much she is advised otherwise, she will rise to action just as they had. I would ask you to let me sponsor her, to allow me to use all of my resources to help her grow into a woman strong enough to handle their legacies.”

And that constant is that there would always be pressure building.

Tobias frowned as he thought it over. Clan Kiramman was extremely powerful, yes, but that power was political. Ren could be the most powerful woman in the council chambers one day, but that power would only help her political battles, not the deadly ones she would no doubt run towards just as her mothers had.

Clan Kiramman was mostly built on ‘old money’ and had very little resources when it came to the modern tools and technology Ren would need to fight the battles she wanted. The only Houses with such resources were Talis and Ferros.

And if Tobias distrusted Glasc, he would be damned if he allowed House Ferros to sink its claws into Ren.

“Very well,” Tobias said which made Ren look at him in surprise. Her etiquette classes had taught her to keep her mouth shut whenever two Clan Heads were conversing and she knew that when it came to her being sponsored, her input mattered little.

It was the Clan Head’s decision and theirs alone.

“She has a heart too big for her body, and a mind too big for her head,” Tobias informed Jayce. “She’ll go off on her own to do what she believes is right and, despite her politeness, has bouts of extreme stubbornness.”

Ren flushed and Jayce chuckled.

“Sound’s familiar.” Jayce mused and Tobias chuckled a bit, his eyes crinkling ever so slightly as he placed a hand on Ren’s back.

“Indeed.” Tobias nodded. “She’ll be staying in Zaun for the time being, will this be an issue?”

“She may need some nutritional supplements to counteract any ill-effects Zaun’s environment may have on her development.” Jayce pointed out. “But it shouldn’t be too much of an issue, though the constant commuting may take a toll on her.” Jayce turned to Ren. “Are you sure you wish to stay down there?”

Ren nodded resolutely. “I do.”

“It won’t be easy on you.”

I just had to become strong enough to not break…

“Nothing worth doing is easy, Councilor Talis,” Ren responded and Jayce stared at her for a moment, seemingly lost in memory before nodding.

“Very well.”

*flash*

 

…No matter how many cracks began to form.

 

Ren looked on in shock as she propped herself up onto her hands and knees in the unforgiving snow of Freljord. Before her, she could see Annie stumbling forward, her expression of disbelief as she fell to her knees before a panting Nunu.

Beside him, Willump stood by his partner protectively as they watched Annie’s flames flicker around her body.

“I can’t…believe it…” Annie said with a grimace. “I…lost?”

Ren trembled when she saw Annie, after voicing her disbelief at her defeat, collapse in the snow. The sight of Annie unconscious and completely at the mercy of Nunu and Willump shook Ren to her core. Whether it was the idea that Annie, her powerful cousin, could lose or how similar the sight was to that of her mothers the day died Ren didn’t know. But something…something about the sight made something in her snap.

“Please, we don’t have to fight, I think there’s been a misunderstanding,” Nunu spoke, his voice gentle as he pleaded for Ren to no escalate the situation. Had Ren been in the correct state of mind she would have heeded his words, had she been mentally present she would have stood down but she wasn’t mentally present.

No.

Her mind was trapped in that horrible day she lost everything again and when she looked at Nunu…

…she could only see Sylas staring at her mockingly.

Heart thundering in her chest, Ren released an enrage cry that even gave Willump pause as her training gauntlet sprung to life, fill with Hextech energy.

She was nowhere near as powerful as Annie, but when Nunu would eventually recount this tale, he’d admit that at that moment it was Ren who terrified him the most out of the youngest Kirammans.

*Flash*

 

 

Well, that was a bust.

Even now, Ren wasn’t entirely sure just what exactly Annie had been looking to get from Ryze but it had been clear from Annie’s scowl that she hadn’t gotten it when it was time for them to head back to the cities.

Something had snapped in Annie, something vital and Ren knew that Annie’s fuse had gotten much shorter. Which meant that it was time for Ren to act, to be the proactive one for once between the two of them.

Annie was a bomb.

Which meant that she was the blast shield.

Unfortunately, she was an incredibly weak one.

Grabbing a flier that had been created to attract potential recruits to Piltover’s first genuine attempt at militarization in decades, Ren felt a burning sensation in her chest. Something that felt dangerously close to purpose.

A protector.

That was all Ren had ever wanted to be. Someone that could protect her loved ones but over the years those she could consider as such continued to be lost due to her weakness. Ren was tired of this. Tired of her weakness and knew that something had to shift before she lost anyone else.

Ren chuckled as a tear slid down her cheek. It was funny, at this point between herself and Annie, she wasn’t sure who was who’s lifeline anymore. They clung to each other tightly, desperately, though neither complained about how tight the proverbial grip they had on each other was as they knew the other could take it.

That said, Annie’s grip was getting stronger.

Don’t break.

And Ren had to find strength quickly before she could no longer bear the pressure of that grip.

Don’t break.

Grabbing the flier tightly, Ren sent out a silent prayer as she prepared to get ready to meet up with her cousin at the bridge, praying that Annie would take the news of her departure well.

*Flash*

 

Don’t break…

Why didn’t they listen!?

Ren wasn’t a stranger to being ostracized for her parentage in Piltover. First, it was because of her traitorous father, and later it was because of having a Zaunite mother who was the sister of the very bane of Piltover’s existence and another mother who was unapologetic in her endeavors to help both cities.

But still…!

Why…

…why did they ignore her when she tried to warn them!?

Ren held back her sobs as she sat wounded in the corner of a burning building, clutching desperately at her mother’s rifle as the terrified screams of the settlement’s residents echoed throughout the night. Yet, despite how loud they were she could still hear them the sounds of the demons rampaging in the streets could be heard just as clearly.

Even as tears fell from her eyes, between the black smoke filling her lungs and the black mist slipping inside of the building, Ren knew she only had two choices.

Sit and die or…

-Flashback: End-

 

…stand and fight.

“…seven…eight-” Caitlyn’s countdown was cut off when Six silently sat up. Caitlyn grimaced at this and her heart clenched as she knew the fight was likely to continue. Gently, Caitlyn placed a hand on Six’s shoulder. Six was powerful yes, stronger than both her and Vi, but when stripped of everything and placed into a boxing match against Vi, her daughter was at a large disadvantage.  “Six, you don’t have to–” Caitlyn stopped when Ren shrugged off her hand and climbed to her feet. “Six?”

Caitlyn gasped quietly when she saw her daughter’s eyes.

A hard steel gaze had replaced those once twin pools of shimmering silver and not a single bit of warmth could be found in them.

Once more, Caitlyn couldn’t help but be reminded of those veteran enforcers who had taken the brunt of the Split.

Six’s eyes were practically dead as she silently removed her gloves, letting them fall to the ground with audible thumps that cut through the silence of the room.

“Six?” Caitlyn called out again as her daughter clenched her fists so tightly that her knuckles began to pop. “Six!” Caitlyn tried to get Six’s attention but her words and pleas fell on deaf ears, drowned out by the sounds of screams and battle that Six could hear as clear as if she were back on the battlefield.

Six was no longer with them, not really. No, now she was trapped in the past. Trapped in memories of battles both fought and won.

Memories of a soldier turned General who sacrificed everything to guide her nation into the worst the world had to offer and pulled it through to the other side with her bare hands.

When Vi saw Six’s fists begin to tremble and saw the blood dripping from them due to Six’s nails piercing her palms, she knew what was coming. It was the very thing she had been waiting for. Her daughter, a precious little star who was forced to be too strong too soon was finally, finally, beginning to unravel.

“Stay back, Cupcake,” Vi warned, never taking her eyes off of Six, who stared back at her emotionlessly, looking every bit like the calm before the storm.

With a shake of her head, Caitlyn decided this had gone on enough and went to step in between them to de-escalate the situation…

…only to find herself violently shoved out of the way and into the ropes of the ring by Six who appeared to have acted out of reflex more than anything else. Feeling the wind knocked out of her, Caitlyn looked up with wide eyes as Six launched herself at Vi who cursed and raised her arms to guard herself.

Her expression now suddenly livid, Six slammed a vicious blow into Vi’s guard that managed to break it and send Vi stumbling back into the ropes. Grimacing from the pain, Vi cursed as she knew something vital in her daughter had simply snapped as she exploded in rage. Left with no choice, all Vi could do was go on the defensive as Six quickly closed the distance and began to rain blow after blow onto Vi without mercy.

Though the strength behind the blows was incredible, Vi was confused as she felt an unnatural burning sensation accompany the usual sting that would follow such attacks. Six’s skin felt like fire and Vi had the sudden suspicion that even when stripped of her tools and weaponry, there was still another source of power hidden within her daughter.

A power that Six appeared to be subconsciously holding back even in her berserk state.

Vi felt her heart clench as even now, when Six had lost all reason, her daughter still tried to hold on, to not completely collapse.

Once more, Six broke Vi’s guard but this time Vi was unable to move quickly enough to prevent Six from slamming a vicious right into her face. Vi’s head whipped to the side from the force and before she could react, Six landed another blow.

And another.

And another.

*Flashback*

 

I…am a soldier.

A blood-soaked Ren panted tiredly as she stood surrounded by corpses of both demons and civilians who had been possessed in the Harrowing. The stench of death burned her nose, but that stench was a reminder that she survived.

That she was alive.

The same could not be said for the few soldiers who had survived the initial onslaught that she managed to rally to her side. It had been a gamble, a risky one, but she had chosen to destroy the local Hexgate. Its collapse and unstable reaction wiped out most of the horde and the settlement.

But the people who once lived in those buildings were still alive, expertly evacuated by herself and her fallen brothers and sisters in arms.

The first line of defense for Piltover and its interests.

The weight of their lives was heavy but she’d carry that weight as she helped the settlement rebuild.

*Flash*

 

As General, I am Piltover’s Vanguard against those who would see her fall.

Ren, now dubbed Six, stood on the watchtower in Piltover’s north with her hands folded behind her back. Her medals shone brightly on her chest as the very ground shook from the marching of her army of soldiers that were, human, Hextech, and a myriad of other races that called Piltover home.

*Flash*

 

No price is too much to pay.

Once more Six smelt the stench of death as she stood with a cackling Hex amongst the burning remains of Sylas’ army.

Shock and awe.

She and Hex had hit them quickly and with everything they had, whoever hadn’t managed to be turned into chalk from the initial inferno had been shot and torn down by her, leaving nothing but an enraged Sylas who was unable to stand against both of them.

So many had died to bring him to their mercy.

So close was she to her revenge.

But Noxus was clear, his death would mean war.

So along with the cost of her morals, Six had to sacrifice her pride as well.

She had to for her city.

And because of that, the weight of the lives of those who had been slaughtered in the crossfire between herself and Sylas would be placed upon her as he was allowed to live until he attacked them again.

The weight had long since grown unbearable.

Yet she somehow pushed on.

One day at a time.

 

*Flash*

No pain is too much.

A young blonde toddler, no older than two stumbled out into the busy city streets, chasing after a runaway ball. When she picked up, she smiled only to be petrified when she heard the sound of a loud horn and tires trying in vain to screech to a halt. With wide eyes, she turned to find a large truck barreling toward her as passerby’s screamed in alarm.

Before the child could be hit, Six, garbed in her dress blues managed to intercept and slam her shoulder into the truck. Six grit her teeth in agony as she had no time to fully deploy her Hex suit, but what little armor she did manage to deploy was more than enough to keep her alive and stop the vehicle in its tracks.

That didn’t mean she wouldn’t have a few broken bones from the encounter.

Six glanced through the windshield and was happy to see that the driver, though unconscious, had survived thanks to his airbag. Prying herself free, Six grimaced when she saw her uniform tattered and bit back a curse as she felt the mind-numbing pain in her side.

Still, when she heard the sound of a child crying, she forced back her grimace and placed a smile on her face before she knelt to comfort the girl while lightly reprimanding her for running into the street.

Before long, what Six assumed to be the girl’s guardian ran to the scene in hysterics. Six was going to give them a piece of her mind for not paying attention to the girl but stopped when she saw the woman’s uniform.

She was a servant, a caretaker by the looks of it for House Ferros.

Quickly putting the pieces together, Six looked down at the girl and took note of her familiar blonde hair. Six shuddered as she realized the girl was not only a member of Clan Ferros, but the favored niece of its grandmaster, the City’s Chief Inquisitor, and her oddly protective mission handler.

Six knew then that it would be pointless to reprimand the caretaker as her days were likely numbered.

If Lady Ferros could off this little girl’s parents and her own family, who had been under investigation for corruption, as she suspected then there was no hope for this poor woman. Rising to her feet, Six subtly used her armor to support her movements as she managed to not stumble or blackout on her way to find a medic while the crowd began to cheer for her.

She grinned and waved but wanted to do nothing but scream and cry, but she couldn’t show weakness.

She was their symbol.

She could save the tears for when she was back at home and getting fretted over by Grandpa Tobias.

 

*Flash*

 

No threat is too big.

Six’s side hadn’t fully healed from the accident, but they didn’t need to know that.

She could stand.

Which meant she could fight.

Finishing detailing the plan of attack with Hex and Nunu, Six stepped away to give the two privacy despite them both urging her to stay. As she stepped out of the tent and into the frozen wasteland of the Freljord, she saw Lady Ferros decloak and appear leaning beside a nearby tree.

The Chief Inquisitor looked at her knowingly, ever since the woman had become her exclusive mission handler, she always seemed to be able to read Six like a book, to know when she was truly in perfect condition and when she wasn’t. She’d always demand that Six stays put whenever Six wasn’t in what she deemed to be fighting condition but Six always ignored her.

And this time was no different.

The woman’s eyes seemed to be shadowed by her bangs as Six brushed past her.

She’d deal with the reprimands later.

She had a job to do.

*Flash*

 

 

Because….

“Who’s that?” the little girl, who she had been informed was named Camilla, questioned as she sat on Six’s shoulders. She, Camilla, and C. had been hanging out, something which had been occurring frequently, at the memorial park when they stumbled across the memorial for Piltover’s Finest.

The girl knew who Caitlyn was, her tutors had made sure she was being taught everything of importance when it came to her Clan and the other others despite only now being four.

Unfortunately, it appeared that though Caitlyn was important, her wife was not as Camilla had no idea who Vi was. Six’s smile slipped a bit at the thought, and unbeknownst to her, C.’s eyes narrowed ever so slightly when she saw that.

Six’s smile returned but it was melancholy as she looked at the statue. “My mom.” Six answered which made the girl gasp. “They both were.”

“She looks cool.”

“She was the coolest.”

“Oh dear, it appears we need to replace your tutor.” C. mused which made her niece look at her in confusion.

“Again?”

C. nodded, expressionless as ever. “For there to be such a gap in your knowledge is…inexcusable. I’ll correct it.”

Six felt her chest warm at that, knowing that the seemingly cold woman did not stand for prejudice. Like her predecessor, she was prepared to strike down any Zaunite that threatened the balance but she didn’t actively target them. In her eyes, the prejudice between the cities made them both weak and weakness was not something she tolerated.

“Tell me about her,” Camilla said, which just made Six chuckle. The girl was inquisitive by nature, mature beyond her years, and strangely enough, seemed to be on a mission to get her to ‘open up.’

“She was funny, brave, and so strong…” Six began and as she spoke about Vi she felt her eyes burn. “She was my hero. Just like C.’s yours.”

“I am no one’s hero,” C. said dryly. “And what is with you and that nickname, you’d tell her what it means but not me?”

“Sorry, C. consider it my way to train her in keeping a secret, you of all people should approve, right?” Six questioned with a smirk as the little girl snickered. “And you shouldn’t say that, Camilla is lucky to have you as a hero.”

“But she’s not my hero,” Camilla said with a shake of her head. “She’s my mom and the best one ever!” Camilla said despite knowing full well that C. was her aunt. “She sings me lullabies, reads me stories, and plays dolls with me.” Camilla listed off and Six’s eyes glinted with amused me as she saw a blush come over C.’s face as she tried and failed to save face.

Six chuckled. “I knew you were sweet-”

“You’re my hero.” Six’s stopped cold when she heard Camilla’s words.

…I am a hero.

*Flashback: End*

 

Camilla’s face flashed through Six’s mind and her fist stopped cold in front of a battered Vi’s face.

Fist trembling, Six seemed to regain her senses. Eyes filled with horror, Six’s bloodstained fist began to tremble as she looked between it and Vi, her mother, her hero who she was just moments away from beating to death.

Eyes watering, Six looked down at her shaking hands.

“What did I do?”

“Lose your shit,” Vi answered before spitting some blood onto the ground. Hesitantly, Six watched as Vi forced herself up onto her feet while removing her gloves just as Six had. “Damn, Jinx was right, that right hook of yours is nasty.”

Six’s head suddenly whipped to the side when Vi delivered a right hook of her own that sent Six stumbling back into the ropes.

“But it still needs some work,” Vi said while wiping blood from the corner of her mouth with her thumb. “That was for shoving your mom.”

With wide eyes, Six’s body shook as she glanced at Caitlyn who grimaced as she pulled herself up.

“Look, I get it,” Vi said as she once more got Six’s attention. “You’ve placed the weight of both cities on your back along with the Clan. You’ve pushed yourself beyond the breaking point…and that’s just as much of my fault as it is yours.”

“Vi, I-“

“Stop,” Vi interrupted as she pointed at her face. “You see this look on my face? This will always mean it’s time to shut up.”

“But-” Six stopped when Vi’s eyes narrowed while intensely gesturing toward her face once more.

“I’m sorry,” Vi continued sincerely once it was clear she wouldn’t be interrupted again. “I idolize my old man so much that even when I’m actively trying not to ignore his mistakes, I still ignore some, and worse, repeat them with you. Yes, I told you to protect Annie and the others you love but I failed to tell you to protect yourself first.”

Six froze at that.

“You can’t help anyone if you can’t help yourself.” Vi continued as Six’s eyes began to water. “You’ve grown up. You’ve got so many titles, responsibilities, things, and people you want to protect…hell you’re a symbol.”

Vi shook her head.

“But what’s left behind all of that little star?” Vi questioned. “Who is beneath that armor? That symbol?  That crushing sense of duty?”

“I…I…don’t know…” Six whispered and Vi’s expression softened.

“I know,” Vi answered knowing full well how painful that feeling of not knowing who you were could be. “I didn’t start knowing who I was until I was even older than you. It wasn’t until I began raising you that I found the answer. In you, I saw myself.” Vi smiled a bit. “I saw the good…” Vi’s smile fell. “…and I saw the bad.”

“It was the same for me,” Caitlyn spoke up, getting Six’s attention as the sheriff regarded her daughter with a quiet intensity. “My entire life, I’ve dedicated myself to building a better world for those I care about, for the citizens of Piltover and, after meeting your mother, Zaun as well.” Caitlyn smiled slightly. “It wasn’t until you came along, however, that I realized that I wanted a place in that world as well if not for any other reason than to share it with you.”

Six’s tears began to fall.

Caitlyn chuckled a bit as she looked knowingly at her daughter. “It’s so easy to give yourself fully to your office, your vocation because it helps distance yourself from the crushing weight of your mortality, your flaws. You might even think it makes the hard decisions easier and even see it as a way to make up for any perceived weakness you have.”

Caitlyn’s gaze turned hard.

“Let me tell you now, that mentality isn’t wisdom, it's weakness,” Caitlyn said firmly. “Your actions betray your cowardice. You’re running from your insecurities instead of facing them head-on. Six, Clan Kiramman does not run from their problems.”

“She’s right, as always,” Vi agreed wholeheartedly. “You started hitting me a bit harder toward the end there, but that’s because you stopped fighting me at the point, didn’t you?” Vi nodded her head. “Yeah, you started fighting yourself. Your anger, your sadness, and your guilt…”  Vi closed her eyes and when she opened them, she gave Six a sad smile. “I think I get it, there’s so much you hate about your future but there’s also something you want to protect there and it’s tearing you up inside, ain’t it?”

Six visibly flinched and shut her eyes tightly, unable to take her mother’s knowing gaze as Vi hit the nail on the head.

*Flashback*

 

 

 

“…So…about your vote…” Six said awkwardly as she found herself lying naked in bed with C.

Despite herself, the woman snorted next to her. “Surely you did not just sleep with me to get my vote?” With a tired smile, C. turned over and propped herself up with her arm. “I thought such an ‘underhanded’ tactic was beneath those of Clan Kiramman.”

Six’s face went as red as her hair. “I-I did not! I came to ask you about it when you pulled me in here before I could get a word out!” Six defended. “Not that I’m complaining, but how did we get here? If I remember correctly, you turned me down after I finally managed to muster the courage to ask you for dinner.” Six frowned as she met C.’s gaze head. “I like you. A lot. But my mother raised me better than to let myself be strung along.”

C. laid on her back with a groan, covering her eyes with her forearm. “Please don’t mention your mother. Oh Janna I went to school with her. She’s going to haunt me from beyond the grave for this, I already know.”

Ren raised an eyebrow. “I think I might be able to ease her spirit if it comes to it. Though you must be terrified if you prayed to Janna, didn’t take you for a believer.”

“Clan Ferros never forgot where we came from, we just choose to protect where we are now,” C. explained. “Piltover, unlike Zaun, waned itself from its mother’s teat but that does not mean it doesn’t love her in its way even if she does pick favorites.”

 

“Yet, despite that, you didn’t cast your vote on my proposal, and the council is stuck in a deadlock,” Six said pointedly as the irritation she had felt earlier that day began to win over her post-coital haze. “A Hexgate for Zaun and access to the Stormgate for us, we’d revolutionize both cities. No one could stand against us.”

“I know.”

“Then why-”

“Because it would break the balance between our Clans,” C. answered quietly. “No matter what deal your aunt made with mine, if your Clan has such a feat behind them, you will win the people. Contrary to popular belief, they do have some power over the Clans.”

“Really? Clan politics? That’s why you would hold the cities back?” Six asked incredulously.

“For family, I would give.” C. recited quietly. “That is the motto of Clan Ferros. In the short-term, we too would reap the lion’s share of the immediate gains from your deal with Queen Hex.  However, in the long-term, we would lose our ability to keep your Clan in check and that is quite a substantial loss. No matter which way I look at it, agreeing would be the ultimate betrayal of my Clan. I’ve killed my kin for less.”

“C. I’ve done my best to keep our jobs out of…whatever it is this is…” Six said as she wasn’t even sure she could call what they had a relationship. An affair that probably had her mother rolling in her grave? Yes. However, an actual relationship…that was another beast entirely. “But in this case, if we can’t agree on this…I’m not sure this situation can continue.”

C. sighed. “I know.”

Six blinked rapidly and pushed herself, moving so that she could sit on her side of the bed.

She wouldn’t cry.

She had survived too much to let something like this get to her.

At least, she hoped if she said that enough she’d believe it.

“Then I’ll take my leave.”

However, before she could get up to find her clothes a cold hand grasped her wrist firmly but gently. Glancing down, she could see the faint Hextech blue light slipping through the lines of C.’s cybernetic arm in the darkened room.

“I didn’t vote no.”

Six paused.

“What?” Six questioned as she looked back at C. Then, when she thought about it, when it came time to vote, C. hadn’t voted against the proposal. No, she had simply slipped from her seat and left which made the other Councilors, Six included, assume she was against it which left the deciding vote to Clan Tariost who always stayed out of matters that put Clans Ferros and Kiramman against each other.

“Despite knowing it was the ultimate betrayal for the Clan, that wasn’t enough to give me pause,” C. told her. “No, what made me hold my tongue was you. I’ve seen you give yourself and more for these ungrateful cities, do you have any idea what this could do to you?” C. questioned. “Do you have any idea how much weight you’re asking me to willingly place on your shoulders after I’ve spent years trying to get you to stop killing yourself?”

Six was at a loss for words as she gazed into C.’s Hextech blue eyes which seemed to shine even brighter than usual.

“That is why I left the room,” C. said firmly.  “For someone like me, who has given all for my family, to say I had an existential crisis would be putting it lightly and I prefer to not have any witnesses for my panic attacks.” C. released her wrist and gripped the sheet tighter. “You’re the one person who has seen beneath my mask, who understands how much my actions have tormented me.”

“You left to be with a Camilla,” Six said quietly. Whenever C. felt the full weight of position suffocating her, she’d always return to her estate and spend the day with Camilla in their private garden. The one place where the woman felt safe and could put her mind to ease. A place where the only people who had access to it were C., Camilla, and recently Six.

“I did, and when I came home do you know what happened?” C. questioned rhetorically. “One of the maids told me that she wished to speak urgently with her mother so of course, I went to see her immediately. However, when I talked to her, I learned it wasn’t me she wanted nor was it my late sister-in-law. No, she was asking for you and wondering when the next time we could play was.”

Six found it hard to breathe at that point.  C. laughed hollowly. “I came home for some peace of mind and found my emotions even more conflicted than earlier. When you came here, everything I tried to bottle up came out at once. Yes, you were angry, I expected as much with you being the spitfire that you are but I couldn’t focus on that. For once I was distracted. Distracted by the fact you were there mere moments after realizing just what you meant to me.”

C. gestured toward the bed.

“You know the rest,” C. said with a shrug. “For family, I will give,” C. repeated. “Family is something you have become in the truest sense of the word to me. The only thing I refuse to give you is more pain, yet, that is exactly what you’re asking me to do. So, what would you have me do?”

“I...I…” Six swallowed the lump in her throat. “I know it won’t be easy. My moms taught me that most things worth doing rarely are.” Six grasped C.’s hand with both of hers. “Mission after mission, battle after battle, and venture after venture, no matter how exhausted I was I always came back to you and Camilla.”

C. held her breath, knowing that Six spoke only the truth.

“This will be no different.” Six reassured her. “Especially, since I want to have you by my side. Not as a fellow Clan head or my mission handler, but as family. As the cities prosper, I want to laugh with you, cry with you, and even raise Camilla with you as her other mother if you’d let me.”

C. averted her eyes, blushing as Six grinned at her reaction.

“Don’t be silly, there’s no way we could get married,” C. reminded her. Ironically, her Clan would be completely behind such a move no doubt seeing it as a major powerplay that would leave their strength unmatched.

The problem was that the other clans would see it as such as well.

Clans Ferros and Kiramman were more powerful than any other Clan besides each other but that didn’t mean they could face the combined strength of the rest. C. had no doubt Clan Merdarda would quickly spearhead a campaign to stop such a blatant monopolization of power.

“Maybe not in Piltover,” Six agreed. If there was any doubt lingering in C.  that The General of Piltover and Queen of Zaun was family, it was dashed out by the mischievous glint in Six’s eyes. “Do you trust me?”

“I do.”

*Flashback: End*

 

Six found herself quickly wiping away her tears.

“You and Caitlyn are irreplaceable,” Six said, her voice filled with so many emotions, so much hurt, that her mothers found themselves hurting for her. “But I have people in my time that I can’t lose. People that have only just begun living themselves.” Six said as an image of Camilla flashed through her mind. “They deserve a chance to survive and grow, to help make that future better.”

Just because she could change the past didn’t mean she had the right to do so.

In exchange for the few she loved so dearly, so completely, she’d sentence billions to death including her daughter.

“I have no right, to do such a thing.” Six told them firmly. “But that’s fine, despite Hex’s misgivings, I do trust Lady Gray with all that I have. She has never stopped looking after us, protecting and fighting for this family no matter how much it destroyed her. If she says that she can save you then she can.”

To the future.

Six had to keep looking to the future and remain a beacon, a shining star to guide those who would follow behind her.

“Our Clan’s salvation is in the future not in the past,” Six told them. “As the head of Clan Kiramman, I must show you both a brighter tomorrow, and I will.” Six clenched her fists tightly. “I will. For us, I will make a dynasty. We’re so close to obtaining the perfect future for not just our Clan, but for the cities as well but once more Sylas stands in our way.”

Six gritted her teeth.

“All I have to do is defeat him,” Six told them. “It shouldn’t be hard. I am not that girl I once was.” The memory of seeing her mothers killed flashed through her mind. “So why am I scared? Why do I feel like everything will go wrong?”

Despite the situation, Vi chuckled. “Oh man, do I know that feeling.”

Six blinked and looked at her curiously. “You do?

Vi nodded. “Yeah. I think I’ve had that feeling every day since your mom got me out of Stillwater. Though for me it wasn’t Sylas causing that feeling but Silco.” Vi explained. “It’s like an itch you can’t scratch, a constant reminder of all your failures. When someone causes that much pain to you when you’re that young and vulnerable it doesn’t matter how much time passes or how much stronger than them you become. Hell, they don’t even have to be alive anymore and you’ll still be waiting for the other shoe to drop, waiting for them to come back and tear down everything you care for again.”

“How do I stop that feeling?”

“To be honest, I don’t know if you can,” Vi answered honestly. “I’m gonna confirm something you’re probably afraid of, but killing Sylas? It won’t stop that feeling or give you closure about what happened.”

At this, Six glared. “So what? Are you saying it’s pointless to kill him then? I hope you don’t expect to, after everything, take him back to my time alive.”

“Look, I’m not Cupcake, alright?” Vi said as she nodded toward her wife. “She’s mostly right about what she says concerning revenge. You probably cause even more damage and suffer more trying to get it.”

“Mostly?” Caitlyn repeated with a small frown and Vi shrugged while giving her an apologetic look.

“Sorry Cupcake but it does feel good,” Vi said sheepishly before she frowned. “But what doesn’t feel good is the hold it has on you up until that point, or how lost you’ll feel afterward especially when you see that nothing in your life changed from it.”

Vi sighed.

“But I’m not gonna preach to you either, you’re a grown-ass woman now,” Vi told Six firmly. “You can make your own decisions and I trust your judgment because I trust that, even though our time together was short, we raised you right.”

Six shook her head angrily. “So, what am I supposed to do to stop these feelings, Vi?”

Vi gave her a sad smile. “Honey, that’s up to you.”

Six trembled. “Every. Day. Every day, Vi, since I lost you two, I would ask myself what would you both want me to do and act accordingly. And now when, by some miracle, I have a chance to ask you what to do, you don’t have an answer?”

“The only one that can give you the answer you’re looking for is you.” Vi smiled faintly. “And I think you already got it.”

Six blinked at that as Vi raised her fists. “W-what?”

“Come on, I didn’t hear a bell,” Vi told her. “I want you to see something, but for that to happen you have to beat me.”

“Vi, did you forget what happened earlier? I lost my shit,” Six reminded her mother still both ashamed and embarrassed by her loss of control. “What is there to stop me from slipping?”

“You,” Vi answered.

Caitlyn frowned, still shaken by how Six lost control and worried for both women. “Vi, I’m not sure-”

“Cupcake, she needs this,” Vi cut her off, her expression firm as she never took her gaze off of her daughter. “For once she needs to see what we see when we look at her.”

Caitlyn averted her eyes that and Six held Vi’s gaze for a moment before slowly raising her fists once more.

For a moment, neither said a word as they began to circle each other, waiting for the moment that the other would strike first. Eventually, Vi’s smile fell as she suddenly stepped forward.

Vicious.

Violent.

Almost Victorious.

To Six, all of these terms would be appropriate to describe Vi as the General did everything she could to avoid the blow Vi sent toward her head. Though she had managed to avoid the punch, the sheer wind pressure released from the blow hit Six so hard that she almost thought the fist had connected. With her hair blown back and eyes wide with blatant shock, Six found herself shaken by the force of the blow she had just managed to avoid.

The punch had been like nothing Vi had thrown earlier in their fight, and Six was hit by the sudden realization that Vi had been holding back during their fight.

Holding back a lot.

Six could feel something warm slide down her face, dripping off of it and onto the floor, and knew that she was bleeding. Had that blow landed, Six knew that she would have been lucky if she was only knocked unconscious.

There was something lethal behind Vi’s punch, something that she wasn’t even sure Jinx had dealt with.

Six was a tall woman, over a head taller than Vi, but at that moment when she saw Vi raise her fists once more, Six had never felt smaller.

Once more, Vi stepped forward and this time it was Six who found herself on the defensive from Vi’s onslaught. One after another, the blows rained down on Six who felt her body explode in pain from each impact. Had any other human Piltovan been in Six’s place, she was sure their chest would have caved in from the final blow from Vi which knocked her back from the center of the ring and right into the ropes.

Six coughed violently and blood spilled from her lips while her body felt as though it were on fire.

Six’s vision began to swim and darken and had her arm not been currently draped over the ropes, she was sure she would have collapsed onto the ground. Six could feel the mat shake a bit as Vi stalked toward her, rolling her shoulders and slamming her fists together, and knew that if Vi landed another blow she’d be put down.

“You know, I wish you remember what you are.”

 

Six’s eyes widened when she saw Vi raise her fists once more.

*Flashback*

“Excuse me?” Six questioned with a raised eyebrow. Currently, she was lying back, watching the clouds with Camilla in C’s private garden as the head of Clan Ferros continued to exercise off to the size. Though ‘exercise’ was a strong word in Six’s opinion. C. almost looked as though she were dancing as her body moved fluidly through various motions.

The only reason Six didn’t think she was dancing was that each move seemed to be backed with lethal intent.

“And what am I?”

“A Piltovan,” C. answered. “I know you idolize your mother, rest her soul, but she was built much differently than you. Your armor closes the gap a bit, but charging head first into danger with reckless abandon should not be your go-to strategy. You are not a Zaunite.”

Six frowned a bit. “And what’s wrong with being a Zaunite?”

“These days? Not much besides their lack of manners,” C. answered honestly as she continued making her way through the motions. “But, my love, you are not a Zaunite. Just like how your mother’s gauntlets were ill-suited for you, her fighting style is as well despite how much you cherish her teachings. How about you join me for a bit?”

Six glanced over at her cloud-watching companion only to finally Camilla fast asleep. Six brushed some hair from her face before getting up and moving toward C., her curiosity getting the better of her.

“And what is it that you’re doing?”

“A martial art developed by my ancestors for the sole purpose of maintaining the great machine,” C. answered. “In other words, one developed for eliminating Zaunites, though it, like all tools, can have more than one use.”

“Eliminating Zaunites?” Six asked incredulously. “Your Clan has a martial art dedicated to killing Zaunites?”

“Sounds pretty bad, doesn’t it?” C. questioned. “Though I can assure you, the last person to use it exclusively for such a thing was Aunt Camille. It is still great exercise though, and you never know when it may need to be used again.”

Six shook her head. “Zaun is our ally.”

“Of course,” C. agreed. “But every nation has its ‘bad eggs’. Zaunites are desperate, unpredictable fighters whose dependence on Chemtech leaves their bodies ranging from fragile shells to hulking blood-thirsty behemoths, sound familiar?”

Six said nothing, but she did recall the various demons she had faced in the Harrowings.

“If it can bleed it can be killed,” C. told her. “There are just some weaknesses we all share and the teachings passed down in my family aim to exploit them. Destabilize, demoralize, eliminate, these are the three principles behind my family’s art,” C. explained “And…” C. continued. “They are the principles behind Piltover’s success.”

“My mother was a Zaunite,” Six said with a shake of her head. “I don’t think I could ever use such a style of the one she taught me.”

“I know, I’m counting on it actually,” C. admitted. “It’s still a family secret, so you showing it off could be problematic.”

Six blinked. “Then why offer?”

“Because I love you.” C. answered easily. “And I would rather you have such a tool ready at your disposal than not. I’ve been in the trenches with you, fought those beasts with you. The only difference between the beasts of the Harrowings and the monsters of Zaun is that I can tolerate the latter.”

C.’s expression softened.

“You see a tool to oppress, I see one that can protect one of few people I hold dear,” C. explained before stopping her movements and placing a hand on Six’s shoulder. “Also, I do believe it's time you stopped punishing yourself for being Piltovan.”

Six didn’t meet her eyes.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“There are no secrets between us, love,” C. reminded her with a gentle smile. “You’ve never quite felt like you fit in either city and for good reason. That said, in Piltover it's because of the sins of your father, sins you have long since been absolved from as far as the public is concerned. Might I suggest giving us a second chance? Our city has hurt those you care for, yes, but you can call the city home and still hold it accountable. If it's you, I believe you can find comfort without becoming complacent.”

C. removed her hand and went back into the motions.

“I truly believe that you and I can build a dynasty up here,” C. said truthfully. “We can complete your mother’s mission of changing things for the better for both cities from our side. I’ll deny it if I ever see them in the afterlife, but their mission didn’t fail. They may not have inspired the masses, but they inspired the only two Piltovans that mattered. The rest will fall in line behind us.”

Six didn’t respond, but C. didn’t need her to.

No.

Just hearing Six move up to stand beside her and begin copying her movements perfectly with that astounding memory of hers was more than enough.

“That’s it, now you’re truly looking the part.” C. praised. “You look…”

*Flashback: END*

 

“…like a Clan Head.”

Six’s eyes widen and soon she bowed her head which caused her eyes to be hidden behind her bangs as twin trails of tears slid down her cheeks.

*Flashback*

 

“People often think the hardest part of leading a Clan is the work,” Tobias mused as he stood in front of the window of his office while a teenage Ren looked over some of the documents he was drafting. “But it’s not.”

“It’s not?” Ren asked skeptically as she was already prepared to set the office on fire if she had to deal with any more paperwork.

Tobias chuckled and shook his head. “The leader of a Clan is the most vital, and therefore they are the most protected and, consequently, the safest. No, Ren, the paperwork may be annoying but it is not the most difficult thing. The most difficult thing is seeing your Clan members, your family, die before you.”

Ren’s pen stopped cold.

“This was a burden my dear Caitlyn did not have to carry,” Tobias mused. “However, it is one you and I have both had to carry. The pain of losing family is horrible, but inside that pain, there lies strength. The strength that comes from their memories and the lessons taught as well as a strength in character you’ll develop when you’re tasked with carrying the weight of their life, their legacy.”

Tobias moved to the desk and placed a cup of tea down for his granddaughter.

“Do not run from that pain, for all that awaits you if you do is weakness,” Tobias warned her gently. “You’re only human, there is only so much you can take and when that time comes it is okay to put down that weight, but never run away from it. You have to rest, recover, and pick it back up for that is the true duty of a Clan Head.”

*Flashback: End*

That was right.

She was the Clan Head.

The Grandmaster of Clan Kiramman.

Though she often acknowledged her role, it appeared as though she had failed to truly perform it. Six threw herself into her work, her family, and her duties in the name of her Clan but in reality, all she was trying to do was to find a distraction from the pain.

To escape the memories that she could recall so clearly.

The memories of those lost caused her no end of agony but…

…within those memories, there did lie strength.

Ren raised her head and glared at Vi as she panted tiredly, shaking from the pain wracking her body. However, though her gaze was just as hard as always, those cold steel gray eyes of hers seemed to be replaced once more by those twin shimmering mirrors that reflected nothing but the hope she saw in the world.

The hope she saw in their future.

Vi wavered ever so slightly as she saw those eyes that she loved so much return, and briefly let a small smile grace her lips before it fell once more.

As Six began to calm her breathing, more and more memories flooded her brain.

*Flashback*

 

“As both your cousin and personal physician? I’m telling you that you have to stop doing this to yourself.” Hex said as she used her magic to stitch Six’s side back together. “I heard about your accident from Cyber-Milf, you should have sat this Harrowing out.”

“What? And miss out on all the fun?” Six asked cheekily.

“Ah yes, the joy of slaying hordes of demons with a busted rib cage,” Hex said sarcastically.

“You’re starting to sound like C.”

“Then I guess even Lady Ferros can be right from time to time.” Hex drawled. “Seriously though, who the hell did you go to after that? They did a terrible job. You should have found me.”

“Easier said than done, you’re a hard woman to reach even for me most days,” Six pointed out. “Besides, I probably would have bled out before I made it to Zaun. Look on the bright side, you get to practice your healing spells again.”

Hex’s eyes rolled and Six grimaced when her rib was set in place with a bit more force than it probably should have. “Word of advice, the whole self-destructive schtick is my thing. You’re better than that.”

Ren frowned. “And you aren’t?”

“No, not at all,” Hex said with a small smile. “One day you’ll see that. Now get up soldier, you got speeches to give. Also, I’ll lend you some of my textbooks. Next time you get yourself fucked up and can’t reach me, you should be able to patch yourself up. Will do better than that other asshat.”

*Flashback: End*

 

Hex.

An all too familiar scowl suddenly found itself on Six’s face as she felt the burning magic within her body set her very blood ablaze. Six’s scowl deepened as she identified the locations of her injuries as well as their severity before directing the burning magic toward them.

The sounds of bones cracking filled the area as Six’s cracked ribs were mended by the fire just beneath her skin.

She felt like hell.

The pain was almost unbearable and Six realized that if this was a similar sensation that Jinx had to put up with constantly then perhaps she had a good reason to be insane. Still, despite the pain Six wouldn’t let herself succumb to it or try to ignore it. Rather, Six would focus on the pain as if it were a lifeline as it was the only thing keeping her conscious.

After regaining the ability to move her left side, the scowl fell from her face as she instead looked at Vi with a calculating gaze.

*Flashback*

 

“Good, now deep breaths and remember what I taught you,” Caitlyn murmured as she lay down next to Ren who was aiming her rifle at a deer. “Never underestimate your opponent's intelligence. You have to read their movements, put yourself in their place, and act two steps ahead of them.”

Ren held her breath as she took in Caitlyn’s advice and aimed off to the side of her target. When she pulled the trigger, the deer proved to have been more agile than its peers as it immediately moved the very instant it heard the gunshot. Unfortunately, however, Ren predicted its movements and it found itself jumping right in front of her bullet.

Its death was swift, and Ren took comfort in the fact that her target felt no pain.

“That’s my girl,” Caitlyn said with a proud smile before she got up and helped Ren to her feet. “Come on, your mom will be happy that you grabbed her something to cook for us tonight.”

*Flashback: End*

 

Six’s eyes softened the moment she finished analyzing Vi’s movements and posture, making sure to commit everything she saw in her mother to memory. Suddenly, Vi took one last step forward and when Six blinked, Vi had closed the remaining distance and was mere feet away with her fist cocked back.

*Flashback*

 

“Alright, you brats! You started this war!” Jinx declared, covered from head to toe with various colors of paint splattered on her. Jinx glowered at the giggling girls who continued to aim their paintball guns at her. Jinx had been called outside while working on a project when her daughter and niece ambushed her.

Suddenly, Jinx smirked.

“You two feel real proud of yourselves, don’t you?” Jinx questioned before she stepped back inside of the house and returned with a minigun filled with paintballs that made the little girls pale immediately. “But I play for keeps! Dodge!”

The girls screamed as they scattered while a cackling Jinx unloaded all of her ammo at them.

*Flashback: End*

 

Jinx

Just before the blow could connect, Six grinned as she ducked under the punch and swiftly slipped past Vi. Six found herself chuckling, as Vi turned around and once more began releasing a barrage of devastating blows that just would not land.

Six’s movements were sporadic and chaotic as she side-stepped, ducked, and even flipped away from Vi’s attacks. For the enforcer, it felt as though she were fighting her sister as, despite her best efforts, she seemed unable to land a solid blow.

Slipping past another punch, Six managed to get behind Vi before jumping up and slamming both of her feet into Vi’s which catapulted her to one side of the ring while Vi was sent stumbling into the other.

*Flashback*

 

“You’re insane!” Six yelped, for once showing her fear clear as she found herself on top of a large cliff with C. The older woman was currently holding her tightly with one arm, as they looked down at the massive golden city below them.

“Nonsense, I’ve never been saner,” C. denied. “You’ve got the movements down, but you’re still too stiff. You have to soar, love, to move in battle with both unparalleled freedom and efficiency, but to do that, you need to feel for yourself what true freedom is.”

“I assure you, I am quite ‘free’ with my feet planted firmly on the ground where they belong,” Ren muttered.

C. smiled a bit at that. “I see, then I suppose this lesson isn’t needed after all.”

Six perked up. “Really!?”

C.’s smile turned dark. “Nope.”

With that, C. jumped off the cliff while holding a screaming Six close to her who cursed her with every profane word she knew, even making some up on the fly which was impressive. Metal cables fired from her prosthetics, attaching themselves to the buildings as she swung through them freely while offering Six the truly best views that Piltover had to offer. C. knew she’d be in the proverbial doghouse for a while after this.

But it was so worth it.

*Flashback: End *

 

C.

Maneuvering expertly in mid-air, Six righted her positioning and landed nimbly in a crouch before silently launching herself toward Vi so swiftly it was as if she had glided. As if she were dancing, Six stopped and seemed to perform a pirouette before slamming her leg into Vi’s side with enough force to make Vi’s eyes widen when she just barely managed to block it and still almost found herself being knocked onto her side.

Safe to say whatever strength Six lacked in comparison with Vi in her punches she more than made up for in her kicks.

Quickly hopping onto the other foot, Six swiftly kicked Vi in her unguarded side and knocked her into the ropes. Dashing forward, Six jabbed the tips of her fingers beneath Vi’s ribcage, causing the enforcer to hunch over.

Vi forced herself to move through the pain and swung at Six only for her daughter to dodge the blow before swiftly striking her pressure points, disabling the enforcer in moments and causing Vi to collapse back onto the ropes

*Flashback*

Eyes wide as she stared at her mother in awe, Ren watched in awe as she saw the panting form of Vi slowly raise her fist high. In front of the enforcer, Ren could see the boxing machine shut down, sparking a bit from the damage created from Vi’s punches as her score flashed on the nearby monitor.

Vi: 8000

“Whoa…” Ren whispered with wide eyes. Hearing her daughter’s amazement, Vi glanced back at her and smirked.

“Told you, I could beat my old score,” Vi said with a smile. “Your limits exist for only one reason, little star, to be broken. No matter what wall is in front of you, if it's you, I know you can overcome it.”

 

*Flashback: END*

 

After she finished delivering her final barrage of blows, Six stumbled back and raised a fist high into the air as Vi fell forward onto the mat. With a groan, Vi rolled over to her back and looked up at her daughter’s exhausted form.

Vi smiled a bit as she weakly wiped the blood from her mouth. “Not bad, little star.” Vi chuckled as Caitlyn began to count. “Not bad at all. Beat me all on your own.”

Six’s eyes widened at that before she clenched her fists tightly. “Did I? Even in the end I just used the strength of others.”

Vi sighed. “Why you ended up with my hard head of all things, I don’t know. It’s your strength, no one else’s. Who cares where or how you got it? It’s how you chose to use it that matters.”

*Flashback*

 

“Weak? You think you’re weak?” Lux questioned with a gentle laugh. “Ren, you’re one of the strongest girls I know and I’m not just saying that because you’re my favorite niece.”

Ren smiled slightly as Lux sat next to her on the patio while the rest of their family conversed inside the Kiramman estate. “I’m your only niece.”

“My point still stands!” Lux wrapped an arm around the girl and hugged her close as she looked up at the night sky. “Our family is filled with incredible people, and that includes you. My daughter burns brightly and you shine, that’s why your mom calls you a star. You serve as a guiding light not only for your cousin but for the family as a whole as its next leader.”

Lux smiled down at her. “Things may seem scary and uncertain at times, and yes, you might find your abilities lacking but don’t let these sad and dark thoughts consume you. You have to stand strong against them and meet that darkness head on because it's when placed against the darkness that stars shine brightest.”

Ren looked up at her aunt in awe before silently joining her in watching the night sky. “Can I do it? Can I lead our family?”

“Of course!” Lux answered without hesitation. “I know the task seems daunting but you’re a child, Ren. Life is a journey that you’ve only just begun and throughout this journey, you will find people you can learn from and love. They’ll teach you, strengthen you, and so much more, and by the time you get to my age you will be so powerful you won’t even recognize yourself.”

“But would that even count as my power?

“Yes,” Lux answered with a nod. “We are all just extensions of the bonds we make, Ren. Even my strength only exists because of what I learned with the Radiant back in my homeland. When it comes to power what matters isn’t how we got it, but how we use it. Never forget that.”

*Flashback: End*

Lux…

…after all these years, Six finally understood what her aunt meant, the message her mom was currently trying to convey. Six thought she had just been lucky, handed power and knowledge from friends and family, and had nothing of her own to contribute.

But…that was wrong…

…at the end of the day, she was the one who had to decide how to use what was given to her, and it was she who got her to where she was today. She had strength, with or without her suit and with or without Hex’s magic. It was her experiences that got her to where she was now and no one could take that from her.

Not even Sylas.

“…Nine…Ten.” Caitlyn counted, visibly relieved her wife didn’t get back up. “This bloody fight is over, Six wins.”

Moving forward, Six offered a hand to Vi. “Good fight.”

Vi grinned. “Yeah, never thought I’d be happy to get my ass handed to me, but, you do understand now, right? You’re strong, little star always has been.”

“Yeah…” Six answered as a tear fell from her eye. With a bright grin, she grabbed Vi’s hand and helped her mother up, wrapping her arm around her to support her. “…I’m starting to see that.” Suddenly, Six’s expression hardened. “When I get back to my time, believe me, I will save our family. Your future will seem dark, and hopeless, but believe in the light shining against the darkness.

Vi looked up at her daughter, her little guiding star…her light….and smiled. “Yeah, I’ll do that.”

It looked as though Jinx had been both wrong and right. Yes, they had raised their children better than abandoned their family, but perhaps the solution lay in the future rather than the here and now. It was scary, knowing she’d die, but despite that fear Vi felt hope, hope that Six would find a way to save the Clan anyway, and with Hex and Lux supporting her in her time how could she not?

“Still,” Vi continued. “I can’t speak for the other side of the family, but I think Cupcake would agree with me if I said that if push comes to shove…save your family,” Vi told her. “We died so that you could live, you know? That kind of sacrifice is what we were prepared to make when we became your moms.”

“My family huh?” Six chuckled, seeing firsthand that it was more than Vi’s strength that made her a top Enforcer. “I’m assuming you’re implying more than just Hex.” Six saw Vi grin. “What gave it away?”

“The pain in my fucking jaw,” Vi groaned as she made a show of rubbing it. “You fought like a woman who had more to protect than just her city, and we all know your cousin can take care of herself.” Vi’s grin widened. “So? Who got lucky enough to steal your heart? I won’t remember it, but I’d still like to hear about your family.”

“Our family,” Caitlyn corrected gently. “Whether we’re alive or dead, her kin is ours.” Six felt a shudder go down her back as she saw her mother’s cold gaze. It was then that she was reminded that though Vi was good at puzzling things out it still was nothing compared to her the Sheriff. “Even if I want to put a bullet through her lover’s head.”

“It looks worse than it is.” Six said though it sounded as though she were pleading with Caitlyn to understand. Caitlyn just crossed her arms and it was clear that she did understand, but sure as hell didn’t like it.

“It better,” Caitlyn muttered confusing Vi who had never seen her wife this displeased. Not even Jinx had been able to draw this much of the usually calm woman’s ire. “The techniques you used to fight Vi were techniques used specifically to take down Zaunites. Techniques developed by Clan Ferros who share nothing to those outside their family.”

Vi felt her mouth open and close a few times as she began putting the pieces together.

“Only two people in that damnable family would even bother mastering them to the point they could teach them.” Caitlyn continued. “One would rather die than teach an ‘outsider’ anything, and the other I went to school with so please explain the situation to me before I go shoot someone.”

Six felt her blood chill as she knew this was not an idle threat.

Caitlyn didn’t make Idle threats.

Six could see Caitlyn’s usually calm demeanor continuing to fray at the edges and knew she had to speak quickly before her mother lost it.

“Okay, okay, I understand!” Six said as he raised her hands defensively on reflex as if trying to ward off her mother’s anger. Vi managed to catch herself on the ropes but she was looking at Six in morbid fascination, torn between a feeling of horror and…pride.

Jinx was right, the universe seemed to decree that if her sister suffered then she would too.

Six swallowed nervously. “For the record, nothing happened until after I was old enough to inherit the Clan okay? No laws were broken and the only times I ever talked to her beforehand was to get mission orders. That’s it.”

Vi sighed, torn between storming Clan Ferros’ estate with her wife or holding said wife back for Six’s sake.

“I need a fucking drink,” Vi muttered before she forced herself to move to her wife and place her hands on the older woman’s shoulders. “Cupcake, chill, you’re reminding me of the Pilties when we announced our engagement.”

This made Caitlyn pause, and she looked at her wife with wide eyes as if she had just gotten bitch-slapped with reality.

“But…but…it’s not the same it’s-“

“Improper? Not befitting of one of her station? A conflict of interests? Or maybe it’s a play to use the Kiramman name for her benefit?” Vi repeated everything she and Caitlyn heard about their relationship. Visibly caught off guard, Caitlyn looked at her nervous and slightly frightened daughter…

…and saw herself.

Caitlyn shut her eyes tightly and counted down from ten.

“I…apologize…” Caitlyn apologized as she rubbed the bridge of her nose. “I should have kept a calm head… it's just…a bit of a shock.”

“It’s okay…I get it, trust me.” Six accepted the apology stunned she even got one in the first place. Glancing at Vi she mouthed ‘thank you'.

Vi winked at her.

“Tell us about her,” Vi asked as she held her wife in her arms and channeled a bit of her father-in-law as she smiled at her daughter. “We, like everyone else, only know what she shows us which is nothing.”

Seriously they only just found out that Camille’s niece was actually the driving force behind the Clan and just using her aunt as a convenient distraction.

She hadn’t even been to a single council meeting!

“It’ll put our minds at ease a bit. Knowing nothing and filling the blanks with just what we can see doesn’t paint the best picture.” Vi explained and Six understood. It really, really, did look bad from the outside.

She remembered with Jayce found out and after physically stopping him from committing treason, she had to watch him drink himself into a stupor about ‘failing Caitlyn again’.

Which hurt in hindsight and was probably one of the main reasons they had grown so distant.

Even if they wouldn’t remember, Six would be appreciated having her romance accepted as easy as Hex’s at least once so she gratefully took her mother’s offer.

“Well, like I said it was very professional, like you, I didn’t know much though since Camille retired, she did have to show up to Council meetings.” Six began. “I guess it all started when I was walking through the city after being deployed and watching the worst nanny ever let a girl run off into traffic…”

To say Six was nervous was an understatement, but with each word, she grew more and more confident as she talked about her family. As she spoke, Vi’s smile only widened and even Caitlyn’s expression began to soften.

It was rough as hell at first but…by the end of it all, both of her mothers were smiling and for once Six felt accepted by someone that wasn’t Hex, C., or Camilla.

And for that alone, this entire trip to the past had been worth it.

-Later: Baron Kiramman’s Manor-

“You know, Lux, I always hated your hair,” Hex commented as she idly reached forward and ran her fingers through Lux’s hair while they stood in the doorframe of her parent's bedroom.

Lux pouted. “I know I need a bit of a trim but it's not that bad is it?”

Hex chuckled and shook her head. “No, actually it looks good on you. I just have a thing against…blondes.”

Even though she couldn’t even remember their faces anymore, Hex could still envision the golden hair of her sister and stepmother that seemed to shine in stark contrast to their dark silhouettes. Their shadows in her memories were never pleasant, their dark forms always twisted in pain or anger.

“I remember when I was a little girl and I saw you for the first time,” Hex reminisced. “You were sleeping so peacefully. Beautiful but dangerous.  I could feel it on some level back then, you know? Your power. Almost torched you right then and there while I had the chance.”

Lux shook her head and gave Hex a wry smile. “Well, I, for one, am glad you didn’t, but why didn’t you?”

“Jinx,” Hex answered. “She looked so calm and peaceful snuggled up against you that I decided to wait. I’d wait until you showed signs of hurting us and kill you. Part of it was a game, coming to see you every morning while you slept…and part of it wasn’t. I’d look at you every day and ask myself was this it? Was this the day I killed you before you could hurt us?”

Hex closed her eyes and rested her head against the door frame.

“Eventually it stopped, eventually I felt safe and stopped watching over you,” Hex told her. “And then Jinx died, you hurt me, so, so severely and I knew that I should have killed you when I had the chance.”

Hex’s words were blunt, honest, a true interpretation of how she felt.

There was no pain.

No anger.

Just the realization that she made what she believed to be a mistake.

And that hurt Lux more than Hex’s flames ever could.

“I hate blondes,” Hex drawled. “All of my monsters are blonde.”

“I’m so sorry.”

Hex waved off her apology. “Don’t be. I’m a monster too. We bring pain, it's in our nature.” Hex glanced inside the bedroom. “Besides, beneath the ‘fangs’ and ‘claws’ all monsters are just broken people on some level.”

Lux didn’t respond and instead looked into the room where they saw Jinx-no-Powder huddled up in the corner of the bed, looking aimlessly out of the window as Ekko and Zeri looked at her sympathetically.

“I feel like a broken record but are you sure she’ll be alright?” Lux questioned and Hex nodded.

“Yeah, so long as Uncle E is here.” Hex answered. “A familiar face from ‘before Silco’ should help, not to mention if she makes another attempt to bite her tongue or jump out the window his Z-drive will stop her.” Hex shook her head. “Honestly, what was she thinking? We’re only 2 floors up.”

Hex looked back at Lux.

“Don’t worry, like I said the Shimmer will bring back Jinx in time,” Hex reassured Lux. “I thought she’d stay asleep through it because her body was used to the pain it brought but it ended up waking her up earlier than expected.”

“Will this create any complications for you?” Lux asked quietly. “She knows everything Jinx does.”

“It shouldn’t. She and Jinx don’t just share a mind and body, they also share a ‘heart’,” Hex pointed out. “As it stands, Powder loves us whether she wants to or not. At least for now she’ll keep her mouth shut, she’s too confused to do anything else. Still, you’re right to be concerned considering she has those pesky things called ‘morals’.”

“How long do you think we have before those ‘morals’ win over her love?” Lux questioned.

“Not sure, but we won’t have much time,” Hex admitted. “Whatever happens, we cannot let her see Vi.”

Lux grimaced but nodded all the same. “I don’t like this, Hex. Vi has a right to know.”

“She’s had her closure already,” Hex said dismissively. “A few moments she won’t even remember when I leave is not worth the potential consequences.” Hex raised an eyebrow and crossed her arms. “Don’t tell me you’re developing ‘morals’ too?”

Lux rolled her eyes. “I’ve always had them.”

“But…?”

Lux sighed. “…but, this one time I’ll shelve them. I won’t abandon you.” Lux stared deep into Hex’s eyes. “I’ll be with you until the last moment.” Lux placed a hand on Hex’s shoulders. “I won’t let you down, Hex. Especially not today of all days.”

Hex gave her a sad smile. “I know.”

“Hey! We’re back!”

Hex and Lux glanced down toward the stairs after they heard Vi’s voice. Glancing back into the room, they saw Powder perk up at the sound of her sister’s voice. The sheer number of emotions, Lux saw flash across the woman’s face felt like a hot dagger to Lux’s heart.

“Is there anything so undoing as a daughter?”

 

Lux could hear Jinx’s words in her mind and just as she had countless times under the Radiant’s command, Lux pushed her emotions aside for the greater good.  Besides, she and Jinx had an understanding.

As much as they loved each other, they loved their daughter more.

“Time to move.” Hex said before she turned to look at Powder. “This is goodbye, I’ll say you were my most interesting ‘patient’.” Hex smiled. “For your good, just keep to yourself and rest. Can you do that for me?”

Powder nervously met Hex’s gaze and gave a quiet nod.

She wanted to speak out, to reveal the horrible knowledge within her mind. Vi was in the house now, after all, all she had to do was call out and her big sister would not only protect her but show her-no-Jinx’s misguided daughter a better path!

Except…

…she wouldn’t.

A small, sinister part of her mind, told her otherwise. Taunting her for her naivety and reminding her over and over again of just who was responsible for ‘Jinx’ in the first place. Eyes watering, Powder clutched desperately at her head as Ekko and Zeri looked at her, concerned.

Powder wanted to talk, to speak so desperately but it felt as though an invisible hand was gripped tightly around her neck. With each passing moment, the ‘hand’s’ grip tightened more and more as her heart continued to pump Shimmer into her body at an increasing rate.

“Look after her,” Hex told her aunt and uncle as Lux made her way downstairs to meet the other side of their family.

“What’s up, Princess?” Vi questioned the moment she saw Lux’s tense expression. In response, Lux just pointed to the living room where they saw an ethereal image of Zaun floating silently as a single point on the nation blinked rapidly.

“The spell’s complete,” Six answered after she saw the image. “Sylas has been located.”

“Indeed,” Hex said as she strolled down the stairs. “Grab your gauntlets from the front room, Vi. The five of us need to go bring that fool down once and for all.”

“Five?” Caitlyn questioned. “Will Jinx not be coming? What happened?”

“From the looks of it, the same thing that happened to your wife.” Hex chuckled before hitting both Vi and Six with small blasts of pink fire, healing their injuries before their very eyes.

Six was surprised to see Hex’s healing magic working but then groaned when she realized what Hex had said. Six knew full well that unlike her, Hex would not handicap herself anywhere near as much as Six had when fighting her mother.

“What did you do?”

Hex grinned at her cousin. “Got some closure, it’s also why we need them to tag along. I spent a lot of Lady Gray’s ‘allowance’ playing with Jinx so the more help the better.”

“Is that safe?”

Hex nodded. “Yeah, it’s just insurance, we fought Sylas briefly before coming here remember? He doesn’t have his army or Galio so you’re more than enough by yourself. If we hurry, he won’t even have the Hexcore yet.”

Vi slammed a fist into her palm, cracking her neck as she felt better than she had in a long time. “Then let’s get a move on. Bastard is going to pay for what he’s done.”

Six scowled and beneath her shirt, a bright blue star shone brightly before her golden armor formed over her body. “Agreed.”

Hex smiled. “Finally, we can bring this to an end-” Hex stopped and gripped her gloved arm with a grimace, gritting her teeth as a wave of pain shot through it. “Come on, not now.”

“Hex!?” Six questioned in concern as she quickly caught and steadied her cousin. “What’s wrong?”

“Not much, just pushed me harder than I thought against Jinx, that’s all.” Hex answered before taking a deep breath and waiting for the pain to subside. “Just a bit of magical exhaustion, it’s a bit different from usual pain, chems won’t help so its best to just let it pass.”

Caitlyn frowned. “Will you be able to fight like this?”

Hex nodded. “Yeah, it’s just a minor thing, not something that will stop me from torching the bastard.” Hex forced a smile onto her face. “Now let’s hurry. Teleporting us all will just aggravate it, but fortunately, I know a shortcut.”

“Then lead the way.” Six said as she let go of her cousin. As they followed after Hex, Six couldn’t help but frown as she watched her cousin’s back. As always, she trusted her cousin’s judgment yet for some reason that foreboding feeling she had gotten since Jinx had initially passed away seemed to return with a vengeance.

Just what the hell was she missing?

-Later: Zaun: Outskirts-

 

 

“To think that those girls would even follow me through time,” Sylas murmured to himself as he stood in the middle of the Zaun’s old ruins. “The absurdity of it is almost admirable.” Sylas extended a hand before him as his petricite chains began to levitate. “But…” Sylas chains shot forwards and dug deep into the mountain of debris. “It matters not.”

The ground trembled as the chains dug deeper and deeper. When they stopped moving, Sylas smirked to himself before whipping his arms back, causing her chains to rip out a metal box from beneath the broken stone.

“Finally,” Sylas murmured as the chains tightened around the box, causing the metal to twist and warp before it shattered. Almost immediately, Sylas found himself bathed in an ultraviolet glow as the Hexcore was now free of its cage and in his possession. “Soon, my brothers and sisters, I will set things right and undo that terrible future of ours.”

The chains pulled the Hexcore closer and closer until it was floating above his palm.

“After all we’ve endured, I will not let anyone stop us,” Sylas muttered before he glanced back over his shoulder while the rune on his face burned brighter. “Not even you, Your Majesty.”

“Bold claim,” Hex said as she strolled out of the foliage of a nearby forest along with her family. “Just where do you get this confidence? Judging by your little trick with Galio, you have to know that my power is on an entirely different level than yours.”

“Perhaps once upon a time,” Sylas admitted before he raised the Hexcore in front of him. “Yet, something tells me that this will even the odds. You feel it don’t you? The incredible power these fools in Zaun tried to bury. This is the power that shapes a nation and shatters every crown, even yours.”

“The only thing getting shattered will be your bones beneath my fists.” Six muttered as she stepped in front of Hex. “It ends today, Sylas, I won’t let you threaten those I care for anymore.”

“Is that a fact, General?” Sylas questioned, sneering at the armored woman. “And what if I told that it was those very things you care for that I’m trying to save?”

Six gritted her teeth. “What the hell are you talking about?”

“Your mothers,” Sylas began as he gestured toward Vi and Caitlyn. “I never meant to kill them. They were an unfortunate casualty in my attempt to save my people. If I give the ‘me’ of this time the Hexcore, there would be no need for him to venture south. He’d be able to crush Demacia and fend off Noxus on his own. They can live.”

“Never meant to kill them?” Six scoffed. “Yet you still sent Warwick after them.”

Sylas scowled. “That beast only had one target.” Sylas turned to Lux. “My little light.”

Lux’s eyes flashed gold as her rod flew into her palm. “Don’t you ever call me that again.”

“I suppose it is an ill-fitting name for someone as dark as you.” Sylas hissed. “I once wanted you at my side, fighting for our people but I’ve seen your true colors. You are nothing but a monster. A blight on this world that has to be removed. Did your beloved daughter tell you what you became?”

Lux’s eyes narrowed. “She told me enough.”

“Oh? Then she told you how you harvested our people?” Sylas questioned which made Lux’s eyes widen. “How you drained them dry of their magic, how you turned their corpses into petricite just so you could hoard the magic in that damnable Gray cloud?” Sylas trembled with fury. “I saw your madness with my very eyes, had I been any less skilled I would have joined those misbegotten mages.”

Sylas’s anger and disgust were as clear as day.

“There’s something broken inside you, something vital deep down that cannot be repaired,” Sylas told her. “And it's not something that came from moving to this cesspool, no, it’s always been there but I was too blind to see it. The fact that you willingly sided with our oppressors should have been my first hint.”

Sylas looked back at Six, noting her shocked expression. She had never known just where those ‘statues’ had come from though she did have her theories. Yet, part of her wanted to hope beyond hope that she was wrong, that despite it all she had her reasons.”

“I take it your precious cousin didn’t deem you worthy enough to know about that little ‘family secret’,” Sylas drawled. “Are you not the head of the Clan?” Sylas shook his head. “Though I cannot fully fault you. Like mother, like daughter. They’ll stay by your side, make you believe you’re one of them, family, but the second your interest no longer align they will discard you. Don’t lose your parents over them.”

Sylas glared at Hex and Lux. “Your power is vast, General, help me get rid of Luxanna, and let me be on my way and we can save your family, your future.”

Six clenched her fists tightly. “They are my family as well. No matter what they do, no matter how terrible their sins, they will always be my family, Sylas.” Six’s eyes were filled with a Hextech blue glow as the star on her chest plate seemed to shine brighter. “And they’re not the only ones. Here’s the thing about time, Sylas, it pushes forward no matter how you feel.”

Six made sure she had his undivided attention.

“You’ve lived in my head rent-free for longer than I would like to admit,” Six told him. “Yet, time continued to move on. My life could not be put on hold just because you were still alive. I’ve lived, loved, and gained a new family. A family that will disappear if I let you change this past.”

“So, you would sentence your mothers to death?”

“For my daughter? Yes,” Six answered and Hex’s eyes widened slightly. Caitlyn loaded her rifle and the metal of Vi’s gauntlets shifted as she glared at Sylas. “The salvation of my family, of Clan Kiramman does not lie in the past, no, it's in the future. A future that, while painful, is still the home of my guiding little light.”

“I see, so you chose to remain a fool,” Sylas muttered. “I gave you the chance to change the future for the better and you threw it away.”

The Hexcore began to spin rapidly as Sylas eyes shone with ultraviolet light.

“Do not struggle and let me kill you.” Sylas offered. “The swift death I’ll give you will be a mercy compared to the pain your ‘family’ will inflict on you when you’re no longer of any use.” Shimmer-colored sparks began to dance along the lengths of his chains as he began to levitate off of the ground. “I will not let you interfere in my mission to save our future.”

“You know, you really know nothing about time travel,” Hex drawled, not fazed in the slightest by his increase in power. “Then again you didn’t have the privilege of being raised by a time traveler so I can’t fault you. You can't save our future with such a half-assed plan.”

Sylas glowered at her. “What are you talking about?”

“Simple, such a drastic timeline change will only succeed in creating an alternate future.” Hex explained. “If you succeed, you won’t fade away and wake up in ‘a better tomorrow’. No. You’ll still be here as your other self accomplishes all of your dreams. With his people, while yours will remain dead.”

Hex’s grin was downright villainous.

“No, the only way for you to change our future would be to ‘tether’ this altered past of yours to our future.” Hex chuckled. “Which is not something you can do from this side. No, the only way to stop the timelines from separating would be to tie them together with some sort of paradox from our future. A future that, I don’t believe, you have any way of returning to.”

Sylas’ eyes widen and recoiled as if stricken.

“L-lies!” Sylas growled and Hex’s grin just seemed to widen further to the point that no one would be surprised to learn that she’s Jinx’s daughter. “Another lie from the Queen of Criminals.”

Hex laughed. “On the contrary, this might be the first time I’ve been completely honest in years, but I do not blame you for not believing me. After all, like I said you don’t know anything about time travel.”

Sylas grit his teeth. “You-”

“So how did you come up with this plan?” Hex questioned innocently.

-Baron Kiramman’s House-

 

“Hey, hey! What’s wrong!?” Ekko questioned worriedly as he and Zeri watched Powder succumb to a panic attack. Desperately, Powder gripped at her head and even banged it against the wall while sobbing.

It had come out of nowhere as if a dam had broken.

“Too much, it’s too much!”

“What too much?” Zeri questioned gently trying to reach out to her broken friend.

“The weight, the pain, the guilt!” Powder sobbed.

Ekko took a deep breath and looked at her solemnly. Once upon a time, he would have given anything for Jinx to see the error of her ways but now that it was happening, he would’ve given anything for her to go back to how she was. The woman she was now was just too hard to watch, still, despite this, she was his friend.

“Jin-er-Pow…you did a lot of bad, and a lot of it can never be forgiven but if you let it eat you up inside like this-”

“No!” Powder snapped. “Not me! I can burn in hell for all I care, it’s too much for her!” Powder grabbed the collar of his shirt tightly and glared up into his eyes. “You can’t let her go through with it, we’ll find another way, we have to.”

“Pow!” Ekko exclaimed as he grabbed her wrists tightly to stop her from shaking him. “What are you talking about?”

“Annie!” Pow shouted. “She’s-”

Her voice stopped cold and both Ekko and Zeri were very confused until they looked into Powder’s once-blue eyes and of a pair of Shimmer-filled irises staring right back.

“Whoops! Sorry about, that! Ignore the spoilers,” Jinx grinned at them only to sigh when she saw them both looking back at her dumbfounded. “Don’t suppose I could ask you to forget about that, right?”

In response, both Ekko and Zeri continued to stare at her and when Jinx saw Ekko’s hand getting a bit too close to his Z-drive for comfort, she sighed again.

The last thing Ekko and Zeri saw before they were suddenly knocked unconscious was an ultra-violet flash.

- Zaun: Outskirts-

 

 

“How did I come up with my plan? What nonsense are you asking?  I…I…” Sylas trailed off as he began to think back and realized that he wasn’t sure how to answer the question. Yes, he came up with each part step by step but he was unable to figure out where he got the knowledge to utilize it in the first place.

Now that he thought about it, he had no idea how he broke out of his cell.

Yes, one of his men smuggled him petricite filled with magic, but he didn’t know which one. He had never gone over such a plan with his followers as he truly hadn’t expected to have been locked away in Noxus when he had.

From Zaun’s secret projects and weaknesses in its security to the knowledge of time travel, the more he thought about it, the more his anxiety began to grow. Why? Because he realized everything he had done since being captured stemmed from utilizing the knowledge he didn’t have access to.

But the woman before him did.

Upon that realization, the brand on his face began to burn hotter and he screamed as he suddenly crashed back onto the ground while the Hexcore rolled out of his grasp. Giggling, Hex practically skipped forward as Sylas sat up while clutching his burning face.

“H-Hex?” Six stuttered out apprehensively as the sinking feeling in her gut worsened to a new degree.

“Just because I don’t like using compulsion runes with my tracking ones, doesn’t mean I don’t know how.” Hex told her while she gazed down at Sylas in amusement. “Well, Sylas, I was going to give Six her chance at revenge but because she’s no longer fixated on that, I suppose I don’t need you anymore.”

Sylas’s screams worsened only to be cut off when Hex gripped him tightly around his neck.

“Hex what are you doing!?” Six questioned as their family, minus Lux looked at the fire mage in shock.

“Come on General, you have to be able to recognize a false flag when you see one.” Hex tightened grip. “Our future is terrible and I wanted to change it. Unfortunately, the Time Gate was a one-way trip which, as I explained, is useless if we want to change our future and not just make an alternate timeline. Which leaves us with Lady’s Gray, she’s the only one that’s returned from traveling to the past but she wouldn’t send us back here without just cause.”

Hex chuckled.

“We’re fortunate that her understanding of Time Travel isn’t as advanced as Uncle E’s or she’d just let Sylas rot here.” Hex mused.

“But…she…she said she felt the changes he was making…”

“Nope, she just felt what I wanted her to,” Hex explained. “A bit of a fever dream created from my magic. She’s strong but she’s not omnipotent just yet.” Hex glanced at Lux. “Looks like there was one benefit of you keeping your distance, you forgot what my magic felt like.”

Lux grimaced. “At least something good came from it.”

Hex laughed lightly before gazing back down at Sylas. “All things considered you were a fun toy but I played with you enough. It’s time to put you away. Be grateful, you’re going to wake up to a much better future.”

Whatever Sylas was going to force himself to say died on his lips when his brand suddenly flashed and engulfed his body in a crimson light. His arms fell lifelessly to his sides and within Hex’s grasp, his very body suddenly dispersed into bright embers which Hex blew away harmlessly with her wind.

“Mission complete,” Hex drawled before she turned to face Six. “So, you have a kid?” Hex sighed as she scratched the side of her head. “This complicates things. You’re lucky that I love you enough to give you a chance.”

Six narrowed her eyes. “What are you talking about Hex?” Six shook her head. “No, more importantly, all this time, this was all just some convoluted plan of yours to get to the past? How long have you been scheming this? Did Noxus ever even want him jailed?”

“What do you think?” Hex scoffed. “You think Swain of a people would need Sylas alive? I just needed a place to keep him while I got my affairs in order.” Hex scowled. “Lady Gray has to go, Six, but she’s become too powerful to kill. So, the next best thing is to make sure she was never created in the first place and that’s something I will ensure no matter the cost.”

“Uncle E died Hex!” Six snapped. “Along with who knows how many of his firelights, your people! Do you not care!? Do you…do you think this is just a game!?”

“A game? Hardly, those are at least fun.” Hex rolled her eyes. “Come on, Six, I told you a long time ago nothing matters because it doesn’t. Why? Because I had planned to set our world ablaze a long time ago. The only reason I hadn’t done this earlier was because of a miscalculation on my part.”

Six watched as Hex’s scowl deepened as she placed a hand over her abdomen.

“You’re not the only new mother in the family,” Hex muttered which made Six’s eyes widen in shock.

“That year you were in Freljord…”

“Yep,” Hex answered, not even needing Six to finish the question. “Congrats, you’re an auntie though I supposed that makes me one as well which brings us to the biggest issue at the moment. I only made preparations for a single survivor from our time, my son. Had I known things had progressed that far with Ferros I could have done something for her as well.”

Hex shook her head.

“This is why I am going to do something that will put all my blood, sweat, and tears that I poured into this plan in jeopardy.” Hex began as she gestured to the Hexcore which rested on the ground in between herself and Six. “I’m going to give you a chance to save your daughter. My plan is simple, I’m going to send that thing someplace no one will find it and retrieve it when we return to our time. Using its power, I will bind this past with our future and destroy it while preserving my son’s life.”

Hex then pointed at a horrified Six.

“If you want to ensure her safety, stop me.” Hex told her. “If we use up too much magic, the brands will not be able to sustain themselves and we’ll be sent back to our time. I know you, you’ll make the best of a bad situation and provide a good home for our children in that dystopia disguised as a dynasty.”

Six clenched her fists tightly. “And you?”

“I’ll either be dead or imprisoned in petricite.” Hex shrugged. “I refuse to spend a second longer in that god-forsaken world and I’ll die before I am forced to see my son raised in it, especially under her care.”

“There has to be another option!” Six said desperately. “Something we can do together. Deep down that has to be the reason you even bothered letting me know this, right!? You could have easily waited until I exhausted myself against Sylas before going through with your plan.”

“Six. All these years and you still think so highly of me.” Hex shook her head in wonder. “The only reason I’m telling you any of this is much simpler. I don’t stab my family in the back, I do it while looking them dead in their eyes.” Hex said simply. “I love you. You’re family, which is why I am giving you this chance to fight for your child’s future. That’s as deep as it goes.”

“You’re lying!”

“I’m not.” Hex denied. “There’s no outcome where we unite against her. You’re too weak to do anything but hold me down.”

Six looked as though those words had wounded her more than anything else Hex could have possibly thrown at her. If Hex felt anything regarding how her words had hurt her cousin, she didn’t show it.

“A monster like her can only be brought down by another monster.” Hex said before she summoned her blade and pointed it at Six. “A hero stands no chance. Come at me with all that you have, Six, fight your hardest so that no matter what happens you’ll know, deep in your soul, that you tried your best. That mercy is just one of many that you deserve my beloved cousin.”

Six could do nothing but stare at Hex, her heart broken beyond repair as she was no longer able to spot any of Hex’s tells that she was lying that Six had memorized over the years.

No.

Everything that Hex had said was something that she meant.

“How could you do it Hex?” Six questioned curiously. “How could you destroy the only thing in our whole fucking world that we had left.”

Their family was all they had, it's all that got them through each terrible day, and without hesitation, Hex had set it ablaze.

Tears fell freely from Ren’s eyes as she glared at her cousin. “Vander and Silco, Vi and Jinx, this fucking family curse was supposed to end with us!”

Hex smiled sadly. “Tell me, do you know what another word for curse is?” Hex questioned rhetorically and her smile widened when a look of realization appeared on Six’s face. “That’s right, a hex. I’ve been prepared for this day since the moment you left for the military. The only one that had ever thought we could overcome this curse was you.”

Six trembled in anger as she glared at Hex. “I hate you.”

Hex nodded. “I know, I do too.” Hex tilted her head. “You know, it just hit me, you are bigger now. Even bigger than Vi.”

“When you’re big and strong like Aunt Vi and Aunt Cupcake, I want to play with you.”

Six released a shuddering breath as she recalled the words Annie had told her years prior.

Only this time, the chill that went down her spine did not come from anticipation.

“And you’re still a pipsqueak.” Six muttered before she slammed her fists together.

[Gauging Danger Level: Six Stars]

Six’s armor began to release an ear-piercing siren-like noise as Hextech energy coursed across her body while her blue eyes shone even brighter than before.

The deafening sound of the siren had been a precaution that Six had requested to be installed. It was meant to serve as a warning for her men to evacuate the immediate area so that they would not be caught in the destruction Six would bring about when bringing her full power to bear.

For Hex, the sound was far from a warning but rather a cause of excitement as she felt the ground quake from the sheer amount of power Six was releasing while the stars on her chest piece flashed between blue and red.

“That’s more like it.” Hex said before raising her free hand and conjuring a bright pink fireball in it before she slammed it into her chest which caused the flames to cover her body.

“No, no, no! Not again!” Vi snapped, she had waited for as long as she could, hoping beyond hope that her daughter could de-escalate the situation. That she could succeed where she and Vander had failed but alas it was not meant to be. Perhaps if the two cousins were fighting for themselves, Six would have been successful.

But they weren’t fighting for themselves.

They were fighting for their children.

And unfortunately, it seemed that they had two very conflicting plans for their children’s futures, plans that, in their eyes, put the other’s child at risk.

“Enough, stop you two!” Caitlyn snapped knowing that the second those two made a move, there would be no turning back. Too much was on the line.  “Vi, Lux, we have to-Lux!?” Caitlyn's tense expression shifted into one of confusion as the light mage positioned herself between them and the soon-to-be battling cousins.

“I’m sorry, Caitlyn,” Lux said as she held her rod tighter. “But I can’t let you two interfere.”

“What the hell are you playing at, Princess!?”

“All of this is a result of me turning my back on our family at some point,” Lux told her. “I can’t do that again. For better or worse, I will see this through and believe in my daughter until the very end.” Lux’s eyes burned gold. “I’ll ask once, stand down.”

Both Caitlyn and Vi glared at Lux, their feeling of betrayal clear as day for her to see.

It hurt Lux to see them like this as at some point she truly did see the two as her family, more so than her actual blood-related family. It hurt Lux to hurt them, but she had a duty to fulfill. She may not have been a Crownguard anymore but who she was never changed even if the ‘crown’ she sought to protect had.

Hex was the Queen of Zaun and if she truly believed that the best thing for both her child and the nation was the destruction of her time then as one of the current Queens she had to make sure Hex succeeded.

“Luxanna, please,” Caitlyn began as her hardened gaze soften ever-so-slightly while she drew her rifle. “Do not make us go through you.”

“Listen to her, Princess,” Vi said as she raised her fists. “I don’t want to hurt you.”

“I feel the same,” Lux told her.

And she meant it.

Idly, Lux wondered just how many times her wife had found herself in this very position, standing alone against Piltover’s Finest. Lux had gotten to know the two women well, and knew just how powerful they were. The thought of their strength made her even more impressed by the skill and ingenuity Jinx must have had to avoid capture all these years.

“Fine, looks like we’re doing this the hard way then,” Lux said when she saw that they weren’t going to budge. They tensed at her words as she gazed down upon them. “I’ll warn you though, I am not my wife.”

With that ominous message, Lux suddenly vanished into thin air.

“Shit,” Caitlyn cursed after realizing they had been talking to an illusion. Behind them, Lux became visible once more and when Caitlyn and Vi turned to face her they found themselves blinded by a flash of light that made them recoil.

Using this to her advantage, Lux flipped her rod in her hand before slamming it into Caitlyn’s head with enough force to knock her out before immediately turning around and firing a point-blank Lucent Singularity at Vi.

The explosion from Lux’s spell shook the ground and Six immediately turned toward it.

“Vi!” Six shouted only to be forced to block a blast of fire from Hex.

“Don’t get distracted!” Hex charged forward and began attacking Six with her flaming sword. Six grimaced as she was barely able to avoid each attack. “Vi can take care of herself, you need to worry about yourself!”

As if proving her point, when the dust settled from Lux’s spell, Vi could be seen standing inside her barrier.

“So that’s how it's gonna be, Princess?” Vi questioned. “Fine then. For such a legendary soldier, you fucked up not going for me first. You won’t be getting the drop on me again.”

“Go after you first?” Lux questioned curiously before she began to levitate as her body released a bright light as multi-colored spheres of magic floated around. “Why? You’re wife’s the threat.” Lux aimed her staff at Vi and the spheres shot at her instantly, barely giving her any time to erect another barrier to protect herself.

“Hey, pay attention!” Hex warned as she brought her blade down upon Six who barely managed to catch it in her hands. Even with her armor protecting her hands, Six could still feel the incredible heat burning from Hex’s blade. “You’re fighting for your kid, you know? You can’t afford to be distracted!”

[Combat Data-set: Vi: Installed]

“Damn it!” Six cursed as metal plates shifted and moved to reinforce her gauntlets. Using her superior strength, Six pushed the blade back before clenching her hands tightly, shattering the blazing blade in her grasp. Six cocked her fist back, and Hex quickly erected a blazing barrier around her to block her cousin’s blow. The blazing sphere’s shape warped when Six’s fist made contact before shattering completely from the General’s might.

Hex’s heels dug into the ground and tore up the earth as she was sent sliding back from the attack. When she came to a stop, she panted and grinned at Six while crimson runes spread down her arms and back.

“There we go,” Hex slammed her fists together. “Our family taught you a lot,” Hex said as her fists ignited with her fire. Memories of training with Vi flashed through her mind before flames exploded from beneath her feet and sent her rocketing toward Six. “But don’t forget that I was there for each of those lessons!”

In an instant, Hex was once more upon her cousin and as one they threw a punch at the other. Their fists collided with the others, and the sheer force of the impact tore the ground around them asunder and sent the Hexcore flying away.

[Combat data-set: Jinx: Installed]

Blue sparks erupted from Six’s armor as she felt her movement speed increase to new heights. In response, Hex conjured wind around her body which lifted her feet off the ground before she immediately went on the offensive.

Hex’s eye burned brightly as she flew at Six and delivered a flurry of blazing kicks and punches that Six dodged with expert precision. Six ducked under a kick aimed at her head and grabbed her cousin’s leg, breaking it in the process, before spinning and launching the fire mage away from her.

A gust of wind halted Hex’s movements and she recovered, unbothered by her broken leg as her healing flames healed it.  The winds around Hex picked up and bright blazing spheres appeared in her palms. Brighter and brighter, the fireballs burned as they fed on the winds and began to release a high-pitched ringing sound.

Seeing this, Six quickly turned and ran as Hex began to launch the fireballs at her one after another. Six was little more than a flash of blue light as she dodged the blasts which exploded violently around her with over three times the force of Jinx’s. Eventually, one blast exploded too close to her foot and knocked her off balance. Six grunted when the force of the explosion hit her and sent her crashing to the side while Hex continued to rain blasts down upon her.

Hex panted as she gazed into the cloud of smoke that was now before her. Hex raised and hand and whipped it to the side, summoning a powerful breeze which the smoke away. Once it was cleared, Hex saw Six crouching with her rifle aimed right at her.

[Combat data-set: Caitlyn: Installed]

Reaching to her side, Six pulled out a Hextech gemstone and placed it in the rifle as if she were loading a bullet. When Six cocked her gun, Hex unholstered her gun and spun it briefly in her hand before aiming at her cousin. For a brief moment, neither of the women saw the other as who they were now. No, for one brief, painful, the moment they saw each other as the little girls they once were that used to play with paintball guns with each other.

That vision vanished quickly.

As those once fond memories seemed to burn away, they both pulled the triggers of their respective guns. From the barrel of Six’s gun came a beam of pure concentrated Hextech energy and from Hex’s came a bullet coated in flames which took the form of an enraged bear head.

The collision of these two forces was even more destructive than Hex’s prior onslaught.

Though the sound of the cousins’ battle grew more visceral, Lux forced herself to stay the course and not intervene. Hex had a plan, a dream, a vision that she wanted to realize. With a powerful resolve that could have only come from Jinx, Hex would see this through to the end and Lux owed it to her daughter to believe in her.

To believe that if it was anyone, it was her that would set things right.

At that moment, Lux flew to the side and avoided a powerful blow from Vi whose body was seeping with multi-colored light. The woman looked ragged, and Lux frowned as she knew that Vi’s body would break long before her spirit ever did.

Lux scowled as she aimed her rod at Vi and fire a small but fast blast of light at the enforcer.

Vi crossed her arms and tried to summon her barrier but the blast was too fast and slammed into her gauntlets before the barrier could take form. Upon contact with Vi, the light of the blast seemed to spread and soon all of the light on Vi’s body shone brightly. The enforcer’s eyes widened in alarm before the light exploded with a flash of bright light and sent her crashing back into the ground.

Yet, despite this, Vi once more forced herself up to her feet.

“Will you just stop before you get yourself killed!?” Lux questioned angrily.

“And what!? Let our girls repeat the same mistake me and Jinx did!? That our dads did!?” Vi questioned angrily. “You want me to willingly let them suffer, to let you suffer!?” Vi questioned surprising Lux. “This is tearing you apart, Princess! I don’t care how good you are at setting aside your feelings, everyone has a limit! If you keep this up, you’ll end up becoming exactly what you’re afraid of becoming!”

Lux looked stricken by Vi’s words and bowed her head. Her grip on her rod slackened and it fell from her hand as Vi thought she finally managed to get through to her sister-in-law.

“Then so be it.”

Lux’s rod never hit the ground.

No.

Instead, it began to shine with a bright light as she floated higher into the air as the golden light in her irises broke free and filled her eyes.

“Vi,” Lux began as her rod began to spin rapidly in front of her. “If there is one thing you should have learned from your sister, it’s this. We become who we are meant to be. I will become a monster, and that’s fine. Why? Because I believe with all my heart that Hex will become one that will surpass me. One that will set things right. Is it right? Sacrificing all those lives for the handful she cares about?”

Lux raised her hands toward her rod, engulfing it with as much of her magic as she could muster.

“Most likely not,” Lux then did something that sent a terrible chill down Vi’s spine.

She grinned.

She grinned in a way that was identical to Jinx.

“But I don’t care.” Lux sneered. “Your side of the family worries about such things, not mine!”

From her place on the battlefield, Six could feel the magic Lux gathered with a curse and knew that she had to act fast. However, the second she went to move toward Lux, a pillar of fire erupted from the ground beneath her and forced her even further away from their mother’s side of the ruins.

“Damn it, Hex! Lux is going to kill her!”

Hex laughed. “She’ll be fine, you need to have as much faith in your mother as Lux does.” Hex’s expression turned dark. “I’ll follow her example!” Hex tilted her head back and opened her mouth as a vortex of wind and fire formed around her and merged into a small sphere of magic, no bigger than a Hextech gemstone that floated right above her mouth.

[Combat data-set: Lux: Installed]

“For such a pessimist you sure are optimistic when it comes to our family’s strength,” Six said as the light of small stars that surrounded the largest one on her chest began to fade. One by one, the magic from the Hextech gemstones in the smaller stars was drained and funneled toward the centermost star. “But I live in reality!”

Six raised a hand toward Vi, and the metal of her gauntlet shifted before a small disc fired from her wrist toward her mother. With the speed of a bullet, the disc crossed the distance and slammed into VI’s chest before surrounding her in a sphere of multi-colored light.

[Prismatic Barrier: Deployed.]

Focusing her full attention on Hex, she crossed her arms and grunted as the power in her chest continued to rise.

[Hex-Suit Central Generator: Approaching critical mass]

Hextech energy poured from Six’s eyes as she glared at Hex. “You always push yourself so hard, expect so much from the members of our family, but we’re only human Hex!”

Hex sneered. “You maybe, but how many times do I have to tell you!? I’m a monster!” Hex swallowed the sphere of condensed magic and glared at Six who knew she was about to release a spell she had seen only once during a particularly dangerous harrowing.

Hex’s strongest spell.

One that she had developed in the memory of the woman Lady Gray used to be.

Her Final Flare.

With an inhuman roar that put both Tibber’s and Warwick’s to shame, Hex released a beam of pure concentrated magic at Six that melted the very ground it passed over.

[Hex-Suit: Critical mass reached: Initializing: Final Spark]

From her chest, a beam of pure Hextech energy fired forward, disintegrated the ground, and slammed into Hex’s spell. As the two attacks struggled for dominance, Lux released her Final Spark at Vi who erected a barrier on top of the one Six had gifted her just before she found herself drowned in the light.

Three nigh-unstoppable attacks and an impenetrable defense were now on display as the two sides of the family fought to subdue the other. For a few seconds that felt like hours, neither side was able to get the upper hand.

However, that all changed when a shot rang out throughout the battlefield.

Lux gasped when she felt a sharp pain in her shoulder which caused her arm to drop and made the power of her spell wane. Glancing to the side, Lux gritted her teeth as she saw Caitlyn standing and aiming her rifle at Lux. Lux cursed realizing she had taken too much time against Vi in an attempt not to do unnecessary damage.

When she heard Caitlyn load her rifle again, Lux knew she had to act fast before her other arm was shot. If she failed, there would be nothing that could stop them from helping Six subdue Hex. If that happened that would mean all the pain Hex had endured would be for naught. Hex had given much more for just the attempt to change their future and Lux could not let her daughter’s sacrifice be in vain.

Lux had to push forward.

For her grandson.

For her daughter.

For her wife.

At the thought of her wife, Lux felt her blood burn. Jinx had done so much for her, changed her, gave her freedom and she would be damned if she allowed for there to be a future of hers without the woman, she loved so deeply in it.

More and more her blood burned as her determination grew and before Caitlyn could take her next shot, the golden light in her eyes was replaced by ultraviolet sparks.

-Flashback-

 

“Hey Flashlight?” Jinx began as they continued on their way to find Hex so that she could prove her mettle. “You know I love you right?”

“Don’t say things like that.”

Jinx blinked and looked at her owlishly. “Why not? Thought all you people across the river liked flowery words and shit.”

Lux rolled her eyes. “While I do find it flattering, hearing those words from you like this makes it seem…final,” Lux explained and Jinx’s expression softened slightly. “At least with what we know about the future. So, wait until this whole situation is behind and you’re alive and well to tell me that.”

“You know we won’t even remember this right?” Jinx reminded her. “Hell, we won’t know that I’m going to kick the bucket, so even if I do live how will I remember that? Or hell, even this promise?”

“Jinx, why do you pick the worst times to be the logical one?” Lux questioned as she suddenly came to a stop, forcing Jinx to do the same. Jinx chuckled sheepishly and Lux just shook her head before cupping her wife’s cheek in her palm. “We’ll know.” Lux’s words left no room for arguments. “Even if our minds forget, our hearts won’t. This, even a Demacian like me can believe.”

With that, Lux pressed her lips to Jinx’s and returned the kiss fiercely. When they broke apart, Lux nibbled Jinx’s ear which made the Loose Cannon shudder.

“I swear you have a chem addiction,” Jinx muttered as she rubbed her ear while her face sported a glowing blush.

“Nope,” Lux denied with a grin. “I just have an addiction to seeing you flustered.”

-Flashback: End-

 

Like a dam had been broken, Lux felt a new flood of power pour out of her as she was reduced to tears. The tears, however, were not a result of pain but rather pleasure. Lux’s vision went black as an ocean of darkness replaced her Final Spark And drowned her in-laws.

Lux could feel the wound on her shoulder closing as her shimmer-colored eyes shone brighter. When the wound healed, she raised that arm as well and doubled the output of darkness flowing from her very soul.

Knowing all too well how unstable and dangerous uncontrolled magic was, Lux swiftly drew upon her experiences with light magic, digging deep within to find a common denominator in manipulating the contradicting elements.

Whether it was from luck, skill, or pure desperation, Lux didn’t know but the flood of darkness halted its spread and began to recede, revealing a once more unconscious Caitlyn. Satisfied that the woman appeared to be alive, Lux narrowed her eyes and concentrated the darkness on Vi, letting it barrel down mercilessly upon her defenses.

It was only when she heard the tell-tale sounds of Vi’s barriers shattering did Lux dig deep down and slammed the floodgates shut on the darkness pouring from within her. When the darkness finally stopped, Lux saw Vi too had finally fallen unconscious and lowered herself back to the ground with the little strength she had left.

Exhausted, Lux looked back and was forced to shield her eyes from the sheer intensity of the light created by Hex and Six’s attacks colliding. Raising her arms, to bock as much of the dust and debris she could as a dome of pure magic engulfed the cousins. Eventually, everything erupted in a flash of light and when it died down, Lux fell forward onto her hands and knees.

When her vision began to swim, Lux’s eyes returned to their usual blue as she looked up to watch the dust settle. When it did, she could see both Hex and Six glaring at each other. It was at that moment that Lux knew that she wouldn’t be able to see the conclusion of this fight. With the way she was fading in and out of consciousness she knew that the next time she awoke she would be dazed, confused, and ignorant of the events that had transpired the past few heartbreaking days.

Still, before that could happen, she had to deliver a message.

She had to let Hex know…

“Hex!” Lux called out, her voice feeling raw as she fought against her exhaustion until the last possible moment. Hex did not indicate that she could hear Lux, but Lux just had to pray that she did. “The darkness….it didn’t…hurt…”

With that ominous message, Lux collapsed forward and passed out, entirely drained from the day’s events.

“I see,” Hex murmured to herself. “Guess this is my win,” Hex called out as she saw Six fall to a knee. “That suit of yours is done for.”

“Like I hell, I can still fight.” Six glowered.

“With that busted armor?” Hex questioned skeptically. “Without it, your strength is gone.”

“Hex…when have I ever said that?” Six questioned which made her cousin pause. “The Hex-suit wasn’t designed to give me power, it was designed to limit it.”

[Combat data-set: Hex: Installed: Removing Armor Lock]

“I have learned invaluable lessons from all of my family members, including you,” Six said as one by one, the pieces of her armor fell off of her body. “To never show anyone all of my cards and to let them believe what I want them to. These are lessons you taught me.”

The temperature of the battlefield began to steadily increase as she rose back to her feet, garbed in nothing but her training gear as the large star-shaped generator remained on her chest. Grabbing it, Six removed the final piece of the Hex-suit and shattered it in her palm.

Golden flames erupted from her body and washed over their surroundings as Hex looked at her incredulously.

“That small piece of my power…you fed that flame this much?” Hex questioned as the flames spilled from Six’s eyes and while her hair became a golden mane of fire. Upon seeing this, Hex couldn’t help but smile as she couldn’t help but remember her stepsister and stepmother as well as Lux. “You exceeded my expectations. I was wrong…you are a monster.”

Hex then cackled.

“And you didn’t tell me about this which means…you’ve been saving this for me haven’t, you?” Hex questioned. “One last contingency for Piltover to protect itself from the Queen of Zaun, is that it?” Hex snickered. “Is that something you picked up from Lady Ferros?”

In response, Six said nothing but she did slide into the stance she had learned from Lady Ferros.

A stance Hex recognized immediately which gave her, her answer.

“Cute.” Hex scoffed. “You’ve probably realized this, but even if you stop me, there is no going back for us, right? Even if Lady Gray is successful at saving our family. That bridge has long since been burned.”

“I didn’t start that fire, nor did I fan the flames that burned that bridge.” Six-pointed out. “You did. You’re your own worst enemy and I’m done shielding you from that truth. I will protect my family. Stand down Hex, you have used up your power.”

“That I did,” Hex admitted with a shrug. “But you knew this day would come. Look at you, you can't prevent and prepare for war at the same time. That said, here’s a question for you cousin…if you learned from me, what do you think I learned from you?”  Hex’s eye turned a bright blue as ice blue tribal markings appeared over her body. “The answer? How to use the strength of others for my own gain.”

-Flashback-

 

“Why are we trudging through all of this damnable snow?” Hex questioned Nu who had led her through a frozen forest only to come to a stop at the edge of a frozen cliffside. In her arms, wrapped in a bundle of fur was their son who sounded just as pleased as she was to be out in the frozen wasteland. “There, there, I’m sure your father has a perfectly good reason for having us risk frostbite.”

Nu laughed at that, knowing that getting frostbite was impossible for Hex and also the baby with her holding him. What bothered Hex was never the temperature but rather the fact that the snow left her soaked with how quickly it melted around her.

 With that same smile that she had ‘unfortunately’ fallen for years prior, Nu grabbed her hand.

“I wanted to show you something,” Nu explained, his eyes shining with wonder as they always had. “I know you’ve been feeling a bit homesick so I wanted to bring you here. You mentioned the gray that your moms left for you, so I wanted to show you something.”

Nu gestured up to the night sky, and Hex looked up to see a thick cloud covering it that seemed to extend forever. Though it was created by far more natural means than the gray in Zaun, it did look similar. Hex’s lips twitched a bit as she felt herself appreciating the gesture even though the sight caused her far more pain than happiness.

“I appreciate it, Nu,” Hex told him, and truly, she did. “But the gray brings back more bad memories than good.”

“I had a feeling, which is why I wanted to show you this,” Nu said before his eyes shone with ice-blue magic and shimmering tribal markings appeared over his body. Hex looked up in surprise when she saw the cloud begin to spread and open, revealing Freljord’s northern lights as well as the large full moon and ocean of stars behind it.

Seeing such a clear image of the sky against the, admittedly, beautiful backdrop of Freljord had stunned Hex.

Even Silco had stopped crying as he looked up at the sky.

“Forgive me if I am being rude and overstepping, but I think you should ignore what your mom told you,” Nu told her. “The gray may give you power, and in Zaun, I figure that’s all that matters but just like the clouds here, it narrows your view. It blocks out the sheer beauty of the world around you. A beauty that I find second to only you.”

Nu gestured to the sky.

“Each of these stars is a different story, a different possibility, that’s what my mother taught me,” Nu explained. “Some shine brightly on their own, others need to group up to tell even greater tales. There are countless stars, countless stories, and endless possibilities!” Nu grinned as he gazed down into her eyes and pulled her close.

As always, her body radiated an intense heat while he was ice-cold despite his best efforts. Yet, she didn’t find his temperature bothersome, rather it was relaxing to feel cooled down. Something rare for her.

“Endless possibilities,” Nu repeated as he looked down at his son who giggle and smile up at him. “That’s what I see when I look at you two, so don’t limit yourselves, okay? Don’t reach out for the gray, you’re stronger than that, you deserve more than that, reach out for the stars and moon behind it.”

Hex swallowed a lump in her throat and if Nu noticed the cascade of tears that were sliding down her face, he didn’t comment on it.

“Endless possibilities,” Hex murmured. “Do…do you think there’s one…a possibility, where even a monster like me can be happy despite the pain I have yet to bring?”

“Yes,” Nu said without hesitation before he held Hex close, ignoring the tears in his eyes as the woman he loved finally broke down and cried openly for the first time since she was a little girl. “No matter how far you go, or what you do, I will always be there for you and our son. I love you two, so, so, much.”

-Later-

 

“Will I see you again?” Nu questioned Hex quietly as they set on her bed. As always, she had been awoken by nightmares, and as always, she conjured an image of her mother with her flames to soothe herself. It had become routine, be he comforted her every time and asked her this simple question, wondering if this would finally be the time, she made her move and left.

Though this routine had never changed, he waited with baited breaths each time for her answer.

Waiting for the time that her answer would be different.

And finally, it was.

With a sad smile, Hex looked up at him and he felt his heart split between sadness and happiness.

Sadness that this would be the last time he saw Hex as she was now before she thrust the world itself into the unknown, and happiness that she would go out finally realize her purpose. That she would stop drifting along and once more take her life, her future in her own hands.

Hex would seize the future she wanted without caring about the consequences of who she hurt. Was it selfish? Yes. Was it morally wrong? Most likely yes, but that was fine for him. For it was that drive, that unrelenting resolve to achieve what she wanted that he fell in love with. For the first time in years, when he saw Hex, he saw the woman he had fallen for rather than the shell that the world had turned her into.

“No.”

Nu nodded as a tear slid down his cheek.

He wished he could walk with her to the end, but from what she explained to him, the only one that could truly stop Lady Gray was her.

“Then I’ll see you on the other side,” Nu told her and she kissed him passionately as he held her close. Even as his body temperature reached dangerous levels, even as Silco cried, and even as he felt his very magic being ripped from his body, Nu didn’t let go of her until he was no more than ash.

He would let her know he had no regrets.

That he believed her and loved her until his final moments.

For once, he would make sure Hex knew that there was at least one person who never gave up on her.

-Flashback: End-

 

Six was visibly horrified.

“You didn’t…Hex please tell me you didn’t.” Six pleaded as she saw Nu’s power at Hex’s command.

“Why are you surprised?” Hex questioned. “If Sylas was under my control, then you know who must have killed Nu.” Hex sneered. “You knew but even then, your mind refused to let you connect the dots, to see the truth of just how far I would go to achieve my goal. This is why I call you weak. You have power, of that, I have no doubt, but you lack strength.” Hex summoned the broken hilt of her blade to her palm and encased it in ice, transforming it into a frozen blade of true ice.

Hex raised the blade at Six in challenge

“This is why I refuse to entrust the future of my child to you.” Hex said as the influx of magic exploded from her body. Her gaze was cold as the ice began to spread out across the ruins. She felt the cold of Nu’s power deep in her bones, yet her pink flames remained and healed the damage of the ice as quickly as it formed.

“Hex!” Six boomed, her golden flames exploding from her as her heart burned from the sheer betrayal. She didn’t love Nu as Hex did, no, but he was a valued comrade, a good man, and her brother in arms. They fought, killed, and cried together, and to have such a life stolen by someone they trusted so deeply as Hex was the final straw.

Hex looked up and saw that the gray was set ablaze, as Six called upon its power.

Hex slashed upward with her sword, releasing a wave of ice as Six blasted forward and kicked through it, releasing a heatwave that shattered the nearby ice. Within an instant, Six was upon Hex, releasing a flurry of kicks and tactical strikes that were being countered with swordsmanship identical to Nu’s.

Back and forward the two fought, driven by their desires to achieve the future they wanted. A future where all of the ones they cared for could survive. With each attack, Six’s heart broke more and more until there was nothing left but an intense desire to keep the last promise she made to her mother.

To protect the world from her cousin.

Six released a tactical swipe with her leg that Hex barely managed to avoid. “Hex…”

*Flash*

 

“…how did it come to this!?”

On what appeared to be the bridge connecting the twin cities, Hex could be seen on her knees bound by two golden chains shackled to her wrists which extended over the side of the bridge. Beneath the bridge was the city of Zaun which was only kept up by these two chains and Its Queen’s strength.

Golden light illuminated the sky and an exhausted Hex looked up to see Six in the air, lifting Piltover with her bare hands so that it wouldn’t collapse on Hex and her city.

“We were supposed to be each other’s strength even as the weight of the world crushed us!”

A tear slid down Hex’s cheek as she saw how much her cousin was struggling.

“We made a promise, that no matter how bad things got we would be each other’s strength!”

Six looked down and gave her cousin a tired but reassuring smile as she struggled against the weight placed upon her. It was a smile that Hex tearfully returned.

*Flash*

 

“So how did it come to this!?” Six questioned as she released a flaming punch at Hex who slammed her Ice-covered fist into it which created an explosion that knocked them away from each other.

“Each other’s strength? What? Like we're equal!?” Hex questioned angrily. “Your power, your family, everything you have to come to love and care for is because of me and you have the nerve to stand against me!?" Hex sneered.

Hex’s words hurt but Six pushed forward. “I have to do what’s right!?”

“Right!? What or who determines what is right!?” Hex questioned. “What you call morality is just an aggressive arrogance stemming from that disease you call a home, you damn Piltie.” Hex’s power seemed to grow with her anger. “Noxus, Zaun, hell even the Freljord understand that right to shape the future in any way belongs to those with the strength to do so!”

“You’re wrong!”

“I’m right!” Hex snapped. “Do you know what the true difference between us is? You’re willing to shoulder all the pain to protect the family. I, on the other hand, am prepared to destroy the family to protect it from that pain.

“What? And that’s better?”

“I suppose we’ll just have to find out.” Hex sneered before tossing her blade to the side. “This has gone on long enough. Let’s put an end to this.”

Six clenched her fists so tightly they bled, but Hex could see that her cousin agreed.

“Fine.” Six said before an explosion erupted beneath her feet which sent her blasting into the air and the burning gray. Cocking her fist back, she glared down at Hex as the burning image of a bear covered her fists while she summoned Tibber’s will to perform one last duty.

To protect its master from herself.

“Willump, give me a hand,” Hex said as she aimed her gun up into the sky at her cousin. Nu’s power continued to pour off her body in waves as the ethereal Yeti appeared behind her. “If you ever want to see your master again, give me the strength to survive this.”

The yeti disappeared and the magic that created it began to merge into what could best be described as a snowball above the barrel of her gun. A tense moment passed as the cousins gathered the last vestiges of their power their hardened gazes never left the other.

Eventually, that moment passed and an explosion from behind Six sent her barreling down toward Hex like a bullet. When Six was close enough, Hex pulled the trigger and called up Nu’s most signature spell.

“Absolute Zero.”

 

 

-Moments Earlier-

 

“Why couldn’t Powder just keep her damn mouth shut,” Jinx questioned as she teleported to the ruins. “Well, I managed to knock them out and stop them from coming. Hopefully, Flashlight didn’t kill someone-”

Jinx stopped when a powerful explosion of ice and fire knocked her right on her ass. So Powerful was the explosion that Jinx realized that she might have, well, jinxed herself because even she would have been impressed if someone from the family managed to survive that.

With a groan, Jinx hopped back to her feet and rubbed her now sore ass, and muttered something about getting too old for this. When she looked back to where the explosion came from, she didn’t see Hex and Six but rather Ren and Annie. The former was straddling the latter with her small fist embedded into the ground next to Annie’s head.

Silently, Jinx strode forward, taking note that Lux, Vi, and Caitlyn were all thankfully still alive.

“Why did you stop?” “Annie” questioned but though she had the girl’s body, her eyes and tone of voice indicated that her body was still occupied by her counterpart. Tears fell from Ren’s eyes and onto Annie as her fist trembled next to Annie’s face. “If you killed me, you would have not only separated this reality from ours but also sent me back to our time. You could have ensured your family’s survival.”

“I’m done Hex…” Ren whispered and her expression was broken. “I am done playing your games. I don’t need to stain my hands with your blood to do that. I just have to destroy the Hexcore or even kill myself.”

Annie didn’t respond as she silently acknowledged that this was true.

Still…

“I’m sorry,” Annie told her. “But you can't be done with my games. You haven't won yet.” Ren looked at Annie in confusion. “Because my games are rigged from the start.” Annie raised a hand and pointed to the side.

Feeling a sense of dread, Ren looked over and saw Tibbers holding the Hexcore in front of an ultraviolet portal.  Ren quickly scrambled off of Annie and tried to make it to the bear but it was too late as the bear tossed the Hexcore inside and shut the portal.

Silently, Ren fell to her knees.

“Sorry,” Annie said she turned her head toward her distraught cousin as the brands on their hands began to release a bright light. “You were stronger and Sylas was weaker than I had planned. I need to find another way to keep you busy while I opened a portal back to the future.”

Ren glanced back at her, feeling utterly defeated. “I thought physical objects couldn’t go through the portal?”

“Only because Lady Gray lacks the knowledge Ekko had,” Annie reminded her and Ren knew that such knowledge was probably taught to her personally by Ekko. “I had the knowledge but lacked the power, power the Hexcore had in spades.”

“I never had a chance, did I?”

“You did,” Annie told her. “Like I said you should’ve killed me but I am glad I got to play with you one last time,” Annie gave her a sad smile. “As I said, you were my favorite toy.”

“Firelight,” Jinx called out and Annie turned to look at her mother. Jinx gave her a sad smile and made a gun with her fingers. “One shot, that’s all you need to ignite the world.”

Annie giggled at that and mimicked the gesture with her fingers and pointed them at her mother. “Bang.”

At that moment the brand on her hand shattered along with Ren’s and a brilliant light erupted from the girls, erasing any memories of them from those they had encountered in their little trip to the past. A shimmer-filled tear fell from Jinx’s eyes as she was bathed in the golden light.

-13 Years Later-

 

With a gasp, Six’s eyes snapped open but before she could regain her bearings, she felt a tight grip on her shoulder and found herself being forcefully turned around. A sharp, searing, pain erupted in her chest and she looked down to find a blazing sword piercing her chest. Blood spilled from her mouth and when she looked up, she saw Hex in front of her with her head bowed.

Fighting through the pain, Six clenched her fist tightly and prepare to punch Hex off of her when she saw it…

Was it a hallucination?

A dream long forgotten?

Or was it a memory both familiar yet foreign?

Six wasn’t sure but whatever it was it was enough to stay in her hand. After all, how could she do anything when faced with such a beautiful image? An image of their family alive and well, laughing as her daughter held Hex’s son in her arms.

“Hex.”

“I don’t stab my family in the back.” Hex met Six’s eyes and the General could see the pain and anguish in Hex’s gaze.

“Yeah…” Six said as she lowered her hand to Hex’s shoulder. “You look them in their eyes.”

“I need my power back,” Hex whispered. “This is why you can’t fight with me. Please. Just go to sleep, when you wake up a better world will be waiting.”

Six’s body felt heavy as she fell forward, leaning against Hex as she felt the fire in her soul returning to its original owner. Six understood then just what that image she saw was. It was the image of the world Hex wanted to build, one built from the ashes of this one. Hex silently cupped Six’s face in her hands and kissed her cousin on her forehead as her body was reduced to ashes. Before she disappeared completely, Six spoke one last word…

-Piltover: Clan Ferros Estate-

 

“…Cupcake.”  

“Mom, are you okay?”

C. was startled from her thoughts when she looked across the table and found Camilla looking at her in concern. They were enjoying some tea in their private garden when C. suddenly found herself lost in thought, feeling a sense of…loss…she didn’t quite comprehend.

“Yes,” C. answered, forcing a smile on her face. “I’m fine. What are you working on?” C. questioned curiously as she saw the girl doodling on a piece of parchment. Camilla grinned and showed C. the picture she drew, a picture that showed her, C., and Six all smiling thought, for some reason, C. was holding a cupcake. “Why am I holding a cupcake?”

Camilla snickered mischievously. “That’s a secret~” Camilla practically sung. “You think Six will like it?”

C. smiled as she plucked the image from her daughter’s grasp, smiling as she looked between it and the little girl. “I’m sure she’ll love it. Make sure to give it to her as soon as she gets back.”

Camilla nodded. “I will. I…I miss…her.”

“As do I, but she’ll be back soon.” C. looked up at the night sky and she wasn’t sure if she was reassuring the girl or herself. “She’ll be back soon.”

 

-Zaun: The Zaun Gray-

 

When Six vanished, Hex felt a sharp twisting pain in her heart, and in her head, she heard something break as the rest of her magic returned to her. The sound was similar to that of a chain being snapped after being forced to uphold too much weight.

“Annie!? Annie what have you done!?” Lady Gray questioned, her enraged voice shaking her realm.

Before she could get a response, however, a set of runes appeared in the perpetually gray realm and a portal opened up above Hex. Its sudden appearance confused Lady Gray immensely but Hex seemed to have been expecting it as she rose to her feet and raised her hand toward the portal. From within it, the Hexcore flew out and landed in her awaiting palm and she quickly aimed it toward Lady Gray’s petricite-infused body that still knelt before Jinx’s throne.

“Shackle.” Hex chanted and the Hexcore shifted and trembled in her palm before releasing a multitude of runes that slammed into her mother’s body. Hex’s ears nearly bled from Lady Gray’s shouts of anger when she found her consciousness trapped inside the prison that she once called a body. "Why so surprised? You said it yourself. Never trust a Noxian." Hex mocked.

Looking down at her ash-covered hands, Hex repeated what she had done with Ekko and raised a burning finger to her face where she branded herself with a black “VI”. If the action caused her any pain, she showed none of it and simply moved forward to the container she had brought with her and lifted it by its strap.

“Annie! Answer me! What do you think you’re doing!?”

“Setting things right.” Hex answered as she used a small flame to scorch simple words onto the front of the container.

The Answer.

  

Satisfied, Hex shoulder the strap and made her way toward Jinx’s throne. As she walked, she aimed behind her with the Hexcore toward the runic array that made up Lady Gray’s portal to the past.

“You’d probably break free long before I can finish making another portal, so I’m going to borrow yours,” Hex said as sparks shot from the Hexcore and into the array. Lady Gray could feel her connection and control over her runes being overridden and before long they no longer belonged to her but Hex.

With the runes under her control, she moved them up behind Jinx’s throne before then adding a few more of her own to ‘complete’ the Time Gate.

“Annie!” Lady Gray continued to shout to no avail as Hex ignored her and continued to ascend the steps toward the portal now floating behind her mother’s throne. With each step, her heels echoed throughout the realm seemingly louder and louder as she finally prepared to bring this journey of hers to an end. "You'd betray me after all I sacrificed!?"

The sight alone made something old but familiar burn in Lady Gray's petrified heart.

-Flashback-

Lux cried out desperately, her voice ripping from her throat as she fought not to lose consciousness as the large armored man dragged her and her daughter away. Lux saw Jinx standing alone with her back toward them as she face down Fiddlesticks. As her vision darkened, she saw Jinx turn back and speak her final words to their daughter. Lux couldn't make them out and her heart broke as her vision went black.

-Flashback: End-

"I once had good in my heart but all that remains is darkness," Hex spoke up. "That light died with Six, so don't talk to me about sacrifice after I just put my cousin in a coffin." Golden flames erupted around the realm as Hex spit a wad of magma to side as if disgusted. "You see I have a plan for our world that you'll see. I'd rather do it peacefully but you know that can't happen and if I have to become a villain to achieve my goals then I'll be that."

Even now, Hex could feel that final chain that kept the monster in her at bay tighten more and more, threatening to break.

"My victory is something I planned years in advance, and I'll achieve it because I am legendary, don't you know?" Hex questioned. "Though, my legend as it is now will be one unspoken. But that's fine, to achieve my goal it matters what I have to do, who head I have to make roll. This city that you claim is one I built up to its current status, so its fitting that I'm the one that will burn it all down."

"Why!?"

"Because..." Hex trailed off as the surrounding flames exploded and increased in intensity to such a degree that even Lady Gray could feel it. "My whole life I've lived a lie!" Hex looked back down at her mother with an expression of pure contempt and malice. "I've been betrayed. You betrayed me. So like the dutiful daughter I am it's only right that I follow your example." Hex continued her trek. "The ability to shape this world as they see fit, everyone thinks they have the fire inside to do this but it always runs cold. You are no exception, so allow me to you what true resolve looks like."

When she reached the top, she removed the container and lifted it with both hands. Hex took a moment to stare at it one final time before pressing her lips against its cold surface and raising it to the portal. Hex’s lips moved as she whispered something while a tear fell from her eyes. Soon, she let go and let the portal take it away. It was only when the portal shut, and Hex heard the sound of that one last chain snapping.

“The hardest thing a mother can do is say goodbye to their child,” Hex spoke up. “The pain is unbearable and I can’t help but wonder if Six would thank me for sparing her of such pain or curse me for stealing that right from her.” Hex turned around to face the petrified form of her mother and sat down on the throne. With the Hexcore all but drained of its immense power, Hex crushed it in her palm and reduced it to ash which she blew away with a simple breeze.

“Why did you abandon me?” Hex questioned. “Despite knowing that pain?”

“What are you talking about!? You know why! If you stayed with me, you would have been in danger-”

“Lies.” Hex interrupted as she leaned her head back and shut her eyes. “Over and over again, you continue to lie.” Hex began to tap her finger against the armrest. “I did some reading during my trip to the past. Did you know that Jinx had an extensive journal about the key figures in our world?”

“…”

Hex’s smile didn’t reach her eyes. “Of course, you did.”

“Annie, I don’t know what you think you read but–”

“But what? Attempting to discredit Jinx of all people to me will do nothing but betray your deception,” Hex told her. “For years I thought you were unlucky, I spent so much time looking for ways to save you only to discover you did this to yourself.”

Hex opened her eyes and glared at Lady Gray. “Fiddlesticks, an avatar of darkness made of only willpower and hunger for destruction. For years he stalked Jinx, wanting her to be her vessel but before that could happen, she found herself under Janna’s protection, and then she died destroying his body.”

Hex gripped her armrest so tightly that it began to crack.

“So instead of waiting for its physical form to return, it instead found a better host,” Hex continued. “One with a bigger capacity for pain than even Jinx, one that had become attuned with darkness. You. Fiddlesticks possessed you and you knew this.” Hex sneered. “This is why using darkness hurt you because it wasn’t your power.”

“Annie, I do not know where you got these…these…theories from but–”

“Lux awakened her darkness before I returned here,” Hex interrupted. “She was exhausted and likely even sore from her mana exhaustion. Yet despite this, she clung to consciousness desperately to relay a single message to me. To tell me that her darkness didn’t hurt.”

The realm was silent as Lady Gray didn’t offer up a rebuttal.

“An afternoon, that’s how long it took your younger self to come up with this theory after hearing second-hand facts from me.” Hex informed her. “Do you honestly expect me to believe that you didn’t know this? And that you didn’t attempt to hide the truth? Jinx didn’t have many books in her library but I read the few she did cover to cover multiple times, so why was this journal of hers missing?”

“Annie…you…you don’t understand–”

“What’s not to understand?” Hex questioned. “You were so desperate for power, desperate for a way to fix things that you attempted to control the thing blatantly trying to hijack your body. The first time your powers awakened at the funeral was all you, you killed dozens of people by accident but more than a guilty conscious that gave you plausibility when you later came into contact with even more power than you couldn’t control.”

“I do have control!” Lady Gray snapped and the realm shook from her fury as cracks appeared over her body. “I do…”

“You don’t.” Hex denied. “You think just because Fiddlesticks is an entity of pure instinct that you can control it, not noticing how its will is warping your thoughts. The second you thought you could control that power was the second you lost control.”

Hex shook her head.

“I don’t blame you for seizing that power for your own, I would have tried the same thing,” Hex said matter of factly. “I blame you for losing. For becoming nothing but a puppet. Ryze knew this, this is why you had a falling out. He tried to save you and you stopped him.”

“Ryze was an old fool stuck in his ways. He didn’t understand that power was meant to be used, not feared!”

“This is true, if anything could sum up that old man it’s that.” Hex agreed. “But a broken clock is still right twice a day. His ideals may be dated, but they aren’t without a warrant and in this case, he was right. I mean look at your ‘great work’.”

Hex sneered.

“You’ve been manipulating Zaun’s world rune,” Hex told her. “Making it so that it can attune with the Hexgates that are abroad so that you can manipulate them and turn them into bombs. All of those lives, souls, sacrificed to make a glorified cage.”

“How did you–”

“-Find out? That’s your fault,” Hex informed her. “The trial runs you performed trying to link up with the Hexgates attracted the Black Mist and started Harrowings. There are only so many Harrowings I can stop before I realize they’re only happening where we have Hexgates. Imagine my surprise when I investigated the Hexgates in each harrowing and felt your dark magic.”

Hex shook her head.

“If I told Six, she would have stopped at nothing to stop you but she didn’t deserve that.” Hex sighed. “No, she suffered enough. I’d rather kill her and put her out of her misery than let her see just what you’ve become.”

“And what is it that I’ve become?”

“A monster,” Hex answered with a smile. “But that’s okay, I’m one too, and I have nothing chaining me down anymore. Still, I’m not standing against you because I have some moral high ground. I’m just doing this because the future you have planned for us is boring and I’d rather die than live one second in it. You feel it don’t you? Our reality burning at the edges as this time of ours prepares to be erased.”

“What have you done, Annie!?”

Hex chuckled. “That’s a surprise. It might take a while because you’re so lost to Fiddlestick’s will, but I can already see them. Flashes, memories of the world replacing this one and I will fight to the end to protect it. My very existence is being overwritten,” Hex grimaced. “It's almost sickening how happy the woman who will take my place is but it’s fine because she too is strong. Stronger than me, and I will leverage that strength to keep you at bay until this world is engulfed in flames.”

Hex’s expression turned downright sinister.

“Or maybe, you won’t get any memories?” Hex mused. “If you have truly become one with Fiddlesticks and that demon is destroyed in this new world, a world where you have no future, then you won’t have any memories at all to gain.”

The cracks on Lady Gray’s body continued to spread, releasing a brilliant light from beneath them.

“I wonder, can even a god of fear be terrified?” Hex questioned with an ominous giggle. Raising a hand, Hex snapped her fingers and summoned her black blade. Twirling it in her hands, she stabbed it into the ground and rose from the throne while conjuring a pink fireball in her free hand. Soon, however, that pink flame turned golden as she slammed it into her chest, covering her body in these enhanced healing flames.

As the golden flames coursed through her blade, once more it found itself restored as its black color was replaced by that of Demacian steel. Hex’s hair became a mane of golden flames that pierce the gray filter of the realm. Tribal markings spread across her body as her eyes were filled with a piercing ice-blue light. Like her eye, the tribal markings along with her cloud tattoos shone brightly with the same intensity.

“I’m glad I found out the truth,” Hex told her and more cracks appeared on Lady Gray’s body as she found herself in front of a woman that looked so much like her it was terrifying. In a way, it was as if the woman she used to be had stood before her to confront her. “At first this was going to be a mercy killing, but now I have no qualms about reducing you to chalk.”

“You selfish child!”

Lady Gray’s voice, while powerful, sounded more focused now, as if it originated from a single place instead of filling the realm as it usually did. Upon closer inspection, Hex could see that the mouth of her mother’s petrified body had moved.

“Very well,” Lady Gray said and the roof of the room shattered, revealing the gray sky. Soon, the clouds parted and revealed a rune that had been fashioned into the shape of the ‘Eye of Zaun’ sigil that her side of the Clan bore. The sigil was gold, and its pupil shone with a bright blue light while radiating a feeling of pure power.

Hex knew on an instinctive level that she was now in the presence of Zaun’s world rune.

“I know you, Annie, I raised you. The only time you talk is to buy yourself time,” Lady Gray said as the rune lowered to her and began to embed itself into her back. “The longer you talked, the more time the flames consuming this time had to spread…but you also gave me time to complete my work.”

More cracks appeared on Lady Gray’s body, as she began to move. Hex watched as she rose to her feet as the rune finished cementing itself into her back. Cracks appeared around her irises, making them appear like golden rings as her ‘hair’ shattered and was replaced by pure light magic.

Lady Gray raised a hand and Hex looked up to the sky to see the very stars move, leaving streaks of light across the sky. Soon a streak of light fell from the heavens and shrunk rapidly, forging a ‘blade’ of starlight for Lady Gray to wield.

As soon as she grasped her make-shift weapon, her power fluctuated and a ring of light broke up from the ground and surrounded Lady Gray’s position. “No matter how powerful of a mage you become, Annie, you cannot kill a celestial.”

At her declaration, Lady Gray aimed her blade at Hex in the challenge as the petricite ‘statues’ that surrounded them all began to rise to their feet. Despite the odds being stacked against her, Hex grinned in excitement and glanced between Lady Gray’s eyes and the ring of light that had unintentionally formed around her.

-Flashback-

 

“Well, shall we?” Lux questioned with a bright smile after she once more drew the ring around her.

Annie nodded excitedly. “Yeah! I’ll take you down this time!”

“We’ll see.” Lux laughed.

-Flashback: End-

 

Following Hex’s eyes, Lady Gray glanced down and noticed the ring as well before looking back up at her daughter. “Well, shall we?”

Hex gripped her blade tighter and nodded. “Yeah, I’m going to put you in the dirt.”

“We’ll see.”

Hex smiled slightly before she leaped down at Lady Gray, ready to put an end to this mess once and for all. “Here’s to the new us!”

-Meanwhile Janna's Storm-

On a cliff that overlooked an endless ocean, two souls sat and rested as they watch two massive storms slowly begin to collide.

"Looks like the curtain is beginning to fall on this tragic tale," Silco mused as he glanced to the side, his mutated eye filled with nothing but compassion. "As we bring in this final act, tell me, what have you learned from all these years watching over those you left behind? What have you learned from your long yet oh so short journey?"

Jinx looked up at the cloud filled sky and thought over his words. "It's started off as a lie that I told myself that I wasn't meant for love. Rarely had anyone there for me, and I was always left outside alone when things got stormy." Jinx smiled. "But then I poured myself, everything I was and had, into something that was bigger than me. A family was little more than a fantasy, something I thought I'd never see. It was beautiful. I got so caught up in the role that woman I used to be was gone." Jinx snapped her fingers. "Just like that. I never thought I could live a life where I could die with no regrets."

Ultraviolet tears fell from her eyes.

"And what did you learn from them?" Silco asked softly as Jinx rose to her feet and smiled brightly down upon him even as her tears continued to fall. Silco's eyes widened when he saw the smile. It wasn't quite an expression from Powder, rather, it was one Jinx made all on her how that was simply...

...radiant.

"That I deserve love," Jinx answered as she looked back at the merging storms. "And that it's okay to love me."

In one storm, the bridge between mother and daughter burned to ash as they prepared to see their goals achieved no matter the cost.

In the other storm, the Black Mist began to form in Zaun for the first time.

As Jinx watched the storms collide, she could see the first storm begin to burn with bright golden flames.

"So, until the very end, I will watch the fuse burn brighter and brighter until my bomb, finally, finally, explodes." Jinx smiled brightly. "And you can bet your ass, old man, that it will be glorious."

To be continued in The Answer Part 3.

Notes:

Will: Rebuke you magnificent annoying b…oss. Yeah, let’s just go with calling you the boss (as if I already don’t). I had a feeling that there was something inherently wrong with Lux being Lady Gray. It’s been sitting in the back of my mind but I keep getting distracted. Given that there is a duality of magic introduced, there should have been a balance of sorts achieved by Lux regardless of the darkness, something that she did do here. And then, I remembered someone whose presence has been suspiciously missing since you dropped this new arc and how that internal balance can be tipped by something external going internal, a suspicion you outright confirmed via Hex. Well played yet again you magnificent annoying boss, you had me fooled.

RebukeX7: Haha! Fiddlestick's wasn't just flavor text and cameos, no way this story was ending before it finally made its move. Now you know what demon Jinx died fighting.

Will: Anyways, my thoughts on the other bombshells of the chapter are…to initiate a toast and hurriedly change the music I was listening to while editing the chapter to a specific OST of Honkai Impact 3rd (because I like to drown myself in the feels immerse myself in its awesomeness). By the way, the OST in question is IRAS 17514 since, in my opinion, it fits Hex’s conviction to achieve her goal and the sheer scope of her plan because holy shit was the resulting confrontations intense. My condolences to Six and company, you did well but Hex has gone too far to not succeed…as Nu understood and volunteered to do for the sake of their family.

RebukeX7: The burden she had the carry and decisions she had to make for her family and people were not easy. Still as a mother and the Queen of Zaun, she'd see it through to the end. If those she loved couldn't be free, they were better off dead. Whether they will remain that way depends on if she can withstand one last fight.

Will: Finally, I wish to congratulate Rebuke for delivering yet another masterpiece of a chapter…as well as the sequel to his original work. Really brings a smile to my face to see you succeed man. Kudos to you boss.

RebukeX7: Appreciate man! You already know, I am about to plugging the shit out of them moving forward. Support your boy and grab a copy, who knows if the right people read and like my work, maybe I can sneak myself onto the Arcane writing team lmao. The long-con is real!

Chapter 14: The Answer (Part 3/Finale)

Summary:

Like mother like daughter.

Notes:

Before I even get into the nonsense that was this chapter's delay let me start with an important disclaimer. Throughout this story some of you might notice that parts were inspired by some songs, mostly nerdcore. I'm bringing this up because this ENTIRE STORY had been inspired by one, in particular, from an artist named Fabvl to avoid spoilers I'll explain which one at the end of this chapter.

Now, on to the delay. Besides work, working on my own book, and life there is another reason this took so long. This chapter? This fucking chapter? Was corrupted and lost NINE times. I don't even know where to begin with how pissed I was lol because as anyone who's ever lost a doc knows, its hard as hell to recreate what you first wrote. I didn't want to give you a chapter I felt was lacking in emotion so I waited, each time, until I could regain the passion again. By the grace of God I managed to back up and save this monster in enough places to actually finish it finally.

Its been a LONG time since we've spoke so I implore you to restart the story if you haven't read it recently just so things can be fresh in your mind for this chapter. Trust me, it'll be worth it. A lot of small things have been sprinkled throughout this story with this ending in mind since chapter 1. (serious Riot came in clutch, roles I had planned with OCs were actually filled by Renata and Zeri perfectly. This story was fated, I tell you, FATED!)

By the way, for those of you who care check this out: https://www.worldofpresence.com/

Thats all I have to say, for now, see you at the end notes and thank you all so much for joining me on this adventure! We just have the epilogue left!

Betaed by: TheUndyingWill

The Answer (Part 3)

(Alt Title: A Tale of Two Storms)

-Flashback-

“Jinx, why are you hiding up there this time?” Silco questioned as he read through some paperwork in his office while facing the window. It was silent for a moment before he heard a small thud.

“You know why,” a fifteen-year-old Jinx answered. “I messed up. Again. Why do you keep giving me jobs?”

“You know why,” Silco answered, smiling a bit as he used her own words against her. He didn’t even have to look at her to know she was pouting. “Because you have…”

“-untapped potential, I know, I know.” Jinx groaned. “How many more men do I have to cost you before you get sick of me.”

“Tell me, Jinx, how many men did I lose this time.”

“Two.”

“And the time before that?”

“Four.”

“And before that?”

“Seven.”

“So, you’re improving.” Silco drawled which made her pause.

“But me improving still cost you thirteen men!”

“And you are worth thousands of them,” Silco told her. “We’re not like them, Jinx. We are diamonds in the rough. I failed at the most basic of tasks more than you in my youth and now look at me. I don’t just run Zaun, I am Zaun. I see even more potential in you than I’ve seen in myself.”

Silco turned his chair around and made a gun with his fingers before tapping his fingertips to her forehead.

“People like us just need one moment, Jinx, to validate our entire existence, to show the world why we exist,” Silco told her. “We just need one shot. I made mine, and will gladly lose however many men it takes to make sure you don’t miss yours.”

With that, he flicked her on the forehead, making her giggle as she rubbed it.

“Now go focus on your gadgetry.”

“Okay, dad.”

In her next mission, Jinx cost him no men and for a while, she would be considered a Jinx to his enemies and his enemies only. No, not his enemies, their enemies, because when the time came for him to step down, she would be the one to inherit his legacy.

 

-Flashback: End-

[Hex’s Storm]

 

Over and over again, Hex attacked Lady Gray who didn’t even budge from the ring of light that surrounded her. With only the slightest movement of her wrist, the celestial deflected each one of Hex’s attacks.

Though Hex loathed to admit it, it appeared as though Lady Gray’s deflection of her attacks were more to humor her treacherous daughter than to protect herself. Had any of Hex’s attacks struck true, she doubted they would do anything but bounce off the nigh-omnipotent woman.

It was infuriating, truly, to have increased her power so much, to have sacrificed so much, and still be so far away from being even close to matching Lady Gray’s power. Hex gritted her teeth as she felt Lady Gray’s judging gaze and knew the self-proclaimed celestial found her strength lacking.

With a curse, Hex formed a golden fireball in her palm and slammed it into the ground causing an explosion that kicked up a cloud of dust and smoke. Using her control over the wind, she focused the cloud on their position, creating a makeshift smokescreen that obscured her from view.

With her mother temporarily blinded, Hex stepped back and silently teleported away and reappeared behind Lady Gray with her blazing blade poised to stab her in the back. However, before her strike could land, Lady Gray spun around and grabbed her tightly around her neck before launching her into the wall opposite the throne.

The sheer force that Lady Gray threw her with made her back crack as the wall collapsed on top of her. Fortunately for Hex, her healing flames were quick with dealing with her injuries. As she crawled out of the rubble, Hex spit some blood to the side and glared at Lady Gray who simply gaze down upon her as if staring at a child.

“Such tactics are beneath you, Annie,” Lady Gray sneered. “You’ve already betrayed me, but to think you would attempt to literally stab me in the back. From where did you learn such cowardice?” Lady Gray questioned. “I thought you didn’t stab family in the back.”

“I don’t.” Hex placed a hand on her knee and forced herself back up onto her feet. “But you aren’t my family.”

Lady Gray gave no outward reaction to Hex’s words but the cracks on her body seemed to spread in response.

“I see.” Lady Gray answered and soon, the sound of cracking stone echoed throughout the room but it didn’t come from Lady Gray. No. The sound came from the various petrified mages that lined the chambers. Golden light filled their eyes as they began to move again for the first time in years. “But you will always be mine. You’re my daughter and as your mother, it is my responsibility to put an end to this childish tantrum.”

Like puppets being strung up by invisible strings, the mages moved to Lady Gray’s will and all turned to face Hex as their bodies were surrounded by the various elements that their respective magics were attuned to.

“I have to undo the damage you’ve caused.” Lady Gray aimed her blade at Hex. “Incapacitate her but keep her alive, I will find a suitable punishment for this child later.” Lady Gray’s eyes narrowed. “I’ve always told you that you could do anything but you’re old enough to recognize your limits. I suggest you don’t make this harder on yourself. You’ve become a powerful mage but only slightly more than these fools who sought me out for power.”

“So what?” Hex scoffed. “I’m supposed to give up just because the odds are against me? You know very well I was raised better than that. Jinx didn’t give up and neither will I.”

“She didn’t give up, not even at the very end.” Lady Gray admitted. “However, you don’t seem to understand that if she had she’d still be alive.”

-Flashback: 13 years ago: Zaun-

 

For once there had been no trace of amusement on Jinx’s face as she stood in the deepest parts of Zaun. It had been months since the day she had awoken with her family in Zaun’s ruins. None of them had any recollection of what had transpired the days before that and to say the blatant hole in her memories had put her on edge would be an understatement.

The weirdest thing, arguably, had been when Glasc informed them that she had Warwick detained and that Ekko and Zeri of all people had delivered him to her. When asked, however, neither of the Firelights could recall doing any such thing.

The truly frightening part? Jinx could tell that neither party was lying.

This was a mystery she likely would have obsessed over for the rest of her life had Janna herself not provided a distraction. A distraction that was delivered with the utmost importance in a dream of all things. Jinx hadn’t been sure what she expected her first conversation with Janna to be like, hell she thought she’d be dead before it happened but this through her for a loop.

A Harrowing in Zaun of all places.

Jinx had thought that Janna would have been able to protect the city from such a thing, but upon seeing her in her dream, Jinx knew that wasn’t possible. Not now, anyway. Despite her sheer radiance, Jinx could see the weakness in Janna’s eyes.

The faith simply wasn’t strong enough yet for Janna to be even close to her former glory. Still, for what it was worth, Jinx had successfully reignited the faith enough for Janna to deliver this extremely vital message to Zaun’s Queen.

As Jinx looked around, she could feel the evil pouring from the Black Mists which had begun to form at the bottom of the Lanes, deep into the very heart of her nation. With a grimace, Jinx glanced back at her wife and the other barons as what was previously thought to have been a potential delusion of Jinx’s had been proven to be a terrifying fact.

A Harrowing was coming and there was nothing they could do to stop it.

Lux, the only one who had fully believed Jinx’s fears originally, was the first to speak.

“What do we do?”

“Get ready,” Jinx answered as she knelt and picked up a black crow feather that disintegrated in her fingertips. “Something tells me this one might hit a bit harder than the others.” Jinx turned to Renata and the older woman was taken aback by Jinx’s appearance, it was almost as if Silco had been standing before her. “You all prepare plans for evacuation, A storm is coming and Zaun must weather it.”

“What will you do?” Renata questioned.

“What I do best, I’ll make a weapon,” Jinx answered. “One that will make sure this is the last time demons try to mess with my city.” Jinx looked up and gazed at that steel sky that rested above the large scrap iron structures that made up the Undercity. “One that will make an explosion bright enough to erase any trace of darkness.”

Karvyq and a few others began to sweat at the thought of Jinx making a weapon that powerful. “Well, that sounds as though you’ll be making your magnum opus.”

“Nah.” Jinx shook her head as she thought of Annie. “I did that a while ago.”

-Flashback: End-

 

“You’re right, if she had given up then she’d still be alive,” Hex agreed. “If she cut her losses and left Zaun to its own devices, she’d still be with us, but that’s not my mother. Jinx always did the best for what was hers, and Zaun was hers.”

Hex stabbed her burning blade into the ground and pulled out her gun.

“Until very recently, I was just like you so I can’t fault you. It's so easy to hate her for what she did,” Hex said as she aimed her gun at Lady Gray. “So easy to hate her for choosing them over her family but it was for her family that she made that call. So don’t disrespect her choice, don’t disrespect her life. Learn from it, learn from her.”

Hex smiled, and the look in her eyes was downright villainous.

“I did.” Runes appeared over Hex’s free hand as she pulled the trigger of her gun, releasing a bullet covered in flames that took the shape of an enraged bear’s head.

Lady Gray didn’t so much as bat an eye when the spell sailed past her head but before she could comment on Hex’s useless words or her surprisingly terrible aim it was too late. The blast she had thought was aimed at her was instead aimed at the airborne form of Pow Pow which flew toward Hex in response to her runes.

Just as it had during Hex’s time in the past, the moment the flaming blast connected to the mini-gun, the chemicals within Jinx’s weapon began to react violently. In an instant, the large gun had been transformed into a volatile Chemtech bomb and exploded with a staggering amount of force which slammed into Lady Gray’s unprotected back.

Lady Gray shouted in pain as she was blown forward out of the circle and sent crashing down to a knee as Hex once more went on the offensive. However, instead of the celestial, Hex began to attack the summoned mages instead.

“You may be a celestial but your heart’s human!” Hex laughed as she fought. “Your emotions betrayed your weakness.” Hex taunted and her words were true. When Lady Gray switched from pure indifference to full-on anger after Hex attempted to stab her in the back, she inadvertently revealed her weak spot to her daughter.

“Damn you,” Lady Gray cursed, silently vowing to not let her wayward daughter get another shot at her back. As Lady Gray rose her head, she found herself looking on in surprise as Hex tore her way through the mages with increasing ease.

With each mage destroyed, Hex seemed to kill the following even faster which confused Lady Gray greatly. The celestial had not been lying when she said that each mage had been around Hex’s level, yet, here her daughter was beating them one after another before Lady Gray could even get back onto her feet.

It was almost as if Hex was getting stronger with each kill as if she could absorb their power and take it for her own but that shouldn’t be possible. At least, not when facing mages that were born with their magic! Their power would be bound to their very souls. To harvest their power, one would need to be able to harvest souls-

Lady Gray’s stopped cold as she finally saw them.

The souls of her enthralled mages shattered upon their deaths, creating fragments of their very being which flew to Hex’s gloved arm like moths to a flame. Every single one of the soul fragments flew to Hex’s arm and there she could see them. Crimson images of birds shone from beneath the cloth of Hex’s glove as they absorbed each of the souls.

Even if Lady Gray’s heart could beat, it would have stopped as she realized that they weren’t just birds…

…they were ravens.

“Swain…” Lady Gray murmured, sounding mortified as she stared at Hex who destroyed the final mage. “…Annie!! What have you done to yourself!?”

Hex blinked when she heard how distressed Lady Gray sounded before sneering at the thing that used to be her mother. “Pot or kettle, Lady Gray, which are you? I just did the same thing you did. I followed your example like a good daughter.”

Hex smirked as she raised her gloved hand, summoning flames to burn away the cloth as there was no longer a need to hide the markings.

“One of the coronation gifts I received from Lord Swain,” Hex explained. “I told you before, I won’t judge you for turning to a demon for power. That’s because even I am not that much of a hypocrite. I will, however, judge you for becoming its puppet.” Hex looked at her arm as if admiring the markings. “Though, between Raum and Fiddlesticks, I supposed Raum is by far the more…tame…of the two demons. His contract was very generous, I just have to send him Fiddlesticks’ head and feed him occasionally.”

Hex gestured toward Lady gray dismissively.

“This is a much better arrangement than…well… whatever farce you have going on.” Hex raised an eyebrow, giving Lady Gray a look that made it clear she thought the celestial was the dumbest one in the room. “Really Lady Gray, you should have learned to haggle. Especially when making deals with demons.”

At that moment an explosion erupted from behind Hex just after she grabbed her sword and, in a moment, she was now before Lady Gray, poised to strike. Quickly, Lady Gray raised her blade and her eyes widened when she felt that she had to try to not have her blade knocked back. The forces of their blades colliding destroyed the ground beneath them.

“Looks like I don’t need to worry about stabbing you in the back,” Hex taunted her. “I can begin to face you head-on now.”

In Hex’s eyes, the world began to glitch as the voices of those she learned from raged in her mind.

“How to lie,” Hex began as the ‘glitches’ created the image of the Faceless. “How to fight.” Hex’s blade began to push Lady Gray’s back as she saw the image of Darius. “How to scheme,” Hex drawled as she envisioned Swain. “I learned a lot in Noxus and even more from others. The old saying is right, it does take a village to raise a child.”

Lady Gray gritted her teeth as the cracks spread once more before Hex knocked her blade to the side and kicked her back toward the throne with explosive force. The images of the Trifarix merged in Hex’s mind until they took the form of Lux who only had one thing to say to her daughter.

“Burn it all down.”

Hex grinned as the image vanished, replaced once more by countless glitches and distortions that would have made any sane person question their reality. Though it wasn’t confusion she felt, but rather it was comfort, as the monster within her was finally set free and she could finally, finally, see the world as Jinx had.

“All these years focusing on your work have made you weak,” Hex admonished. “You’re out of practice, but I shouldn’t be too surprised. Despite being the strongest in the family, you always tried to avoid conflict.”

-Flashback-

-13 Years Ago: Jinx’s workshop-

 

 

Silently, Annie hid behind the sofa in Jinx’s workshop. Normally, she wouldn’t do such a thing and would simply walk in but recently when she did that things seemed…

…off.

That was the best way to describe it, anyway. Jinx being holed up in her workshop was far from anything new but recently Lux seemed to join Jinx each night. The curious child that she was, Annie once went to check up on them but when she did, they seemed to tense up the second that they noticed her presence and forced on smiles that were fake even to her young eyes.

Both women would often appear flushed as if she had caught them doing something gross again but this wasn’t the same as that. Lux’s eyes would always appear glistening and Jinx would be gripping a tool so tightly that it began to bend in her grasp.

Putting the pieces together, Annie could tell what was happening.

They weren’t embarrassed.

They were angry.

And it seemed to be aimed at each other as crazy as that seemed to the little girl who knew that no one loved each other as much as her moms did.

Yet the proof was there at this very moment for her to see and hear.

“We’re out of time, Jinx!” Lux hissed. “Why are you being so difficult about this!? You have the weapon ready. You just need to power it! I’m offering you a way to power it!”

“You’re offering something that I can’t take!” Jinx snapped back. “This is uncharted territory, even for me! We have no fucking idea what this will do to you, it could kill you!” Jinx shook her head. “I’ll find a way to make the gemstones work.”

“You’ve been saying that for weeks!” Lux’s face was flushed. “Time is running out, and the prototypes keep collapsing on themselves. I’m not letting you go out there with a bomb strapped to your back!”

Jinx scoffed. “Wouldn’t be the first time I’ve had a bomb strapped to my back.”

“Jinx!”

“What!?” Jinx snapped as she slammed her wrench down in anger, stabbing it through her table. “What Lux? What!? You said we’re running out of time but instead of letting me figure this shit out, you’re trying to tell me about how this shit works! You’re from the fucking boonies, I’ve been doing this shit since I was six! Give me some damn space!”

Jinx’s words and the anger with which she said them made Lux recoil.

“Don’t you get it!?” Jinx questioned as the made a point of tapping her temple. “The fear you have of me strapping a bomb to my back is the same fucking thing I feel about using you as a power source! Your magic is tied to your soul, one mistake with the runes and I could accidentally rip it apart, think Lux!”

Lux gritted her teeth, not appreciating how she was being talked down to in the slightest. “If we do nothing Jinx, then this entire city is doomed. We’ve already run tests, you’ve seen how the mist reacts to my light.” Lux shook her head, clearly fed up with her wife’s hesitation. Every time, every damned time, they had anything that seemed too good to be true, Jinx’s paranoia would rear its ugly head. “There’s a time and place for your insecurities, Jinx, but this is not it.”

“Oh, you do not want to bring up my insecurities, sister,” Jinx hissed, she knew she was reaching the point of no return but she couldn’t stop the fuse on this bomb. It was already too late. “What about yours? Huh? We’re always willing to put mine on display as if I’m some sort of walking circus act, but the second we need to get into your head, shit changes.”

Lux looked at Jinx in surprise before shaking her head, knowing that she couldn’t get through to Jinx when she got like this. Lux moved to leave before this argument could get any worse. “I can’t talk to you when you get like this –”

“Are you fucking kidding me!? You’re doing it again!” Jinx said incredulously which made Lux stop. “Sometimes I don’t know if you think you’re a person or a weapon. Why the hell are you so eager to put your life on the line as some sort of resource? Some tool?”

Lux whirled around, her eyes shining brightly. “Because I’m not afraid to do whatever it takes to protect those I care for, Jinx! It’s called compassion!”

Jinx scoffed. “It’s called conditioning, Luxanna, and you know it.” Jinx’s eyes shone just as brightly as Lux’s as her heart thundered in her chest, pumping her shimmer-filled blood faster and faster throughout her body. “The Radiant, the Crownguards, Sylas. You’re so fucking used to being used that you can’t seem to get why someone who actually loves you doesn’t want to do it!”

Lux looked at Jinx, stunned and hurt beyond belief at her words.

“Today it’s the Harrowing, but what’s next? Huh?” Jinx questioned. “Zaun will never be 100% safe, no nation on this planet is, where do we draw the line? I have no problems using a powerful weapon to deal with any issues we face, but I do have a problem with using you.”

“Unless you chain me down to use me as some sort of living battery, it will always be my choice,” Lux countered, and her expression was pained as she prepared to ask her next question. “Do you not trust my judgment?”

Jinx schooled her expression but it was clear she was tired. Tired of the planning, tired of these arguments, tired of, well, everything. At that moment she looked so much like her father that it was frightening. “How can I when you don’t trust mine and jump at the first chance to be used?”

Lux blinked at that, not noticing how tears fell from her eyes. “Then what the hell are we doing, here, Jinx if we can’t trust each other?” Lux’s shoulders slumped. “What’s the point of protecting this home in the first place if the foundation is this weak?”

Jinx closed her eyes as she let Lux’s questions wash over her. When she opened them, she turned back to her workbench, placing her hands on the table’s surface as she once more focused on her schematics. Protecting her father’s dream and her family were the only things she cared about this much in her life, they even took precedence over her weapons. Making Zaun better seemed like a great way to kill two birds with one stone.

Never, did she think these two goals of hers could come into conflict.

But this always happened when she got greedy. When she dared to take more than what she deserved. It took a bit for it to happen this time, this proverbial train was later than usual but it still arrived and once more Jinx found everything she desired fall from her grasp.

Fortunately, however, she had experience in this routine by this point and knew exactly what she had to do to keep both Zaun and her family safe.

“There is none,” Jinx answered and Lux felt her heart drop at the answer she received. “Take Annie and leave, I’ll deal with this. I’ll find a way, I always do. So please, leave so I can focus.” Jinx released a shuddering breath. “The old me would have found a way to fix this already. If my old man was here, he’d tell me I’ve grown complacent. Weak. Right now, I can’t help but agree. Leave.”

“Jinx,” Lux whispered as she felt her heart break in her chest. “You can’t be serious–”

“I won’t ask again,” Jinx warned as she glanced back with a single glowing eye that seemed to pierce Lux’s very soul. Jinx’s act was good, truly it was, it had managed to hurt Lux more than she thought she was capable of being hurt, but it was betrayed by the sole shimmering tear that escaped from Jinx’s eye.

Lux went to reach out for her wife but stopped when she heard the sound of small footsteps running away. It was then that both she and Jinx froze, both wearing expressions of horror as they turned just in time to see Annie slamming the door behind her. They didn’t even have to voice their feelings for them both to know…

…that they fucked up.

-Flashback: END-

 

“Don’t…” Lady Gray hissed as their blades clashed and struggled for dominance while they glared into each other’s eyes. “…talk about things you don’t understand!”

“Don’t understand!?” Hex questioned as their blades continued to collide with explosive force. “I understand better than you!” Hex spit out. “I’ve studied this during those years you abandoned me, even got licensed in it, so when I say you’re crazy and have issues, I fucking mean it!”

Lady Gray gripped her blade with both hands and hopped back before performing an upward slash with her blade which released a wave of pure light at Hex. Hex quickly erected a flaming barrier that blocked the worst of the attack though the sheer force behind it still sent her flying back as cracks appeared on the surface of her shield.

Like glass, the barrier eventually shattered as the attack came to an end and Hex was sent flying through a pillar.

As the stone column collapsed, Lady Gray stabbed her blade into the ground and clutch her head as a sharp pain shot through her very being. Lady Gray grunted as she felt a dark power rage within her while more and more cracks appeared on her back. Unlike the prior cracks which released golden light, however, these seeped with black energy.

When Hex pulled herself out of the rubble, she could hear the sound of stone shattering as Lady Gray released a deafening wail while dozens of pitch-black tendrils burst from her back. Cursing, Hex created a blade of True Ice in her free hand while increasing the intensity of her burning blade's flames.

Exploding forward, Hex scowled as the tendrils shot forward toward her and began to slice through them while moving closer and closer to her target. Lady Gray hissed in pain when she felt Hex cleave through the tendrils and before long, Hex was right before her with her blades poised to run the celestial through. Yet before the blades could land, spears of darkness rose from Lady Gray’s shadow and pierced Hex through her shoulders and sides, forcing her to drop her blades.

Hex coughed violently, blood spilling from her lips as she glared up at Lady Gray. Gritting her teeth, Hex ignited her fist on fire and stepped forward, pushing the blades of darkness deeper into her body, before delivering a vicious right hook into Lady Gray’s face which exploded upon contact. The force of the blow was enough to stagger Lady Gray and make her head whip to the side while her dark constructs dissipated.

Falling to a knee, Hex panted while mending her wounds with her flames.

“Look at you.” Hex looked up at Lady Gray and watched as half of her face simply…fell off like shattered porcelain revealing part of a face forged from pure darkness that gazed down at her with a single golden orb. “You’re literally a shell of your former self. It’s pathetic.” Hex forced herself up to her feet. “You and Jinx weren’t perfect, but at least you could admit when you were wrong back then. At least, back then, you had true strength.”

 

-Flashback: 13 Years Ago: Zaun: Jinx’s safehouse-

 

The sound of sniffling could be heard as Jinx opened the door to her old bedroom and walked in with Lux right behind her. The blonde couldn’t help but shiver and rub her shoulders when she felt the sheer cold hit her.

“It’s freezing in here.”

“Yeah, well we did end up moving before I could fix the heat situation,” Jinx said before she shrugged off her jacket and placed it over Lux’s shoulders. With a sigh, Jinx looked forward and saw Annie sitting alone in the center of the room. The little girl was shaking but not from the cold, low temperatures never bothered her or Jinx, no, she was shaking from the sobs she couldn’t stop. “Firelight, it’s not safe here.”

“Go away!” Annie hissed and a wall of fire erupted between her and her mothers.

“You know we can’t do that.” Lux was going to move forward but the flames burned brighter in response as if warning her not to come any closer.

“I said leave me alone!” Annie snapped. “I want to be alone. I am better off alone! You two are stupid, I don’t want to be a part of this family anymore.”

“Normally, I’d tell you to watch your mouth, but you’re right this time,” Jinx muttered before she strolled forward. Lux, instinctively, reached out to pull Jinx back but stopped when her wife gave her a small smile. Lowering her hand, Lux watched as Jinx strolled through the flames as if not bothered by the burns the flames caused in the slightest. Now next to Annie, Jinx just plopped right down on the burning floor. “We’re very stupid.”

Annie sniffed, holding Tibbers tighter as she looked up at Jinx in surprise.

Following her wife’s example, Lux sighed and formed a prismatic barrier around herself before doing the same.

“Absolute fucking morons,” Lux admitted getting a mock gasp from Jinx as Annie looked up at Lux in surprise.

“That’s a coin for the jar, you know?” Jinx teased and Lux rolled her eyes.

“I suppose I had to contribute at some point.” Lux drawled but soon her expression softened as she looked down at Annie. “Annie, I’m sorry you had to see that. You, of all people, didn’t deserve to experience…that.”

Annie looked away and curled into herself some more, but it appeared that she decided to show some mercy to her parents as the flames moved to make room for them. Lux smiled a bit as she dropped her barrier while Jinx just sighed in relief and waited for the burns on her ass to heal.

“How long have you two been fighting?” Annie questioned and her mothers glanced at each other before deciding that honesty was probably the best course of action at the moment.

“A couple of weeks, maybe?” Jinx estimated and Lux nodded to confirm.

“Why?”

“Something bad, very bad, is coming to Zaun,” Lux explained. “Your mother has a weapon to destroy it but we can’t agree on how to power it.”

“Flashlight wants to power it herself, but that’s dangerous since we don’t know what could happen,” Jinx explained. “I have another way that can work, I know I can make it work…but…but I can’t get it working in time.”

It took a lot for Jinx to admit that.

Annie looked as though someone had told her Tibbers wasn’t alive. “You…can’t?”

Jinx sighed and placed a hand on her daughter’s head. “Even I have things I can’t do, Firelight.”

Annie frowned in thought at that. “So why not let Lux help?”

Lux tensed and Jinx sighed. “It’s not that simple. People have been using your mom her whole life, I don’t want to be another one–”

“But you won’t be,” Annie interrupted looking extremely confused. “They’re them and you’re you. Zaun’s her home too, isn’t it? Why can’t she help you keep it safe?” Annie’s words caused Jinx to freeze and look at her daughter as if it were the first time she saw her. Annie then turned her confused expression onto Lux. “Why don’t you help her understand?”

Lux blinked owlishly at that. “Excuse me?”

Annie frowned thoughtfully. “You always tell me to explain things fully when I want something. Why don’t you? I mean it’s obvious Jinx isn’t the same as those that hurt you, she loves you, but she doesn’t get it so why don’t you help her understand?” Annie questioned again. “You never talk about yourself. You’re always smiling and being there for us, but sometimes, when you forget I’m there I see you be sad too. I try to make you feel better but you just smile and start talking about something else.”

Lux frowned. “I don’t –”

“You do.” Annie interrupted. Cutting Lux off was not something she did often, but when she did it was clear she had something important to say. Something that must be heard. “Why can’t we help you like you help us?” Annie swallowed and averted her eyes. “Don’t you trust us?”

“I…I…” Lux trailed off as she took a moment to think. To truly reflect on her time with her family. Her throat tightened when she realized that she did avoid any attempts to dig into her issues. With her daughter laying it out so bluntly in front of her, she paled as she realized that Annie was right.

If it involved her wife, daughter, or their family as a whole Lux had no issues with having the hard conversations. That said, when it came to issues that were hers and hers alone, she would always deflect so that she wouldn’t be an inconvenience to them.

Out of sight out of mind.

Lux paled and felt like the world’s biggest hypocrite as she realized that she ended up repeating just what the Crownguards had instilled into her anyway and didn’t even notice it. The habits had been ingrained into her very personality.

She thought Jinx was being unreasonable.

But if even Annie could see it too…

…Lux looked away from her daughter and swallowed nervously as she looked down into her lap.

“I’m sorry,” Lux whispered, her voice thick with emotion and Jinx looked away with a small grimace of her own.

“I’m sorry too.” Jinx rubbed a hand through her hair. “I didn’t mean any of that shit I said, alright? I just figured it would be easier to chase you away from me and be safe before I could fuck this up and take you both down with Zaun.”

“I know,” Lux told her. “I was more hurt by the fact you thought I would fall for it. Even though I have yet to beat you at cards, that’s because you’re good at cheating not because I can’t see through your B.S.”

Jinx snorted at that and Lux smiled a bit, it was something that made Annie smile a bit as well as she looked up between her mothers and allowed the flames to die out. With the loss of Annie’s heat, Lux shivered again and wrapped herself tighter in Jinx’s jacket.

“Why did you come here, Annie?” Lux asked Annie curiously and in response, the girl just shrugged.

“I dunno, we were happy here,” Annie said and Lux and Jinx couldn’t help but agree. Back then they were just a pair of runaway criminals looking after a special little girl. Protecting her was their only responsibility. They didn’t have much but, as Annie had said, they were happy.

Just when did that happiness begin to fade?

“Remember that party we had before we moved?” Annie questioned. “It was so fun! We ate so much cake and had so much ice cream.” Annie reminisced with a smile and her parents couldn’t help but laugh at the memory. That was one of the first times Annie had just acted like the little girl she was, no death, fire, or pain…just joy.

“I remember that,” Lux mused. “It was on this very day.”

Jinx snapped her fingers as if remembering. “Yeah, that’s right it was today. We were celebrating Annie’s birt–”

Jinx stopped cold.

Lux paled.

Annie looked up between her mothers in confusion, a bit worried about the sheer horror that was on their faces. Neither Jinx nor Lux needed to even look at each other to know that they were thinking the same thing.

They really fucked up.

“Err, hey Firelight, let's go shopping, real quick, not too late to have a party,” Jinx said suddenly as she swiftly picked the girl up and tucked her under her arm. Though she could still do it with ease, she noted that Annie was a bit heavier.

Her little girl was growing up.

“Jinx, most of the shop owners evacuated…“ Lux stopped when Jinx gave her a knowing look. “…right, guess they won’t miss a few products, we can blame it on the demons.”

Jinx grinned.

“That’s my girl.”

-Later-

 

“There, you’ll feel winded for a bit but that’s ‘cause your magic will prioritize filling the runes,” Jinx explained. “Once they’re filled with your magic, your natural reserves will be filled up next.”

Lux pouted. “I can’t feel my arm.”

“Don’t be such a baby, remember, you wanted this,” Jinx teased as she put down the needle.

Lux pouted. “Did you have to redo the whole sleeve?”

Jinx raised an eyebrow. “Did you want the runes to be blatantly clashing with my mark?” Lux averted her eyes and Jinx chuckled as she knew the answer. “Thought so, think of it as us renewing our vows.”

Lux chuckled at that. “You’re sure that isn’t just your lingering passive aggressiveness slipping through? Because we never made vows.”

Jinx grinned. “Then let’s start now. No matter what, we’ll do our best for each other and that little girl we’re lucky enough to have calling us moms. No more avoidable bullshit, deal?”

Lux nodded, her eyes glistening a bit. “Deal.”

“Lux! Jinx! It’s ready!” Annie called out and Jinx and Lux glanced at each other before moving toward the backyard where their daughter had set up her rocket.

Jinx grinned. “Nice work, Firelight!” Jinx said proudly as Lux looked at it worriedly.

“Beautifully crafted…just…just be careful!”

Annie rolled her eyes good-naturedly. “Yes, mom…” Annie said as Jinx practically skipped over. “Ready!?”

“Yeah, show us what you got, Firelight, light it up!” Jinx said as Lux moved closer. Annie grinned and lit the fuse. “Be patient and commit this to memory, the explosion is amazing but the fuse is always the most beautiful before the boom. That’s when it burns brightest.”

“Kay’!” Annie said as she watched the fuse and sure enough, she’d swear it burned five times brighter just before the rocket set off. Looking up in amazement, she watched it fly into the sky and explode into a bunch of burning gold particles.

The sound of the rocket’s bang had been loud.

But it was drowned out by the sounds of the sirens which signaled the beginning of the Harrowing.

 

-Flashback: END-

 

 

The shards of petricite fell from Lady Gray’s back as she rose to her feet, revealing a back made of pure darkness. The world rune embedded shone brighter as it sunk deeper within her body as if being submerged in water. The deeper the rune sunk into her, the more Lady Gray’s power grew.

Eventually, her power grew to the point that her sheer presence created an unfathomable weight that slammed down onto Hex and forced her down onto her hands and knees. It almost felt as though her bones were cracking but with each passing moment, the weight became more and more manageable.

With a scowl, Hex glared up at her mother and forced herself up to her feet. Before long she was able to stand before the embodiment of light and darkness unhindered as her hair burned brighter.

“Even now you can still stand against me,” Lady Gray said as a pair of black wings sprouted from her back, sending black feathers raining down upon the realm. Surprisingly, Lady Gray didn’t sound angered this time, if anything she seemed a bit more…curious and slightly baffled. “From where did you find this power?”

Lady Gray was truly surprised by her daughter’s resilience. She had sacrificed much and more to obtain the strength she had now. Yet, somehow, Hex was able to match her.

At least for now anyway.

Lady Gray’s power still had a near-infinite amount of room to grow but she’d be lying if she said she wasn’t impressed, if not curious, as to just how far Hex’s power could go.

“It should be obvious.” Hex raised an eyebrow before smirking. “I am a fire mage, aren’t I?”

Lady Gray frowned at that, confused as to what Hex’s affinity to fire had anything to do with her growing strength. However, that was because she was thinking about the situation rationally. Hex wasn’t just her daughter, no, she was also Jinx’s, and the thought of that alone would have made Lady Gray pale had it been possible.

“No, not even you would attempt something that foolish…!” Lady Gray hissed, but she already knew the answer. Her daughter, she could see now, was no longer just a reckless child. No, to be even able to take things this far it was clear that she had grown into a woman with nothing left to lose.

Lady Gray whipped her hand to the side, tearing down the walls and ceiling with her will alone. Looking through the hole in the Gray that she had created, she saw that the streaking light of the stars shone brighter than before.

No.

That wasn’t right.

They didn’t shine brighter…

…they burned brighter.

Gazing out into the distant horizon, far beyond the boundaries of the twin cities, Lady Gray could see it. A golden flame that burned the lands violently. It was a fire of an unseen scale, one that likely engulfed the rest of the known world.

And it was an inferno that was rapidly approaching the cities.

How often had they referred to the destruction of a timeline as setting it ablaze? It hadn’t been a lie, by Hex changing who the hell knew what in the past she had set a match to the very threat of their history. Still, never, ever, in her wildest dreams did she expect her daughter to attempt to control those flames.

Flames that burned away at existence itself.

“An idiot…” Lady Gray whispered as she looked at Hex as if it were the first time, she had seen her. “…you’re a fool without equal. Do you have any idea what you’ve done? Not to the timeline but to yourself!? Even a demon’s power is finite, and no matter what you do, you’re still human. You are not celestial. Your body cannot handle that power nor can it stop the flood of it from pouring into you now that you’ve started it.”

Lady Gray’s power trembled with her rage.

“I was going to incapacitate you until this was over,” Lady Gray muttered “Until I could right your wrongs and show you the errors of your ways while I completed my great work…but…but I’m not sure if even I can save you now.” The golden cracks on Lady Gray spread and she clenched her fists so tightly that the petricite that covered one of them simply shattered.

A stream of darkness slid down the half of her face that remained, falling from her eye in a way that looked like she had shed pitch-black tears.

“You’ve thrown your life away!” Lady Gray snapped her rage palpable. “No, no! I will not let it all be for naught!”

Hex’s eyes widened and in the distance, even if she couldn’t hear them, she could feel them…

…The Hexgates.

One by one they exploded like the makeshift bombs Lady Gray had turned them to and Hex knew that any life that hadn’t been snuffed out by her flames was eradicated by the explosion. Lady Gray raised her hand as the world rune shone brighter and from behind the flames, Hex could see them.

Orbs of light.

The souls of the damned.

With a roar, Lady Gray slammed a blade of light into the ground which activated a massive runic array beneath the cities that took the form of the Eye of Zaun. The souls rained down upon the cities and were absorbed by the eye which, in turn, erected pillars of light that rose around the city and extended indefinitely into the burning night sky.

A cage.

Lady Gray had completed her cage just as the flames were about to reach the cities, protecting them from destruction and putting a halt to Hex’s steadily increasing power.

Hex turned toward the panting form of her mother incredulously. “What did you do!?”

“You and Jinx are not the only ones capable of reckless improvision.” Lady Gray answered. “I trained you and spent years studying magic and absorbing various natures of it from other mages. I never needed to put it to practice, but even I could attune the flames with enough effort.”

“It’s taking most of your power just to maintain that damned cage,” Hex pointed out. “That can’t be good for your plans.”

“A minor setback, a small sacrifice to save you from your foolishness,” Lady Gray muttered. “I still have more than enough power to undo your mistakes and stop all the unnecessary pain you caused with this tantrum of yours.”

“Is that what you think this is?” Hex questioned. “How are you still so blinded by the past that you can’t see the truth of the world in front of you!?”

“What –”

“Look at me!” Hex snapped. “I am not a little girl anymore! I am a woman, but not just any woman, I am the Queen of Zaun. Queen of a proud people that covet freedom more than anything else! Even their very lives!”

Hex gestured toward the cage.

“Look at what you’ve done! Does this look like freedom!? You trapped them in a cage!” Hex hissed. “You spit on the very thing that made them, them. Robbed them of that same freedom that you loved so much once upon a time.”

“It’s not a cage! It’s a shield!” Lady Gray retorted. “One to protect them from danger, from all threats including you or did you so quickly forget who started this fire that threats to consume everything!?”

“This is your great work, if it wasn’t me, you would have put the cage up for something else,” Hex scoffed. “This was always your end goal. My flames are my mercy, my final gift to my people so that they wouldn’t suffer an eternity of being blinded by your light! I know my people, they’re just like me, like Jinx. They would rather die a thousand deaths than live a single day in this cage. You used to know this!”

It was one thing to know what Lady Gray’s plan was, but another thing entirely to see it.

Hex was dumbfounded by the…thing that had been forged before her in this cataclysmic storm that had become her reality. The only solace that Hex could find was that this storm was dying and she could only hope beyond hope that her plans would allow her counterpart’s storm to prosper and replace this wretched one.

[Annie’s Storm]

-Zaun-

 

If Jinx said it once, she said it a thousand times.

Zaunites were hard-headed…

…and she wouldn’t have it any other way.

“What the hell gives, Little Man? I thought you and your bugs were evacuating the people?” Jinx questioned though it was clear she had an idea of what happened if the small smirk on her face was anything to go by.

Ekko snorted. “As if you don’t know, the kids, the elderly, and the sick all left the city but the rest chose to stay and fight. If I wasn’t so sure that half of them are drunk and the other half just want something to shoot, I’d be proud.”

Jinx chuckled and looked at him knowingly. “You know you still are.”

Ekko smiled a bit. “A little.”

“What’s the status of the points of interest?”

“Viktor’s already at the floodgates, Zeri’s watching over the girls and those who evacuated with her squad and Sevika in my territory. Vi’s in the heart of the Lanes, and the Sheriff is looking over the hospital.” Ekko listed off.

“Good, hopefully, Big Hat can keep as good of an eye on that place as she does me or my sister’s ass,” Jinx joked. “My brat’s gonna work there one day. Not just work, she’ll own that place.”

Ekko looked surprised by that. “What about her being Queen?”

Jinx raised an eyebrow and Ekko nodded.

“Right, my bad, forgot. She’s your kid, she’ll do both,” Ekko mused as he stepped on his board.

“What about, Flashlight?”

Ekko was about to answer, but a flash of light from the bottommost depths of Zaun and the shaking of the ground seemed to answer her question, though Ekko explained anyway.

“Well as you can tell,” Ekko began as the ground shook once more. “She’s at ground zero fending off the demons as they spawn. She’s bought us a lot of time but eventually, like all Harrowings, the mist will spread and those monsters will start crawling out from all over Zaun.”

Jinx nodded and then laughed lightly when she felt another tremor. “My wife’s a badass, isn’t she?”

Ekko smiled. “She is. Now, are you sure you want me up at the floodgates with Vik? He should be more than enough to protect them.”

“Yeah, but if they go, the ocean will crush us all so I’d rather be safe than sorry.” Jinx pointed out. “You’ve got our only redo button, so I want you where it would matter the most.”

Ekko stared at her for a moment before nodding and turning away. “Fine, you just make sure your ass comes out the other side of this shit alive.” Ekko grinned. “Whether you like it or not, people care about you, Your Majesty.”

“Gag me,” Jinx scoffed. “Never call me that again.”

“Of course, if you insist, Queen’s orders,” Ekko teased and Jinx flipped him off as he flew off toward the floodgates.”

Now alone, Jinx gazed up at that cold steel sky.

“Well old man, time to see if your crown fits,” Jinx murmured. “And Janna? Don’t worry, your kids will be fine. We’re tougher than most. That said, I’ll protect them this time, but next time you owe me.”

In response, Jinx felt a gentle breeze run through her and smiled before vanishing a blue flash of light.

-With Vi-

 

Whatever the hell Princess was doing at the bottom of Zaun was effective. The few demons that managed to slip past and make their way to the upper levels did not do so unscathed and due to their injuries, Vi had no problems making quick work of them.

Still, if her life had taught her anything it was good things didn’t last long.

Sure enough, almost as soon as the thought crossed her mind, she saw the Black Mists begin to pool together in front of her. As if creating portals directly from the underworld, monstrous undead abominations began to pour out of them and into the streets of Zaun.

A few smaller monsters appeared first before she saw a particularly large undead creature claw its way out of the mist. Before it could even get situated, Vi’s massive gauntlet slammed into its face, literally knocking its head from its shoulders, as the force of her blow blew back the smaller monsters.

If there was one good thing about fighting the spirits of the damned it was that Vi had no issue with killing them.

They were already dead.

All she was doing was putting them back where they belonged.

But the real issue, the true worst part of the Harrowings wasn’t the undead. No, if Jinx’s research was to be believed then the worst part…

“Vi…Violet…”

…were the familiar faces.

Vi’s eyes widened and her face paled when she turned to find the twisted and mutilated corpses of Claggor and Mylo before her. Their bodies twitched, their faces spasming while their eyes shone with an unearthly light.

At the sight of them, Vi froze as more undead spawned behind her but before they could attack, a series of explosions occurred behind her, blowing them apart. Startled from her horrified stupor, Vi glanced back and saw her sister step out of the resulting smoke cloud.

“Look alive, sis, this ain’t the time for daydreaming,” Jinx called out before stopping when she saw the horrified look in her sister’s eyes. Frowning a bit, Jinx looked away from Vi and saw the deceased members of their old family standing before her. “Well, how about that?”

“Pow…” Claggor began.

“…der…” Mylo finished, and his body began to convulse alongside Claggor’s as a look of anger appeared on their faces at the sight of Jinx. “You…jinx!”

“That’s me~” Jinx mused as a dark grin appeared on her face while the two began to transform. “Ha, told you’d they blamed me for their deaths! You owe me some gold.”

Vi shook her head quickly, forcing herself to get back into the game as she raised her fists toward her adopted brothers. “Jinx–”

“It’s fine, hell, you can sit this one out,” Jinx interrupted Vi while lifting Pow-Pow. “I put them in the dirt once, I can do it again.”

Jinx’s eyes shone brightly and her large grin turned downright diabolical when she saw the two become hulking horned behemoths. Jinx cackled as the barrel of her minigun began to spin but before the bullets could begin flying, two large pieces of stone slammed into their heads and made them stumble to the side.

Surprised, Jinx and Vi turned to see a large shadow rush out from the alleyway and engage the monsters in combat. Claggor and Mylo screeched in pain when they looked down and saw Vander standing with his fists buried in their abdomen.

Though his hair had grayed a bit more and his face become slightly more weathered with age, his might hadn’t diminished in the slightest. If anything it had grown, much as the fire in his now shining lime green eyes, Their color matching the chemicals flowing through the tubes of the metal harness strapped to his chest.

As one, the now large mutated forms of Claggor and Mylo fell to their knees and Vander placed his hands gently on the sides of their faces.

“You boys shouldn’t be up, I’m sorry your rest was disturbed,” Vander said as he gave them a fatherly smile. “I can’t imagine your pain, the pain I caused you for not being strong enough. Let me spare you from that pain, you both need to go back to sleep.”

Before they could even think of responding, Vander’s hands tightened fiercely and he whipped his arms to the side, swiftly snapping their neck and sending their poor tortured soul back to whence they came. Releasing his grasp, Vander bowed his head as their bodies collapsed.

“Van…der…” Vi whispered, stunned to see her father before her as the barrel of Jinx’s gun stopped spinning. It still bugged her greatly that no one seemed to be able to agree on just how Vander’s body made it to Renata, but Jinx was pleased to see that Renata and the Doc were able to do something for the man.

Though she had a feeling he’d probably never be too far away from that harness of his moving forward.

“Vander?” Vi repeated louder which snapped him from his thoughts. Surprised, Vander turned to look at his daughter whose eyes were glistening at the sight of him. “Vander, is that you?” Vi swallowed nervously, afraid to approach as if getting closer to him would make him disappear. “Are you real?”

“Violet,” Vander muttered shaking his head a bit as he took in the sight of the woman his little girl had become. “You…you’ve grown!”

“Gauntlets,” Jinx reminded Vi and her sister quickly powered them down and removed them before rushing to hug her father so tight that he likely would have died without Jinx’s timely reminder. Vander grunted a bit before chuckling and returning the hug.

Jinx shook her head good-naturedly at the sight, the middle of a disaster was probably not the best time for a family moment but Vi deserved it and she’d shoot down any undead asshole that tried to get in the way.

“Are…are you cured?” Vi questioned when she pulled away.

“I don’t think I’ll ever be cured,” Vander admitted as he looked down at his harness. “But I am better, and my memories are all back. An old friend was helping me, she wanted me to stay put but when these damn spirits started attacking, I knew I couldn’t sit back, not while I had the power to help.”

Vander winced at the memories.

“My head’s a mess, memories of that hound…of Warwick mixed with mine. It's all a jumbled mess, but what I do know is that I have to protect this city, protect you, and…” Vander trailed off as he saw a familiar blue in the corner of his eyes. It was then that he fully took note of Jinx’s presence and found himself shaken.

Vi had been easy to recognize, she had grown to be more of who she already was, grown into the woman he always believed she could become.

However, her sister was as different as night and day when compared to the girl he used to know.

There was no innocence in that shimmer-filled gaze of hers.

No warmth.

No weakness or fear.

And the brilliance that he had once tried to get her to acknowledge was not only acknowledged but mastered, honed to the point that even while standing casually off to the side, she looked as though she believed herself to be the smartest in the area.

The confidence she had developed was on par with Vi’s if not even greater and from the lack of ‘light’ she used to carry, he could tell that this confidence was not without cost.

“…Pow-”

“-Jinx,” a voice interrupted and they looked to the side to see Renata approaching from the same alley Vander had. “Ah, never mind, he’s here, no point in asking you to be on the lookout again,” Renata mused. “Then on to more pressing matters, have you seen any familiar faces?”

Vander blinked at the exchange, before grimacing as memories that were both his and not filled his mind. Memories of the Loose Cannon, the terrorist of Piltover that Warwick had hunted once upon a time but was never able to bring himself to kill.

“Jinx…was…Powder?” Vander whispered to himself, though Vi still managed to hear him and rubbed his back sympathetically knowing firsthand just how jarring that revelation could be. Had Jinx heard his whispered question with her enhanced senses, she didn’t show it, focusing solely on answering Renata.

“Mylo and Claggor just ran into Vi,” Jinx answered and Renata just raised an eyebrow.

“Are those names…supposed to mean something to me, girl?” Renata questioned.

Jinx chuckled. “My bad, Vi’s adopted brothers,” Jinx answered which made Renata nod. “One was cool, the other was a bit of a dick, old man put them back to sleep. How about you?”

“Well, I just had to kill my parents that showed up in my office,” Renata answered and though her voice was light, Jinx could tell from how intense the light in her shimmer-filled eyes was that the task had not been easy. At least, not emotionally.

“Ah, shit, so it's not a coincidence,” Jinx muttered.

“No, it seems your theory has some merit.” Renata mused. “Someone or something is orchestrating this. Though Harrowings affect the dead and bring them back, it’s rare for people to get killed by someone they knew. For this to happen twice, and for them to appear directly before us, it’s clear we have a villain on our hands.”

“Yeah, and it pisses me off that it's not one of us,” Jinx muttered, after all, who the fuck thought they were allowed to be a ‘villain’ in the Undercity? That was her and the other Barons’ jobs damn it. They did just fine terrifying the people to act right themselves thank you very much!

“Think you can do it?” Renata questioned curiously. “Put your parents in the dirt again?”

“I doubt I have to. They’re ashes,” Jinx answered.

“Yeah, but they’re not your only parents, are they?” Renata questioned knowingly.

Jinx frowned. “No, but if it comes to that I won’t hesitate, he taught me better. Besides, I’m Queen, I can’t have a Baron showing me up.” Jinx pointed out and deciding to get back at Renata a bit for questioning her resolve she added, “Also, last I checked you’re alive, so as long as you don’t bite it, I won’t have to kill you either.”

Renata blinked, confused a bit by Jinx’s words until their full meaning hit her. Jinx laughed when she saw Renata visibly cringe.

“Don’t you dare call me your–”

“No one likes a deadbeat, mommy,” Jinx teased and Renata gave her a look that clearly said that, crown or not, she’d be throwing Jinx out of a window again once this mess was dealt with. “Oh, don’t be like that, you let Annie call you grandma.”

“Unlike you, that brat is cute,” Renata said dryly. “Not to mention having a favorable relationship with your heir will only help me later.”

And if she had to occasionally bake cookies with Annie, heating them with the girl’s magic, to do so, then so be it. Renata needed to put that old recipe book of her mother’s to use anyway, though she swore Annie to secrecy about that part of their arrangement.

As far as Jinx and Luxanna knew, she was teaching Annie about Zaun’s history and it would stay that way.

“Yeah, yeah,” Jinx said before she pulled out Zapper!, and fried a zombie that tried to approach her from behind. “Cool, we can save the family moments for later, come on! Let’s get a move on, we got zombies to kill!”

“She’s right,” Vi said as she moved back toward her gauntlets and slammed her fists into them before picking them back up. The Hextech energy sprung to life empowering both the gauntlets and herself. Her Hextech blue eyes glanced at her sister who fished the half-full bottle of ‘Bailout’ from her pocket and crushed it in her palm, causing her to be obscure by a shimmer-colored cloud.

With a loud cackle, Jinx stepped from the dissipating cloud, with the whites of her eyes now stained black just like Renata’s.

“Janna’s tits!” Jinx laughed as she grinned at Renata. “That’s the good shit!”

“Hmph, just don’t get yourself killed now that you have a taste of what it's like to be me,” Renata drawled before she grabbed her jacket and tossed it off while the Chemtech light in her arm shone brighter. “Only few can handle the finer things in life.”

“Vi…” Vander began as he looked over Violet’s form, only now taking a closer look at her attire. It had been heavily customized, so he hadn’t noticed at first, but in the end, it was still an Enforcer uniform. “You’re an enforcer?” Vander questioned and Vi winced, knowing that at the end of the day, Vander was still a hero of Zaun.

She wondered, and deep down feared, that he would join the already large list of people who thought she was a traitor.

She didn’t care about most of them, but his opinion would admittedly hurt the most.

“And you,” Vander turned to Jinx, Warwick’s memories continued to flash through his mind. “You’re–”

“The Loose Cannon, Terrorist, Neo-Eye of Zaun, Criminal Queen of the Undercity,” Jinx listed off, her manic grin widening with each title. “The list goes on, really, disappointed old man?”

Vander’s eyes narrowed as he looked at both women and for a moment, he didn’t see them or even the girls they used to be. No. He saw himself and his brother, back before the world tore them apart as boys and even as the men they would eventually become.

“Nah,” Vander answered, surprising them both and even Renata raised an eyebrow at that. He’d have to be blind to not see how much his opinion mattered to Vi. It was also clear that his fear of messing up with Powder as he did Silco turned her into him to an extent, if not made her even more dangerous.

On paper, his daughters had become possibly the two things he disliked the most.

Yet no matter how deep his hatred for Silco and enforcers ran, he knew his love for the girls was greater than that. What mattered the most was that they were alive and he was able to stand before them no longer trapped in the body and rage of a monster.

“You two grew into exactly what I knew you would.” Vander finished.

Jinx blinked and even Vi looked caught off guard by his words. “A monster and a traitor?”

Vander chuckled and jerked a thumb back at Renata. “No, you’re the same thing Renata and I are.” Vander moved forward and his muscles began to ripple, his green eye shining even brighter as the mutagen in his harness pumped into his body. Vander’s bones audibly cracked, his fangs elongated, and thick fur coated his body.

“Survivors!” Warwick roared, his voice alone shaking the ground as he howled to the heavens attracting dozens upon dozens of undead to their location as if attracted to his sheer rage. Warwick glared down at a stunned Vi. “Come! Show me that you’ve learned how to punch…” Warwick turned to Jinx. “…or that your toys finally work!”

With that challenge, Warwick leaped toward the opposition with a howl, ripping them to shreds.

“Well, you heard the flea-bag, sis,” Jinx called out. “Try to keep up.” Jinx stuck her tongue out at Vi before disappearing in a blue flash.

“Hey! Wait the fuck up!” Vi snapped before jumping in after them, leaving Renata alone to shake her head in wonder, slightly caught off guard by Vander’s change in attitude.

Renata chuckled, her eyes crinkling with mirth. “And who says you can’t teach an old dog new tricks?”

-Ekko’s Territory-

 

“Keep it moving! We need you all to get as far away as you can,” Zeri called out as she stood on her hoverboard above the citizens of Zaun who were evacuating. Ekko’s territory wasn’t surrounded by seawater and led out to the rest of the continent which made it the perfect choice to send the citizens.

It would allow them an escape from the mists and so long as they stayed on the indicated paths, it would be easy to round them all up when this mess was over with.

Still, it wasn’t perfect.

At the end of the day, Ekko’s oasis was still a part of Zaun, which meant that it was susceptible to the effects of the Black Mists. As it stood, Zeri was sure that every dead Firelight that had been on the mural had shown back up at this point.

As Ekko’s right hand and also the Firelight with the least number of personal connections to the deceased, Zeri took it upon herself to use her magic to send the damned spirits back from whence they came.

To the others, she appeared to be a Firelight with unparalleled resolve for being able to lead the charge, but she knew the truth.

She was just lucky.

She was lucky that those she cared for were still among the living, which was something that she didn’t want to change.

So, she fought.

For the lives lost and for the lives that she didn’t want to lose.

Her heart broke for her men who had to come face to face with the defiled bodies of their loved ones, and she couldn’t help but feel grateful again toward Jinx for protecting her family. If Zeri saw them like this, she had no idea what she’d do.

As Zeri led the others with the Firelights, Annie frowned as she took a break at the base of the largest tree.

“This isn’t right,” Annie muttered. She and Ren hadn’t evacuated, deciding to assist with the sick and elderly as much as they could before their Aunt Z could eventually force them to flee as well. “I should be out there.”

“I understand the feeling,” Ren said, feeling powerless as her mothers were out risking their lives. “But what can we do? We’re just kids.”

Annie scoffed. “We’re stronger than over half the people fighting. Jinx said so herself, didn’t she? We’re legends.”

Ren frowned a bit. “You maybe–”

Ren was caught off guard as she was forced to dodge a flaming fist from Annie. On reflex, she caught Annie’s arm and pinned her against the tree. Annie looked at Ren in amusement as she let the flames die.

“I’ve killed a lot of adults with that, bad people trained to do bad things,” Annie told her. “You’re strong too.”

Ren blinked at that and released her cousin.

“We shouldn’t be here,” Annie told her. “Even if it’s just stopping the smaller monsters, every little bit of help should count, right?”

“Even then, we won’t be able to slip past Aunt Z.” Ren pointed out as she sat down next to Annie and just watched the terrified masses be ushered from their home. Annie frowned as she realized that Ren had a point. Their aunt was incredibly hard to get past, Not only was she surprisingly good at multitasking she was more than fast enough to catch them before they could do anything they weren’t allowed to.

“Not yet anyway,” Annie muttered as she looked closer at her aunt. “She’s getting tired. She’s being overworked because the others are too weak to kill the dead.”

Ren frowned. “Hey, that’s a bit harsh don’t you think? It can’t be easy being faced with loved ones you lost coming back to life. If it was your first parents, could you kill them?”

“Yes,” Annie answered without hesitation before frowning. “Well, I could kill Lux.”

Ren gaped at her. “Whoa, favoritism much?”

Annie looked at her as if she had grown two heads. “If I killed Lux again, her pain would end. Jinx and I are probably going to the hot place which, well, I don’t care. I can take the heat.” Annie mused. “Jinx’s pain would probably be worse though after she dies, so I’d probably keep her around.”

“But if she was going where Lux is…?”

“Then they’d both be chalk in seconds.” Ren could tell from the look on Annie’s face that she was not exaggerating. She truly believed that she could do it. “You’ve seen them, Ren. They’re clearly in a lot of pain, putting them back down is a mercy.”

Ren couldn’t exactly deny Annie’s words as they were true. The undead souls she had seen had been in agony, forcefully disturbed from their well-deserved rests.

“Don’t make excuses for their weakness,” Annie said bluntly and it was times like these, Ren could see her cousin one day becoming the Queen of Zaun. “Especially not when our family is suffering from it. You’re better than that and stronger than them.”

Ren glanced at Zeri and saw that even as she barked out orders, it was clear she was being run ragged. If she didn’t get help soon, Ren was afraid the lightning mage would join the undead. Before Ren could say anything else, an explosion occurred, startling them all.

Turning toward the mural of the fallen Firelights, they saw the large wall collapse as a horde of undead burst free from behind it and charged toward the civilians while Black Mist filled the area. Of course, as always, Zeri intercepted the horde in a flash of lightning and began to strike down any and every abomination she could see.

Annie’s hands ignited with flames as Ren slipped on a pair of scrap-iron training gauntlets that Vi had crafted for her. They were sure their aunt could handle the monsters as she always had but cared for her too much to not be prepared for the worst. Their caution was proven justified when Zeri ducked under a claw and prepared to blast away the ghoul only for her powers to short-circuit after the grueling day’s toll on final made its effects known to her.

Immediately, the girls moved to intercept after the monster knocked Zeri onto her back but before they could reach her, the ground shook from the force of a large explosion. For a moment, they had thought Jinx had come to aid them but when the dust settled, they saw a tall man wielding a massive hammer standing between Zeri and the monster with his weapon planted firmly in the creature’s chest.

The man’s eyes narrowed as his hammer crackled with Hextech energy before it released a blast that blew the monsters and those surrounding them away. Placing the weapon down, he glanced down and offered Zeri a hand.

“Tch,” Zeri scowled but accepted it anyway as she let Jayce pull her to her feet. “What the hell are you doing here?”

Jayce raised an eyebrow. “You’re welcome.”

Zeri scoffed and gave him a fake smile. “Thanks, now what the hell are you doing here? Not like your kind to help us down in the fissures.”

“Things change,” Jayce answered. “Though this city is far from redeemable, the unfortunate truth is that the stability of our society is tied to yours.” Jayce glanced around at the sanctuary. “Heimerdinger informed me that this territory was the most essential to Zaun’s survival.”

“Partially true,” Zeri explained. “The people here were some of our most gifted but they’ve been mostly evacuated, if you want to preserve the infrastructure you need to help reinforce the heart of the lanes, it's being hit the hardest right now.”

“We’ve sent reinforcements there as well,” Jayce said, genuinely surprising Zeri. “I’m here to help get the rest of your people out,” Jayce explained before looking at her dryly. “Forgive me if I can’t find it in me to personally protect Jinx’s territory.”

Zeri rolled her eyes but nodded, knowing it was a miracle Councilor Talis had even bothered to show up in the first place. Zeri had her pride, but it wasn’t worth the lives of her people. Jayce glanced around as one of his security guards approached them with glowing purple gauntlets that seemed to levitate a large metal case. When the guard levitated the case onto the ground, Zeri could feel its weight shake the ground.

“Where is Sheriff Kiramman?” Jayce questioned with a small frown.

“Protecting Jinx’s territory,” Zeri answered sarcastically which made Jayce face-palm.

“Of course, she is,” Jayce muttered. “It took a lot of effort for us to get down here, even lost a couple of men, circling back now isn’t an option but I need to get this to her.”

“What is it?” Zeri questioned.

“A weapon,” Jayce answered. “One designed specifically for her that she will need.”

“We could get it to her.” Zeri and Jayce blinked and looked down to see Annie and Ren next to them. Jayce looked at Zeri in disbelief.

“The kids are still here!?”

“Hey! Watch your tone, Piltie,” Zeri sneered. “I don’t like it either, but these girls are strong and are some of the biggest guns we have.”

Jayce looked at her incredulously. “The demon child, maybe, but what the hell can Cait’s daughter do? She’s a regular girl.”

At that moment, a flash of Vi’s influence took over Ren as she glared at Jayce and lifted her gauntlets. “How about I fucking show you asshole?”

“Yeah, punch him in the dick!” Annie cheered and Jayce subtly took a step away from the irritated girl.

“Girls, language,” Zeri chastised as she rubbed the bridge of her nose while trying to hide a smirk. “As you can see, she has heart, but admittedly she can also fight. She’s killed more than her fair share of monsters so far. She has a mean right hook.”

Zeri looked down at them and they could see the pride the Zaunite woman felt for them.

“If you need to get something through that mess, these two are your best bet,” Zeri explained. “But even though they have power, they don’t have the physical strength to lift something like that.”

Jayce seemed pensive about something as he gazed down at Ren who glowered at him. For once when he thought of Caitlyn’s adopted daughter, he didn’t see the similarities they shared. Rather when he looked at her now, all he saw was Vi. A headstrong woman he barely could be civil with that put Caitlyn in far more danger than she had any right to…

…yet she always pulled her out of that danger as well.

Arguably, it was the only thing about the Zaunite he could bring himself to openly admit respecting. For a moment, Jayce seemed to mull something over before glancing at his guard who had seen better days. Though he had survived the horde, he had sustained a serious injury to his side. His armor took the brunt of it but there was no way he could continue fighting.

Finally, Jayce made a decision.

One that would most likely get him killed by Caitlyn later.

“Give her the gauntlets and join those who are evacuating,” Jayce told him. “I thank you for helping us get this far but you can’t continue like this.”

“S-sir!?” The guard was caught off guard as was Zeri. “Surely you can’t be serious–”

“I am, the fact of the matter is that it cost us a lot to get this far and we need to secure this area,” Jayce explained. “These girls know Zaun better than we do, I’m sure they can get back to the heart of the Lanes while avoiding most of the conflict. Not to mention, one of them has far more firepower than we do.”

Jayce said as he glanced at Annie who stared back at him unblinkingly.

Between the information given to him from Caitlyn, Camille, and now Zeri, Jayce had a better idea of just what sort of monster Jinx had gotten ahold of.

The girl was a demon.

But today she was on their side, and one he hoped cared enough for Ren to watch her back.

“Give them to her,” Jayce instructed and the guard removed the gauntlets. The others watched as they deconstructed before their very eyes and became little more than a pair of bracelets. “Put them on, they’re one size fits all.”

Eyes wide, Ren accepted the bracelets and when she put them on, the gauntlets reappeared but now much smaller to fit her perfectly.

“You’ll need to deliver those to your mother as well,” Jayce explained. “The weapon won’t be operational without them. Take a few minutes to get adjusted, this is a new experience for you after all–” Jayce stopped and looked at Ren in shock when the girl raised a hand toward the heavy container. The gauntlet released a purple glow that covered the heavy weapon and lifted it from the ground with ease.

“Whoa…” Ren muttered while both Jayce and his guard looked at her incredulously. This had been new technology after all, and it even took the guard a while to get the hang of it.

“Cool!” Annie grinned, something Ren mirrored. “Cool toy, now you can help aunt Cupcake and aunt Vi!”

“Yeah!” Ren smiled at Jayce, momentarily forgetting her irritation toward him due to the excitement she felt. “Thanks! Councilor Hammer!” Ren said, adopting Jinx's name for the man, before turning to Annie. “Come on, let’s go!”

“Yeah!” Annie agreed wholeheartedly as Ren moved the weapon case closer and hopped onto it, standing on it as the Firelights stood on their hoverboards before taking off to the sky. Annie quickly put Tibbers in her backpack before igniting her hands with fire and blasting off right behind Ren.

“Girls wait–” Zeri began but they were long gone. With a shake of her head, Zeri let a tired smile play on her lips. “–be safe.” Zeri sighed. “I swear they take too much after their mothers.”

“Now that, I believe, is something we can agree on,” Jayce muttered. Sending the girls off toward danger was not something he felt good about in the slightest. Still, as Zeri had said they took after their mothers and he just hoped that they were survivors just like them.

Still, he supposed he should get his affairs in order.

If the monsters didn’t kill him, the Sheriff would.

-Later-

 

“This is horrible,” Ren said as they flew above the city, watching flames burn and buildings collapse while monsters roamed the streets. “Annie, I’m sorry,” Ren said sincerely, at the end of the day this was Annie’s home, her people.

Her kingdom.

“Why?” Annie questioned genuinely confused. “They’re just buildings, you can fix those when they break.”

Ren was silent for a moment as she thought over Annie’s words.

Buildings could be rebuilt.

But people couldn’t.

Thankfully the only people left around were those capable of fighting the monsters. Even as young as she was, Ren knew that no matter how brave they were or how hard they fought, many of the Zaunites who chose to remain likely wouldn’t survive.

Not unless they found a way to end this mess quickly.

“See your mom?” Annie questioned and Ren continued to look around the city before her gray eyes zeroed in on the rooftop of a hospital where she saw Caitlyn providing cover fire down onto the streets below.

“Yeah!” Ren called out only to narrow her eyes when she saw the black mist forming a portal behind her unsuspecting mother. “I’ll help her, go find your moms, we can meet up later!” Without waiting for a response, Ren flew down toward the hospital as Annie continued to blast through the air.

Annie wasn’t worried in the slightest, Ren was one of the strongest people she knew even if the grown-ups always acted as if she wasn’t. Maybe when this was all over, they would finally see it too? There was a reason she wanted to play with Ren one day.

It would be a day that she’d make sure would come if she had anything to say about it!

-With Caitlyn-

 

“There’s no end to them,” Caitlyn muttered as she fired shot after shot down into the streets of Zaun, removing each monster’s head from their shoulders one after the other. So far, picking the roof of Zaun’s hospital had proven to be a boon. The vantage point she had allowed her to easily provide cover fire and clear the streets for Zaun’s citizens.

Still, she had been Sherriff long enough to know that even the best-made plans didn’t last long.

As if fate were deciding to prove her suspicions correct, the black mist pooled together behind her, opening portals from which the undead sprung free. Caitlyn cursed when she heard them spawn and turned to quickly shoot them down when a massive steel box slammed into them and knocked them away from Caitlyn and sending half of them over the edge of the roof.

Caitlyn blinked owlishly when a hooded figure slammed down into the roof with its armor-clad fist buried into the roof. Perhaps her confusion could have been blamed on the exhaustion she felt from fighting all day clouding her judgment, but when she got a better look at the figure all she could say was…

“…Vi?” Caitlyn questioned but that confusion was quickly washed away when a purple pulse of energy broke free from the figure’s gauntlet and flung the remaining monstrosities from the building. Taking a better look at her savior, Caitlyn registered the familiar five-pointed star embroidered into the back of the jacket.

A jacket she bought.

A feeling of fear and anger born from the need to protect her child filled her chest quickly as she saw her daughter in place, she had no business being.

“Ren!” Caitlyn snapped and Ren tensed instinctively as Caitlyn never raised her voice at her. “What do you think you’re doing!?”

“Saving you!” Ren said, a rare feeling of indignation shooting through her. However, seeing her mother’s eyes narrow dangerously made her swallow nervously and take a step back. “Ma’am.” Ren quickly gestured to the side toward the weapon container. “A-Also, I was supposed to deliver this to you. It’s to help you.”

Caitlyn glanced to the side and her scowl deepened when she saw the familiar emblem of House Talis on the package.

“I’m going to kill him,” Caitlyn muttered which made Ren shudder. Moving to the container, Caitlyn typed her birthday into the side, a code she knew Jayce would have used and sure enough, it opened to reveal a massive weapon. “Bloody hell, how am I supposed to wield this?” Caitlyn muttered in disbelief. “I’m not Vi, the recoil will kill me.”

“I-er-think you are supposed to use these,” Ren answered as she showed her hands to her mother. Once more Ren swallowed as Caitlyn simply raised an eyebrow. “I…I can teach you how they work real fast–”

“Ren-wait, turnaround, behind you!” Caitlyn called out and Ren quickly spun around to see another portal open up. However, unlike the monstrosities before, the two that stepped out this time were very familiar and seemed to be plucked right out of their worst nightmares.

“K—Kiramman…”

“Sheriff,” Caitlyn responded coolly as she found herself face-to-face with the two previous sheriffs of Piltover.

“I haven’t been one in a long…long…time,” Grayson responded as she watched Caitlyn swiftly move in front of Ren and tighten her grip on her rifle. With a pained smile, Grayson’s face seemed to crack as her hand moved involuntarily to her gun. Noticing Caitlyn’s badge, Grayson chuckled. “Looks like…I should be calling you Sherriff now. You’ve gotten big.”

“As you’ve noted it’s been a long time,” Caitlyn said as she glanced at the second undead. “For both of you. Hello Marcus.” Caitlyn greeted, hoping to get the man’s horrified gaze off of Ren who was trembling behind her. Caitlyn gritted her teeth as she should hear Ren begin to hyperventilate.

“What are you doing with her Kiramman!?” Marcus all but howled. “Why is she here!?” Marcus questioned, clearly enraged which was causing his body to twitch and tremble, a sure sign that he was about to lose control and transform.

Ren felt her blood run cold and fear grip her heart as memories once blocked by trauma came bursting free. Tears filled her eyes as she looked at the man before her. “Daddy?”

“R-Ren…run…” Marcus grunted as he hugged himself as if physically trying to hold himself back. “Run!”

[You’ve seen them, Ren. They’re clearly in a lot of pain, putting them back down is a mercy.]

Ren’s eyes widened as she recalled Annie’s words while seeing the sheer agony on Marcus’ face who knew he was about to irreparably harm his daughter.

[Don’t make excuses for their weakness. Especially not when our family is suffering from it.]

Silently, Ren clenched her fists tightly as the violet light in her gauntlets shone brighter. Unable to look at her father’s face, she moved her gaze down toward his badge. Its star shape reflected in her eyes which were beginning to shine with hex-tech energy. As the gauntlets released more energy, her hair and jacket began to float as the rain itself began to reverse around her

[You’re better than that and stronger than them.]

Stepping away from her mother, Ren released the power of the gauntlets and sent herself blasting toward Marcus just as his control finally slipped. His chest burst open and his ribs transformed into spikes that extended forward with the intent to skewer everyone in his sight. However, rather than the spears they had become, in Ren's eyes all she saw was the punching game at the arcade as memories of playing there with her new mothers flooded her mind.

With practiced ease, Ren bobbed, weaved, and punched through the spear-like bones as if they were the machine’s arms, and like a bullet, her armor-clad fist slammed through Marcus’ abdomen. The whole exchange lasted only an instant and Marcus himself seemed unable to register what happened as he looked down at his daughter who had run her arm through his midsection.

“R-ren…I-”

“Please!” Ren interrupted and he could see that despite the severity of the situation, her eyes were screwed shut. “Don’t speak. I’ve heard so many things about you since you died and I…I…please, just let me remember you as the sweet daddy you were. Please.”

Marcus winced as if her words had hurt him far more than her attack on him had and looked up at Caitlyn who hadn’t seemed the least bit surprised by his baby’s strength. When he looked at his successor even closer, he saw something that both surprised yet mollified him in his final moments.

The same pain he felt for his daughter was reflected in the stoic Kiramman’s eyes.

Gently, Marcus raised a hand and placed it on Ren’s head. Caitlyn tensed but was relieved when he simply ran his fingers through her hair much as she did whenever Ren had a terrible nightmare. Removing his hand, he placed his arm at his side, smiling despite himself as the light of Ren’s gauntlets increased in intensity.

“I love you, Ren. Always will. Never forget that.”

Ren released a choked sob at his words before releasing a massive concussive force of energy that blew him away, leaving nothing behind but the shimmering star-shaped badge behind. Falling to her knees, Ren picked it up in her hands and held it close to her chest as she began to weep.

Caitlyn grimaced when she heard her daughter cry but trained her eyes on Grayson who sported a thoughtful frown of her own.

“Strong girl,” Grayson spoke up. “I take it that’s your doing?”

“I had help,” Caitlyn responded but didn’t elaborate. “You seem to have retained your mental faculties, anyway for us to avoid this?”

Grayson’s smile turned pained. “Unfortunately, not. Those with a strong mind can fight longer than those without one, but even now I can’t maintain control over my body. I can feel the transformation coming, so If it isn’t too much trouble, I’d prefer to return to my rest as a woman and not a monster.” Grayson grimaced as her hand involuntarily gripped her gun. “That is if you can. If not, please take the girl and run.”

“I don’t run,” Caitlyn said and her gaze turned cold.

“Of course not,” Grayson said as a lone glowing tear slid down her cheek. “That’s not the Kiramman way, is it?”

Caitlyn didn’t respond as she kept her eyes trained on her target who responded in kind. The sounds of death and destruction that surrounded them seemed to go mute as they both focused on the opponent in front of them. Finally, when Grayson’s tear fell from her cheek and hit the ground, both Sheriffs raised their guns and two gunshots echoed throughout the area.

Ren’s head snapped up when she heard her mother scream in pain. The thought of losing another parent so soon was too much for her to bear. When she saw Caitlyn, her eyes filled with worry as she saw the woman grabbing her now bleeding shoulder.

“Mom!” Ren shouted before she moved to protect her only to stop when she heard the sound of Grayson’s gun falling onto the roof. Turning to the decaying Sherriff, Ren’s eyes widened when she saw the bullet hole that was now in the middle of Grayson’s forehead.

“You’ve…gotten…faster…” Grayson rasped out with a sad yet proud smile.

Caitlyn grunted as an image of manic Jinx flashed through her mind. “I had to.”

“Heh…well…didn’t have to let you win…this one…” Grayson muttered before she fell to her side, her body breaking down into dust as her soul once more found peace.

Caitlyn released a shuddering breath before glancing at Ren. “Ren, help me with the bleeding.”

“O-on it!” Ren wiped her eyes and quickly rushed to her side, using some of the supplies Caitlyn, fortunately, had the foresight to bring from the hospital to help stop the bleeding.

“Thank you,” Caitlyn said as Ren worked on her, glad that she taught her daughter first aid when it became clear she would be joining the ‘family business’. “We’ll discuss your punishment later.”

Caitlyn held back a small smile when she heard Ren gulp.

Still, she wouldn’t be too hard on the girl, how could she be when she was so proud? At some point, her little girl had grown much more than she could imagine. She was even able to face something that Caitlyn wasn’t even sure she’d be able to handle appropriately.

Whether it was because her family’s private cemetery was just out of the range of the Black Mist’s influence or because Jinx’s rocket just caused far too much damage, Caitlyn didn’t know, but she was glad that it seemed as though her mother’s rest remained undisturbed.

But that feeling was bittersweet because Caitlyn knew now that these attacks were targeted which meant someone, or something, was orchestrating this madness. Caitlyn had seen a lot in her career, but not even she was sure how to deal with an enemy that could rule the dead.

-Meanwhile: With Jinx & Vi-

Jinx cackled as she slammed a flame-chomper into the mouth of one of the undead that tried to strike her down. Before her target could regain its bearings, half of its body was crushed when Vi punched it away, allowing the grenade to explode and kill the fiend harmlessly.

Jinx’s grin seemed to widen when she saw Vi and with a laugh, she gestured to the smoking corpse.

“We’ll split that one, forty each?” Jinx suggested while carefully eyeing her sister who began to look exhausted. Unlike any of their previous battles, Vi’s gauntlets were now crackling with Hextech energy after she manually removed the limiters on her gauntlets. This increased their destructive power but also seemed to drain Vi’s stamina even faster.

Vi was eyeing Jinx in concern as her little sister seemed more “Jinx” than usual. From the black surrounding her bright violet eyes, Vi knew that her sister was doped up beyond imagination on chems but didn’t know what effects that would have in the long term. Not many could survive the cocktail of chemical poison that was within Jinx’s body and just because Jinx had didn’t mean she could do it for long.

In hindsight, both realized that this was quite possibly the first time they had seen the other go “all out”, even in their last fight they never pushed themselves this far and now it was clear why.

They’d probably end up killing themselves first before they killed each other.“Sounds good to me,” Vi answered as she rolled her shoulders and cracked her neck. “You alright?”

“Me? Never better!” Jinx said but when she took a step a wave of vertigo hit her which made her stumble a bit.”

“Jinx!”

“Fine, I’m fine, just a bit dizzy that’s all.”

Vi frowned but decided against pushing the issue. No matter how genuine her concern, pushing never worked well with Jinx. “Fine, but take a break if you need to. This ‘game’ doesn’t mean much if you just end up in the ground like our parents.” Vi grimaced. “You don’t think we’ll see them, do you?”

“We shouldn’t,” Jinx answered and her smile didn’t reach her eyes as she explained. “Dug em’ up when I heard about the Harrowing and cremated them. I’ll show you the ashes when we get through this. Tried to burn as many as possible, hard down here though, not many fancy cemeteries unlike Topside, most bodies are in the sewers.”

“Jinx…” Vi whispered, her eyes wide now having a horrible glimpse of what kind of weight Jinx must have carried knowing about the Harrowing while being the Queen of Zaun. “I…I wish you would’ve told me. I’d have helped.”

Jinx just waved her off. “Nah, you still got some light in you. I hate it, personally, but gotta keep it shining for the kids at least.”

Suddenly, Vi felt a lump in her throat as she knew that if Jinx burned their parents then there was a good chance she also burned…

“Fifty!” Warwick roared, his voice causing the nearby windows to shatter and snapping Vi from her thoughts. Eyes now blazing red, he glared at the sisters. “Who taught you two how to hunt!? The horde is still here! It is not the time to rest!”

“Welp, you heard him,” Jinx said while reloading Pow-Pow. “Get back into the fight, I’ll be right behind you!”

Vi stared at her sister for a moment longer before slowly nodding her head. “You better be.” With that, Vi turned and re-entered the fray as Jinx watched on with a smile. Her smile not waning, Jinx looked down at her hand and noticed it trembling.

“Shit.” Jinx reached into her jacket and pulled out a small pouch of gold. “Glasc,” Jinx called. Turning she saw Renata catching her breath while her Decanter blew away her opposition. “Catch.”

Renata raised an eyebrow when she caught the gold. “I appreciate the coin, girl, but why?”

“Starting to sober up,” Jinx explained. “I need another hit. Gotta keep up.”

“Are you a fool?” Renata questioned and Jinx was sure she saw something akin to concern flash in Glasc’s eyes. “Even our bodies have limits.”

“Didn’t ask for your opinion Glasc,” Jinx said dryly. “Me? Queen. You? Baron. You’re lucky I paid. Hit me,” Jinx ordered and grimaced when she felt the ground quake and crack. Looking into the sky she saw the light behind the Zaun Gray begin to brighten more and more as beams of sunlight began to peak through the clouds. “Flashlight will be here soon. I need to be able to move when she arrives. Now hurry up!”

“Fine,” Renata said while her Decanter returned to her. “But be warned, from what I know of your fragile mind from Singed. There is a good chance this will break you.”

“Glasc, I’m Jinx,” Jinx rolled her eyes and gave the woman a bright smile. “I’m already broken.”

Renata tensed ever so slightly but said nothing as the Decanter rushed toward Jinx and engulfed her in an ultraviolet cloud of Shimmer. This time, this “Bailout” came straight from the source, and from the maddening laughter Glasc could hear from within the cloud, it was clear that it was even more potent.

In the distance, Warwick released an ear-splitting howl as he prepared to eviscerate the dozens of undead before him. However, before he could truly hunt down his prey, a trail of ultraviolet light shot passed him.

It was Warwick’s ears that first registered the sound of Jinx’s mad laughter before his eyes adjusted to see her behind his prey, cackling as dozens of flame-chompers now attached to the undead exploded in a blazing inferno, tearing them all apart.

With a grin too wide for her face, Jinx turned toward him and Vi with glee shining in her shimmer-filled eyes.

“Looks like I win,” Jinx said as Vi looked at her sister in horror. On the surface, Jinx didn’t appear much different but now she could see every vein in her sister’s body as well as her heart due to the highly concentrated cocktail of chemicals flowing throughout her blood.

Hell, Vi was positive that there was more Shimmer than actual blood in Jinx’s body now.

“Jinx, what did you do to yourself?”

“Y’know, sis, one day you’re going to get tired of asking that question.” Jinx giggled before blinking owlishly when a shining trail of blood poured from her nostril. Jinx used the back of her hand to wipe it away, snickering a bit as she did so. “Don’t worry, my brain might be leaking a bit, but it’s a small price to pay for power.”

At that moment, a corpse exploded up from the ground behind her but in an instant, Jinx spun around with her knife and removed its head from its shoulders.

“See?” Jinx said after killing a monster faster than even Warwick could track. Warwick went to respond only for a cloud of black mist to form between them. However, this time it was an intense blast of fire that removed the threat before it could begin.

For what seemed like the first time that day, Jinx’s smile dropped from her lips.

In a blink of an eye, she was gone and all Warwick or Vi could hear was a small, high-pitched, yelp before they turned to find Jinx off to the side lifting the small form of her daughter off of the ground by the front of her shirt.

To say Jinx didn’t appear to be pleased was an understatement. Vi wasn’t entirely sure exactly when Jinx had mastered her ‘this is when you stop talking’ face, but the younger woman had it down perfectly.

“What the fuck are you doing here, Annie?” Jinx hissed as Annie’s feet dangled helplessly in the air. On reflex due to Jinx’s unexpected manhandling, Annie’s fists had ignited only for the flames to die instantly when she saw the look in her mother’s eyes.

Hell, even Tibbers seemed to be doing his best to hide in the background.

Traitor!

“I-I finished helping the others escape!” Annie answered quickly, sweat appearing on her brow as the light in Jinx’s eyes seemed to shine even brighter.

“And I told you to go with them.” Jinx bit out. “I made that very clear.”

Annie frowned at that. “B-but, I can help!”

“The only thing you can help is yourself to an ass whooping when I’m done with you,” Jinx interrupted which made Annie swallow nervously. This was no idle threat, Annie realized this quickly. All traces of humor were completely removed from Jinx, replaced by something dark, and it was clear that she had pissed her mother off.

Annie had spent quite some time wondering just where the line was with Jinx as it wasn’t as clear as it was with Lux.

Looks like she finally found it.

She had finally fucked around…and found out.

“W-what good is this power if I can’t use it when it matters!?” Annie questioned as Jinx gave her a look that made her question her intelligence for pushing the issue further.

“There’s a time and place for you to burn bright,” Jinx told her firmly. “But it ain’t here. Not now.”

“Then when!?” Annie questioned. “Isn’t that my choice?”

“You really don’t want to push this issue,” Jinx warned her and Annie idly wondered if Jinx would forego Zapper and just straight up hit her with Fishbones this time.

“But–” Before Annie say anything, Jinx brought her close and Vi saw her expression evolve into one she had only seen from her mother and Caitlyn. Vi wasn’t entirely sure what her sister whispered into Annie’s ear but when she finished, her little hellion looked even paler than Jinx.

Vi soon felt a large explosion and turned to find the area blanketed by a large shadow as demons began to reveal themselves from the mists along with the undead.

“Jinx, hate to interrupt your parenting but it looks like we have company.” Jinx moved her eyes from her now trembling and glassy-eyed daughter who was looking at her mother incredulously as if she were far more terrifying than the incoming horde of demons. “We’ll finish this chat later,” Jinx warned her before tossing her to the side and into Tibber’s arms.

“T-Tibbers...maybe…maybe we should run away,” Annie suggested meekly only for her faithful companion to look down at her. “You’re right, she’d find us,” Annie said as her shoulders slumped. “If she didn’t, Lux would-oh no!” Annie looked up at Tibbers fearfully, turning to face him fully in his arms. “You don’t think she’ll tell Lux, do you!? Jinx doesn’t snitch, right!?”

Annie was damn near hyperventilating now.

“Jinx can blow me up but Lux…Lux is crazy,” Annie whispered and Tibbers’ only response was to gently pat her on the head. “I should have stayed with Aunt Z.”

As Annie battled with her newfound feeling of dread, Jinx took a moment to reassess the situation.

“I’m gonna need more bullets,” Jinx muttered.

“Might need something a bit bigger than bullets,” Vi muttered which made Jinx raise an eyebrow at her. In response, Vi simply gestured toward the sky and when Jinx looked up, her eyes widened slightly.

“Oh,” Jinx muttered, while half of the demons joined the undead in wreaking havoc on the Undercity, the other half simply flew into the sky, right into the middle of the Gray, and merged into a large, almost spherical, shape. “The fuck is that?”

“No idea, between the two of us you’re the Harrowing expert,” Vi answered before her frown deepened. “It…almost looks like an…egg?”

Jinx sneered before brandishing Fishbones. “If that’s the case, we need to do something about it before it hatches.” Jinx did what she did best when faced with unknown threats and pulled Fishbones’ trigger so that she could blow it up. With a blinding blue light that flooded the streets, Jinx fired a Super Mega Death Rocket directly at the demonic ‘egg’ in the sky.

However, instead of the satisfying explosion she had been waiting for, the surface of the egg rippled as if it were made of water as it absorbed the rocket much to Jinx’s surprise.

“Huh?” Jinx questioned as she watched the egg’s surface continue to ripple as the rocket simply sunk into the dark energy. Soon, Jinx could see a bright blue light appear from where the rocket had ‘sunk’, and the ripples began to intensify. “Shit! Incoming!” Jinx shouted before she dove to the side just as the explosive power of her rocket was redirected back at them in a beam of pure concentrated magical energy.

In a flash, the beam tore through the street before a large blue dome of magic erupted from the ground and engulfed everything in sight.

When the dust settled, Jinx groaned as her body phased through the rubble that had collapsed on top of her and took a moment to look at the crater, she had now found herself in.

“Okay, that was my bad,” Jinx muttered. “At least no one died.” Jinx mused and that was true. Though the power of the rocket was just as devastating as always, both her sister and Annie reacted quickly and protected themselves with their respective barriers. Warwick took the brunt of it but he was already over halfway through stitching himself back together. Renata was the furthest back and only had the wind knocked out of her.

“Jinx, if the demons don’t kill you, I will,” Renata rasped out menacingly as the shimmer in her body took care of the few injuries she did sustain.

“Not like you had a better idea, toots!” Jinx called back dryly. “Besides, we learned something.”

“And…what’s…that?” Vi questioned, panting as her barrier shattered like glass.

“Whatever is in that egg is alive,” Jinx answered. “Lux once gave me a magic lesson. The fact that it absorbed the attack means that the color ain’t just for show. That’s dark magic. By nature, it absorbs everything around it but for it to reflect it, means it’s got a will. How much do you want to bet whatever inside that is the cause of this mess?” Jinx questioned before grinning darkly. “Our target finally showed itself.”

“Well…that’s good, but how do we deal with it?” Vi questioned. “None of us has enough firepower to dish out like your rocket, and that was just absorbed like it was nothing.”

“We’ll need Flashlight,” Jinx muttered. “Light is the only thing that can pierce that shell,” Jinx answered and the ground quaked once more, this was more violent than before. “She’s getting close, until she gets here, we should focus on killing the demons, stop them from making that egg stronger.”

“Got it.” Vi nodded but grimaced when she saw the sheer number of demons making their way toward them. “But we’re going to need more people.”

“Not just people,” Jinx denied knowing full well that not even the toughest Zaunite civilian could deal with these demons effectively. “Legends.”

“Hmm, then ask and you shall receive.” Jinx and Vi blinked when they heard that old familiar voice and looked back to see Camille stride onto the battlefield. “Honestly, to think I’d have to dirty my hands to help the sumprats,” Camille muttered before stopping next to Renata and offering her a mechanical hand. “One day I’ll ensure you’re put six feet under, but unfortunately I need you alive today.”

Camille didn’t need to see behind Renata’s mask to know that the woman was scowling. Instead of answering, Renata just swatted away the hand and forced herself up onto her feet, her joints popping back into place as she did so.

“The only one getting put six feet under is you, and believe me your casket will be closed.” Renata hissed and Camille just rolled her hex-tech blue eyes. “But, I agree, we can settle that another day.”

“Yay, cool, friendship, whatever,” Jinx interrupted. “I appreciate the help, but one legend isn’t enough.”

Camille folded her hands behind her back. “Then you will be pleased to know that I didn’t come alone.”

Jinx blinked at that. “Wait, you didn’t?”

Instead of getting a response from Camille, Jinx heard a loud familiar laugh before stumbling back when Braum fell from the skies and slammed into the ground with a wide grin. The ground cracked from the force of his landing as everyone besides Camille looked at the large man in surprise.

“Finally! Time for battle my friends!” Braum shouted joyously while brandishing his trusty shield.

“Please quiet down, my ears are sensitive,” a silky voice chastised and they looked up to find Ahri perched on a nearby roof.

“Apologies!” Braum chuckled and Ahri rolled her eyes with a small smile, knowing that her complaint would be ignored.

“Big Guy? Foxy?” Jinx questioned in surprise and before she could question Camille, her braids began to flap in the air as the surrounding windspeed suddenly increased ten-fold. “You didn’t…” Jinx muttered, for once actually sounding caught off guard by Camille’s actions.

Annie, who felt safe enough to poke her head out from behind Tibbers, gasped as she felt the wind surrounding the area. It felt almost ticklish and when she looked down at her hands she could swear she felt the wind dancing around them as if…as if she could…control it. Looking up toward the edge of the city, Annie felt her jaw drop as she saw a massive twister tearing its way toward them, shredding through every demon and undead monster in sight.

“What the hell is that!?” Vi asked incredulously.

“Well shit.” Jinx glanced glancing at Camille. “Never thought I’d ever see Yas down here.”

“Everyone has a price, be it gold or information,” Camille said matter-of-factly. “Persuading foreigners to assist Zaun of all places during a Harrowing is not cheap. I had to empty one of my family’s beloved coffers for this so know that I do expect compensation.” Camille drawled. “Not to mention that I would be damned before I fetched your pet vermin, especially after what he did to me, so I had to employ your robot to retrieve it.”

It was then that a large hulking mechanical figure bulldozed through the building Ahri was on, almost causing her to lose her balance. They had to shield their eyes to protect them from the dust and debris kicked up, but when it settled, Jinx’s eyes lit up with glee when she saw Blitzcrank before her.

“Blitz!” Jinx chirped. “I was wondering where the hell you went big guy! Thought I was gonna have to scrap you for treason!”

“Sorry for the delay.” Blitzcrank apologized before extending his large metal hand toward her. Jinx’s grin widened further when she saw Teemo standing on his metal palm.

“Teemo!” Jinx cheered before giving the smaller creature a fist bump. “Came to help?”

“Hiya Jinx! Going for your Harrowing merit badge?”

“They have one!?” Jinx gasped. “Then hell yeah!” Jinx declared getting a laugh from Teemo just as the twister reached them and dispersed in an instant revealing it to have been Yasuo.

“Yasuo!” Teemo cheered, getting a nod of acknowledgment from the ronin.

“Jinx, of course, I would find you at the center of a calamity,” Yasuo muttered before frowning slightly when he took in her current state. “You seem more…manic…than usual.”

“Coffee and I didn’t mix as well as I thought,” Jinx shrugged, trying to play it off even as she felt the shimmer wreaking havoc in her body. Yasuo gave her a knowing look but didn’t press the issue.

“You’re fighting harder than I’d expect for this city.” Yasuo mused.

“Not the city,” Jinx responded before scowling and glancing back at Annie who jumped when she saw her mother’s glare and once more hid behind Tibbers. “A little girl who is going to be in big trouble when this is all said and done.”

At this Yasuo’s expression shifted to one of pure bewilderment. “You said your sister had pink hair, but I thought you were the younger one?”

“I am, my sis is right there. Say hi to the ronin, sis!” Jinx gestured toward Vi who just raised one of her gauntlets and gave an awkward wave to Yasuo. It wasn’t clear if Vi was more surprised by his blatant power and disregard for physics or the fact that Jinx might have had friends. “That’s my daughter.”

Vi watched as the ronin’s face shifted from confusion to a horrified realization before settling on grim acceptance as he looked into Zaun’s steel sky.

“I see, there truly are no gods.” Yasuo muttered, convinced wholeheartedly that if Jinx was allowed to reproduce then there was no way that anything “divine” could exist.

“Hey!” Jinx pouted.

Yasuo sighed. “So even monsters can have something to protect.”

Jinx raised an eyebrow. “You of all people should already know that.”

Yasuo smirked slightly. “I supposed I should.” Yasuo glanced at Camille. “I expect the rest of the gold after this, I still need to repair a wall that someone shot down.”

“Oh, let it go! You don’t even live there anymore!” Jinx complained.

“You’ll get your gold as long as you survive and help eliminate this threat,” Camille informed him.

Yasuo nodded. “Very well.” Yasuo did a quick head count. “We’re still missing three.”

“Yeah, where’s Rock boy and Zed?” Jinx questioned. “Thought ‘everyone had a price’.”

“They do,” Camille said dryly. “But unfortunately, the other two demanded much more than I was willing to pay thanks to the trauma a certain someone gave them,” Camille explained pointedly. Every other person who had participated in Jinx’s battle, besides Jinx herself, seemed to shudder at that. 

With a grimace, Yasuo had to ask. “Speaking of their trauma, where is she? The one who caused it? The crazy one?”

“A good question,” Camille mused before turning to Jinx. “Where is your wife?”

Yasuo coughed. “Wife?” Once more, Yasuo’s face held an expression of pure horror. “I was wrong. There are gods, we’ve just all been living in hell this entire time.”

“Oh, come on!” Jinx complained, feeling the need to defend her wife. “Flashlight’s not that bad-”

A massive explosion interrupted Jinx and she turned to see Lux burst up from beneath the Undercity and ascend high into the sky followed by two colossal serpents made of pure darkness. From the sky, the beams of light shined brightly through the Zaun Gray and grew as the clouds themselves dissipated from feeding Lux’s power.

Against this blinding backdrop, Lux appeared as little more than a menacing shadow that gazed down upon them like an angel of vengeance. Lux’s bright blue eyes had been replaced by two multi-colored flames and her face was devoid of anything even vaguely resembling mercy. No, instead her expression was one of fury. Lux flipped in the air and rocketed back down toward the devils while her hands nearly bled from how hard she was gripping her sword.

The blade shone with a bright light as Lux released a scream of rage that was almost feral before she stabbed the blade between the serpent’s eyes. The light around her increased in its intensity before a beam of light exploded from her blade and tore through the demon and cut through both its body and some of the surrounding buildings with ease.

At that moment it was clear that The Light of Zaun had the entire city’s undivided attention whether they were undead demons or not. The sight alone of her enraged mother made Annie whimper and attempt to hide even more in Tibbers’ embrace.

Somewhere in Piltover both Seraphine and Ezreal felt the need to apologize once more.

Oblivious to the sheer fear of God, she was instilling into everyone, Lux formed a lucent singularity in her palm. Gripping the sphere of light tightly, Lux flew toward the second serpent. The demon released a powerful roar, creating shockwaves that slammed into the barrier she formed around herself. The shield flickered but never shattered as she flew through the sonic attack before slamming her arm through the beast’s skull and letting the sphere of light explode.

“Oops, looks like her mask slipped off,” Jinx said with a small wince, knowing full well how hard Lux tried to hide this side of her, even from herself. Lux’s might shook the city and even the most stubborn of Zaun’s citizens that couldn’t be considered ‘legends’ finally decided to retreat before they were erased by their Queen’s blind fury.

“Not again,” Camille muttered and though her face remained impassive, a bead of sweat slid down her brow while Renata raised an eyebrow at her, not fully understanding Camille’s fear. However, it was when beams of light rained down independently of Lux, smiting the lesser demons as the Light Mage continued to wreak havoc that Renata understood.

Especially when one of the beams nearly pierced her.

Acid rain was one thing she could deal with having lived in Zaun her whole life, but this was an entirely different issue altogether.

Camille scowled. “Perhaps I should have paid the price after all.”

Yasuo cursed under his breath at the sight of Lux while Teemo shuddered in Blitzcrank’s hand, hell even the robot looked unnerved.

“What the hell was the plan here, exactly?” Yasuo questioned, glaring at Jinx who chuckled nervously.

“Well…you know, the records said that the worst creatures in Harrowings spawned where the mist first formed,” Jinx told him. “So, we just thought if they are creatures of darkness, why not send someone who controls light down there to hold them off.”

“And you thought sending her of all people was truly the right move?” Yasuo questioned.

“In my defense, I thought she’d tire herself out before it got too bad,” Jinx said defensively. “I forgot to consider the fact that Flashlight has gotten much stronger since we got hitched.”

“She what?” Ahri and Yasuo questioned in unison. Yasuo’s face whitened ever so slightly though Ahri appeared more confused than anything.

“Impossible, mortals have a set limit on how much magic their bodies can contain,” Ahri said as she leaped down from her vantage point. “A limit that shrunk considerably since the War.” The Vastaya continued. Lux was one of the more powerful modern mages she had encountered so she understood the mortal’s fear, but she wasn’t anything close to the mages of old…

…until now.

With every moment, Ahri felt Lux release more and more power that her body shouldn’t have even been able to contain much less use and she didn’t understand how given how fragile mortals had become. One of the only mortals she had encountered with a body strong enough to contain the power of the mages of old was Jinx and it was only by the grace of the divine that Jinx wasn’t a mage–”

Wait.

“Did…did you let her partake of your blood?” Ahri questioned the Loose Cannon who suddenly became sheepish. Ahri had once questioned Jinx about her strange blood as it smelled unique compared to anything she had experienced before.

“Let is a strong word,” Jinx said awkwardly and the Vastaya felt a feeling of dread fill the pit of her stomach. “It just kind of…happened in the heat of the moment?”

“No one else,” Ahri said firmly, remembering the sheer devastation left by the mage war. “Understand? No. One. Else.”

Jinx blinked as for the first time in her life she felt the primal urge to obey when she saw how ominously the Vastaya’s slitted eyes glowed. A gentle breeze then ran through Ahri’s hair, one that didn’t come from Yasuo, and suddenly the fox spirit glanced back at Annie with a conflicted expression before sighing.

“Besides your family,” Ahri amended begrudgingly, Jinx didn’t know what to make of that but nodded all the same. Just because she was crazy enough to piss off the powerful spirit for shits and giggles didn’t mean she wanted to.

Besides, it's not like she was gonna going around serving her blood to strangers with a straw!

“Now that that matter is settled,” Yasuo interrupted. “The plan? What is it–” Yasuo stopped cold with a sudden grimace as his ear twitched.

Jinx frowned but paled when she too heard it.

That dreadful, familiar sound.

Silence.

“Get back!” Yasuo shouted pushing her back before spinning around and swiping his blade at the ground. It was only due to his intuition that they managed to avoid casualties when he erected a wind wall just in time to block a powerful beam of light. Yasuo gritted his teeth as his wall struggled against the beam of light that threatened to consume them.

Opposite of them, at the end of the street, Lux stood as the light magic shot from her eyes toward the gathered legends. The power being released blew back her cape as she stalked toward them, the ground shattering beneath her feet with every step as the beam of light continue to grow more and more powerful.

“What the hell is she doing!?” Vi asked caught off guard by the sudden attack.

“She’s blinded by the light,” Jinx answered. “She’s been fighting the worst of these demons all day, she ain’t herself right now. I don’t think she even knows where she is, all she sees right now are shadows that need to be erased.”

Much to their dismay, eventually, the wind wall fell but fortunately, Braum was ready and intercepted the attack with his trusty shield though he was being slowly pushed back.

“Thank you,” Yasuo said before summoning another wall to assist. “Jinx, again, what is the plan here? We still have the demons to deal with!”

“I’m still sticking to my old plan, to exhaust flashlight against the horde,” Jinx said as she dropped Pow-Pow and shrugged off Fishbones. “All I need to do is re-direct her attention.”

“You’ll die,” Yasuo said bluntly. “She’s a light mage, you are fast but not that fast.”

“And thin,” Braum added, grunting a bit. “Like a stick. You will be torn apart.”

“It’ll be fine.” Jinx grinned at them. “Besides, Yas, you blocked this attack, right? I don’t need to dodge her attacks I just have to make them miss.”

“What’s the difference, Jinx?” Teemo questioned.

“You’ll see. Just get some mushrooms ready for the horde,” Jinx instructed. “Yasuo, Braum, if you can push this back and get me an opening, I’ll take her attention away so that you all can fight off the demons.”

Yasuo nodded, and the surrounding wind speed increased as he tried to amplify his wind wall to push back Lux’s light. His blade trembled and for a moment he wasn’t sure if he could succeed when all of a sudden, the wind speed surrounding them doubled.

Surprised, Yasuo looked down to see Annie standing next to him with her hands outstretched. Her face was flushed as she tried to control as much wind as possible.

“Annie!” Jinx snapped. “Get back this isn’t a game–”

“I know!” Annie shouted. “Lux’s magic wouldn’t feel like this if it was!” Having been hunted by dozens of assassins and being trained by Lux and Jinx had made Annie very sensitive to the intent behind the actions of others. No matter how intense their training got, Annie had never felt an ounce of killing intent behind her mothers’ attacks, not even when Jinx zapped her to put her to sleep.

To feel this much of a desire to destroy coming from Lux was more than enough of a wake-up call for the little girl to finally understand this was not a game. One wrong move and she’d lose her family. Annie knew, deep down, that she was still young. A kid. She’d make mistakes and was in no position to try and protect either of her mothers.

She knew this.

She understood Jinx’s anger.

Her fear.

This was why she needed to get Jinx an opening at the very least, if it came to helping Lux regain her senses then she knew there was no one else better suited for the job.

“I’m going to add fire,” Annie spoke up, warning them as nothing they could say would dissuade her, she’d be happy to get her punishment after her family was safe. Annie looked up at Braum. “Hold on tightly. When the boom comes, you need to keep us safe.” Annie then turned to her mother. “That’s when you run in.”

Jinx held her gaze and, for a moment, she felt a small pain in her head as she imagined–briefly –an older pinkette in Annie’s place. Though as quickly as the vision came, it vanished.

“Listen to her,” Jinx muttered, tearing her eyes away from Annie who smiled. “When I give the signal, do it,” Jinx instructed as she gripped her dagger and Phantom Dancer in her hands and crouch down into a sprinter’s stance. “Now!”

No later than when she said the word, did Annie ignite the wind. As she declared, an explosion soon followed, one that almost knocked Braum’s shield to the side, but the powerful man held on, tanking the explosion. The shock wave that hit Jinx was enough to activate Phantom Dancer and she blitzed forward through both Braum’s body and the flames harmlessly at such a speed that only an ultraviolet light was left in her wake.

The Explosion was fortunately enough to break Lux’s concentration, stopping her beam, and giving the rest enough time to regroup as Jinx shot toward her wife. The chain around Jinx’s neck snapped from the sheer speed with which Jinx raced toward her wife causing her jacket to fall harmlessly to the ground next to Annie.

Jinx’s heart thundered in her chest, her excitement growing, as she made sure to keep her eyes trained on Lux. Her wife’s attacks were fast, extremely fast, which made her one of the few people that could dodge them. But the thing was, not even Jinx could dodge light. No. Instead, she simply just applied the same logic she did when dodging gunfire.

The goal wasn’t to dodge the bullet, the goal was to make the shooter miss.

The difference between the two was a simple matter of moving away from where her opponent was aiming before they shot the bullet. As powerful and skilled as her wife was, in her current state, her movements were very telegraphed which gave Jinx just enough leeway to avoid each lucent singularity Lux hurled her way.

“Left.”

“Right.”

“Duck.”

A bright pink bead of sweat slid down her brow as the voices in her head beside’s Silco’s were drowned out. The one voice that always pushed her forward in sorrow and anguish, in anger and despair. Even as the world around her erupted in a blinding light, and as the shockwaves from the explosion of each spell threatened to blow her off course, Jinx never wavered as she pushed forward to reach her wife.

Eventually, one blast knocked her forward and time seemed to slow to a crawl for Jinx as she gazed at Lux whose eyes were once more filled with a dangerous amount of light. Jinx’s heart thumped loudly in her chest as she knew it would be a close call, she had closed the distance far too much to be able to easily escape this next attack.

“Press forward.”

Eyes widening, Jinx felt the proverbial lightbulb go off in her head as she realized that the latest explosion had kicked up a shockwave strong enough to activate Phantom Dancer. Following the advice in her head, Jinx pressed forward, feeling her body turn intangible as she simply phased through both the powerful beam of light and Lux’s body as a whole.

Lux spun around just as Jinx’s body solidified behind her, the beams of light slicing through the surrounding building and demons as she did so only for Jinx to duck under the attack and tackle Lux onto the ground.

With a roar of pure rage that Jinx felt had no business coming from her wife’s lovely mouth, Lux formed a sphere of light in her left hand. Thinking fast, Jinx grabbed Lux’s wrist and redirected it toward a demon that attempted to flank them which caused it to be erased from existence when Lux released the spell. Lux quickly formed a second sphere in her free hand only for Jinx to repeat the process and use Lux to blow up a black mist portal before it could fully form.

Glaring up at the shadow that had her pinned, Lux filled her eyes with more light.

“Begone!” Lux snapped Jinx leaned back to avoid the blast before quickly using her entire body to pin Lux onto the ground. Jinx her hands to force the light mage’s deadly gaze up into the sky directly at the ‘egg’ of darkness, its shell soon beginning to crack from the strength of Lux’s magic.

Soon, Lux’s whole body began to glow and Jinx jumped off just in time to avoid the blast of light that erupted from Lux’s body. Eyes narrowing, Jinx gazed at Lux who began to slowly levitate into the air, her power growing more and more as light flooded the Zaun Gray and shone down on the Undercity with such an intensity that the Lanes momentarily looked like Piltover.

“So, you’re going to use the big one, huh?” Jinx questioned as she watched the very clouds part as the light burned brighter and brighter, evaporating the rain itself before it could even touch the ground. Jinx’s skin began to burn as did her eyes as it felt as though she were now staring into the sun. “But you’re looking the wrong way with that power, you’ll kill me and whatever’s left of the city.”

Soon the blinding light began to lose its intensity and Jinx could once more see through her now blurred vision. But Jinx knew better than to think it was because Lux had heard her. No, she could see that the only reason the surrounding light had lost its intensity was that it was now being absorbed into Lux’s hands, both of which were now extending to her sides. Jinx knew what was coming, she had theory crafted it with Lux during many sleepless nights in her works shop.

It was a spell meant to surpass her Final Spark and symbolize her new role in life as the wife of the Loose Cannon. A spell that could only come from Light of Zaun that would banish every ‘shadow’ as far as the eye could see.

Jinx chuckled, her heart thumping even louder as her excitement grew.

“Fine then,” Jinx’s laugh turned dark as ultraviolet sparks danced in her eyes. Never had this much Shimmer pumped this fast before, never had she ever felt this close to death. To Jinx it was a high unmatched, simply exhilarating. “Keep those pretty eyes on me.”

Jinx crouched as the golden spheres of light in Lux’s hands turned white and multi-colored whisps of light began to be absorbed into the spheres. Every soul that remained in Zaun besides Jinx was left confused as the very color began to bleed from the land and its inhabitants, absorbed into the magic of Zaun’s Queen.

Slowly but surely the surroundings lost their color, becoming black and white. The shimmering light in Jinx’s eyes was the last color to bleed away in the city, absorbed by Lux’s spell, and it was the very moment Jinx knew the spell was almost complete.

It was then that Jinx jumped as high as she possibly could, pushing the limits of her chemically altered body to the max as the very black and white that filled their surroundings began to be absorbed as well. As Jinx soared up into the air, Lux’s eyes never left the stubborn shadow that refused to be erased and slammed the two spheres together, merging them into one as she aimed.

“Come on!” Jinx taunted as her ascent stopped right in front of the egg. “Let me have it!” Jinx challenged Lux and the world around her became nothing more than a void of darkness after its light had been drained so completely by the lone light mage. Jinx drowned in that resulting darkness as did everyone in the Undercity as, for a moment, it was as if everyone had collectively shut their eyes.

But this moment was short-lived as Lux finally released the spell which caused the darkness to shatter like glass when a multi-colored shockwave exploded from Lux’s hands as the colossal wave of light flooded the sky and returned color to the Undercity. The force of her attack was so much that it shot Lux back down into the streets which exploded beneath her feet as she remained standing strong, pumping out as much magic as possible.

“Jinx!” Vi shouted, terrified that her sister had disintegrated only to jump when Jinx teleported next to her.

Jinx fell to her hands and knees. “Shit, cut that too close, too damn close,” Jinx muttered before lurching forward as burning hot Shimmer shot from her mouth and melted through the concrete. Jinx’s fingers dug into the concrete as if it were dirt while her body shook and trembled.

Contrary to what those who knew of her teleportation thought, it was not instant. Had she been even a second off in calculating her timing she’d have died. Looking up weakly, Jinx watched Lux continue to pump her magic into the massive egg. Her plan worked and now her wife was firmly locked on to a new ‘shadow’. Jinx smiled weakly. “That’s my girl.”

“Don’t be too happy,” Ahri reprimanded and Jinx blinked when she felt the Vastaya’s blue magic enter her body. “You’re dead,” Ahri informed her but it wasn’t a threat, judging from her grimace, Jinx knew that she was simply stating a fact. “I’m using my spirit magic to keep your soul tethered to your body. Your body is a temple, yet it's clear you haven’t treated it as such.”

Now pale, Vi whipped her head toward her. “Wait, what are you saying!?”

“That the only reason she can move and talk is that my power is quite literally holding her together,” Ahri explained calmly. “No medicine or magic even on my level can save her,” Ahri explained which made Jinx grimace. “It would take nothing short of a miracle to save her.”

“No…no, come on, not like this!” Vi looked down at her sister horrified. “There’s got to be something that can save her!”

“She’s already gone over the edge,” Ahri explained. “Nothing short of creation-level magic could help, which is akin to asking for a miracle.”

“Heh,” Jinx laughed before coughing up some more shimmer. Jinx wiped her mouth and gave the Vastaya a tired grin. “So…so you’re saying there’s a chance?”

Ahri raised an eyebrow. “Even now you joke?”

“Not a joke, toots, I’m still talking and moving even if it's with your help. Far as I’m concerned I ain’t dead yet,” Jinx said before forcing herself up onto her feet. “I’ll figure something out, I always do.”

Ahri shook her head at that. “The arrogance of mortals never changes no matter how many centuries pass. Well, it's not as annoying coming from you at least. Your optimism, hold on to it for as long as you can. I didn’t postpone your death so you could say your goodbyes, she did a lot of damage but the fight’s not over just yet.” Ahri warned which made Jinx nod.

“J-Jinx…mom…are…are you going to die?” Jinx blinked and looked down at the frightened form of her daughter. Her daughter wasn’t one to show fear because of something as small as the destruction of their city which meant she either thought she was going to be punished or…she had heard every word that was spoken.

“What? Me? Die?” Jinx questioned as she placed a hand on Annie’s head. “Of course not! I’m a legend Firefly, and legends never die, you got that?”

Annie smiled at that, feeling reassured even as Ahri silently shook her head. The other legends all looked saddened except Camille and Vi’s expression only became more pained.

“Yeah,” Annie said as she hugged Jinx. “I got it.”

“Good,” Jinx said before grinning at Vi. “You perk up too, sis, I’m still here. I’d say let’s continue the game but…I think Flashlight won.”

And when the others reassessed the situation, they realized that Jinx had a point.

Every demon and undead were simply erased from Zaun by the sheer light being released as the city’s citizens and their allies remained unharmed. It was as if a divine being had cast their judgment and protected the Undercity from the foreign darkness to protect it. Surprisingly enough, no one in Zaun, not even the most devoted to the city’s faith, had confused this power with an act of Janna’s. It may have aligned with her will, but they all knew that this was simply the might of their Queen.

A Queen who would eventually go on to earn another title after today’s display…

…Lady Gray

[Hex’s Storm]

 

Even as Lady Gray pinned her on the ground, her hand gripped firmly around Hex’s neck, the current Queen of Zaun could only look at the ill-made celestial with pity. That pity soon turned into amusement as Hex began to giggle even as blood spilled from the corner of her mouth.

Lady Gray’s face twisted in confusion. “What are you laughing at?”

“Nothing much,” Hex answered honestly as she gazed up into Lady Gray’s shining eyes. “Just thinking about your moniker, ‘Lady Gray’, powerful yet it's just another thing you stole from my mother.”

“I am your mother.”

“No, you just want to be,” Hex said matter-of-factly. She felt Lady Gray’s hand tighten further around her neck but didn’t even flinch. “If you were my mother, you’d have used your ability to time-travel to save Jinx but you didn’t.”

“I told you, I tried but it just isn’t possible-“

“-Of course, it is.” Hex interrupted. “Oh, yes, I’m sure there is some truth to your fears about cosmic beings coming after you. But the truth, the real truth, is that you and Jinx can’t coexist. I was just a child but I was still there that day. I know the truth. If Jinx lives, you die isn’t that right Fiddlesticks? She almost killed you and had she survived you’d never make it to another vessel.”

Hex sneered.

“You just wanted a body, but you bit off more than you could chew,” Hex continued. “You got hit with everything that made Lux, Lux. Her memories, her emotions, everything, and experiencing emotions as powerful as hers for the first time made you covet what was hers from her power to her family.” Hex’s eyes narrowed. “You should have killed me when you had the chance because I will never accept you. I promise you, everything you seek to build, I will burn it down.”

Moving swiftly, Hex brandished her knife and pressed it firmly against the stone-like skin of Lady Gray’s neck. Though the blade had managed to survive being owned by both Silco and Jinx, it was still just a regular blade made out of refined scrap iron from the Undercity and couldn’t even scratch the skin of the celestial.

Lady Gray appeared more annoyed than anything.

“What, exactly, do you plan to do with that old thing?” Lady Gray questioned, even going as far as to press her neck harder against the blade to further prove the futility of Hex’s actions. “Such a blade could never cut me.”

“It’s not meant to cut you,” Hex responded, and more so than grip around her neck, Hex felt the weight of all the lives of the Undercity pinning her down. She could envision countless chains, not unlike those that had once connected her to her son and cousin, pinning her down and extending far into the depths of Zaun.

Despite her best efforts, there was still one bond that kept her shackled.

One of the hardest for her to sever whether it be from pride or duty.

The bond between a Queen and her subjects.

“Jinx once told me…” Hex began as she bent her thumb, seemingly stabbing her nail into the knife’s handle. “…That to be the Queen of Zaun meant having both the power to save the city or destroy it.” Hex flicked her thumb and popped off the butt of the knife as if it were the cap of a marker and revealed a single red button that had the image of a monkey sketched crudely into it.

Hex smiled and pressed the button,

“Boom.”

-Meanwhile in Zaun-

 

Though the citizens were panicked they felt a momentary relief when a barrier of light protected them from the incoming flames. That relief, however, was short-lived when explosions began to erupt across the entirety of the Undercity.

In various architecture ranging from buildings, landmarks, and even the occasional tree, various bombs that Jinx had buried and hidden over the years began to all explode after Hex pressed Jinx’s ‘kill switch’.

Nothing and no one was safe.

No place was considered too sacred to be untouched and as if to prove this, the church of Janna had been the first building to go.

At Zaun’s border, bombs buried beneath the floodgates and even inside the Storm Gate all erupted, wiping out countless lives when the ocean waters held back by these structures consumed the city at a rate that even put the original cataclysm that had once threatened the city to shame.

After the Undercity fell…

…Topside was soon to follow.

-Piltover-

 

“Mom, what’s going on!?” Camilla cried as her guardian picked her up and held her close. C. grimaced as she felt multiple earthquakes shake the city of progress.

“Close your eyes,” C. warned and Camilla did as she was instructed as her mother stared off into the distance. “It’ll be okay,” C. lied smoothly as she watched the golden flames that had once been stopped by the barrier of light suddenly burst free. The barrier had shattered like glass due to the very city it had been founded upon being erased from existence.

1. held her daughter tighter as Piltover fell into Zaun while the flames reached the estate.

“It’ll…be okay…” C. whispered one last time before flames consumed them.

-Zaun Gray-

 

“What have you done!?” Lady Gray boomed, releasing Hex as she rushed to the side of the room. The moment she felt her barrier break she instinctively raised the realm higher into the air to escape the flames. Dispersing the clouds with a wave of her hand, Lady Gray looked down in horror when she saw the twin cities engulfed in fire along with the rest of Runeterra.

Lady Gray glared back at Hex and struggled to see a daughter after this latest stunt. Such a blatant disregard for her people, her subjects, had shaken the celestial.

This was no Queen.

Hell, this wasn’t even a woman.

This was just a monster.

“You destroyed your city and you call yourself a Queen!?”

“It’s because I’m Queen that I did this,” Hex responded. “I would kill every last one of them myself before I let them live in glorified captivity. Zaun is for the free.” Hex then began to giggle and Lady Gray grimaced as she felt Hex’s power begin to climb once more now that there was nothing to block her connection to the flames.

Hex gave Lady Gray a sinister smile that could have only come from Jinx as she plucked the crown off of her head.

“Do you know why royalty exists? Where this idea ever came from?” Hex asked rhetorically. “It came from the idea that there were some individuals that were the closest to their gods and that these were the ones who should be put in charge of the others. The citizens would turn to these people, these ‘royals’, in their time of need and in turn these royals would act with the grace of their gods to save them.”

Hex smiled gently, gazing fondly at the crown in her hands.

“When Zaun first fell, there was no royalty.” Hex continued. “The people turned directly to their forgotten goddess, and the strength of their prayers gave Janna a power unmatched.” Hex dropped the crown onto the ground as her foot ignited with a golden flame. “I became their Queen, and I became a good Queen solely for this moment. After all, as those people face death once more who do you think they’ll direct their prayers to now.”

Hex slammed her foot down on the crown, destroying it, and as if to answer her question, Hex’s power exploded. So powerful was Hex’s sudden influx of power that Lady Gray was forced back and had to watch in horror as countless souls slammed into Hex’s body.

“Finally.” Hex grinned darkly. “I’ve spent a lot of time at the Church you know, praying and talking to Janna and we decided that I would carry the burden of Zaun’s prayers this time. In exchange, I would lend her my voice and act as the embodiment of her rage, her fury.”

The blue light coming from Hex’s eyes and markings was now blinding with its intensity as the wind blew through her blazing gold hair just as it did with Janna. Where there was once a Queen now stood a being divine with an increasing amount of power that was being all directed toward one entity.

“Ha! So that’s what you look like when you’re scared,” Hex said as she wiped a bright blue tear from her eye. The tear ignited in a blue flame that shifted into the form of a small firefly that flew up from her finger and off into the golden flames below them.

Lady Gray glowered at her. “This madness of yours will not go as you planned, Annie.”

Hex smiled. “Oh, but it already has. I told you Lady Gray, this game of ours?” Hex began as she glowered at Lady Gray. “It was rigged from the start.” Hex clenched her fist tightly, engulfing it with her fire “Now I can fight you on equal footing. Sorry for the wait but bear with me, I’m fighting a fight on two fronts.”

-Janna’s realm-

 

As the two storms raged in her realms, slowly approaching one another, Janna watched impassively from above. As one of the storms burned brightly, a blazing golden vortex, Janna’s eyes zeroed in on a single blue firelight that flew from the golden flames into the harsh unforgiving winds of the second storm.

“So it begins, the winds of change,” Janna mused. “Very well, show me then, that I did not make a mistake. That you are worthy of carrying my fury.”

 

[Annie’s Storm]

 

Eventually, the light died down and the gathered legends could only look on with varying degrees of awe after seeing the power displayed. There was a massive ‘hole’ in the clouds above them where Lux had fired her spell. The ‘egg’ which had taken the brunt of the blast was little more than a shattered shell that bled liquid darkness down onto the streets of Zaun.

“What the hell?” Renata murmured her eyes shooting to Camille who strode past her, looking far less surprised by the display. “Is this the real reason you chose peace?”

“One of many,” Camille answered. “The young Hastur was a diplomatic incident waiting to happen, yes, but Crownguard’s power was also a deciding factor.”

Having seen a glimpse of it firsthand when Lux went out of her way to bully Malphite had been a humbling experience.

“Holy shit,” Vi muttered, eyes wide as Teemo hid behind a stunned Braum who soon just began to laugh at the display.

“Looks like she finally calmed down,” Jinx mused as she watched Lux fall to her hands and knees, panting in exhaustion. To say Lux looked bad would be an understatement. Her entire body appeared gray and almost stone-like in its appearance.

It was as if she fired off her very essence into the spell.

Jinx took a step toward her wife only to stop when a burning blue firelight flew down from nowhere and landed on her nose. Momentarily, Jinx went cross-eyed when she stared at it only to wince and curse when it melded into her body.

“Jinx!” Vi quickly caught her sister who suddenly stumbled a cursed. “Hey, hang on, are you alright?” Vi questioned Jinx who grimaced, trying to weather a sudden headache.

-Flashback-

 

“It’ll transform into a map,” Hex answered as she gestured to the fireball. “It’ll ping his location for us and then I can just teleport myself and Six over there. We’ll kill him and be done with this mess before you know it.” Hex suddenly snapped her fingers as if remembering something. “Speaking of teleporting, here.”

Jinx blinked as Hex suddenly pulled her teleporter out and handed the tablet to her.

“What the-when?” Jinx asked as she quickly patted her pockets and realized that her teleporter was missing.

“Casting the spell is long and tedious so I needed to kill the time somehow,” Hex said unapologetically. “Besides, you always had decent games on that device.”

Jinx pouted at that. “But my save files…”

Hex waved her dismissively. “Don’t worry, didn’t touch them. I did, however, destroy your high score.”

Jinx quickly turned on her teleporter and sure enough, her eyes widened when she saw that her score had been beaten.

Highscore: Live 50N30W

2^nd Place: DntRmvRune

3^rd Place: OnBack

Turning off the device she flipped it over to inspect the back and sure enough, she could see a rune burned into the back of her teleporter.

Huh.

Neat.

How about that? So that’s how Hex wanted to play it. Seeing how much Six took after her mothers, Jinx didn’t doubt she also inherited their ability to move on. A trait that her side of the family didn’t have. Both wanting to live and not wanting to piss off her niece– Jinx decided to keep this little gesture from her daughter to herself.

“I hope you didn’t destroy anything else,” Jinx complained despite knowing damn well Hex was about to destroy the entire future.

Hex scoffed as if offended. “I am an expert. Everything is fine. I learned how to handle tech from the best after all.”

Jinx smiled.

-Flashback: End-

 

“Hey,” Vi gently shook Jinx from her thoughts. “Are you alright?”

Jinx beamed as, slowly but surely, memories only she possessed now came flooding back.

“Yeah, never better,” Jinx answered before she gazed deep into her sister's eyes, as if trying to say a thousand things she simply didn’t have time for. “Hey, sis, no matter what happens today, no matter how scared and confused my girls get, be there for them. You can promise me that much, yeah?”

“Jinx…you’re scaring me,” Vi muttered but Jinx never broke her gaze and she sighed sadly. “Yeah, sis, I’ll be there.”

Jinx grinned. “I know.” Jinx strode forward and picked up Fishbones and Pow-Pow before making her way to her wife who was fighting to stay conscious.

From the pool of darkness now flooding the streets, a large crow crawled its way out and released a blood-curdling cry that put them all on alert. The bird’s gaze locked on to Lux and with a mighty flap of its wings, it took to the sky and blasted toward the exhausted light mage.

Jinx went to intercept but stopped when she heard the sound of armored footsteps swiftly moving to intercept the bird. Eyes darting to the side, Jinx was surprised to see Garen suddenly burst onto the scene, his massive sword already drawn. Before the creature of darkness could harm his little sister, Garen cleaved through the monstrosity. The petricite imbued in his weapon allowed him to cut through the beast like a hot knife through butter.

With his cape billowing behind him, Garen stood in front of Lux to guard her against two pitch-black serpents that soon erupted from the pool. They rushed to tear him asunder only to be eviscerated when a black and red blur intercepted them. Garen’s eyes widened when the demons were swiftly diced up before they could reach him.

Looking up at a nearby street lamp, Garen’s frowned when he saw her standing atop it, gazing down at him in amusement.

“Katarina…” Garen almost growled as she chuckled.

“Crownguard.” Katarina greeted. “You seem as happy as usual. What brings you here? The Undercity isn’t exactly your scene.”

“I’m protecting my sister,” Garen said as he tightened his grip on his blade. “What of you? This is a long way away from Noxus.”

“To greet your savior with such hostility, just what sort of manners are they teaching you in Demacia?” Katarina mused. “Believe it or not, our missions are the same.”

Garen scoffed, looking at her disbelievingly. “What?”

“It’s true!” Katarina laughed. “I was just as surprised as you when the Trifarix gave me weapons forged with petricite to protect the little mage instead of killing her. Looks like your sister has friends in high places.” Katarina tilted her head. “Or at the very least bedded someone who does, I’m almost proud of the girl.” Katarina’s eyes moved from him to something behind him, and Garen turned just in time to see Jinx make it to Lux’s side.

Katarina laughed at this.

“Your prince lost to a thug,” Katarina snickered which made Garen grit his teeth. “Maybe you should follow her example.” Garen’s eyes widened when the assassin’s voice was suddenly much closer as she stood behind him and whispered into his ear. “Join the ‘bad guys’. Surely, you’re tired of upholding that farce you call ‘duty’. In the end, Noxus always gets what it wants.”

Jinx grabbed Lux gently by her shoulders as she decided to let Garen and Katarina sort out their unresolved sexual tension. “Hey Flashlight, look at me, focus on my voice.”

“J-jinx…?” Lux rasped out as she regained her clarity. “T…tired…I…I need…”

“I know, I know, take what you need,” Jinx reassured her as she held Lux close. Lux savored the embrace for a moment before using the last bit of her strength to open her mouth and bite down on Jinx’s neck, hard, much to the surprise of everyone. “Sheesh, I gave you shit about acting like a resource and here I am a walking juice box. Still, I guess you’ve always known I’m a hypocrite.”

Lux would have laughed if she wasn’t so exhausted. Soon, however, that exhaustion faded and Lux’s eyes snapped back open, now filled with ultraviolet light as the ‘gray’ that covered her from head to toe ‘cracked’ and shattered like glass thus returning her to her usual appearance.

As painful as the current chemical concoction flowing through her blood was, it was just as addicting, and Jinx had to forcefully pry her wife off of her before she was drained dry. Even as her glowing blood spilled from her rapidly closing wound Jinx looked more amused than annoyed.

“When all is said and done, we’re taking you Topside to get you treated for your addiction,” Jinx said dryly and Lux had the decency to look a bit embarrassed while her eyes regained their usual blue color. Lux rose to her feet when her strength returned and helped Jinx do the same.

“I’m not that bad…right…?”

“You take more and more each time.” Jinx raised an eyebrow. “It’s worth a check-up at least.”

Lux blushed before looking around, grimacing at the devastation she saw. “The demons sure did a number on this place, didn’t they?”

“Yeah…the demons…right…” Jinx trailed off getting a confused look from Lux who had been responsible for 90% of the devastation she had seen. Jinx cleared her throat as she could see the proverbial question marks floating above her wife’s head. Looking for a way to change the subject, Jinx glanced around nervously. “Anyway…”

“Lux!” Both women blinked when Annie hugged her mom tightly. “You’re okay.”

Smiling instinctively at the appearance of her daughter, Lux hugged her back and ran her fingers through the girl’s hair. “Yes, I’m okay.”

Suddenly Jinx winced and sent a silent prayer out for Annie who, in her relief to see Lux, forgot her fear of the woman just as swiftly. After all, Lux was smart, and once she quickly regained her bearings and the situation sunk in once more it didn’t take long for her body to suddenly go rigid.

“Annie,” Lux spoke gently as she placed a hand on her daughter’s head. “Why are you here?”

Annie stilled, and her body shook slightly as she nervously glanced to see Lux smiling down at her. Though the expression seemed tense and Annie could swear she saw a shadow on her mother’s face.

Annie swallowed. “Uh….”

“Speak.” Lux interrupted, her grip tightening ever so slightly as her eyes now blazed gold. Annie struggled to find a response and as Lux’s anger became more apparent it was surprisingly Jinx who came to Annie’s aid–

“She’s getting zapped later and is grounded until she’s grown…”

Or not.

“…but for the time being we have to focus on some other shit,” Jinx continued before pointing toward the growing pool of liquid darkness. “Like that,” Jinx said as a lone skeletal arm sprung out from the depths of the darkness while a large murder of crows flocked to the area. Soon a second arm sprung out as the birds began to caw loudly.

It was then that even the most battle-hardened of them felt it.

Fear.

They couldn’t help but tremble from the wave of pure despair they felt as Fiddlesticks crawled his way out of the dark depths. As the dark entity arose, one by one, the crows flew into and melded into his body covering it in a flesh-like substance.

As she looked closer, Jinx noted that each crow that merged with Fiddlesticks seemed to be carrying bits of flesh and bone in their beaks. Jinx’s eyes burned bright at the sight as one crow, in particular, carried a black eyeball. It was enough to make Jinx want to attack instantly, and she would have had there not been one matter in particular that she needed to take care of.

Reassuring Lux and Annie that she only needed to quickly check up on Vi, Jinx left their side and moved toward her sister, passing Ahri as she did so.

“How long do I got, Foxy?” Jinx questioned quietly as she walked by.

“Three hours,” Ahri answered, never taking her eyes off of Fiddlesticks. There was only so long Ahri’s magic could keep Jinx’s soul tied to her body with it constantly damaged by the unstable chemicals.

“Thanks,” Jinx whispered before stopping next to Vi and snapping her fingers. “Hey, Vi, look at me, I need something from you. We have to make this quick, you’re all going to go on the offense as soon as Flashlight regains enough strength to get you an opening but I need a favor.”

Vi forced herself to remove her horrified gaze from Fiddlesticks and to her sister. “What is it?”

“Pull back when I tell you to,” Jinx said and her voice held a grim tone that instantly put Vi on edge. Before Vi could respond, however, Jinx raised a hand to stop her. “Nothing’s changed, I don’t plan to die. But I don’t gotta tell you that most people who do die didn’t plan on it.”

Jinx pointed at Fiddlesticks.

“When that thing shows its face, I need you to promise me that you’ll keep a cool head,” Jinx said firmly. “You’re stubborn as hell but you know your limits. Fight until you reach those limits then pull back. One way or another I am stopping this, but I can only do it if I know you’ll be around to look after our girls, alright? So, promise me that you’ll do that.”

“Jinx, I–’

“Promise me,” Jinx hissed and Vi gritted her teeth before nodding.

“I promise.”

Jinx gave her a small smile. “Good, I knew I could count on you, sis.” Jinx’s expression shifted into one that Vi, contrary to popular belief, didn’t see all too often.

Pure.

Unadulterated.

Hatred.

Jinx was a manic woman who was prone to bursts of rage now and then, but it was rare for her to ever truly hate anything and even rarer for her to show it. Especially after she had made peace with Caitlyn’s existence in Vi’s life. This was because for Jinx to hate something she had to first care which was something she had only really learned how to do again after becoming a mother.

So, seeing such obvious hate on Jinx’s face, put a sinking feeling in the pit of Vi’s stomach.

Slowly, Vi turned back to Fiddlesticks and what she saw made her hackles rise to the point that she completely forgot her fear and disgust due to being blinded by rage.

“Vi!” Jinx snapped, her voice cutting through Vi’s fury like a sharp blade. “You promised.”

“Damn it…” Vi muttered, and to Jinx’s silent relief, Vi didn’t engage even as her gauntlets crackled with power while Hex-tech blue light filled her eyes. “…How?”

Jinx gave a bitter laugh. “He beat me to the body,” Jinx answered, her eyes trained on Fiddlesticks who no longer had his scarecrow-like appearance and instead wore the body of a man that had been far too familiar to the girls. Given the undead horrors that they had witnessed as well as the sheer demonic power Fiddlesticks displayed there were likely countless explanations for this phenomenon.

None of which mattered at all at the moment.

“He’s mine,” Jinx spat before teleporting away. It was then that Vi realized that opening Lux was going to provide was for them and not the Loose Cannon who could easily reach their target.

Appearing above the demon in a flash of light, Jinx glared down at the monster who now wore the face of her father as hundreds of crows flew around them, their cries only growing louder.

With a glowing orange eye that gazed up at Jinx impassively, the demon spoke.

“Ah, I’m glad it’s you,” Silco greeted as Pow-Pow’s barrel began to spin. “It had to be you.” Silco drawled as a coat made from back crow feathers appeared over his shoulder. There was no joy on Silco’s face as his hand seemed to move against his will and aimed at Jinx. “You’re the only one that can do this Jinx…that can kill me.” A bright orange mixed with a vibrant purple as they gazed at each other in that one instant. “Don’t hesitate. You’re perfect.”

Jinx screamed in anger as she pulled the trigger without hesitation, releasing a storm of bullets that slammed into the dark barrier Silco had erected in front of his palm. It was infuriating for both him and his daughter to have his body toyed with like this, used to destroy the very things he had fought so hard for. It was a feeling of helplessness that didn’t sit well with either of them who fought so hard for any feeling of control in their lives.

Even as ignorant to the ways of the arcane as he was, Silco could feel the near-limitless power of the monster that had disturbed his rest within him. The only thing he could hope for was that his daughter was still as perfect as he remembered.

A tired smile graced his lips when the bullets began to tear through his shield.

Petricite.

Eyes filling with pride, Silco realized Jinx had grown even craftier in his absence. “You can do this,” Silco reassured her. “After all, is there anything so undoing as a daughter?”

Ultraviolet tears slid down Jinx’s cheeks, burning her skin as she screamed in rage and anguish while continuing her assault. More and more crows flew onto the scene as the fight raged on, their number so great that they began to block out the very sun from shining down upon the Undercity, shrouding Zaun in a massive shadow that seemed to darken more and more as time went on.

As the fight raged on, Jinx tried to take advantage of an opening only to find herself booted in the chest and sent flying back into a lamppost. In a swirl of black feathers, Silco teleported in front of her, prepared to ram his hand through her chest only for her to teleport away to avoid the blow. Jinx reappeared behind him and threw two flame chompers at him which he simply swatted to the side where they blew up harmlessly.

After getting over her surprise of seeing Silco, a man she had only seen pictures of, Lux moved forward. “Damn it, I need to get to her!”

“How?” Camille questioned, none too pleased to see the one man who used to be her biggest headache back from the dead. As much as she wanted to remove his head from his shoulders, there was no way to get past the vortex of crows which seemed to decay anything they touched. It was only due to Jinx’s skill that she was able to dodge the dive-bombing crows as if guided by a sixth sense when fighting Silco.

“Mom,” Annie spoke up before Lux could respond. The girl was watching the fight with her usual scowl though it seemed a bit deeper than usual. “Who is that?”

Lux frowned, once more reminded that Annie had completely disobeyed them. Surprisingly, Annie didn’t seem afraid of Lux at the moment, too focused on the fight. With a sigh, Lux answered. “Jinx’s father.”

“Grandpa?” Annie questioned though she didn’t need the confirmation. For some reason, though, this seemed to make everything fall into place for Annie. Though her mothers’ anger had scared her, she hadn’t been able to truly understand why they were mad until now. Jinx never fought with family with that look on her face before which meant that Jinx wasn’t playing. Annie nodded to herself. “Okay.”

Then, to her mother’s confusion, Annie turned to Tibbers and held out her hands to her long-time companion.

“Playtime’s over, Tibbers,” Annie told him. “Time for you to sleep, I have something to do.” Tibbers nodded before shrinking back into his plush form, The little bear stayed suspended in the air for a moment before falling, leaving behind a golden flame in its place, before being caught by Annie who put him in her bag.

“Annie?” Lux questioned as the others turned their attention to the little girl who reached up and grabbed the golden flame and cupped it to her chest. Though Lux knew Annie kept Tibbers alive with her magic, she never saw Annie once take that magic back.

And she could tell from where she was standing that it was no small amount.

A golden fire ignited Annie’s hair as golden flames filled her eyes before she turned back and glared at the fight. At that moment, Annie truly could have passed as Lux’s biological daughter.

“I’ll get us an opening,” Annie said and Teemo gasped as if mind-melding with Annie to know what she was planning in a way that only homicidal children could.

“Wait!” Teemo got Annie’s attention. “If you want your arson merit badge, you’ll need Yasuo’s help!” Teemo advised her before they both turned to Yasuo whose eyebrow twitched. Still, though he was annoyed, he couldn’t say he hated the unspoken plan. Unsheathing his blade, Yasuo held it out to his side as the wind gathered around it.

“You have a fire in your eyes, girl. Literally,” Yasuo told her. “Still, I can’t say I hate it. Lend me your flames, I’ll fan them and burn you a path to your hard-headed mother.”

Jinx had said they needed light to fight the dark magic, and the fire did give off light. But even if that didn’t work, he hoped that since their target now possessed a body they could damage it now.

Annie grinned darkly, and held out her hands toward his blade, igniting it in a golden inferno. Yasuo, gripped the blade tighter before swinging the blazing blade with all his might, releasing a golden blaze that ignited the streets of Zaun and spread more and more as the winds fed into the flames. Moving her hands toward the winds, Annie added more of her power to the attack making the fire grow to the point that the others wondered if they had been trying to reduce all of Zaun into ash.

The sound of the approaching inferno was the only warning Jinx and Silco had before the flames reached them. Eyes widening, Jinx teleported away just in time to avoid the large explosion which had engulfed her father. The crows cried in anguish as they were engulfed in golden flames which brought Silco to his knees.

Reappearing above him, Jinx aimed with her Zapper! and released a blast of electricity from the gun which had been set to its highest setting. Silco grunted when it slammed into him. However, unfortunately for Jinx, it didn’t manage to stun Silco for long as he fought through the pain and rose before she could land– and rammed his hand through her torso.

“No!” Silco shouted, horrified by his actions before screaming in agony as Jinx’s blood felt like magma eating away at his very being.

“Jinx!” Lux shouted before vanishing in a flash of gold light and reappearing beside her wife. Moving as if on instinct, Lux swung down with her blade and cleaved Silco’s arm from his body before kicking him back away from them. Glaring at Silco, Lux practically growled as the light surrounding her blade intensified. “You!”

“Who?” Silco wondered as he tried to regain his bearings before looking up to find Lux before him. Before he could register her face, his eyes locked in on her mark first. “Ah…” Silco realized with a pained smile. “The in-law.” Silco realized before he once more shouted in pain when Fiddlesticks’ arm ripped out of his stub and replaced the arm he had lost.

“Flashlight?” Jinx questioned, slightly delirious as she gripped at the limb sticking through her chest which was slowly being eaten away at by the Shimmer. “That was…fast...did you…finally crack teleporting?”

“Not now, conserve your strength,” Lux told her, never taking her eyes off of Silco who seemed to be sizing her up. “Focus on recovering,”

“Gotcha,” Jinx gave her a tired thumbs up before violently ripping the foreign limb from her body.

Lux leaped forward and brought her blade down on Silco who blocked it with his new limb. It wasn’t pleasant, but the sheer dark power pouring from the demon within him was enough to even stop Lux’s light from cleaving through it.

“You should tend to your wife,” Silco told her.

“And turn my back to the enemy?” Lux questioned skeptically. “Besides we both know she’s strong enough to not be brought down by that,” Lux scoffed before pushing him back and releasing a flurry of strikes at his body, each of which he barely managed to avoid. Silco smiled ever so slightly as he saw the ferocity with which Lux tried to kill him.

“Proud, powerful, and skilled,” Silco assessed, always having been a person who could access one’s worth in moments. “Were I still alive, I’d have approved the match even if you hated me as much as you do now.”

A pulse of dark magic ripped from his body and Lux summoned a shield to protect her before it hit. Though the magic shattered her barrier, it served its purpose and kept her safe. Lux shot forward and stabbed at him with her blade which made him wince when it grazed his side. Lux went to cleave him in two but he teleported before she could.

Lux quickly spun around and blocked a downward strike with her blade. “Hate? Do not misunderstand,” Lux told him as her blade and Fiddlesticks’ arm struggled for dominance. “I don’t hate you, but every second you’re allowed to be that monster’s puppet hurts her beyond belief. For her sake, you must be put down immediately.” Lux explained. “If anything, I’ve always wanted to thank you. You helped make her who she is.”

“Many would claim that to be a bad thing.” Silco pointed out, his eyes slightly wider at her admission.

“And they can burn in hell with the demon inside you,” Lux said, startling him. Despite himself, Silco barked out a loud laugh which was enough of an opening for Lux to ram her blade through his chest.

“Ah, now I understand, though your body is a veil of perfection, the rot of the Undercity has all but consumed you,” Silco said as his hands gripped at Lux’s blade, preventing her from tearing through him.

Lux didn’t respond to that, but for him and him alone, she gave a dark smile, one that betrayed the madness within her that even chilled his cold undead heart. “I have to thank you for something else.”

Silco raised an eyebrow. “Oh?”

“Thank you for leading a life that has so many people wanting you to stay dead,” Lux said before, in true Zaunite fashion, spitting into his glowing eye. The traces of Jinx’s blood in her mouth, as well as the small traces of Shimmer now coursing through her body, was enough for saliva to feel like acid to Silco who kicked her away with a pained scream as he clutched desperately at his face

Stabbing her blade into the ground, Lux pushed herself up just in time to see a massive figure slam into Silco’s side. Silco slammed into the ground and recovered quickly only to see a berserk Warwick lunging at him.

Seeing Warwick was keeping him preoccupied, Lux quickly made her way to her wife who was being tended to by Renata and Annie.

“Damn it, that blow was lethal even for you,” Renata hissed as Annie did her best to cauterize the wound, fortunately the effects of Bailout healed even this otherwise fatal injury. “Do…do you need another hit?”

“Nah, even I…know my limits,” Jinx grimaced while her wound finally shut. “Body’s pretty much done for, wouldn’t help anymore anyway. Help me up.”

Renata did as Jinx requested and helped Jinx to her feet. “So, what’s the plan, then?”

“Give Warwick the next hit instead,” Jinx told her. “Then support him the best you can. My blood seemed to hurt the old man. I can’t say much about the demon possessing him, but at the very least Shimmer should be able to damage his physical body.”

“You want me to give Bailout to Warwick? You might end up making a bigger monster,” Renata warned.

“Nah, that’s not possible.” Jinx shook her head. “Nothing is worst than that thing inside dad,” Jinx said as Lux grabbed Jinx from Renata and supported her in her stead.

“Go, I’ll take it from here,” Lux reassured Renata. The Baron glanced at her before nodding and stalking away toward her old comrades. “Jinx, what the hell are we about to do?”

“We’re going to use that,” Jinx said as she gave Lux a knowing glance. “Fight to defend yourself but focus on regaining the magic you lost. No, try to gather even more. After the rest of us destroy the old man’s body, we’ll need to get rid of that demon in one shot, or else you’ll be dealing with this shit next week.”

Lux frowned, something about Jinx’s words just seemed to…hit her ears wrong, it gave her a feeling of unease but she forced it down, believing Jinx to be doing what was best for their family. “Why wait until the body is destroyed?”

“Because, even though dad’s not in control of his body, his mind is still strong enough to stop Fiddlesticks from killing us all,” Jinx informed her. “He’s holding back as much of the power as he can, to save us and the city. Maybe he deserves to be dragged down to hell with that demon, shit. Maybe he was there already. I don’t care. We kill him first, free his soul, then deal with Fiddlesticks.” Jinx told her and it was clear to both her and Annie that Jinx was not going to budge on this. Jinx’s eyes were wet as she scowled, irritated that her father was being used as a puppet. “He’s family, Lux, we gotta set an example and do right by him, no matter how much it hurts.”

“For family, I will give.” Camille’s voice startled them and they looked to see the woman stride passed them. “It’s almost sickening how much your ideals align with my family’s. That said, we are not family, Queen Jinx.” Camille told her coldly. “If you have a weapon that can deal with that demon you will use it at the first opportunity or I will let this city burn. I will not endanger Clan Ferros to try to save the dead.”

Jinx met Camille’s cold gaze heatedly, not willing to back down. “You’re a class act, sister, you know that?”

“Yes, well, I’m also right and you know that,” Camille mused. “Not even he wants you to sacrifice all that you gained for his wretched soul. Saving him is for you, not him.” Jinx gritted her teeth as Camille looked away. “Still, I wanted nothing more than to kill that man with my own hands, so this is a blessed opportunity. I also suppose I owe you one.”

The faces of her and Vi’s parents flashed through her mind.

“I will do my best to kill him,” Camille told Jinx. “If he’s still alive when this weapon of yours is primed, you will use it.” Camille offered a hand to Jinx. “If we succeed in killing Silco first our ledger will be settled. If we fail, you may keep it open.”

Camille was no fool, especially when it came to dealing with Zaunites.

And no one embodied Zaun more than its current Queen. Even her nemesis, Renata, was still too patient, too calculating, and too careful to truly embody the true nature of the Undercity. Jinx didn’t want revenge for Zaun like Renata, oh no, Jinx was Zaun’s revenge and Camille knew better than to think her family would ever find true peace as long as the blood of Jinx’s parents were on her hands.

No matter how much Jinx tried to deny or hide her feelings regarding that matter, Camille knew that Jinx was planning on settling the score somehow. The rare expression of genuine hatred she saw flash across Jinx’s face when she made this offer was more than proof of that.

Camille was patient and took each day as they came but finally, Jinx had shown the moment of weakness that she had been hoping to take advantage of to end this dispute between them once and for all.

“Fine,” Jinx spat as she accepted Camille’s hand. “Fine, are you happy? You win.”

“I’m elated,” Camille drawled, privately relishing in not only the victory but the feeling she had when her fear for her Clan’s safety left her heart. Camille turned away from her. “You played this game well, but you’re still young.” Camille glanced back over her shoulder. “Do try to survive for a bit longer and learn, will you? I’ll need someone besides Glasc to keep me entertained.”

With that, Camille fired off her wires and swung away to deal with Silco.

“God damn it!” Jinx cursed, her eyes flashing as she shocked both Lux and Annie with her sudden surge of anger. Jinx did not take defeat well, but she had no choice but to hold on to this loss and learn from it. Jinx took a deep breath as she forced herself to swallow her pride and shelf the matter for another time. “Firelight, you’re with me,” Jinx told Annie, surprising both her and Lux.

“Jinx!?”

“She’s ready,” Jinx told Lux as Annie looked up at Jinx, eyes gleaming with anticipation. “If she wants to defend her home, we shouldn’t stop her. She’ll just do it on her own anyway. I’d rather be next to her when she’s tearing shit up. Plus, I’m fucking weak right now, can barely lift my bombs.” Jinx admitted. “What do you think, Firelight? Want to be my bomb?”

Lux sighed, knowing nothing was stopping the chaotic duo when they decided to share the one brain cell they had between them. Hell, Annie was practically bouncing in place but before she could respond, Warwick’s roar rang throughout the city.

“SILCO!” Warwick boomed as he grabbed Silco and lifted him into the air.

Even as his face continued to burn, Silco glanced down at Warwick with a pained smile.

“Ah…brother…you’ve gotten…hairier…” Silco mused before placing a hand on Warwick’s wrist. Warwick howled in pain when a tendril of darkness cleaved through his arm and freed Silco.

With a feral growl, Warwick swung at Silco with his remaining arm, his claws tearing through Silco’s chest with enough force to send the possessed man crashing back through a nearby building. Eyes blazing red, Warwick reach down and picked up his arm before looking up at the sign hanging from the now partially destroyed building.

[The Last Drop]

Eyes blazing brighter, Warwick reattached his limb while he walked inside the building just as Silco climbed to his feet.

“So once more it is the two of us,” Silco said as his body twisted and cracked while realigning and mending his broken bones. “I believe the score was one to one, for what it's worth…I hope you win this time.”

The two brothers charged each other once more and Silco summoned a spear of dark magic to pierce Warwick’s shoulder. Warwick howled in pain but moved through it and grabbed Silco by the face before slamming him into the ground and kicking him, sending him crashing through the bar. A murder of crows flew out from where Silco had landed, racing toward Warwick only to be intercepted by a barrage of Shimmer-infused missiles. Quickly glancing to the side, Warwick saw Renata step beside him.

“Keep your head on straight,” Renata reprimanded harshly as her Decanter floated down in front of her. “You’re not the only one with a score to settle. Power-wise, you’re the top dog in the Undercity on a normal day. But today is far from normal. So, for once, I’m going to bail your ass out.” With a wave of her hand, metal cords, tipped with needles, shot from her Decanter and stabbed themselves into Warwick’s body.

With a surprised grunt, Warwick gritted his teeth as he felt the familiar burning sensation of Shimmer fill his body. His eyes went from a blazing red to a bright violet as his body seemed to increase further in size while Shimmer poured from his mouth like magma.

With a roar that destroyed their surroundings, Warwick clawed through the cables but Renata remained unfazed as she watched Silco climb to his feet. Placing a hand in her pocket, Renata pointed at her former companion and gave one simple order. “Kill.”

-With Vi-

Vi was quickly running toward the bar to assist Warwick but was soon forced to shield her eyes when the building exploded. From beneath the resulting dust cloud, Warwick flew out with Silco trapped in his Jaw. Warwick landed and stood tall as he tried to bite Silco in half, but just before he could succeed, Silco once more burst into crows-their dark magic burning Warwick’s mouth in the process-and reformed behind the mutant.

Silco’s arm was engulfed with dark magic as he prepared to rip Warwick’s spine from his body.

“No you don’t, you bastard!” Vi shouted as she intervened with a vicious right hook that sent Silco barreling into a lamppost.

Warwick growled as his mouth healed and glanced at Vi. “Nice punch,” Warwick complimented before he and Vi rushed Silco before he could recover. One after the other, the two rained down blows that would have killed a lesser man upon impact. Yet, just as in most of his previous life, Silco just seemed to refuse to die.

Opening his mouth, a powerful sonic scream ripped from his throat which forced both of his opponents off of him. Dark tendrils ripped from his body and wrapped around their arms while they had been briefly stunned, forcing the two to try and pull away before Silco could rip their arms from their bodies.

“For what it’s worth brother, I am sorry,” Silco said, genuine remorse on his face as his body attempted to do something he had once dreamed of, killing Vander and the legacy of his ‘poisonous’ mentality. Silco even acknowledged Vi as he added, “to both of you.” Silco chuckled humorlessly. “I thought you had grown weak, yet my time with Jinx taught me the truth. To give up everything, your very ideals, for your children. You were stronger than I could ever imagine, you always have been.”

His apology did nothing, nor was it intended to. It didn’t erase his actions or the hatred burning in their chests toward him and they all knew it. There were simply things that could not be forgiven. Hell, there were things Vi still didn’t forgive Jinx for despite her decision to try and make peace for their family and their sanity.

Any apology from Silco might as well have fallen on deaf ears.

Yet despite that, Vi did respond. “If you had figured this out even a day earlier when you were alive, we wouldn’t be in this mess.” Vi pointed out and Silco gave her a grim smile as he knew she was right. “If I had it my way, I’d find a way to make you suffer for as long as possible for what you’ve done but that’s not the safest option for my kid,” Vi said and Silco’s eyes widened ever so slightly in understanding. “So rest assured that you won’t kill your perfect ‘dream’ for Zaun that my sister realized because you will die today.”

Vi then surprised him by smiling.

“After all, you’re not the only one who learned from Jinx,” Vi said and at that moment, her gauntlets slipped off of her arms as the Hextech gemstones within them popped out. Raising her fists, Vi released two incredibly swift yet powerful blows to each of the gemstones. The force of her punches cracked the surface of each stone before sending them slamming into his body like bullets backed with enough force to knock the wind out of him. After making herself an opening, Vi spun on her heel and booked it as the trapped energy within the stones began to release.

There were two things Vi had learned from Jinx and had grown to accept.

One was that in some scenarios, you simply had to prioritize and save your own life, especially when the other people would likely survive regardless. Vi vowed to apologize later as she left Vander behind, knowing that this healing factor would patch him together, especially with how much Shimmer he had in him now.

The second thing Vi learned from Jinx…

…was that explosions…were useful.

The magic from the crystals exploded with enough force to engulf both Silco and Vander. The explosion was so large and grew so rapidly that it would have consumed her as well had it not been for the timely intervention of an unlikely savior.

“Huh!?” Vi gasped when she found herself lifted from the ground and swinging through the damaged city at breakneck speeds. Looking up, she was surprised to find Camille holding her by her waist as they escaped.

“So, insanity is genetic.”

“Camille!?”

“Don’t look too deep into it,” Camille told her sternly. “Though Zaun took the brunt of this Harrowing, I expect some level of unrest to reach Piltover. Whether I like it or not you are our best enforcer. I saved you for our city. That is all. Understood?”

“Yeah, yeah, I get it,” Vi said as Camille landed and place Vi back onto her feet.

“Good, then if you understand that much, leave and make your way back to your wife,” Camille told her. “Without your weapons, I believed you have used up your use here.”

It burned Vi’s pride, but she knew Camille was right. Though she was strong on her own, this wasn’t a threat she could face without her equipment. Recalling her promise to Jinx, Vi took a deep breath and nodded before retreating from the battlefield.

“So, she does have some sense,” Camille mused before turning back to find a pillar of darkness shooting up into the sky. Within it, she could Silco rise above the city. His midsection held a large bite mark from Warwick, each puncture wound dripping with Shimmer, and his body seemed somehow…unstable. It was as if Vi’s gambit had succeeded in weakening the connection between Silco and the demon within him.

Whether that was a good or bad thing remained to be seen as while the demon seemed to be losing control over this body, more and more of its power was no longer able to be held back by Silco. One by one the surrounding buildings were covered by dark magic before being lifted from the ground and into the air as Silco clutched at his head in agony.

Large fissures split open the ground and Camille immediately fired off her wires before she could fall in. Zipping up and onto one of the floating buildings, Camille raced toward her old adversary with haste. Seeing her approach, Silco launched the buildings at her which she dodged and ran on top of with practiced ease.

As she drew nearer, her mechanical heart burned with growing hatred when she recalled the damage the man had caused to her city. Camille was never one to find pleasure in her work, but deep down she knew that this kill…

…would be one that she enjoyed.

A swarm of crows flew from his body toward her which she only just managed to avoid with a well-timed flip. Behind her, the crows exploded upon contact with one of the buildings, reducing it to rubble as she swung her mechanical legs toward him. With two expertly executed tactical sweeps, Camille cleaved his arms from his body. Just as she went to deliver a final strike to his head, he teleported away causing her to miss. Camille cursed as he reappeared higher in the air with dark magic gathering in his mouth.

In the streets below, Katarina rushed toward Yasuo. “Ionian! Now!”

“Tch,” Yasuo was far from pleased by the orders from the Noxian but raised his blade just in time for the assassin to land on it. With a mighty swing and an even mightier burst of wind, Yasuo launched Katarina up through the air where she appeared behind Silco in an instant.

Time seemed to slow as Silco sensed her presence but was unable to do a thing with Katarina cleaved his head from his shoulders. Yet, despite being decapitated, the dark magic continued to grow-a sight which made the assassin curse.

Katarina’s eyes widened when she felt a wire wrap around her waist before she found herself being pulled quickly down back to the ground by Camille just as the dark magic exploded. The radius of the blast was quite large but before it could reach Camille and Katarina, two large figures intercepted it.

“Get down!” Braum warned before raising his Unbreakable shield as Garen stood beside him, protecting Katarina with his very body. Though the assassin knew his magic-resistant armor would protect him from most of the damage, she found herself both impressed and annoyed by his infamous courage.

Looking up, they all watched as the decapitated man fell from the sky.

“Do not let him reform!” Yasuo shouted before gripping the hilt of his Katana.

“Understood!” Blitzcrank said as Teemo hopped into his palm. Stepping forward, the robot threw his tiny companion like a ball toward Silco. In an instant, Teemo slammed into his chest and quickly latched on the front of his shirt. The tiny legend, crawled rapidly around Silco’s body, stuffing various mushrooms wherever he could before he hopped off when the body was closer to the ground.

“Whoa!” Teemo yelped when the mushrooms exploded behind him, knocking him away as Silco’s body was further ripped apart. A gust of wind picked up then beneath Teemo, cushioning his fall as Yasuo blitzed from one side of the battlefield to the other.

The sound of his blade slicing through the air echoed loudly for all to hear.

Silco’s mouth opened as if trying to release a silent scream while Yasuo sheathed his blade with an audible click. Across his fragmented body, a multitude of cuts began to appear on each piece, reducing the size of each of his body parts more and more before a powerful tornado formed in the middle of all of them and scattered them away in the wind.

Yasuo almost allowed himself to relax when his eyes snapped open and he felt a sinister presence in the air. Spinning around quickly, he saw dozens, if not hundreds, of crows, swarm the area, each emanating dark magic and land in the center of the battlefield. They created a grotesque mound of feathers and flesh before once more melding into a figure that resembled Silco.

“No, you don’t!” Garen shouted as he rushed forward, cocking his sword back, before launching the massive blade at Silco, piercing him through his chest. The scream Silco released was one from both man and monster as the petricite within the sword disrupted the magic, stopping the transformation midway and leaving him standing as a twisted amalgamation of Silco and Fiddlesticks.

Silco lurched forward in agony, black blood spilling from his lips which turned into black feathers that floated down upon the ground and disintegrated the concrete they landed on.

“Enough!” Ahri shouted clapping her hands together with such intensity that it sounded like the crack of lightning. Eyes shining blue, her spiritual magic poured off of her in waves as she revealed all of her tails which burned with that same energy and shot toward Silco, binding him in place.

Shifting her hands to make a makeshift heart, Ahri released a small blast of pink magic which slammed into Silco’s chest, charming him in the process, which brought his struggles to a halt.

“If we cannot separate the man from the monster then we must banish them both to hell,” Ahri explained, her voice resolute as she attempted to gather enough power to blow the demon off of the face of Runeterra.

“Hurry!” Silco forced out desperately before his body lurched forward. Silco began to choke as a crow clawed its way out of his mouth before flying at a surprised Ahri. Before the dark construct could reach her, Ahri vanished in a flash of blue light just in time to avoid being reduced to nothing along with everything in a 100-meter radius when the bird exploded.

“Silco!” Warwick roared, immediately launching himself back into the fray but before he could reach his possessed brother, Silco spun to face him. The eyes of both Silco and Fiddlesticks shone brightly before the amalgamation tossed his head back and released a tormented scream. The concussive force of the scream slammed into the airborne mutant and sent Warwick blasting away through the air as the remaining legends were forced to do a brief tactical retreat from the immediate area.

In the ruins of the last drop, a startled Ahri reappeared, held in Jinx’s arms. Confused, Ahri looked up at the Loose Cannon who sat her down before turning away.

“Stay here Foxy, this is a family issue,” Jinx told her. “I appreciate you all buying us some time, but I’ll take it from here.”

“You?” Ahri repeated skeptically. “You’re halfway into your grave as we speak.”

“Doesn’t matter,” Jinx told her. “All I need is one shot to set this sit straight and I don’t miss. Not when it matters.” Jinx muttered. “I’ll make it before your magic runs out, you can quote me on that,” Jinx swore, glancing back at Ahri with a tired smile before exiting the bar.

-With Ekko & Viktor-

 

“The horde is starting to die down,” Ekko muttered as he cleaved through the neck of one of the undead. “Think it’s finally ending?”

“Doubtful, look.” Viktor pointed out toward the distance and Ekko’s eyes widened as he saw something hurtling at them at a surprising speed.

“What the hell-?” Ekko and Viktor both moved away as the large mass slammed into the gathered undead, crushing them in the process. Eyes wide, Ekko went to inspect what almost crushed them only to find a growling Warwick. Chems spilled from the mutant's wounds as his fractured body began to stitch itself back together. “Vander!?”

“For Warwick to have been launched this far… It appears that the true threat finally revealed itself.” Viktor muttered before giving Warwick a quick scan. It seems your talents are required elsewhere, Boy Savior. Go. We have secured the floodgates for now. Should the number of our adversaries increase once more, Warwick and I will be more than enough to fend them off.”

“Got it,” Ekko before he sprinted off to the edge of the gate. Tossing his board out in front of him, the leader of the Firelights landed on it before taking off toward the heart of Zaun, praying that he could make it in time.

-With Silco-

 

“Damned demon.” Silco cursed as he gripped the blade stuck in his chest, hissing in pain as the petricite burned him before ripping it free and tossing it to the side. A black “blood” spilled from the wound for a few moments before it mended itself together. “Damn it all.”

It was as he feared.

While Fiddlesticks was completely sealed within his body, he may have lacked control but he could at least contain a majority of the demonic entity’s massive amount of power. However, the more his body was destroyed, the more Fiddlesticks would replace with its own, consequently releasing even more of its power.

Should his body be destroyed, Silco shuddered to think of Zaun and its inhabitants facing the full might and despair that Fiddlesticks would display. Silco knew not what fate awaited him should he be dragged to whatever afterlife awaited him should the demon continue to cling to his soul. Still, even eternal suffering would be preferable to what would await them, await her, should he manage to die before the demon.

And it was that thought that made what remained of his cold corrupted heart break further.

Because he knew.

Oh, he knew…

…That his daughter wouldn’t let him die like that.

Of all the things he had taught Jinx as she grew, how to let go, was unfortunately not one.

Silco’s ear twitched and he turned to what remained of The Last Drop to find Jinx standing on the rubble in front of it. His poor girl looked as though she too were a step away from her own grave as the LED eye-shaped light flickered on and off behind her.

Yet despite how tired and broken she appeared, she was still clearly a stronger woman than the one he had left behind.

And that thought filled him with a bitter sense of pride.

“Jinx.” Silco rasped out. “I know you. I know you all too well,” Silco told her as his power began to rise against his will, Fiddlesticks’ ravenous hunger for his daughter nearly consuming him whole. “I know you have a way to kill us both. Do it. This monster wants you and I refuse to let it have you.”

“Sorry, but I decided I’m gonna free you from that birdbrain so that’s what I’m gonna do,” Jinx refused. “I’ve made up my mind and I’m not gonna let anyone or anything, no matter how strong, force me to change my decision. That’s not how we do things in this family.”

“She’s right.” Silco tensed and turned back to find Lux standing before the statue of Janna, the only part of the church that wasn’t destroyed, with both her sword and rod in her hands. “Would be a bad example to set.”

Silco gritted his teeth. “You’re her wife! How can you let her make such a stupid decision!?”

“Because I trust her,” Lux answered honestly, surprising him with her quick reply. “Besides, fighting with the in-laws is expected. For what it’s worth, dealing with you right now is still probably less annoying than dealing with my parents.”

Before Silco could somehow find a way to respond to that, he felt heat on his back. A heat that continued to rise in temperature and forced him to look behind him. There he saw Annie standing before the now burning remains of the arcade.

“You…” Annie began, her scowl deepening before she turned to the side and spit out some magma. “…you destroyed the arcade.” Annie began stalking toward him like a girl possessed, her feet leaving behind flaming footprints in her wake. “I liked that arcade!”

Tossing her hands behind her, Annie created a powerful explosion that sent her rocketing toward Silco like a child-sized bullet. Time seemed to slow to a crawl as Fiddlesticks’ claw shifted into a makeshift blade of darkness. Silco shouted in horror as he went to spear the child yet just before the blade could reach Annie, she vanished in a swirl of flames.

Once more feeling an intense heat behind him, Silco glanced back just in time to catch a blazing right hook to his face. The moment Annie’s fist made contact, another explosion burst free from her fist that send him crashing back away from her.

“Get back here!” Annie shouted before blasting toward Silco as her mothers shared a knowing look.

“That’s your daughter,” Jinx dared to tell Lux who rolled her eyes in response before vanishing in a flash of gold light. Smirking, Jinx pulled out her tablet and noted that the battery was running low. “This is it,” Jinx mused before setting her teleportation to ‘shuffle’, win or lose it everything was going to come down to this. Brandishing her knife and Zapper!, Jinx began to count down from ten while tapping her foot as if trying to synchronize with an unheard beat. “3…2…1…”

Jinx vanished in a flicker of blue light.

She hoped that things were going more smoothly on Hex’s end.

[Hex’s Storm]

 

“This defiance! From where did it come!?” Lady Gray questioned as she just managed to avoid each strike of Hex’s blazing blade. A weapon that would once bounce off of her body harmlessly now cut through her petricite-like skin like a hot knife through butter.

“As if you had to ask,” Hex said before delivering a blazing kick to Lady Gray’s midsection. This resulted in a powerful explosion that chipped off more of her body and revealed more of the smooth black substance beneath which was filled with small particles of light that made it look similar to the night sky. Hex extended her hand to the side, the runes on her nails blazing as her mother’s Zapper! flew into her palm. Quickly aiming Hex released an electrified blast which Lady Gray blocked with the palm of her hand. “Just because they are no longer here, does not mean my mothers do not still fight with me.”

Lady Gray glowered at her words, glaring at Hex as she couldn’t help but see the images of Lux and Jinx within the Queen of Zaun. The familiar essences of both women seemed to cling to Hex like specters of the past.

Anger and pain swelling in her chest, Lady Gray practically growled as the petricite-like skin on her back completely shattered when a second pair of pitch-black wings broke free. With one flap of her wings, Lady Gray took to the air, and with a second she dive-bombed Hex who chuckled at the anger she saw on her adversary’s face.

“That’s more like it, now it’s just like before!”

[Annie’s Storm]

Annie teleported away just in time to avoid the aerial attack from Silco. Annie hadn’t expected her opponent to suddenly grow wings and dive-bomb her but as always she was quick to adapt. If she could slowly but surely get used to her new ability to teleport then she could also deal with a few extra appendages growing from the demon wearing her grandfather’s face.

“I…I can’t hold on…” Silco grunted in pain as he felt Fiddlesticks' rage grow until it finally became too much for even his mind and will to hold back. Body trembling in agony, Silco rose and released a heart-wrenching scream. “Noooooooooo!”

Silco’s vision went black as the beast within him forced him into the backseat of his mind and took full control. Silco, no, Fiddlesticks extended his wings and released a barrage of pitch-black feathers at Annie. In response, Annie crossed her arms and created a blazing barrier to protect her. Though the feathers burned harmlessly upon impact with her shield, the sheer force still pushed the child back though to her credit she never wavered and stood strong. When the barrage stopped, Annie dropped the barrier and slammed her fists together, igniting them both with her fire.

“My turn,” Annie declared before blasting forward at Fiddlesticks who raised his hands and summoned pitch-black spikes from the ground in an attempt to skewer the girl. Thinking fast, Annie remembered her training with Vi and quickly pivoted on her foot before expertly dodging and punching through each spike that appeared. When she destroyed the last one, she teleported away before Fiddlesticks could summon more and reappeared above him with a fireball burning on her palm. “Die!”

Fiddlesticks exploded in a swirl of feathers before the attack could land which made the fireball slam into the ground where it exploded with the force of a grenade. Having not expected Fiddlesticks to teleport, Annie almost didn’t register the demon now standing behind her with his claw poised to kill.

“You will lose this family too.” Fiddlesticks spoke, his haunting voice praying on the child’s deepest fears. His words made her blood freeze and rendered her immobile, leaving her completely open for his attack. Before he could kill her, however, she vanished in a flash of golden light. Fiddlesticks was surprised to find his claw being blocked by a sword.

“Like hell, she will!” Lux snapped, now standing where Annie once stood after using her teleportation to swap their positions. “You are not taking me from my daughter!” Lux boomed, her powerful voice breaking Annie free of her fear-induced stupor. Lux imbued her blade with her light and sliced through both Fiddlesticks’ arm and chest with one mighty cleave. As Lux took over, Annie shook her head rapidly before slapping her face with both hands to get her head back into the game.

This was not the time to be shaken.

Enraged at being intercepted, Fiddlesticks summoned a scythe forged from darkness to his hand as Lux tightened her grip on her rod. Spinning her faithful weapon in her hand, Lux slammed it into the ground and erected a prismatic barrier just in time to protect herself from being cleaved in two by Fiddlesticks. Fiddlesticks and Lux struggled for dominance for only a moment before the opposing natures of their magics created a chain reaction that blew them away from each other.

The force of the blowback knocked Lux’s weapons from her hands but left her relatively unscathed. In contrast, Fiddlesticks found a fair amount of Silco’s flesh which clung to his frame had been reduced to ash. Yet despite taking more damage than the light mage, it was Fiddlesticks who recovered first and teleported above the still airborne Lux.

Fiddlesticks prepared to rip Lux apart but before he could, Lux quickly pulled her gun from her hip and shone its flashlight on the demon’s face. Quickly amplifying the weapon’s light with her magic, the light burned the demon, forcing it to recoil as Lux released two shots in his head. Fiddlesticks burst into feathers and Lux crashed onto the ground before she quickly rolled to a crouch.

“I can’t believe that worked,” Lux muttered, her eyes scanning the area for Fiddlesticks. As Lux tried and failed to locate the demon, she didn’t notice her shadow darkening until it was too late.

“You won’t save her.”

Pure fear unlike anything she had ever felt in her life seemed to grip her very heart as her body refused to move. Though the words spoken were one of her biggest fears at the moment, it was more than that. It was as if Fiddlesticks took the small spark of fear his words caused and amplified it to debilitating levels and rendered her incapable of doing anything as Fiddlesticks sprung from her shadow.

Fortunately, Lux vanished in a blue light before the demon could kill her thanks to the timely intervention of Jinx who swapped positions with her at the last minute. Jinx grinned as she used Fishbones to keep Fiddlesticks claws at bay.

“Jokes on you,” Jinx taunted, a bead of sweat sliding down her face as her arms struggled to keep Fiddlesticks at bay. “She saved me a long time ago,” Jinx told him and her words served to dispel Lux’s fear. Counting down from ten in her head, Jinx chuckled, her eyes shining with excitement as she gazed up at her adversary. “Hey, let's go on a trip.”

With those last words, the two of them were teleported away by Jinx’s tablet.

-Freljord-

 

At the coldest, northernmost part of the frozen region, Jinx and Fiddlesticks reappeared. The demon found itself genuinely disoriented for the first time in who knew how many millennia. Jinx, however, had an ability to adapt that went virtually unmatched and quickly went on the offense.

The cold ate away her skin almost instantly, to the point that she was sure if she was anyone else, she’d be in danger of losing a body part or two. Thankfully, the Shimmer in her kept her body heated as well as dealt with whatever minor damage to her flesh the climate had caused.

The same could not be said for Fiddlesticks who was still tied to Silco’s flesh and thus found himself experiencing the drawbacks of human weakness for the first time. The painful sensations he felt left him vulnerable to Jinx’s onslaught as she stabbed and cut at him repeatedly with her knife all while mentally counting down from ten.

Burying her blade into his heart, Jinx grinned as she twisted it, and when her countdown hit zero the two vanished once more.

-Ixtal-

 

When the light died down, Jinx now found herself free falling above the jungle of Ixtal and toward a very active-looking Volcano. Grabbing onto Fiddlesticks tightly, she ripped the blade from his chest and once more started her countdown. Jinx marked off each second with another stab into the monster’s chest.

Once she reached three, they landed in the lava with Jinx on top of the demon as they began to sink.

When she reached two, the lava covered more and more of Silco’s flesh, burning it to a crisp as Jinx began to idly worry about her safety.

When she reached one, she stabbed the blade into Fiddlesticks’ neck and prayed to Janna that she had timed everything right as the lava was soon about to burn her as well. She idly wondered if she should just gamble on trying to leave the demon here but knew that there was still too much left of her father’s soul for that to be a viable option.

Thankfully before the lava or lack of oxygen could kill her, they vanished again.

-Noxus-

 

To their credit, the Trifarix were relatively nonplussed about a soot-covered Jinx and a monster covered in burnt flesh appearing in the middle of their throne room. Swain simply raised an eyebrow as the Faceless giggled to herself.

It was Darius who gave a disgruntled “What the hell?” as he reached for his blade.

“Sorry, sorry, forgot to take this place off the playlist! We’ll be gone soon!” Jinx apologized as she went to once more subdue the demon.

“Queen Jinx do you require assistance?” The Faceless questioned curiously.

“I’m already going to be paying you gold out of my ass for Katarina’s help. No thanks, toots.”

The Faceless tilted her head, her expression masked by her veil. “We could negotiate…alternative forms of payment.”

“Ha!” Jinx scoffed. “For the sanctity of my marriage, I’m going to avoid having us owe you any favors!” Jinx couldn’t see the master assassin’s face, obviously, but she could still tell that the woman was pouting. “Get back here before we cause a war!” Jinx snapped before lunging forward, avoiding a blast of dark magic, and grappling the demon around his waist.

The two vanished shortly after that.

-Demacia-

 

The two crash-landed and rag-dolled onto the floor of Demacia’s petricite forest. Unlike the Freljord, this region seemed to cause Fiddlesticks pain rather than the remnants of Silco. The petricite burned and pained the demon so greatly that deep within the recesses of its fear and madness, Silco once more began to stir.

Jinx groaned, sore from the rough landing before pulling herself up onto her feet.

“Foul Trespasser!” A powerful and almost heavenly voice shouted with righteous fury. “You dare bring such wicked evil to this land!?”

Jinx rolled her eyes as she pulled Fishbones off of her shoulder and began to stalk toward the writhing demon.

“Chill lady, I’m leavin’, I’m leavin’, damn!” Jinx shouted back at the winged angel-like woman that seemed to radiate nothing but light. “Aren’t you supposed to be up on your mountain or some shit? We’ll be gone soon.”

For the first time in centuries, Kayle practically sputtered in rage at the blatant disrespect but before she could smite the wicked mortal another voice interrupted her.

“Sister, let it go.” Kayle turned to find an exasperated Morgana. The two were estranged and didn’t often see eye to eye, but there was something in Morgana’s voice that made her listen. “Trust me. Go back to Mount Targon.”

“But-“

“She’s Janna’s,” Morgana said as if it explained everything and she was sure if she could see her sister’s face behind her helmet it would have an expression of horror. Turning back toward Jinx silently, she watched as the woman, who she now noted had striking blue hair, place her boot on the writhing demon’s chest as she aimed point-blank with Fishbones. Soon, they both vanished as if they were never there.

Eventually, Kayle spoke, “I thought she was still weakened.”

“She was.”

“Has her faith returned?”

“Unfortunately.”

Kayle’s wings dropped at the thought of that…that… mad woman returning to her former glory. Oh yes, to the mortals Janna was a benevolent goddess, but the two of them knew better. They remembered the old days. How Janna earned her title as the Storm’s Fury.

There was a reason Janna called a nation full of criminals, monsters, and psychopaths her children but that was a story for another day.

“Mordekaiser must never know,” Kayle said resolutely. “The Demacians have enough trouble with Noxus as it is.”

Morgana scoffed. “Since when do you care, sister?”

“Even my indifference has limits,” Kayle muttered. “Should those two join forces and enter the fray, I will stand alongside you,” Kayle said, surprising Morgana greatly. Kayle sighed. “Damn it all, I need ale.”

In a rare moment of unity, Morgana looked toward her sister. “I do as well. Your place or mine?”

-Zaun-

 

Above the Undercity, Jinx cackled loudly as she and Fiddlesticks free-fell. Jinx’s grin grew to new limits as she, without hesitation, pulled the trigger. The Super Mega Death Rocket’s impact was swift and its detonation was immediate as a massive blue sphere of pure Hextech magic appeared above the city. The power of the explosion was such that even some of the vehicles on the streets below found themselves lifted and flung away,

Both Lux and Annie raised their respective barriers to protect themselves from the shockwave and when it ended, Jinx appeared on the sidewalk across from them. Her tablet beeped once before it, unfortunately, finally ran out of juice after her brief adventure.

“Jinx! Where did you go!?” Lux questioned as she rushed to her wife’s side.

“Flashlight, you wouldn’t believe me if I told you,” Jinx said honestly before looking up with a grimace. “Damn, he managed to block most of it,” Jinx muttered and when Lux looked up she could see Fiddlesticks standing in the air ominously. Extending his arms to his side, Fiddlesticks looked every bit like a scarecrow as Jinx attempted to reload Fishbones only to find herself out of rockets.

“You’re going to miss.”

Jinx’s body seized at that moment, stopping her actions could as she felt the unrivaled terror coursing through her. It was a simple statement, but at the moment, after everything, it was without a doubt the thing she feared most.

She only had one shot to fix this mess.

And if she missed it would all be over.

Suddenly, countless dark tendrils ripped free from Fiddlesticks’ body, attaching to all forms of life in the area. Slowly but surely, the collective life force of all within Zaun began to be drained, providing Fiddlesticks with a bountiful harvest.

“Jinx! Jinx! Snap out of it!” Lux urged desperately but Jinx couldn’t hear her. She couldn’t hear anything as the crushing weight of her anxiety threatened to consume her.

“Liar!” Annie shouted as she flew toward her mothers, dodging the tendrils that tried to capture her. “My mom doesn’t miss!” Annie snapped and whether it was her words or the familiar heat of her magic, Jinx found herself broken free from the fear-induced paralysis. Neither woman could react before Annie grabbed them both by their arms and blasted up into the sky like a rocket, dodging Fiddlesticks’ attacks as she did so. Concentrating as much as she could, Annie gathered as much magic as she could and teleported them away, even higher into the sky where the tendrils couldn’t reach her. “Lux, take Jinx!”

“Annie!” Lux called out in alarm, barely managing to catch her wife when Annie suddenly released them both. “What are you doing!?”

“Stopping this,” Annie answered firmly. “You’re saving your magic for something big right? You can’t keep wasting it.” Annie turned to Jinx. “I just need to blow off the rest of grandpa’s body right?”

“Yeah,” Jinx answered as she thought over the fight so far. “Burn it to ash or at the very least tear the pieces off and get them out of the immediate area. Yasuo didn’t spread them far enough when he tried, but I can see that none of the pieces I removed when I left came back so there has to be some limit to how far his reach goes.” Jinx sighed. “Going to be hard though, I’m out of bombs.”

“No, you’re not,” Annie said as she looked at her mothers knowingly. Jinx’s head snapped up in surprise and she shared a look with her wife before they both smiled sadly at their daughter.

“When the hell did you grow up?” Jinx questioned as Lux found her voice caught in her throat.

Annie rolled her eyes. “I’m a kid mom, it's kind of what we do,” Annie said before she flipped around in the air. “I’ll get the ‘bomb’ ready, you get ready to detonate it.”

With that, Annie created a barrier around herself before rocketing straight back down toward Fiddlesticks with such an intensity that appeared as though a fallen star was about to slam down into the Undercity. Fiddlesticks sent multiple attacks at Annie only for her to burn through them all and slam into him with enough force to send them both crashing into the heart of Zaun, devastating the city as golden flames flooded the lanes.

The flames burned through the tendrils, ending Fiddlesticks' harvest of the city’s life force. Surprisingly, the golden flames, though powerful, did not harm Zaun’s allies. Rather it clung to them like a warm embrace that was trying to protect them from the darkness. The sheer level of control Annie exhibited brought a tear to Lux’s eye as she landed on the streets with her wife.

“I’m so…proud of her,” Lux whispered as Jinx chuckled.

“I bet!” Jinx said looking just as proud as Lux. “She’s come a long way.”

Behind them, Katarina felt her Jaw drop, looking as if she had seen a ghost.

-Flashback: 10 Years Ago-

 

A young Katarina leaned against a tree in exhaustion, the earlier battle playing on repeat in her mind. They were hopelessly outnumbered, to the point that she wondered if the Trifarix had been trying to find a way to have her politically assassinated. On paper, there was simply no way they should have won.

But they did.

And why?

Because of the two Noxian nobles in front of her. One was a Lord that, while not as solidly built as Darius, still maintained a healthy physique and made up for what he lacked physically with a dangerously tactical mind. For a Noxian, he looked damn near Demacian yet his ruthlessness on the battlefield betrayed the purity of the Noxian blood in his veins.

The second noble was what had previously convinced Katarina this was a suicide mission. She was a noble lady, but she appeared frail and sickly. More than once Katarina had seen her coughing up blood into a handkerchief.

To make matters worse she was also, heavily, pregnant.

If the battle hadn’t killed her, Katarina was sure childbirth would.

Yet, despite this, Katarina would not ignore the sheer power the woman had at her disposal. She was the most powerful mage Katarina had ever encountered. Her control over shadow magic had been the deciding factor in today’s battle.

She was easily the most powerful one here, though you would not be able to tell at first glance.

Katarina shook her head, half due to her disbelief and the other half due to the fondness she had grown for her saviors. As Katarina looked at the burning remains of their enemies, she pushed herself off of the tree to approach the couple.

“Lord Hastur, Lady Hastur, I owe you two my life,” Katarina told them politely. “I wish you good fortune in your future endeavors. May your enemies continue to fall and may the Noxian blood in your lineage burn without equal.”

“Thank you, my dear, we wish the best for you as well,” The woman responded, giggling a bit before she turned to grin at her husband who simply gave her a gentle smile of his own.

-Flashback: End-

 

As Jinx grinned at Lux who looked back at her wife with a soft smile, Katarina finally understood. Just like when the Trifarix had sent her on that mission all those years ago, they also had a reason for allowing the Hasturs’ heiress to be raised in Zaun.

Though the banner they served would be different on paper and though the name would be little more than a footnote, the Hasturs lineage would continue to grow more powerful and serve Noxus even better from here.

Katarina did not doubt that, if this was just a taste of what Annie could do now, then she would grow into a woman that could even earn Mordekaiser’s favor with her might. Katarina couldn’t help but feel a bit optimistic as she looked toward Fiddlesticks, curious to see how this mess would be brought to an end.

The warm golden flames of Zaun’s Princess didn’t just protect her allies, they also served to push back the darkness of Fiddlesticks, who had taken the brunt of the attack and forced Silco back into the forefront. Both dazed and confused, Silco looked toward the kneeling girl in wonder. His face and body were little more than charred pieces of flesh, barely hanging on, yet his infamous eye still managed to betray the humanity still left within.

As Annie rose to her feet, in Silco’s eye her image seemed to flicker back and forward between herself and Powder moments before her ‘death’. The flames surrounding them served as a reminder of that faithful night he took his daughter in all those years ago.

“Hello little girl,” Silco rasped out, his voice a mixture of both man and monster. “You look just like your mother.”

Annie tilted her head a bit at that. “Hi grandpa,” Annie said, her scowl softening ever so slightly. “it’s time for you to go back to bed.”

Silco’s eye crinkled ever so slightly. “Ah, yes, well I suppose it is. Do you think you will be able to do it? Lay me back to rest?” Silco questioned as he felt the beast within rising once more.

“All I can do is my best.”

“I suppose that’s true,” Silco mused. “Don’t worry, no matter what happens, know this. You’re perfect. No matter what comes next, the consequences are on me and my weakness. Not you.”

Annie didn’t have a response for that.

Then again, she doubted Silco even needed one.

Scowl falling, Annie smiled softly at the old man before blasting forward. She’d free him no matter what, even if she had to rip off every piece of his body with her bare hands and personally burn them.

After all, that’s what family was for.

[Hex’s Storm]

 

Straddling Lady Gray, Hex reached and grabbed at every piece of the woman’s fragmented petricite-like skin that she could find, forcibly ripping it off and destroying it in her grasp.

“You don’t get to wear her body!” Hex growled as she mauled Lady Gray with a savage ferocity reminiscent of a Noxian Bear. Lady Gray opened her mouth and Hex crossed her arms, erecting a flaming barrier that blocked the force of Lady Gray’s screech but still sent her flying back.

[Annie’s Storm]

 

When her barrier shattered, Annie wasted no time and quickly righted herself in the air before blasting back at Silco. His face was contorted in pain as he fought his own internal battle while the girl delivered a blazing combination of punches and kicks that each exploded upon contact.

“Give up you infernal beast!” Silco snapped as he was forced to watch Fiddlesticks’ scythe return to his hand. Fortunately, before he could cleave the girl in two, she teleported away.

“No!” Fiddlesticks’ voice shouted as he turned around just in time to see Annie reappear. Before she could blast him away, he spoke.

[Hex’s Storm]

 

“You will lose.”

Hex cursed when a primal fear shot through her very being, It was clear now that the monster before her was finally done pretending to be someone it wasn’t. Flying up into the air, Lady Gray gazed down upon Hex impassively.

“You made me do this.” Lady Gray told her before releasing the largest Crowstorm she could conjure. Hex glared up at her as she saw hundreds if not, thousands of pitch-black birds surrounding Lady Gray. Still, even as the fear gripped tightly at her heart, Hex took a deep breath and closed her eyes while a blazing five-pointed star appeared on her chest.

[Annie’s Storm]

 

A loud bang echoed throughout the city followed quickly by an agonized scream from Fiddlesticks’ which freed Annie from the paralyzing fear she felt. Annie quickly flipped to her feet and looked up to see a large hole in the demon’s shoulder. Soon, two more shots rang out and Annie saw what appeared to be thin beams of a blue light tear through the demon, ripping through one of his arms and legs.

Fiddlesticks, enraged, turned to the source of the attacks only to find himself blinded by sunlight. With the Zaun Gray all used up, nothing was protecting the Undercity, and consequently Fiddlesticks, from the intense brilliance of the sun’s rays reflecting off of the golden city of progress that stood proudly above them.

Silco used this moment of distraction to once more force the demon back.

Across the city, Caitlyn, Vi, and Ren could be found with their backs to the shimmering city. Caitlyn stood with a grimace, one hand holding up a pair of binoculars while her other arm was held in a sling due to her injury.

“Fire,” Caitlyn ordered and Ren who was holding the massive rifle that had been meant for her mother pulled the trigger. Even though the gravity gauntlets let her hold up the weapon, the recoil was still strong enough to send the girl flying off of the building.

And it would have too if not for Vi bracing her daughter.

[Hex’s Storm]

 

Golden flames poured from the star-shaped mark over her heart and took the form of a familiar shape. Hex gave a tired smile despite the situation when she felt the fear leave her body when she saw not Tibbers, but Six standing before her using her blazing form as a body shield to protect Hex.

“I’ll be damned, you did make my power your own.” Hex mused, watching as the Crowstorm was burned away.

“You…” Lady Gray hissed as Six turned and offered her hand to Hex.

“Thanks, Cuz.”

“You don’t get to call me that.” Six practically growled as she helped Hex to her feet. “You killed me. You killed my family. I’m just making sure it was worth it.”

“So…we’re not cousins anymore?” Hex questioned and Six scoffed though her burning expression did soften ever so slightly.

“Not in this lifetime.” Six answered and Hex nodded as she got the hint. “You have one shot, don’t fuck it up or I will find a way to make you pay.”

With that last warning, Six returned to being nothing more than a mass of flames that swirled around Hex’s body before condensing around her fist.

[Annie’s Storm]

 

“Hit,” Caitlyn confirmed after seeing the shot rip through Silco’s torso. “You’ve gotten good at this.” Caitlyn praised though she did shoot her daughter a suspicious glance.

“I was practicing with Jinx,” Ren admitted with a small blush. “I wanted to impress you and grandpa at the next hunt. I wanted to show the doubters that I am worthy of Clan Kiramman.”

“Ren, believe me, that is something you will never have to worry about,” Caitlyn assured her as Vi got a dangerous look on her face.

“And if someone tells you otherwise just let me know,” Vi said with a smile that reminded them that she was, in fact, Jinx’s sister. “I’ll set them straight.”

“Vi.”

“Yeah, yeah, I know,” Vi said with a small pout. “Only teach them the good habits.”

“Make sure you remember that,” Caitlyn warned as she continued to watch over the fight and saw Annie rushing Silco with a mass of flames swirling around her fist. “They’re the best of all of us.”

Silco slammed back into the ground, creating a ripple of concrete toward Annie who hopped over it while the flames condensed into a burning sphere around her fist. Black feathers fired at her but, upon recalling the lessons she had with Vi, she managed to bob and weave around them. As she continued to gather power, the sphere began to release a high-pitched ring.

For once, Annie had a plan, there was something she had tried to learn from her Aunt Vi that could probably do some much-needed damage to Silco. Problem was that she simply wasn’t Vi, she wasn’t as physically gifted as the woman and doubted she ever would be which made her idea almost impossible. Trying and failing to do her Aunt’s signature attack had caused no end of frustration to the girl and she would have given up had Vi not given her some advice.

Advice that Vi had told Annie she wished she had given to her sister.

[You’re not me kid and don’t try to be. Instead, be the best you that you can be.]

It was simple advice, but it changed Annie’s perspective on a lot of things simply because of how much sense it made.

Vi was Vi and Annie was Annie.

Annie would never be an enforcer…

…but she would, one day, become a Queen.

Eyes burning with determination, Annie used her small stature to easily slip past Silco’s guard before slamming her blazing fist into his side.

“Cease…!” Annie shouted and her burning fist exploded like a bomb which more than made up for her lack of physical strength and sent Silco hurling up into the air. The speed at which he was blasted up into the air could have never been matched by a normal person, let alone surpassed. Yet still, Annie’s eyes burned brighter as her scowl deepened…

…good thing she wasn’t normal.

Annie teleported away in a swirl of flames and reappeared in the sky above Silco with her foot blazing gold. Gritting her teeth, Annie summoned as much fire and wind as she could and condensed the heat more than she ever had before. Her shoe was instantly reduced to ash as the fire around her foot flickered between gold and blue.

“…and Submit!” Annie shouted as she stomped down on Silco’s chest. The resulting explosion was deafening. Its force matched if not even surpassed the might of her mother’s most powerful rocket. The blowback sent Annie’s hairband flying off of her head but she paid it no mind as she gazed down heatedly at Silco.

Against the intense light of the powerful explosion, she and Silco appeared to be little more than sketches that were slowly being erased by the light. This was a bit more literal in Silco’s case as what remained of his flesh was quickly reduced to ash.

The surrounding buildings were flattened by the force of the explosion. When it died down, Silco was embedded in the concrete, alone in a large foot-shaped crater as Annie landed before him. Any trace of the man he once was had been destroyed with the sole exception of his infamous eye which remained embedded in the demon's skull.

A sole tear slid from his eye when he realized that he still wasn’t dead and he watched on in despair as he simply floated up out of the ground and rotated back onto his feet.

“Tired?” Silco questioned as Annie panted, her hands on her knees as she tried to catch her breath. Annie glowered and grabbed a bracelet from her wrist and used it to tie her hair back.

“I can do this all day old man,” Annie told him before spitting magma off to the side.

If Silco’s demonic face could even smirk he likely would have at her cheek.

“Ah…youth.” Though he no longer had the power to serve as a distraction to Fiddlesticks, Silco could only use what remained of his strength to give the little girl a warning as the demon quickly rose his hand toward her. “Dodge!”

Eyes wide, Annie knew in an instant that her reflexes came in too late to avoid the sheer flood of darkness that engulfed her. The darkness was something Annie knew she couldn’t match, by erasing that much of her grandfather she had freed up an untold amount of Fiddlesticks’ true power and found herself simply erased from the pages of history.

It was an ironic end for one who dared to call themselves a legend

[Hex’s Storm]

 

There had been no warning, no indication, of the power that ended her life.

At one moment, Lady Gray was embedded in a foot shaped-crater, and in another, a powerful, concentrated, beam of light was ripping through Hex’s chest and left her coughing up blood.

“My mercy has run out.” Lady Gray said as she pried herself free, her eyes still shimmering after releasing the blast of light which tore through Hex with ease. More of her petricite-like shell fell from her body and crumbled away, though this time it was a larger chunk than usual. Turning away from her dying daughter, Lady Gray gazed up at the portal that rested above the large staircase. “I can still salvage this.”

[Annie’s Storm]

<<<Rewind<<<

“Annie! Catch!”

Head snapping to the side, Annie would later make a silent vow to always treat her uncle with nothing but respect when he suddenly flew into the battlefield and threw his Z-drive at her. Catching it with ease, Annie activated it just as Silco screamed his warning.

<<<Rewind<<<

 

“Tire-“ Silco’s question was cut off when Annie suddenly appeared before him and buried her blazing knee into his face while tying her hair back. Eyes narrowing, Annie burned off her remaining shoe to fix the imbalance she felt before continuing her onslaught. With all the pettiness of a true Zaunite, Annie did everything she could to cause as much damage as possible to her opponent. She bit, clawed, stomped, and, of course, burned whatever she could as Ekko flew overhead and landed beside her mothers.

Ekko rapidly patted his pockets and looked relieved to find his Z-drive missing.

“I must have made it in time,” Ekko said which confused Lux for a second before gasping when she realized what he meant. Jinx’s face was surprisingly grim as it didn’t take a genius to know that Annie now possessing the Z-drive meant something horrible must have happened.

“Ekko…you’re my best friend, you know that?” Jinx admitted and Ekko was sure hell must have frozen over or that Jinx was very grateful for her to even think those words, let alone say them. Ekko was going to remind his once friend-turned enemy-turned rival-turned reluctant coworker-turned apparently friends again (look it was complicated) that he was her only friend when he stopped and got a good look at her.

“Girl, are you alright?” Ekko questioned concerned. He couldn’t put his finger on it, but something was off with Jinx, something that made it feel as though she was barely hanging on.

“Hey I’m still standing, ain’t I?” Jinx grinned and Ekko shared a look with Lux. Yet, what could they do? Jinx was standing and talking to them like always and had no visible injuries whatsoever.

“Tell us if that changes,” Lux told her before she looked back toward their daughter. Jinx was grateful that she didn’t have to lie to her. Jinx simply didn’t have the heart to tell Lux that her heart had stopped beating a long time ago. Jinx shuddered as she felt Ahri’s magic swirl within her, knowing that it would fade in only a matter of time.

Jinx grabbed her knife and stared at its blade, grimacing when she saw her reflection in it.

She had to get ready.

[Hex’s Storm]

<<<Rewind<<<

 

The moment Hex landed before her after landing that powerful combo, Lady Gray decided to simply kill what remained of her heart and remove the threat to her plans. It hurt her, deeply, to release that blast of light to kill Hex but knew that her rebellious daughter’s death would only be temporary if she could get to that portal.

Rising to her feet, Lady Gray didn’t notice or care as more of her body chipped off and crumbled away.

“That was close.” Hex mused and Lady Gray froze before looking up to see Hex standing before her, mere inches away from where she fired the blast.

No.

Impossible.

No human, not even Hex, should have had a reaction speed faster than light itself.

“How–” Lady Gray stopped when Hex simply let the Z-drive fall from her hand and hung on to it by its chain. Back and forward, Hex swung the powerful device like a pendulum. The ticking noise it released was almost as taunting as the smirk on Hex’s face.

“Told you this game was rigged from the start,” Hex reminded her and where the celestial once saw images of Lux and Jinx behind Hex, she could now see Ekko and Zeri.

“Why do you have that?” Lady Gray questioned, she remembered the day Ekko had lost the Z-drive. He had told her he had given it to his successor, but when she tried to privately track his successor down, she was unable to locate them. She, and many others, had believed that whoever got the powerful device had betrayed Zaun and run away.

Ekko had confirmed this himself yet–

“Uncle E was a good man,” Hex interrupted her thoughts. “But he was still a Zaunite, more of one than you could ever hope to be. Don’t tell me you thought you could see through his lies?” Hex questioned, her tone patronizing before she pulled up the Z-drive and caught it in her palm. “Besides who do you think would be his successor other than me? You of all people should know that I’ve always been a firelight.”

With that final taunt, Hex raised her Zapper! Yet, instead of firing it at Lady Gray, she turned the gun on herself and pulled the trigger. Hex gritted her teeth from the initial pain but soon grinned when she felt the magically enhanced electricity awaken something slumbering deep within her. Even with the Z-drive, Hex knew that she’d have to increase her reaction speed, if even a little, to carve out the ending she wanted.

Just as the electricity finally died down, Hex swore she saw her Aunt Z standing before her with a sad smile playing on her lips. The fact that Lady Gray herself seemed to be frozen in shock made her believe that she might not have been going crazy.

Or, well, crazier.

Making a makeshift gun with her hand, Zeri pressed her fingertips to Hex’s forehead.

“Go get her, kid.” Zeri pretended to shoot her ‘gun’ and her body became nothing but pure electricity which slammed into Hex’s body, awakening the storm within her soul.

Snapping from her stupor, Lady Gray went to attack once more but Hex was already upon her in moments. Hex held Lady Gray’s face in a vice-like grip, her hand crackling with electricity before slamming the celestial back down into the ground.

“Did you think it was just Lux and Jinx!?” Hex questioned angrily speeding away before Lady Gray could blast her again. There was so much magic coursing through her, so many different aspects that Hex almost thought it would destroy her. Yet, fortunately, she recalled the lessons she received from Ixtal’s rulers.

[Take deep breaths and separate yourself from the magic. This is required if you want to be a true Elementalist.]

Hex took a deep breath and calmed herself as she envisioned the lessons she had received from Qiyana during her pilgrimage. Lady Gray looked on incredulously as Hex floated up as fire, wind, ice, and lightning all swirled around her.

[But that doesn’t mean separating your emotions, Wildfire] Seraphine had added when she tagged along for one of the lessons. [Emotions and magic go hand-in-hand, and trust me when it's time for you to rage you’re going to want your magic to respond appropriately.]

“Jinx left me! Lux left me! Yet I am still here. Do you know why?” Hex questioned as Lady Gray went on the offensive, gripping two blades of light in her palms. “Because they didn’t leave me alone. I was not wanting for guardians! I told you it takes a village to raise a child, but my parents left me a nation.”

Jinx

Lux

Janna

Caitlyn

Vi

Six

Ekko

Zeri

Renata

Warwick

Singed

Yasuo

Swain

The Faceless

Darius

Qiyana

Hell, even Seraphine.

They were all mentors that looked out for Annie on behalf of her late mother.

“The biggest lie you’ve ever told yourself, bigger than even believing you were my mother…” Hex trailed off and Lady Gray could see the golden flames of the burning timeline surrounding them begin to recede, leaving nothing behind but a pitch-black void. “…is believing that you could ever have beaten me.” A dark expression crossed Hex’s face as she smirked while raising the Z-drive. “How many times do you think I’ve beaten you?”

Lady Gray froze.

“Ah, that got your attention,” Hex laughed. “I made myself a promise, that for every person that got me here today, I was gonna take your head in their honor. This last one is for my husband.”

“Liar!” Lady Gray snapped as the flames continued to recede. “Even now, your power wanes as mine grows and you expect me to believe such nonsense!? If it were true and you had bested me even once this encounter would have ended!”

“Come now, we both know that I am petty enough to kill you over and over again for shits and giggles,” Hex pointed out and despite the complete insanity of her declaration, Lady Gray knew that if Hex was anything like her mothers she was indeed just that petty. “It’s easy once you get the pattern down, especially when you do nothing but repeat the same mistakes.”

[Annie’s Storm]

 

Annie had become an entirely different level of a threat, Silco realized. He wasn’t entirely sure what the strange pocket watch-like device the girl had now did, but suddenly all of his attacks were missing while all of hers managed to find their mark.

The girl was sharp as well as her unseen ally.

They had coordinated their attacks to such a degree that whenever Annie landed a blow, a powerful shot from miles away would tear into the demon as well, disorienting him greatly. So far, he had lost and regrown multiple limbs but a sort of stalemate had been reached as the girl and her ally still were unable to get rid of the last piece of him.

If Silco hadn’t already despised his accursed eye, he did now that it was endangering his granddaughter.

It was taking all of Fiddlesticks’ survival instincts to protect his eye. Silco had long since realized that the only reason the demon hadn’t been banished yet was due to some incomprehensible attempt to save his soul. This, however, meant that Fiddlesticks had become aware of this as well.

As long as the demon held Silco’s soul hostage, it wouldn’t be defeated.

This had gone on long enough, and as his resolve grew, he could feel Fiddlesticks attempt to silence him.

No.

He wouldn’t be silenced.

If Renata could be believed, if there was one thing Silco was good at it was running his mouth.

“Jinx! Enough girl! End this,” Silco all but growled out. He couldn’t see her but knew she was close enough to hear him. She wouldn’t leave her daughter against a threat like him without a watchful eye, he raised her better than that. “I’m not worth it! Don’t lose your child over a man already dead!”

Silco was no fool, Jinx was the only one who cared for him enough to prolong the inevitable this long.

Glancing around he could see the child’s flames begin to fade, knowing that she must have finally been tiring out. Unfortunately, because he noticed this meant that the demon had as well. Sensing this, Silco tried to hold back Fiddlesticks to no avail as he suddenly rushed forward through the flames of Annie’s incoming attack, howling in agony as he did so, before slamming into the girl with enough force to make her drop the pocket watch.

The demon raised a hand to block the incoming shot that he knew was coming which tore through his shoulder and separated the limb from his body. Quickly grabbing Annie by her neck, he spun around and raised her toward the general direction of the gunfire.

When no shot came, Silco knew that the sniper no longer had a clear shot and wasn’t willing to shoot through the child to get to him.

“Jinx! What are you doing!? I didn’t raise you to be like this!”

[Hex’s Storm]

 

“Got you!” Lady Gray snarled, it caused her more pain than it was worth as she had to personally tank multiple elemental spells from Hex to close the distance. When she did manage to close it, she grabbed the Queen roughly by her neck and held her up in front of the staircase leading to the portal. Hex went to reset only for Lady Gray to snatch the device from her hand before she could.

Glancing at the Z-drive, Lady Gray scowled when she saw that it was dead.

“Made you look,” Hex gasped out, before raising her hand and making a gun with her fingers. Hex shot off a point-blank fire bullet into Lady Gray’s face but the woman didn’t even budge as the rest of her hardened gray skin was blown off of her face. Lady Gray gripped her wrist and with a simple squeeze, she crushed it in her grip which made Hex scream.

That scream turned into deranged laughter for a moment before she began to cough violently when Lady Gray tightened her grip around her neck. All around them was nothing but a pitch-black void, the only remaining sources of light being the still-open portal and the last of the golden flames receding behind Hex.

“I knew it, all talk.” Lady Gray scoffed. “Fragile as always seems some things won’t change no matter how much power you steal. Defeat me? You? Impossible.” Lady Gray’s eyes narrowed when the last of the golden flames vanished causing an uncharacteristic smirk to appear on her face. “You exceeded my expectations but when it’s you versus I, every outcome will be the same.”

Despite the pain, Hex forced out a grin as her hand weakly reached up to the pendant which held her mother’s blood.

“Took the words…right out of…my mouth…” Hex gasped out before squeezing her hand as hard as possible causing the sound of shattering glass to echo throughout the void.

[Annie’s Storm]

 

“You’re right! You didn’t raise me like that or teach me that, though you’ve taught me a lot,” Jinx called out, making the demon turn around though he kept his makeshift shield hanging in the air behind him. Jinx raised the knife and stabbed it into her side, coating the blade with her shimmer blood before ripping it out. “But you’ve been dead for a long time, and I’ve learned a lot on my own too. Things you don’t even know. For example…” Jinx raised the knife, flipping it in her hand before throwing it at Silco who simply tilted his head to avoid it.

Before he could acknowledge her failed attack, he stopped when he saw that her grin only widened.

“…hey dad,” Jinx continued as she tilted her head innocently while her hands began to undo her braids. “Did you know that daughters are bombs?”

Feeling an intense heat in his hand, Silco quickly glanced back and noticed Annie writhing in his grip, Jinx’s blood-soaked knife embedded deeply into her shoulder. Within moments, the hand holding her was reduced to ash but instead of falling, she remained floating in the air as her eyes flashed an all too familiar purple. Annie gripped her head in agony but before he could even think to flee, a bullet ripped through his head just as the girl turned bomb exploded.

[Is there anything so undoing as a daughter?]

“Oh. So that’s the answer.” Was Silco’s final thought, his eye falling from the remains of Fiddlesticks’ head and left completely vulnerable to the flames which quickly engulfed the area.

Across the city, Caitlyn and Vi felt their jaws drop when they saw the massive pillar of fire extend almost indefinitely to the heavens. Slowly they looked down at their smirking daughter who looked completely unrepentant about taking the risky shot. Ren cocked the gun back, allowing a massive shell to fall to the ground beside her.

“That’s for my daddy you son of a bitch,” Ren declared coldly. “Now stay dead.” Feeling their disbelieving stares, Ren looked up at her mothers with a small blush. “What? Annie would have been pissed if I didn’t take the shot!” Ren’s blush only grew when they continued to stare so she pointed at Caitlyn. “You always tell me that I will miss 100% of the shots I don’t take.”

Caitlyn had no response to that, never expecting her own words to be thrown back in her face. Yes, she had said that. Multiple times even. That said, she didn’t mean it quite so literally.

Slowly, Vi turned to Caitlyn with a half-lidded stare.

“This…” Vi began as she gestured toward the child. “…Is your daughter.”

Caitlyn could only gape at her wife in response.

[Hex’s Storm]

 

By the time Lady Gray realized her mistake it had already been too late. It started with a flash of light, and soon what remained of her flesh had been reduced to ash. Soon, her vision was useless as well as the explosion seemed to be trying to replace all of the light in the universe.

In an instant, in her place was a feminine figure forged of darkness and light which had laid dormant beneath her human shell, but soon that form too began to burn and wither away without so much as a warning.

She was going to die.

She had miscalculated, the flames she had thought waning were not. No, Hex had been absorbing them into her body, quite literally carrying the weight of the universe within her. Speaking of her wayward child, Lady Gray could do nothing but gape in the general direction of the blast’s epicenter.

There had been a theory, debated by scholars, that above the planet in the vast emptiness of space there was no sound. That no one could hear you scream if you somehow found yourself there.

Well, Hex found a way.

Her scream was deafening, louder than the explosion had been, or perhaps that was just Lady Gray’s mind filling in the sound for her. Whatever it was, Hex put her all into it as if trying to release every pent emotion she had felt into one single heart-wrenching sound.

Hex’s eyes snapped open, their color swapping between emerald, blue, and ultraviolet as she tossed her head back and released everything within her. As Hex screamed, her once fair skin began to vanish, slowly being replaced by the same petricite-like color that once covered Lady Gray.

Stunned and helpless, Lady Gray felt consciousness fade along with her body.

As the final parts of her body turned gray, Hex felt like little more than a petricite statue as her vision turned white.

[Annie’s Storm]

 

“I got you,” Jinx said softly as she caught her daughter in her arms. Jinx gently removed the blade, her blood healing the wound left behind, and smiled softly when Annie snuggled into her arms and opened her eyes.

“Did…did we win?”

“Not yet,” Jinx answered which only made Annie frown in confusion.

“What did you say?” Annie questioned, unable to hear much beyond the ringing in her ears.

Looks like the explosion was just a bit too loud for Annie.

Before Jinx could figure out how to respond to her temporarily deaf daughter, an ear-piercing scream interrupted her. Looking up, Jinx grimaced when she saw Fiddlesticks above the city, no longer bound by his self-made shackles.

“NO ONE LIVES!”

The fear released was unlike anything he had released before. It blanketed the Undercity and Jinx could feel her arms dampen a bit when even Annie began to hyperventilate, though she couldn’t and wouldn’t blame the little girl. Even though she was currently deaf, the sheer emotion released almost gave her a heart attack.

The fear brought Jinx, and the other legends, to their knees and it was only then that they could finally feel the full scope of Fiddlesticks’ power. This would have been the end for sure had Jinx not had one final plan to set into motion. Screwing her eyes shut, Jinx dug deep down with herself…

…and prayed.

“Janna, listen to me,” Jinx whispered as her vision went white.

-Janna’s realm-

 

The two storms had long since collided and were well on their way to becoming one. A phenomenon that had made the very realm twist and turn. This was the sight that Jinx had opened her eyes to, and while it was very trippy in her mind, she pressed forward.

Jinx took a step forward and the realm shook, making her stumble only to be caught at the last moment.

“Be careful,” a familiar voice warned and Jinx looked over in surprise to see an exhausted Hex holding her up.

“Hex…I…” Jinx trailed off, not having expected to see the woman ever again. “How are you?”

Hex shrugged. “Good, just rewriting history, You?”

“Could be better,” Jinx admitted though she didn’t want to admit that there was a very good chance that she was going to end up dead which would make all of Hex’s efforts useless. To her surprise, however, Hex didn’t press her further and instead looked around the realm with disdain.

“I’m glad to see you again, but this is…unfortunate,” Hex muttered. “If you’re here then that means I am not dealing with my Janna. A bit concerning since she and I kind of had a deal.”

“One which remains unbroken.” Hex and Jinx looked up to find Janna, in all her glory, floating above them. “You being here is a sign of your success, it is proof the timelines becoming one. Your Janna remains in your timeline. She and I will, too, become one before long.”

Hex narrowed her eyes. “So why am I talking to you and not her.”

“Because we are benevolent goddesses,” Janna explained. “…to our children at least, and as our most faithful child, you of all deserve the chance to say goodbye.”

Hex’s eyes widened at that as Janna turned to Jinx.

“Unfortunately, unlike my counterpart, I am still virtually powerless,” Janna told Jinx. “Even answering your prayers has left me winded. As much as I would like to give you my support, I’m afraid it wouldn’t be much.”

“That’s fine, I’m not asking you for much,” Jinx told her and Hex glanced away from her, already knowing what her mother would ask. “I just need you to, for a moment, stop me from acting like a little bitch.”

Janna raised an elegant eyebrow. “Excuse me?”

“Out there, that demonic scarecrow has all of our hearts by the balls,” Jinx told her. “I don’t need you to stop him. I can stop him. Your kids can look after themselves. That said I can’t stop him if I’m pissing myself in terror. If he can use my dad as a puppet, then you at the very least can get this fear out of my heart, right? I mean he was after my body. I can, at least, willingly give you mine long enough to pull a trigger, can’t I?”

“To use your body as a vessel would require more power than I have,” Janna told her, clearly frustrated with her weakness. “Perhaps I could perform a partial possession, enough to shield your heart, but it would be much easier if you were a mage.” Janna’s eyes slid to Jinx’s hair. “Fortunately, I believe that will not be too much of an issue. Though it will remain forever dormant you do have a spark.”

 

-Flashback: ???-

Decades.

Centuries.

Eons.

The entity had no idea how long it had been in the void for it was all it had ever known. Yet, somehow it possessed an almost instinctual knowledge, a cursed knowledge that had let it become aware that it was a prisoner in the first place.

A knowledge that let it know that there existed more beyond the endless dark.

Yet how could it reach out beyond the accursed void?

Towards the light it knew existed.

How much longer would it be forced to endure this…this agony.

Please.

Someone.

Something.

Free this tortured spirit or end it.

Bring an end to this...this…eternity of torment.

“..lease…please…”

What?

“Some…one…help…”

A voice!

Something new but from where!?

Listing for the desperate please, the entity reached out into the void.

And soon it knew light.

-Shurima-

 

Blinking owlishly the entity, now taking the form of a very confused yet beautiful woman found herself in the middle of a desert. In every direction scorching sand seemed to extend forever. It was as if she had traded one void for another…yet…this one was much preferable even if the heat was unbearable.

“Help…me…”

Blinking the woman looked down and found another at her feet. One covered with sand that appeared to be little more than skin and bones. To any other, the woman would appear to be weak, moments away from becoming a corpse.

Yet to the entity…the woman was her savior.

Kneeling beside the dying human, Janna cupped her hands together and soon they were filled with water which she offered to her savior. Eyes wide, the weakened human forced herself up and greedily drank from the being’s hands whom kept them filled with water until her savior had her fill.

Absentmindedly , the entity conjured a cool breeze to bring down the human’s temperature and at that moment, she broke down.

“Thank you….Thank you!”

Now the entity was very confused because she should have been the one thanking the mortal. Gently she pulled her into her arms and wept alongside the broken woman.

“No, thank you,” Janna whispered before pressing her lips atop the human’s head, not taken aback by the dark sand filled mess that was the woman’s hair. Magic seemed to pulse from her lips when they made contact and the woman’s hair shone brightly. From a muddy brown to a bright blue, the human’s hair color changed as the sand and mud fell from each strand with ease. "May you and yours always know fortune and prosperity. Please accept this blessing for I will forever be in the debt of you and yours.” The entity said as the woman look at her hair in both awe and confusion. The entity owed the human everything, through her prayers she was granted life and she would return this favor, give her her unending love for as many eons as it took. 

Yet despite being in the humans debt, it was the human who bowed in reverent prayer.

“Thank you, Jan’ahrem.”

Jan’ahrem titled her head at that as she felt the word, title, and name etched into her very being.

Guardian.

The word meant guardian and as was the nature of her existed, she had now become one with that word due to the prayer of her sole believer. In time the power she stole from the void to sustain herself would vanish and be replaced by the power granted to her by those who believed in her.

Those who prayed for her.

Should she ever lose those believers, Jan’ahrem knew that she would return once more to that accursed emptiness.

She would be damned if she ever returned to that…that…hell.

Which meant she would need more followers, more believers, and what better way could there be to get those than by living up to her name? She’d become a guardian, and she’d be one to all those her savior cherished.

“Where is your home?” Jan’ahrem questioned and the woman shook her head.

“I have none.”

“loved ones?”

“None.”

Well this little human didn’t make things easy.

Still that was fine, she loved her all the same. If the human lacked a home and loved ones, she’d simply get her those things. Nodding resolutely to herself, Jan’ahrem surprised the human by picking her up and tucking her beneath her arm before blindly walking off toward the horizon.

“J-Jan-ahrem! Where are we going!?” The human question, blushing profusely at being so blatantly manhandled..

“Wherever the winds of freedom take us,” Jan’ahrem answered, laughing beautifully. “When they finally settle, you shall have all you need and more.” She had know this human for all of five minutes, but she was hers now.

And she destroy anyone that threatened that promise.

Be they man, demon, or god.

The blue hair was proof of her marking her territory and telling the others like her to stay away.

Her hair also served as a good luck charm, one who's power would grow alongside it. Eternally blessing its host so that she would never know suffering and have such beautiful locks dirtied ever again.

And it worked up until it didn’t.

 

-Flashback: End-

There was a reason she liked this child, Janna thought to herself.

To her credit, Janna managed to protect her beloved human’s line up until the moment the moment she lost her powers. Her charm had weakened substantially since then, no longer being passed down to every child and only giving them just enough luck to survive the worst the world threw at them. As she recovered, Janna hoped that the line could continue with her absence, and fortunately, like their ancestor, they proved to be survivors.

Things weren’t perfect, and her heart broke when she saw the loss of her current champion’s mother, but the child survived long enough to continue the legacy.

They always did.

Absentmindedly, Janna grasped one of Jinx’s braids gently and appreciated the power she felt. The magic was still there, though her blessing’s power weakened substantially along with her. Janna had to silently thank Silco. Unlike her mother, Jinx had not cut her hair and consequently discarded what little magic had remained which would have caused her to die years ago. Jinx's mother had cut it for convenience as life in the Undercity was hard, but unfortunately by doing so she made herself far more vulnerable to the whims of fate. In time the full power of her protection would return, but whether Jinx would survive long enough for it to take effect was anyone’s guess.

Glancing between the Queens, Janna also considered a second dilemma as she released the braid.

Admittedly it had been a different time, and even by divine standards she was beginning to lose her ‘youth’. Perhaps she’d need to update the pact she had made to account for this new era when she regained her strength. Having heirs that weren’t connected by blood was honestly something she had never considered. Modern problems required modern solutions, so perhaps she could transfer the blessing from the hair to the mark instead moving forward? Marking had been a relatively new addition to her faith in the grand scheme of things but it was one she loved with all her heart.

But enough musing, she was getting distracted and could worry about protecting the family after they overcame her adversary.

“That should be more than enough for me to assist.” Janna mused. “You’ll both return to your storms shortly, if you have anything to say now is the time.”

Jinx and Hex looked toward each other and Jinx decided to go first. “Hex, I–”

“–stop,” Hex interrupted with a shake of her head. “Everything you want to tell me is written down in your will, right?”

Jinx looked at her in surprise. “How did you…Lux.”

“Yeah, she showed me, better late than never.” Hex smiled before she walked forward and hugged Jinx tightly. “You hug Lux for me, and everything you wrote down in your will, you better make sure to tell me in person.”

Jinx said nothing as she held Hex back, her voice tight with emotion at the sheer faith Hex had for her, even now.

“I won’t say goodbye,” Hex whispered, her voice thick with emotion. “Not when I know I’ll see you soon, in a much brighter future. No, instead I’ll say something I should have said a long time ago.” Hex stepped back and cupped Jinx’s face with her hands, using her thumbs to wipe away the ultraviolet tears as she smiled. “Thank you. Thank you so much for raising me. I know it wasn’t easy, that it won’t be easy. I know that I can be too much to handle.”

Hex’s shoulders began to shake, remembering how her mother first held her when they met. How she endured the pain of her fire just so the girl wouldn’t be left alone and vulnerable.

She also recalled how no matter how mad she got, whomever she hurt, or how explosive her temper got, how Lux’s patience never ran out, and how she stayed until the moment the darkness attacking her soul became too much.

Hex sniffled but managed to press on.

“I love you and Lux so fucking much, thank you for being my parents.” Hex bowed her head, to hide her tears. “You sacrificed your best years for me. I just pray that next time around, I can become a woman worthy of your love. A woman who doesn’t have to be on death’s door to tell you what she should have as a child.”

“Stop, you’re worthy of our love now,” Jinx told her seriously before kissing her on her forehead. “Raise your head, I made you that crown for a reason. Queens don’t bow to anyone.” Jinx told her as Hex raised her head. “Don’t cry, you’re perfect.”

Hex shut her eyes tightly and nodded her head as Janna looked at the with a warm smile.

“It’s time,” Janna warned them and Hex nodded her head while wiping her eyes before she turned to glance behind the goddess.

“What’s the matter old man, nothing to say?” Hex questioned Silco who was leaning against a pillar, obscured by shadow as he glowered at them.

“Yes, if I see either of you here again without a single gray hair on your heads, I’m tanning your hides,” Silco drawled, his irritation at seeing the girls in the after-life clear to see. Silco then looked away from them. “Thank you, having people care enough to go this far for me means more than you know. But next time you have to choose between me and yourselves, just let me be dragged to hell, okay? We all know that it’s what I deserve for the life I have led.”

“Sorry, but that’s not how our family rolls,” Jinx pointed out and Hex nodded. “Your granddaughter just destroyed a reality for me. How can I let you get used as a meat puppet?”

“Besides, it is up to me to decide where you go.” Janna drawled and Silco glanced away at that. Silco was a stubborn, evil man, who just so happened to be a relatively good father even if he made questionable parenting decisions. That said he was a Zaunite, her child. Most of his acts, misguided or not, were committed so that he could help her children.

Besides she once used a powerful gust of wind to blow a Piltovan noble out of his window because he irritated her. So, it’s not like she had set the best example.

In time, when her power returned once more, she’d try to be better herself.

“Time to go,” Janna said before snapping her fingers, removing Jinx and Hex from the realm.

[Annie’s Storm]

 

As Fiddlesticks gazed down upon him, his eyes zeroed in on instinct toward his target.

Jinx.

Finally, the perfect vessel would be his.

However, before he could move to consume her while she was frozen, a small blue bird flew down from the heavens and slammed into his back before bursting out of his chest leaving him writhing in agony as it flew down toward Jinx.

When Jinx opened her eyes, ending her silent prayer, she looked on in silent wonder as the bluebird flapped its wings, hovering in front of her. Raising a finger, she watched it land on it before chirping a small little tune. Bringing the bird closer, she felt the fear ebb away from her heart and laughed when the bird flew into her chest as if trying to hug her before flying up and landing on her head.

Atop her head, the bird chirped once more while its feathers released a bright blue light before the creature melded into Jinx’s hair. Jinx felt her strength return as her long locks, and even her cloud markings, released a shimmering blue light as she climbed to her feet.

[Hex’s Storm]

 

Little more than a self-made statue, Hex could do nothing as a golden light etched a large hand shape into the void beneath her feet. Soon two massive golden orbs appeared in the void above her as the light spread from the hand and began to etch the massive figure of a familiar woman who bore the Eye of Zaun on her back.

Soon, Lady Gray stood, revealing the truly massive scale of her celestial form in all of its divine majesty. The fact that she hadn’t reverted to Fiddlesticks was a testament to how deeply the souls of Lux and the Demon had merged.

“And so, the explosive battle ends in silence.” Lady Gray spoke calmly. “I owe you, going so long without an equal made me mistake the limits of my power.” Lady Gray slowly closed her fist around Hex’s body and turned her attention to the portal. “I shall raise you right next time.”

Lady Gray moved toward the portal only to stop when a sharp pain shot through her hand. Quickly opening it, she looked down incredulously as a cloud of pink smoke covered Hex’s form before a pair of shimmer-color lights pierced the darkness while all around her, blue flames burst into existence.

[The fuse is always the most beautiful before the boom. That’s when it burns brightest.]

Lady Gray felt genuine terror as she found herself recalling Jinx’s words from all those years ago and realized that the brilliant explosion she had managed to endure was nothing more than the light on the fuse of the bomb that was her daughter.

“No! Impossible, what even left is there to burn-“ Lady Gray stopped when the answer came to her. “Magic. When all else in creation is left is gone, the magic will be the last to remain.”

“Well said, so you remember Ryze’s teachings after all.” Lady Gray’s eyes snapped down to see Hex step from the cloud. Hex’s eyes were a shimmering purple, her skin now gray as petricite, and her long lustrous hair burned with the same blue fire that surrounded them. The sight of these features combining on her daughter made whatever was left of the woman she once was freeze.

“Jinx.”

Hand still gripping the now shattered pendant, Hex gazed up at Lady Gray as crimson runes appeared on each of the proofs that hung from her neck. With a yell, Hex ripped the necklace off of her neck, sending the proofs scattering into the air where they remained, held in place by the runes etched into them.

“Janna!” Hex shouted and to Lux’s horror a blazing blue burst through the flames.

“As long as there is a single believer and a sign of my faith, I will never vanish.” Janna’s voice rang out from the bird, answering Lady Gray’s unasked question. Soon, Janna landed behind hex before revertihex and reverted to her true form. “You have done well, my child.” Janna praised before summoning the proofs of mettle to her hands.

Holding on to them, she parted Hex’s hair into two parts before sliding her hands down the locks, braiding them with the proofs in mere moments.

“Your fire burns bright. Allow me to be the wind that fans these flames so that they may burn even brighter,” Janna said before a powerful wind appeared, increasing the intensity of the flames greatly. “May the fire within you endure until the moment your enemy dies. Bring this tragedy to an end, my child.”

“I will,” Hex promised, her eyes shining brightly as she glared up at Lady Gray. Raising her hand high, she reached deep within herself to call upon the magic of her late-husband. An ancient magic, that allowed dreams to become reality.

Ice-blue magic gathered above her hand, and in a flash appeared a copy of Fishbones that had been forged from true ice.

Cathing the weapon, Hex felt her resolve grow as she kept her eyes trained on Lady Gray. “Will the other Gods give my family trouble for this?”

“Unlike you mortals, we won’t forget. An additional decade’s worth of memories will annoy them,” Janna admitted. “But by defeating your adversary one time for each person you considered a mentor, well, you amused Mordekaiser enough for him to help me persuade the others to leave you be. You owe General Swain a great deal for teaching you the old ways.”

Hex nodded at that. “Good, and what about the beings stronger than you two?”

Janna scoffed at that. “They don’t care, and the ones above even them won’t even notice. You’ve done your part, my child,” Janna reassured her before pressing a kiss to the top of her head. “Allow me to worry about the rest. Now finish this.”

With that, Janna flew back into the flames, her destroyed body releasing mighty winds wish served to further strengthen Hex’s fire. Hex looked at her hand which was still covered in blood from shattering the glass pendant and wiped it on Fishbones’ side. This revealed a set of runes that had been etched into its side by her mother long ago.

Realizing what was happening, Lady Gray went to crush Hex once more, but it was too late, and found herself blinded by a flash of light.

[Annie’s Storm]

 

Annie looked up at her mother in confusion, still unable to hear but saw Jinx smile down at her before she wiped her blood on Fishbones’ side. Annie wasn’t sure what was happening until a flash of light caught her attention.

For some reason, Lux had fallen to her knees and was holding her arm in pain while strange runes burned brightly into her arm. No, it was more than that, she remembered the lessons her mothers gave her. When it came to runes, even if they were just placed on the body, they would be etched into that person’s very soul.

Eyes wide, Annie watched as Lux’s magic was simply ripped from her body. It took the form of Lux herself. It had no doubt been molded by the Mage’s soul before turning into a mass of light-imbued magic that flew toward Jinx and into her weapon. Once absorbed, Jinx slammed Fishbones into the ground and soon golden shackles rose and bound Fiddlesticks in place.

“Gary,” Jinx called out to Demacian who was on his way to his sister's side after he saw her collapse. He didn’t know what she did, but whatever it was it had freed the others from Fiddlesticks’ fear. “Take my daughter, please,” Jinx begged of him. “She’s your niece.”

To his credit, Garen didn’t miss a step as he changed his trajectory and moved to her side instead and quickly pulled the girl from her arms. Now Annie may have been deaf but it was clear that something was wrong when her mother let her go.

It also quickly became clear why Jinx had called for Garen.

What little magic Annie had left quickly rose out of her as she screamed for Jinx. Garen grunted from the intensity of the heat, but the fire was mostly absorbed by his armor.

“She’ll tire herself out soon,” Jinx told him. “Thanks, Gary, and…sorry for making your sister cry.”

“It's Garen,” Garen corrected stiffly and though he hated the woman, even he could acknowledge a noble sacrifice when he saw one. Jinx just gave him a tired smile.

“I know, Gary,” Jinx said and Garen scowled before rushing off to his sister.

“Jinx! What are you doing!?” Lux screamed, she felt something dark within her settle once the light had been ripped out of her. Though she ignored the feeling in favor of the unease she felt now. Throughout the design process, Jinx had never once mentioned being forced to bind the target in point-blank range. Lux was far from an idiot, there was no way Jinx would leave the blast radius of that weapon unscathed.

If she pulled the trigger from where she was now, Jinx would die.

“I told you Flashlight, I’m a hypocrite,” Jinx reminded her and Lux’s eyes flashed with rage as she tried and failed to break out of Garen’s hold.

“Damn, Garen, get the hell off of me!” Lux snapped.

“She’s pissed.”

“As she should be, she looks positively blindsided by this,” Katarina mused as she strolled by Jinx looking almost sad for the Demacian. Deep down, she was almost silently impressed by how swiftly Garen had collected the child despite her being both a mage and a Noxian.

“Could you…?” Jinx trailed off and Katarina sighed.

“…Very well,” the assassin accepted Jinx’s unasked request which made the mad woman grin.

“Thanks, and give these to her too, she’ll know what to do with them,” Jinx said before she handed Katarina her proofs and it was only then that the assassin noticed that Jinx had undid her braids. Katarina accepted the hair pieces with a nod. “Thanks, have Ekko pay you from my stash later.”

“No need,” Katarina said as she pocketed the pieces. “Finally removing you, one of the few black stains on my near-perfect record will be rewarding enough.”

Jinx chuckled at that. “Thanks.”

When Katarina left, Jinx turned to face Fiddlesticks and tightened her grip on her weapon. She heard the gravel crunch beside her and glanced over to see Ekko gripping his Z-drive so tightly she was sure it was going to break.

“Any way out of this?” Jinx questioned.

“That doesn’t end with you or the others dying anyway or this thing escaping?” Ekko questioned. “Nope.”

“Damn.” Jinx shook her head. “Got any last words? If you need to get something off your chest, hurry.”

In response, Ekko just raised a fist and Jinx gave him a bitter smile.

“Ah yeah, that’s right,” Jinx mused before raising her fist and bumping his. They were Zaunites, after all, when it mattered most it was actions that did the talking, not words.

“Make it out alive, somehow, and I’ll owe you one,” Ekko told her before he walked off and she watched him leave for a moment before turning her attention back to her family. The few legends that weren’t knocked out and being carried by the others gave their brief condolences.

Camille simply gave her a nod and kept walking whereas Renata smacked her on the back of her head before, surprisingly, giving her a brief one-armed hug.

She was glad she had sent Vi off when she did, or else she’d be dead before she could pull the trigger.

Still even as they said their goodbyes, Jinx never took her eyes off her family, wanting to savor their image for as long as possible.

She even got a quick laugh when, unfortunately for Garen, Lux seemed to have realized she still had access to her gun.

Fortunately for him, Katarina swiftly knocked the light mage out as Annie, face flushed redder than she had ever seen, continued to shout at her.

“You liar! I hate you!”

The words were like daggers to her heart, but she’d take them as long as Annie was safe. Jinx gave her a bright grin and activated a second set of runes, this set used the remaining 90% of Lux’s power and focused it within Fishbones as the Hextech Gemstone powered another set of runes which amplified the contained light magic tenfold.

To say Jinx was going scorched earth was an understatement and she made a mental note to aim up so that the city wouldn’t be wiped off of the map. A halo of multi-colored runes surrounded Fishbones whose casing was now encased in a multi-colored prismatic shell. From the weapon's sharp maw, what could best be described as liquid light poured out.

“Yeah Fishbones, I hear ya. If I was packing this much firepower, I’d be barfing rainbows too,” Jinx joked and she glanced back at her daughter one last time despite knowing that the girl wouldn’t hear her. “Hey, Annie!” Jinx called out as she shouldered the weapon before turning back to face Fiddlesticks.

And then as she steeled her resolve she said what came to her heart.

Words that fortunately she had the foresight to write down in her will.

Words that, while unheard in this moment would be would be there for her daughter when she needed them most.

“Don’t worry about me…”

[Hex’s Storm]

 

[I’ve been through it all. Literally stared my demons in their eyes and told them I won’t fall.]

Bright cracks appeared on the celestial’s body as brilliant runes shone on their arm. Soon Lady Gray’s body shattered like glass when Lux’s light was forcefully ripped out of the being body, leaving nothing behind but a mass of darkness which soon took the shape of Fiddlesticks.

[But I’d gladly die for you and I hope you know it.]

Hex’s eyes burned when she saw Lux’s form before it was soon turned into pure light magic which was greedily absorbed by Fishbones.

[There’s a bomb in me, just like you, and I’ll light up the sky when I blow it.]

Soon, massive constructs of light arose and bound the demon in place. As it continued to gather power, the color in the area began to be absorbed by the weapon, turning the bright blue flames gray in color.

[When it's your time to give it all, you can think of me before you fall.]

Hex scowled as she lifted Fishbone’s on her shoulder, its appearance shifting as the remaining runes activated.

[But right now, it’s my time so just let me save you.]

Hex’s heart thundered in her chest as she finally understood what her mother must have felt after going so far to not only save her but secure a future where her son could thrive.

[It’s alright, don’t cry. I’ve lived my truth.]

Hex thought over life until that point, and while far from perfect, or even happy, she never compromised on her ideals and values and she figured that was worth something at least. When she shut her eyes on this life, she’d be filled with pride, and when they opened in her new life, she’d see that the pain she endured would have been worth it even if she no longer remembered.

[The next time everything begins to fall, they’ll be looking to you.]

Finally, she could no longer hold on, more and more, memories began to fade from her mind, overwritten by a new, brighter future.

[So, no matter what happens, don’t run, and don’t ever hide. Remember, legends never die.]

Hex felt a mad grin split her face, a feeling of hope and joy swelling in her heart.

[I know you’d do the same for me, but again, this is my time.]

Finally, a single ultraviolet tear slid down her cheek, burning the skin before its color was absorbed by the weapon whose light shone brighter.

[So let me do whatever it takes so that one day you can set your heart ablaze.]

Across two storms, two timelines, mother and daughter simultaneously pulled the trigger of the Light Cannon and erased Fiddlesticks’ dark presence with a flood of light. It was an almost primordial evil, its darkness could never truly be destroyed by man-made means, but, they could set it back for a bit. By the time its power returned, so would Janna’s which would keep them and their descendants protected forevermore.

And that, well, that sounded like a win to them.

Hex laughed the two storms finally became one while the explosion engulfed her very being, and, across the time-line, Jinx grinned, humming happy birthday to herself as the light engulfed her as well.

-???-

 

When Hex opened her eyes, she once more found herself in a void, but where there was once an unending black, there was now nothing but white as far as the eyes could see. Moving forward, Hex walked in a daze until she came upon the exhausted and withered form of Lux who simply sat on her knees, head bowed, frozen.

Soon Hex felt a sharp pain in her arm and looked to see her demonic brand burning before pulling itself off of her skin. The marking collapsed on itself before melding into the shape of a pitch-black raven.

“I supposed the contract is over,” Hex said and the remnant of Raum simply flew off into the void as if silently confirming that she had done her part. Hex turned back to Lux and soon her body was coated in blue flames as she closed the distance. When she stopped in front of the woman, Lux finally looked up just in time to see the flames fade.

Gone was the carbon copy of Jinx that Hex had become and in her place was a small, pink-haired little girl who was holding a stuffed bear.

“Lux,” Annie spoke up as she raised the bear toward Lux with both hands. “This is Tibbers,” Annie introduced with a bright smile. “He helps me chase the bad things away. He helped Jinx.” Annie reminded her. “Maybe he can help you too?”

Hands trembling, Lux reached out and grabbed the toy from her daughter.

“I miss mom too,” Annie told her softly, and Lux felt her eyes burn as she looked from the bear to her daughter.

“My…girl….” Lux whispered before she reached out and pulled Annie into a tight hug. “My strong, beautiful girl, I’m so sorry, I’m so sorry, I–” Lux choked on her sobs as Annie hugged her back tightly as Lux continued to cry.

“It's okay mom, close your eyes,” Annie whispered. “This is just a bad dream, when you wake up, the nightmare will be over.” Annie shut her eyes tightly smiling as she continued to whisper words of comfort to her broken mother. Finally reunited, Annie and Lux cried and hugged each other until they too vanished into the void which was soon, little by little, filled with bits and pieces of a newer, brighter timeline.

-Zaun: Kiramman Manor-

 

“The service will be tomorrow,” Ekko told Lux quietly as they stood in the doorway. The mood was somber and the sky was as cloudy as usual with the return of the Zaun Gray. Silently, Annie poked her head out of her room. “I understand if you want to sit it out.”

“I’ll be there,” Lux said firmly and Ekko looked at her eyes searching before placing a hand on her shoulder.

“You’re strong, Lux,” Ekko told her firmly. “But make sure you aren’t strong for too long. A moment of weakness here or there…well…that’s what keeps us human.”

“I appreciate the concern,” Lux said as she forced a smile on her face. Ekko said nothing but he was sure the inside of the house behind the woman darkened. “But I’ve had enough moments of weakness for a lifetime.” Lux gently removed his hand and turned back to enter her house. “I’ll see you tomorrow.”

“Yeah,” Ekko said quietly. “See you tomorrow.”

With that, he turned away as Lux closed the door behind her.

“Mom, are you okay?” Annie questioned cautiously, tensing slightly when the house darkened when Lux’s eyes slid to her.

“Yes honey, I’m fine,” Lux said and Annie had been trained too well to believe that for a second. “Get to your room and get some rest, we have a long day tomorrow.”

Silently, Annie nodded her head and went back to her room. Lux smiled at her before going back into her room and locking the door. Silently, Annie exited her room with a pillow, blanket, and Tibbers and curled up outside of Lux’s room which was the closest she could get to her now sobbing mother.

“Good night mommy,” Annie whispered. “May tomorrow be a better day.” Annie sang softly to herself, a simple lullaby that her birth mother had once sung for her when she was sick.

-The Next Day: Zaun: Baron Chambers-

 

The sky seemed to weep for the city’s lost Queen. If one were to ask Theiram he’d say that the rain was Janna’s tears, if one were to ask Singed he’d say they were just lucky it wasn’t acid today.

The duality of man.

Umbrellas, which would have been useless had the rain been more acidic, covered the streets as Ekko stood at a large podium, looking over at the gathered guests. Practically all of Zaun had tried to make an appearance, out of sheer respect for the woman. The woman who despite originally causing them nothing but fear, actually ended up changing things for the Undercity for the better.

Ekko also saw Piltover’s Councilors there. On paper, it was a show of solidarity, though he knew that many had shown up just to check on their deals, many of which they had through Clan Kiramman and consequently the late Queen of Zaun.

A couple of Councilors were probably there just to make sure Jinx was dead.

There were a surprising amount of foreigners as well, many of whom fought alongside Jinx that fateful day such as Garen and Yasuo, though Garen was there more for his sister and her daughter than anything else. He had stayed with Lux a week after…it…happened before he was finally forced to return to Demacia, but not before he promised to return for the service to support his little sister in her time of need.

Ekko was sure Garen had become the first Demacian to use a Noxian Hexgate to arrive on time.

“Look, I’m not going to waste your time with some long-winded speech, alright? That’s not how things work in Zaun.” Ekko said and he could see a lot of his citizens sigh in relief. “That’s not what she would have wanted anyway. Jinx was a complicated-as-shit woman and a pretty shitty friend.”

Ekko clenched his fists tightly.

“But she was a damn good mercenary, an even better Queen, and somehow an even better wife and mother,” Ekko told them. “She made Zaun, and we’re here to honor that.” Ekko walked over to a large tarp and his Firelights flew over to remove it, revealing a statue of Jinx that had been erected in her honor.

The statue was one of Jinx standing tall, her foot on a rocket with her hip cocked to the side as she pointed up at the sky with a large grin.

“Oh…she would have hated this,” Zeri mused softly and he had to hold back a smirk. He thought it came off pretty good, but Jinx would have loathed it solely for the fact that she didn’t make it. Hell, she also probably would have hated it because it was taller than she’d ever been.

“Jinx loved clouds, the Gray most of all, she saw them as a sign of protection. She made them her mark,” Ekko told them. “And those clouds kept her safe for as long as they could while she reminded us that we shouldn’t be afraid of the dark or the monsters in it. No, with her sacrifice we were reminded that the only monster we needed to fear was her and with her gone, we don’t have to fear a damn thing.”

“Here,” Zeri gave a flare to Ekko who grabbed it and popped it off, causing blue smoke to raise into the air.

“So today we’re going to give her an offering of clouds, to let her know that we’ll protect ourselves from now on,” Ekko said before tossing his flare at the base of the statue soon Zeri added her own as well. Once they left more and more people began to grab a flare from the Firelights distributing them before adding to the pile.

It didn’t take long for Caitlyn, Ren, and Vi to make their appearance. Caitlyn’s expression was as stoic as ever, but there was a pain in her eyes, one that conveyed that her family had suffered a great loss. Ren openly cried as she added her flare as Vi added hers with a pinched expression. Her body trembled and Ekko gave her credit for managing to make some distance away from the statue before she finally fell to a knee and covered her eyes with her hands.

Soon, came the moment Ekko had been dreading ever since Zeri had confided to him that she had felt something off with Lux’s magic. Strange occurrences had been happening around Lux since Jinx fell. It reminded him of when Annie was unable to leave the house without adding to her total body count.

Now no one, thankfully, had died yet but there had been unexplained injuries popping around Zaun lately and there were a few citizens who looked at Lux in blatant horror. Whatever it was, it was dark and unstable.

Ekko could see from her eyes that she had cried herself to sleep and could only pray that was enough to release her emotions before they could explode violently with everyone around. Silently as Lux and Annie approached, he reached for his Z-drive just in case.

Unbeknownst to them, atop a nearby building, a single black crow landed and Lux’s image could be seen reflected in its eye. It began to release dark energy and it watched as Lux rubbed at her chest as if feeling a sudden discomfort in its heart. As the crow kept pushing Lux more and more, silently prodding her to explode, it failed to notice a black raven swooping down behind it.

Before the crow could react, the raven removed its target’s head a swift and decisive strike of its talons, destroying it instantly. When the raven landed, it watched the crow’s body disintegrate harmlessly and looked to the side when a bluebird landed beside it.

The two birds stared at each other before, eventually, the bluebird nodded its head as if knowing that it would have arrived moments too late to prevent the potential disaster. The raven returned the gesture and flew away.

Demons and the divine would never be allies.

But there were times when they would share a common foe.

This happened to be one of those times.

The bluebird looked down and watched as Lux stopped rubbing when she felt the discomfort begin to fade. Soon, Lux blinked, startled when her mind suddenly felt clearer than it had in days. Silently both Lux and Annie added their flares and when they walked away, Lux felt Annie’s small hand grab hers.

“Mom, are we going to be, okay?” Annie questioned and Lux felt her breath catch in her throat before looking down at Annie as if it had been the first time, she had seen her in weeks. With a watery smile, Lux knelt and pulled her daughter into a tight hug.

“Yes, honey, we will, in time,” Lux reassured her and off to the side Ekko smiled, relieved as he removed his hand from the Z-drive. “It’ll hurt for a while, but we will have to push forward. It's what Jinx would have wanted and what we need.”

Annie nodded before shyly digging the toe of her shoe into the ground. “I said some mean things to Jinx in the end. Do you…do you think she hates me? Wherever she is?”

“Oh baby, no,” Lux answered, silently horrified that Annie could even think that. Lux found herself mad, not at Annie, but at herself for being so wrapped up in her despair while Annie was silently struggling with this and who knew what else.

What had she been doing these past few weeks?

Lux quickly wiped away the tears that threatened to fall from Annie’s face. “Your mother loved you, more than anything else, Annie. Until the very end. Do you hear me?” Lux smiled when Annie nodded. “Good, you know how Jinx was, silly girl. If she had hated you. It would have been you she’d have fired Fishbones at–”

At that moment, Lux and Annie both tensed as Ekko’s head whipped around toward the distance where he heard the tell-tale sound of an incoming rocket.

“Get down!” Ekko shouted and Lux scooped Annie up in her arms and teleported beside him just as a rocket slammed into the statue of Jinx, blowing it into pieces as the crowd scrambled in fear. Ekko felt his anger reach new heights at the sight of the memorial being disrupted so rudely, the sheer disrespect had him gunning for blood.

Ekko’s would-be tirade was halted, however, when an even more pissed-off voice interrupted him.

“Who the fuck signed off on that!?” Ekko felt his jaw drop as he heard the familiar voice and turned to find a figure wrapped in thick furs stalking their way up the stairs. “At least get my hips right! They’re one of my best features!”

“No way…” Zeri whispered, covering her mouth with her hands, her eyes watering when the figure came to a stop and removed its hood to reveal a very irritated Jinx.

“Jinx!?” Ekko questioned incredulously as he watched her shoulder Fishbones which now sported a pink bandage on its head.

“Yeah, Jinx,” Jinx confirmed, her eyebrow twitching. Except for the thick furred cloak and how she wore her hair in a single long braid, it was clearly the Loose Cannon. “I’m surprised you recognize me considering you don’t know how I fucking look!”

One of the Piltovan Councilors simply fainted.

“Seriously, who’s ass do I have to kick–”

“Jinx!” Jinx’s eyes widened comically as she was suddenly tackled to the ground by a hysterical Annie. “Hey-wha-Annie!” Jinx grinned as she hugged the girl and patted her on her back. “How have you been Firelight? Kill anyone while I was gone?”

“No,” Annie mumbled as she wiped her eyes before burying her face in Jinx’s neck. Annie hugged her tightly as if Jinx would vanish the moment she let go.

“That’s my girl, a whole functioning member of society,” Jinx said proudly.

“She’s much better than you in that department,” Ekko spoke up which made Jinx flip him off while sticking out her tongue.

“J-Jinx…?” Blinking, Jinx looked up to find Lux staring at her in shock not believing what she was seeing. “Are…Are you real?” Lux whispered, almost brokenly, and Jinx felt her heart break at how drained her wife appeared. Silently, she wondered how many times Lux’s cried herself to sleep only to find Jinx alive in her dreams but missing when she woke up.

The answer? Too many times.

“Yeah Flashlight, I’m real,” Jinx answered before yelping when tendrils of darkness sprung free from Lux’s shadow and grabbed Jinx around her limbs. “Whoa, that’s new!” Annie barely had time to let go when Jinx found herself pulled for until she was mere inches away from her pissed-off wife. “And kind of hot.”

Jinx winced when Lux’s eyes burned.

“I…I’m sorry,” Jinx apologized genuinely upset about how much she had hurt her wife. Lux dropped her onto her feet but instead of the verbal lashing she thought she deserved, Lux just held her in her arms.

“You’re an idiot.”

“I know.”

“I hate you.”

“I know.”

“If you ever, ever scare me like that again, it’ll be the last thing you ever do.”

“I know,” Jinx said and Lux glared at her darkly before pulling her forward and kissing Jinx as if her life depended on it. When they broke apart, Lux rested her forehead against Jinx’s.

“I love you so much,” Lux whispered and Jinx gave her a cheeky smile.

“I know.” Jinx’s smile died on her lips when she looked behind her and paled. Grabbing Lux around her shoulder, she spun her wife around and used her as a makeshift shield. “Protect me?”

“Oh, she is not going to protect you,” Vi hissed which made Jinx flinch.

“Hey sis, how about we duke it out after I fix my equipment?” Jinx asked nervously. “All I got is Fishbones-shut up Fishbones,” Jinx hissed at her rocket launcher on the ground beside her. “You are not enough when she gets like this–”

“Jinx,” Vi said, her voice tight, and Lux teleported a few feet to the left, leaving Jinx defenseless.

“Traitor!” Jinx gasped out in disbelief before finding herself pulled into a powerful embrace.

“I’m glad you’re alright, sis,” Vi whispered and Jinx felt herself go lax in Vi’s arms before returning the hug.

“I’m glad too,” Jinx whispered.

“Welcome back, Jinx,” Caitlyn greeted with a small smile. “Now that’s something I doubt I’ll say often.”

Jinx gasped. “Did you just joke!?” Jinx blinked when she felt someone poke her in the side and when she turned, she saw Ren and smiled at her niece. “Hey Ren,” Jinx was interrupted when Ren had the most surprising reaction out of all of them and kicked Jinx as hard as she could in her shin. “Ouch! Son of a bitch!”

“Ren!” Caitlyn gasped out, scandalized as Jinx hopped on one foot while holding her shin in pain.

“What?” Ren questioned, wiping tears from her eyes before she looked up at her mother innocently. “You told me to make anyone who made my cousin cry pay.”

Caitlyn opened her mouth and closed it when, once more, Ren used her own words against her.

“Definitely your daughter,” Vi mused. “Should be a politician. Though I guess being your daughter, she will be one.”

“Yes, Yes, as heartwarming as this is, I would like to know how you are alive,” A cold voice cut in and they turned to see Camille.

“As would I,” Ahri spoke. “Your body was a corpse, and I no longer feel any traces of my magic in you. So, how are you alive?”

“Well…” Jinx trailed off.

-Flashback-

 

After firing the Light Cannon, Jinx was prepared to die alongside Fiddlesticks when she felt a burning sensation in her hip. Startled, she looked down to see Hex’s rune burning brightly, the stored magic within it giving the tablet enough power for one final jump. The coordinates Hex had indicated appeared on the screen and Jinx wasted no time in making the jump.

When she would later come to she’d find herself inside a frozen cave, the inside of which had been fashioned to resemble some sort of hidden lair

“What the-who is that?”

“Be careful, she looks dangerous.”

“Yeah, dangerously hurt. Come on, Willump, we have to help, we can’t let someone else die!”

“Indeed,” a deep voice agreed, and Jinx weakly opened her eyes to see Ryze standing above her soon-to-be-corpse. “She is why I brought you here child, together we can bring her back from the brink.”

This was the last thing Jinx heard before her vision finally went black.

-Flashback: End-

 

“Fortunately there was a camp nearby and the person who lived there patched me right up!” Jinx explained, only telling them that she was the one who had crafted the rune. Hex was an entire thing she did not feel like discussing outside of the family, and even then the only person she’d likely tell in the family was her wife.

“You don’t just get ‘patched up’ from a dead body as destroyed as yours was,” Ahri told her. “Like I told you, you’d need to find someone gifted in–”

“Ms. Jinx, wait up!”

“–creation magic, I know,” Jinx said before looking to the side to find a small boy riding on the back of a Yeti. “Come on, kid, told you to keep up!”

Nunu panted tiredly as he climbed off of the back of the Yeti. “No fair, you’re too fast,” Nunu complained before realizing he had landed right next to Annie. Blinking, the boy flushed in embarrassment as he almost knocked her down. “Sorry! I didn’t see you,” Nunu grinned and offered a hand. “Hi, I’m Nunu!”

Annie stared at him unblinkingly and moved her eyes from his face to his hand back to his face again.

“You saved Jinx?”

“Uh, well, I-er-yeah but Willump and our friend Ryze helped too,” Nunu answered before gesturing to the Yeti. “That’s Willump, by the way, he’s my best friend!”

Annie looked at the Yeti briefly before her gaze slid back to the boy and his outstretched hand.

Soon, the boy yelped when a weak burst of fire shot from Annie who, surprisingly, looked mortified by the accidental discharge of her magic. Nunu began to get a bit nervous while Annie, face as pink as her hair, quietly walked backward and hid behind Jinx’s leg, peeking out from behind at the confused boy.

To her…relief…the boy looked more confused and slightly amazed than horrified like many others.

Wait…why was she relieved?

Annie gripped Jinx’s leg tighter and hid her face.

The rest of their family, including Ren, felt their jaw drops.

Ren clasped her hands together and looked at the sky. “Thank you, Janna,” Ren said, now a newly converted believer. She had waited long, oh so long, to finally get ammo against her wild cousin and knew that she would be able to milk this for years.

Jinx just face-palmed when she suddenly remembered something very important from Hex’s life.

“Oh, fuck me,” Jinx cursed before muttering something about opposites attracting, fire and ice, and how she should have left the yeti boy in the snow where she found him.

“Don’t worry about her, kid, she’s just shy,” Zeri said which was a word she thought she’d never use to describe the hellion. Nunu just nodded, visibly glad that he hadn’t offended the girl or something. “Aw, aren’t you just precious? You remind me of my little brother when he was younger.” Zeri gushed as she pinched the now squirming boy’s cheeks. “And you’re breathing Zaunite air, you’re a little soldier, aren’t you?”

Seeing this, Jinx forced a smile on her face as she gripped Ekko’s shoulder tightly. “Hey old buddy, old pal, remember how you said you’d owe me one if I survived.”

Ekko suddenly paled as Zeri looked at them curiously before returning her attention to the boy who had begun laughing when she showed him some parlor tricks she had developed with her magic.

“Jinx…” Ekko warned as her grin widened. “…no, Jinx, you found him!”

“Come on, Little Man, don’t you want a Littler Man?” Jinx offered as Ekko looked at her in blatant horror. Silently, Jinx strolled forward so that she could whisper in his ear. “Kid’s powerful, like, really powerful. You’re the only one I can trust to make sure he turns out right.”

Annie was one thing, she had power in spades but she was a dark child. Jinx and Lux loved her deeply, but they couldn’t remove the darkness, just turn it into something productive for society as a whole.

Nunu, however?

He was a good kid, pure of heart, good and he had the power to make dreams a reality. It was his desire, his dream, to not let her die like his mother that saved her. If anyone was going to take him under their wing, she wanted it to be the man, the hero, that could somehow manage to be responsible with a fucking time machine.

Ekko’s expression softened a bit at that and, he had to admit the kid was cute and Zeri was quickly becoming attached.

“You sure this isn’t just ‘cause you don’t want to be a grandma in like 6 to 7 years?”

Jinx scowled at him. “That too.”

Ekko smirked. “Fine, I gave you my word that I owed you one, remind me to never fucking do that again.” Ekko took a deep breath as he tried to think of a way to bring it up to Zeri. “Hey, Z–”

“That’s it, this is mine,” Zeri said as she picked up a surprised Nunu and held him under her arm while running her fingers through the yeti’s fur. “He comes with a fucking Yeti. I’ve known this kid for a few minutes, but I will kill all of you and then myself for him.”

“Huh!?” Nunu squeaked out but soon just resigned himself to just being along for the ride that had become his life.

Ekko sympathized greatly, the kid was a mood.

Jinx and Vi sighed and nodded knowingly, knowing full well how Zeri felt with their kids. Lux, Ekko, and Caitlyn just face-palmed.

“We married idiots,” Lux whispered as she and Ekko shared a look of silent horror as if they had only just now come to that conclusion. They had willingly signed their lives away and fallen in love with some of the smartest dumbasses in all of Runeterra.

Caitlyn looked at her and Ekko sadly, remembering the first time she had that epiphany. “First time?”

“Hey, Little Man!” Jinx called out getting Ekko’s attention. Idly he was worried about what Jinx could want now after single-handedly making him a father. “What do you say we turn this gloomy ass day into something productive? BBQ at your place?”

Ekko blinked before grinning.

Well, he’d be damned, sometimes Jinx had good ideas after all!

-Meanwhile: Freljord-

 

Ryze smiled to himself as he saw the visions of a brighter future. In his mind, he saw the vision of a Noxian woman with pink hair that ruled the shadows of Zaun and chuckled.

“Well done.” Ryze mused. “Well done, indeed.”

Though his mission was far from over, and the world still faced many threats Ryze allowed himself to take a moment and relax.

Today was a joyous day after all.

-Later: Ekko’s territory-

 

“We got another serving ready!” Ekko called out as he and Jinx manned the grills, cooking up as much barbecue as they could. He was wearing an apron that said “Grill Savior” and Jinx was wearing one that said “Please shoot the chef” with an arrow pointing at Ekko.

As the two of them and a few Firelights worked overtime to make sure everyone was fed, Zeri played with the kids, throwing a frisbee their way as many Zaunites both belonging to the territory and not ate to their heart's content, enjoying the sunny day in Ekko’s territory.

Even the Piltovan councilors and the Chembarons partook in the impromptu feast though Caitlyn, Camille, Renata, and Veraza all increased the amount of alcohol they consumed due to having to be near each other.

“Sis, we’re back!” Vi called out as she and Vander returned with, quite possibly, the Last Drop’s entire stock of alcohol that managed to not be destroyed.

“Put it in the back!” Jinx instructed and Vi and Vander did just that and soon almost had to jump away to avoid being swarmed by the other guest.

“Damn, at least leave me some!” Vi said incredulously.

“Lesson one, girl, always put something to the side when you’re the one serving drinks,” Vander advised before handing her one of the beers he stole for himself.

“Wise man,” Tobias laughed as he walked up to his daughter-in-law, before accepting a beer from Vander. Vi shook her head incredulously before grabbing hers from Vander. Looking back at the scene, before them, Vi couldn’t help but smile.

-Flashback-

 

“Do you really think it’ll happen?” Violet questioned Vander as she did Powder’s hair. “That a day will come when we can be happy?”

“Of course,” Vander answered without hesitation. “Now, I’m not saying it will be easy. Things might even get worse before they get better. But remember this, pain is temporary. At some point, even if for a moment, it’ll be better.”

Violet looked extremely doubtful. “If you say so.”

-Flashback: End-

 

“You were right,” Vi told Vander and he smiled knowingly.

“Parents tend to be, even when their brats act like they aren’t,” Vander teased which got an eye-roll from Vi though she couldn’t help the small smile on her face. Her Eyes drifted to the Firelight mural, where she saw Powder. Glancing to where her sister was now, her smile widened when she saw the grin Jinx was sporting as she joked with Ekko.

It was a different smile, but honestly? Vi liked Jinx’s more than Powder’s.

After all that was her sister.

As Vi talked with her father and father-in-law, Lux was doing something she never believed she’d get the chance to do.

Annoy the hell out of her big brother.

The fact she was a few drinks in didn’t help.

“Come on, what harm could one letter do?” Lux questioned with a teasing smile as if trying to make up for years of being the dutiful kind little sister and not the annoying one that every elder sibling deserved.

Garen groaned as he looked at Lux in exasperation.

He knew Jinx was a terrible influence!

“It could start a war-“

“Brother, you’re already at war, she kicked your ass in the last encounter did she not?” Lux questioned which made Garen sputter. “What? I’m a Queen, Garen, do you think only Demacia and Noxus have spies? Zaun is practically the information hub of the known world.”

“It would be treason!” Garen said incredulously. “I’d be jailed and exiled at best!”

Lux waved off his concern. “Been there, done that, it is not that bad. Plus she’s well off, you’d be taken care of.” Lux smirked. “It’s a new era, brother, nothing wrong with being a kept man.”

Garen sighed woefully. “Sister, please, stop trying to instigate my defection from our homeland.”

Lux raised her hands in surrender. “All I’m saying is choosing between our underdeveloped, stubborn homeland and a life of luxury with a rich and good-looking woman that you actually like isn’t that hard of a decision.” Lux laughed a bit. “You probably wouldn’t even have to fight, she’d keep you chained to her bed as the world's happiest trophy.” Lux pointed out. “Yeah, piss her off and she might mount Garen Jr. on her wall, she is Noxian after all, but you’d be amazed at how many would take that risk.”

Garen groaned, the tips of his ears bright red. “Luxanna…please.”

“Fine then, I’ll drop it,” Lux said as she pulled out a letter. “I guess you also don’t want this letter she penned for you then, hm?”

Garen blinked owlishly, looking between his sister and the letter, before grumbling and plucking it from her fingers.

Lux smirked. “That’s what I thought.”

“Shut up,” Garen muttered before pocketing the letter. “You used to be much more bearable. Jinx has ruined you.”

“She has,” Lux agreed. “The things she does with her-”

“Stop!” Garen interrupted looking extremely pale, there were some things he just did not want to know.

Ever.

“Seriously what do you see in her?” Garen questioned and when Lux open her mouth he scowled. “Besides that.”

Lux closed her mouth with an audible click.

“Well…”Lux shrugged. “…what can I say?” Lux questioned as she looked over at her wife with a grin. “She really gets me.”

To be concluded, in the epilogue

Notes:

Thanks again for the read and for being such a welcome community on this site!

Once more, if you're interested in other work of mine check this out: https://www.worldofpresence.com/

By the way for you league players who were wondering/curious, you could probably tell during the end of the fight but Lady Gray was transforming into Dark Cosmic Lux which is one of my favorite skins.

Also the song I mentioned above was Ablaze by Fabvl, I heard this and already knew the ending to this story I just had to write out how to get here first lol.

Now a word from the myth, the legend, the madlad GOAT of a Beta that just took his teaching licensing exam, WIll!

Will: *cracks knuckles after long editing session, takes a deep breath* WOOOOOOOO YEAH BABY THAT’S WHAT I’VE BEEN WAITING FOR! THAT’S WHAT IT’S ALL ABOUT! PRAISE BE TO REBUKEX7 AND THE ANSWER! Now with that out of my system, I am here to apologize because y’all would have gotten this chapter much sooner than whenever Rebuke uploads this. I was actually busy reviewing for and then later taking my licensure exams for teaching when Rebuke popped into my emails with this chapter about three or so weeks ago so… *bows deeply* Pardon me for my slight.

Will: One more thing regarding this chapter, did you all enjoy it? Cheered as the Legends showed up like it was Avengers Endgame? Laugh at the chaos that is Zaunite parenthood? Cry your eyes out at the emotional gut punches as Rebuke wanted? Unfortunately for him in regards to the latter, I have turned to Stoicism to deal with the anxiety/stress during reviewing for my exams and because of playing Honkai Impact. Admittedly though, the music I was listening to (as usual) almost made him succeed. Better luck on that next time Boss! And see you all at the epilogue of The Answer!

Rebuke: Thanks again for your help man, and to everyone else...

Read and review...

...and as always stay Classy!

~RebukeX7

Chapter 15: Epilogue: The Book of Janna

Summary:

The question plaguing Jinx for years is finally answered.

Mordekaiser makes his move and Janna gets her groove back and shows just why she is Zaun's mother.

Master shipper Jericho Swain has no equal.

Also there's a coronation and a legacy gets secured too.

Notes:

Before I even get into this let me start off everything by congratulating my Beta Will. I won't go into too much detail for privacy reasons, but he's been my Beta reader since we were teens and he recently got his dream job which he has told me about for just as long. Will saw something he wanted in his life and made it a reality and I just wanted to share that and acknowledge how kickass that actually is.

Gratz Will

Also we broke 350k words, lets fucking gooooooooooooooooooooo

Yeah, so, again sorry for getting this update out later than expected but it ended up basically becoming a book/story in its own right lol. See the end notes for my future plans, thanks so much for being with me on this journey and making my first experience with the site so spectacular! The journey is over, and while its been a long one, I thank all of you who made it this far for sticking through it!

You can find my official works and how to acquire them at Worldofpresence.com

As always, for the best reading experience for this chapter, wait 1 week after I post as that will give me a chance to re-read this story again and make corrections that may have been missed. I won't tell you to re-read this whole story to refresh your memory, but I will strongly recommend reading the previous chapter as parts of it it builds off of plot points introduced in it.

Betaed By: TheUndyingWill

Epilogue: The Book of Janna (And the Rise of Kiramman)

The Book of Janna: Old Testament

-Flashback: 1500 Years ago-

“You’re dismissed.”

“M-my Lord!?”

A woman with striking blue hair raised her head in disbelief as she remained kneeling on the ground. Before her on his throne sat her liege and master, the sun of the empire itself, Sahn Uzal.  The emperor looked almost bored as he read through a report even as he was surrounded by a group of scantily clad women, each yearning for his attention.

“You’re dismissed.” Sahn Uzal repeated himself, a luxury that only the kneeling woman could afford. Anyone else would have been removed, rather violently, if they had even dared to make the man do such a thing.

Still, none had served him as faithfully or known him as long and intimately as the kneeling woman, which gave her rights that none other had.

This made her sudden dismissal even more jarring.

“My...my liege, forgive my impudence but may I inquire why? I know that I was captured in Shurima, but I escaped and returned with the promised information.” The woman continued. Though she had expected this, deep down, capture meant failure and before she walked through the doors, she knew deep down that Sahn Uzal would not let this slide.

It was the main reason that before they even returned to the continent, she had told Jan’ahrem that she no longer had any home or loved ones.

Still, she owed it to herself and her Lord to finish the mission and at least receive that confirmation personally.

“Indeed.” Sahn Uzal sighed as he rolled up the scroll and gazed down at her. “It's why you will not leave unrewarded. Against the wishes of the gods, I will be giving you land and gold as a reward for your service. Though you failed, that is not the reason you are dismissed, the information you’ve gathered more than makes up for that misstep.”

“Then...then why?” The woman questioned. If she was dismissed then she’d ask why, protocol be damned. Not like any of the guards would be able to take her down for not holding her tongue anyway, she had trained half of them herself.

“Because you’ve put on weight.” Sahn Uzal answered bluntly, and she felt her jaw drop at the absurd reason. Though Sahn Uzal was not one to shy away from the luxuries that came with his position and power, he was far from superficial.

He was wise beyond his years which was why he had so many victories.

“I know it has been some years since I’ve served as one of your concubines…” The woman trailed off, still a bit stunned by his reasoning. “…but any weight I have put on is muscle–”

“Zephyr.” Sahn Uzal interrupted, calling her by her name. To her surprise, he hadn’t seemed the slightest bit irritated by her babbling. “You were captured for weeks. In the desert of Shurima. Yet you’ve gained weight.”

Zephyr’s mouth closed with an audible click.

Being captured by an enemy yet returning both unscathed and with more weight tended to mean that there had been some degree of treason on the captive’s end. Zephyr herself had seen it many times, men and women who betrayed their lord for safety and nourishment from their enemies.

Yet she hadn’t committed treason!

The fact that she wasn’t dead and was effectively being rewarded with an early retirement meant that Sahn Uzal knew it as well.

The emperor looked at her knowingly.

“You’ve gained weight long before leaving for Shurima,” Sahn Uzal continued. “Your balance is off. It's why you were captured in the first place.” Sahn Uzal leaned back on his throne. “You’re no longer in a suitable condition to serve me and being so unsure of your capabilities has left me…distracted. You’ve become a liability.”

Zephyr winced at this.

“You are dismissed.” Sahn Uzal drawled. “Leave with your record spotless. You have served me better than any soldier or concubine, but this is where we must part ways so that I may complete my vision.” The emperor then gave her a small smile, one she almost thought appeared…sad…though she knew better than to think that was more than wishful thinking. “I believe we both know that It’s time for you to serve another.”

Zephyr thought of her Jan’ahrem who she could picture sitting innocently on a log outside of the border, twiddling her thumbs and humming whatever tune came to mind as she awaited Zephyr’s return. Zephyr was brave, braver than any other to the point that many thought her mad. Yet not even she was mad enough to bring a new God into the empire’s holy lands.

Despite the situation, Zephyr couldn’t help but chuckle a bit at the thought of her goddess attempting to pass the time as she waited for her.

Her Jan’ahrem was a sweet and clumsy goddess.

But she was her goddess damn it!

“You’re right,” Zephyr said as she rose to her feet without waiting for permission. The guards tensed but she just rolled her eyes and turned away from them. “Thank you for all that you’ve done my L…Sahn, may you know nothing but victory.” Zephyr glanced back at him and for a moment the powerful man was replaced with a young boy.

 He was an ambitious boy she had played with often in their tribe and her dearest friend.

“Stay in touch, yeah?”

“Your lands make up a significant portion of our southern border,” Sahn Uzal drawled, and it spoke volumes of their bond that he gave her such valuable land despite the logistics of it. “I do not believe I can afford not to.”

Zephyr smirked at that before giving him a nod, no longer trusting her voice, and walking away.

-Months Later

On the coast of a land that would one day hold the powerful Empire of Noxus, the Storm Goddess Jan’ahrem sat on a cliff and overlooked the river that split two continents. Her elongated ears twitched ever-so-slightly when she heard grass crunching behind her.

“Copper for your thoughts?” Jan’ahrem glanced back and saw her first and most faithful follower behind her. Tucking a strand of blue hair behind her ear, Zephyr smiled at the goddess. Jan’ahrem’s eyes glanced down to the woman’s neck where she saw a small blue crystal that was pulsing with an untapped energy.

The land had been filled with this strange crystal yet despite the obvious power they wielded none knew how to tap into it. Any attempt at forging something out of it led to swift deaths and devastation which made it a testament to her follower’s lack of fear that she wore it as jewelry because it was ‘pretty’.

 Jan’ahrem glanced down at the woman’s midsection and noted how much her abdomen had grown. The woman then held out an ultraviolet bloom from the ground. “Or perhaps a flower?”

“Zephyr,” Jan’ahrem spoke in exasperation which made her follower grin “Why you insist on keeping these infernal weeds in this land is beyond me.” Jan’ahrem shook her head. When she had first seen the flower in the lands she had been perplexed. She could feel a dark power radiating from them which, while not inherently evil, was dangerous. It was clear, to her at least, that the flower had come from the Void.

Nothing good ever came from the Void.

Normally, such a flower would never be able to survive in this realm. However, due to the dark and unforgiving nature of the deepest recesses of their newfound land, the plant had found a habitat in which it could survive.

It was for this reason that her follower had chosen to keep the flower in their lands. She saw it as a symbol for their people, a people that was both dark yet beautiful. Given Zephyr’s taste in ‘jewelry’, Jan’ahrem didn’t even know why she was surprised by her reckless child.

“I’m telling you, there must be a reason that this flower was here for us. Same with the crystals,” Zephyr reminded her. “You’re a God, shouldn’t you love these kinds of cryptic signs? They could be untapped resources, perhaps a medicine or tool if we ever understand their properties.”

“Or a poison.”

“Even better!”

Jan’ahrem shook her head. “Do not hold unknown plants in your condition or wear explosive material around your neck. As a matter of fact, you should not even be out here.”

Zephyr waved off her concerns. “Please, I will be fine. It seems that you have forgotten how strong I am.” The woman then frowned. “I worry for you. It’s been raining for a week now. Our people are fearful of losing more crops from the flood.”

This seemed to startle the Goddess out of her funk.  “Apologies, my mind has been addled in recent days.”

“Care to share?” Zephyr asked curiously. “We’ve finished the foundation of our home. It is a time for celebration, not sorrow.”

“Yes, but at what cost?” Jan’ahrem questioned. Though the emperor had given them the land, his gods had not been so…willing…to part with it, which forced Jan’ahrem to make some…difficult…decisions. “The price paid for these lands weighs heavy on my mind.” Jan’ahrem looked down at her hands and all she saw was blood. “I have ’orphaned’ millions and when they pass, their souls will know nothing but suffering.”

The woman frowned. “Are you saddened by the guilt you feel?”

“No.” Jan’ahrem shook her head. “I am saddened that I feel no guilt at all. Is it due to my divine nature? Or am I simply a devil pretending to be a Goddess?”

“Worse. You’re a Goddess, but you’re my Goddess,” Zephyr answered with a pained smile before she moved to sit next to Jan’ahrem despite the deity’s panicked protests.

When it came to her children, Jan’ahrem was already overprotective but when it came to the children of her children she was on an entirely different level.

Especially when it was the children of her first follower.

“I’m fine, I’m fine,” Zephyr laughed at Jan’ahrem’s panicked expression. Soon, however, the smile fell. “You know me more than any in this world. You know the blood on my hands, the weight of my sins. The actions I took to win Sahn Uzal’s favor will haunt me forever. There was a reason, you found me dying in that desert after all.”

Jan’ahrem averted her eyes at the reminder.

Though it had been a joyful day for her, she still remembered the broken form of her follower who had been on death’s door.

It was a sight she never wanted to see again.

“I was his best spy, one of his most loyal soldiers who satisfied his every need,” Zephyr continued, absentmindedly placing a hand on her stomach. “The lives I took when I volunteered for each suicide mission will stick with me even long after I pass on. Even when captured in Shurima, I slaughtered many innocents so that I could escape into that wretched desert.” Zephyr looked down at her stomach with a sad smile. “I did so as much for my Lord as for the life growing within me.”

Jan’ahrem mirrored the follower’s sad smile.

Truly, Zephyr was quite possibly the most loyal mortal she had ever met.

“How do you cope with what you’ve done?”

Zephyr laughed at the question. “I don’t! I just keep myself busy, smile for our people, and work hard for my family so that I don’t have to think about it. The few moments of peace I have in my mind each day are more than I deserve, and I treasure them deeply.” The woman then gazed into Jan’ahrem’s eyes knowingly. “But I would do it all again in a heartbeat.”

This shocked Jan’ahrem greatly. “What?”

“Yes, for it was those sins, those actions, that allowed me to prove myself to Sahn Uzal,” The woman explained. “It’s why he granted us these lands. It may be different for you divine, but for us humans, all we can do is try our best for our loved ones. For those around us. Yes, some good-natured fool may believe otherwise, that we should work for the collective and treat our neighbors as our own but that will never work.”

The woman shook her head at the thought.

“We are mortals and with that mortality comes an innate selfishness to protect our own interests with the limited time we have.” The woman explained. “Perhaps, one day, you may find an answer to this problem. Perhaps, as one of the divine, this is your role and duty. To act on our behalf to find this answer, because I will tell you now, we as a people will never find it.”

The woman leaned into Jan’ahrem’s side.

“Perhaps I am simply a coward, or perhaps I have simply given up.” Zephyr mused. “Maybe accepting this pessimistic viewpoint is merely an excuse for me to give up and justify my actions. Yet in the end, this is my truth, and I will live it and do so proudly.” Zephyr glanced up at her Goddess curiously. “Tell me, my Guardian, do you truly feel no remorse, or do you simply not regret the outcome?”

This gave Jan’ahrem pause.

“I…I am unsure,” Jan’ahrem whispered. “As you said I am your Goddess, my form was mostly shaped by your beliefs. On the outside, I am just like you, radiant, beautiful, gentle.”

“Aw you’re going to make me blush, my Guardian.”

Jan’ahrem smiled slightly at that, but it was short-lived as she continued. “But just like you, that is a tool. A mask to hide that cruel dark rotting sensation deep within that destroys everything around me.”

“I’m still oddly flattered.”

Jan’ahrem shook her head in amusement. “To secure these lands that those gods refused to give up peacefully, I had to remove that mask. I had to reveal that part of me for the first time and it terrifies me that I no longer know which is the real me.”

“Do you truly not know the answer, or do you know, and the answer terrifies you?” Zephyr questioned and the resulting silence spoke volumes. “I wish Sahn Uzal was here, he’d be able to help. He may be a mortal, but he had a way of inspiring others to do the wildest of deeds.” Zephyr chuckled. “Which is what you need. You need to be inspired to accept who and what you are, for better or worse. I lived a lie for years before meeting you, the thought of you suffering so for an eternity breaks my heart.”

Tears began to fall from the woman’s eyes.

“Yet, I am powerless to aid you despite all you have done for me.” Zephyr continued quietly. “I am simply not strong enough to help you with this burden. In fact, I doubt all, but one would be able to help you.”

“Which he would not, at least, not when he discovers my betrayal.” Jan’ahrem whispered.

“Perhaps or perhaps not,” Zephyr shrugged. “Mortal hearts are fickle yet unpredictable things that hide a power we can never truly understand.” Zephyr glanced down at her stomach once more with a brighter smile. “We in the empire are led to believe that our glorious leader cares for naught but his own goals. The land given to me is a reward for my service, this much is true. Yet, the amount of land given to me, land that expands across the river, leads me to believe that a mortal heart still exists behind his unparalleled ambition.”

“I did find the amount of land given to be a bit generous.” Jan’ahrem mused. Zephyr’s actions were worthy of a large plot of land, that was for sure. Yet, the fact that the land spanned across two continents and had control over what Jan’ahrem foresaw as a major trade route was more than a little excessive. Not to mention that the land itself would be governed autonomously, away from Sahn Uzal’s territories.

For any soldier, no matter how decorated, it was simply too much.

Especially for a soldier that denounced their empire’s faith which meant the bountiful land would fall beneath a foreign Goddess.

Something the old Gods clearly had an issue with.

But, when Jan’ahrem took note of the growing life within Zephyr she realized that, perhaps, Sahn Uzal did not see Zephyr as just a soldier.

“If you believe he cares, why did he not let you stand at his side?”

“And risk distracting him from his goal?” Zephyr looked offended by the very idea, once more proving how deep her loyalty ran. “No. Never. It is better this way.”

“His goal has become a bit irrelevant, after what I’ve done,” Jan’ahrem pointed out, but Zephyr just chuckled at her words, as if knowing something she didn’t.

“If you think that will be enough to stop him, that death alone will end his unending desire for conquest you are wrong,” Zephyr informed her, and the Goddess could tell her follower truly believed that death and the removal of his life’s goal would not stop Sahn Uzal.

Whether these feelings were fact or stemming from Zephyr’s extreme fanaticism, Jan’ahrem did not know.

“I am loyal. Conscripted or not, I will always be his faithful soldier,” Zephyr told Jan’ahrem. “But there are levels to my loyalty. Loyalty to my God and my loyalty to him. Should the two ever come into conflict, my loyalty to you will always win.” Zephyr informed Jan’ahrem. “This is why I will keep your actions to myself until the day I die, even if it eats me alive. My mortal life will always be his, but my soul is yours forever more.”

Jan’ahrem looked down at the water, her heart pained by Zephyr’s words.

The sheer knowledge of what Jan’ahrem had done to the Hall of Bones was a burden no mortal should have to bear.

Especially not one as loyal and faithful as Zephyr.

The horror she had wrought would haunt her forever.

“It’s lonely, isn’t it?” Zephyr mused, startling Jan’ahrem from her thoughts. “Before me, you were alone in a void. After me, you have many children, yet you are still alone, aren’t you?” Jan’ahrem didn’t answer but Zephyr wasn’t expecting her to. “I have a dream, one that burns even brighter than Sahn Uzal’s. That dream is that when I die, I can become one with you.”

Jan’ahrem looked at Zephyr incredulously.

“What!?” Jan’ahrem shook her head. “My little blue bird, do you have any idea what you’re saying? Your soul is mortal, if you were to become one with me you would simply no longer exist. You would become nothing more than a mere drop in the ocean that is me.”

“I know,” Zephyr mused. “But I want it anyway. You once told me that gods born from faith lacked hearts of their own, that the will and prayers of the followers are what became their ‘heart’. If it can help you feel even the slightest bit less alone, if it can help you shoulder your burden even slightly, I will do it. You were born from me, my faith. I’ve given you the most important part of me already, you’ll simply be taking the rest.”

 Zephyr then smirked.

“Besides, don’t underestimate human hearts. You said yourself that under the right conditions, we could stand amongst the divine. I like to believe, to have faith, that I will at least have some impact on you. That I can become your heart.”

Zephyr chuckled.

“Maybe after we become one, you’ll finally have the heart to punish the bastards who deserve it, despite them being your children.” Zephyr laughed but Jan’ahrem just looked down at the words, far too overcome with emotion to respond to her child’s slight jab.

Despite her best efforts, Jan’ahrem was unable to stop a tear or two from falling from her eyes at the declaration.

Zephyr was offering both a sacrifice and a gift that came without an equal.

When one of her children passed on, Jan’ahrem brought them into her storm. The most loyal and worthy would find a place in her realm for all eternity while the others would simply be returned to the world and given new life. This, of course, included even the worst of their people, which made Zephyr claim that the goddess was too merciful for her own good.

Still, Jan’ahrem couldn’t help it.

She was too kind-hearted of a mother to them. She would always choose to give “mercy” rather than suffering to her children no matter who they were. It was something she’d have to work on, to fix, she knew this, but as it was now, she just couldn’t.

 “Surprised you, didn’t I?” Zephyr asked knowingly. “Good. Remember that. I believe the great leader will surprise you too. We can guess for days how he will respond to the truth, but in the end, we will never truly know another’s feelings until we are there with them at that moment. He taught me that.”

“Then, perhaps I will seek out his guidance when the Rune Wars come to an end,” Jan’ahrem sighed. “That is assuming that both he and we survive. I fear my actions may have cost us our neutrality. Should the aspect of Justice turn their gaze upon these lands, I will defend it.”

“Should we be prepared to use our world rune?” Zephyr questioned nervously.

“Only as a last resort,” Jan’ahrem answered. “The cost of using it is simply too high. We should be fine, the light of Zaun shines brightly, which should be enough to avert even the eyes of Justice itself.”

“And if it doesn’t?”

“Then they will learn that that light casts a shadow far darker than anything they’ve experienced,” Jan’ahrem answered. “A darkness that I will wield without hesitation.” Jan’ahrem then rose and scooped her follower up into her arms. “Now let’s get you back into bed.”

“I told you I’m fine–” Zephyr stopped suddenly and winced in pain.

“Are you alright?”

“Yes,” the woman answered before placing a hand on her stomach. “The girls just kicked a bit harder than usual.”

Jan’ahrem couldn’t help but feel more concerned. As Zephyr had noted earlier, as a Goddess she was very apprehensive about omens. The vessel of Justice, Mihara, had twin daughters and the fact Zephyr was having twins of her own caused her great alarm.

Twins were a terrible omen after all.

If they were both daughters, if she had a birth that mirrored Mihara’s, Jan’ahrem knew a change would come to their lands. Whether it would be good or bad, Jan’ahrem truly did not know, but the record so far had not been favorable.

Jan’ahrem pushed these fears aside and instead raised an eyebrow. “How are you so sure they’ll both be daughters?”

Her follower laughed at this question. “Of course, they’ll both be daughters, what else could be so undoing?”

At this, Jan’ahrem looked down at the woman. A woman she considered a daughter of her own and smirked with a knowing expression. “Well, there is one thing, but I suppose you’ll discover that answer in time.”

Later Zephyr would give birth to two daughters, both inheriting her blue hair. The eldest would be healthy, strong, and develop a strong sense of right and wrong. To her, the world existed in only two shades, black and white. The younger sister, however, would be a bit more frail, and weaker than her sister but much more cunning and intelligent with a morality that only existed in one color.

Gray.

The Rune Wars would eventually reach their borders, and Justice itself would gaze down upon them to cast judgment. Jan’ahrem would protect her children from this powerful gaze, but it would not be without cost.

On that day, half of her children led by Zephyr would sacrifice themselves to empower their World Rune and thus give their Goddess the strength she lacked to shield them all and fend off the threat to their land. The War would come to an end and Jan’ahrem’s name would go down in infamy amongst the gods who bore witness to her might.

Not that she cared.

No, she would grieve and fulfill Zephyr’s promise, becoming one with her lost child. Reborn within Zaun’s River, Jan’ahrem would arise as Janna and pick up the pieces of Zaun with her remaining children. Children led by the two daughters Zephyr left behind. Despite their differences, the two daughters worked in perfect unison and though they may not have always liked each other, they did love each other.

The eldest would work steadfastly in the light, spearheading their people toward the future and adopting her own name as she worked alongside others to keep their land safe. Eventually, this name would change and evolve with time, before becoming the one word synonymous with peace and prosperity.

Kiramman.

The other daughter, however, would work in the shadows. Doing the deeds her sister was unable to and constantly placing the land in positions of power to protect their people and their coin. She cared little for legacy and remained nameless. To her, a legacy just meant that her children would be forced to inherit her burdens or worse, make them weak and unable to take control of their lives with their own two hands.

Where the eldest daughter denied the rot in their land and fought against it, the youngest embraced it and used it to her advantage. In time, the rest of Janna’s children would flock to one of these two daughters who each controlled the land on opposite sides of the river. When it came time for the daughters to have children of their own, Janna blessed them both with small gifts, trinkets that were adored by their mother.

For the eldest, she gave a small crystal native to her side of the river that pulsed with untapped energy.

For the youngest, she gave a bright flower that would never wilt, one that shone with a power unknown.

Truly these girls were Janna’s pride, but unfortunately, the same could not be said for the rest of her children. The biggest consequence of the Rune Wars was that those of her children who had made that great sacrifice had also been the strongest among them. For whom else but the truly strong would have the heart to perform such an act?

This meant that in time, the most spoiled and ungrateful of her children would spit in the face of that sacrifice. The sacrifices made by Zephyr’s daughters and their descendants. So consumed by their own greed and petty squabbles they would eventually develop disdain for Janna herself and openly denounce her, something which Janna did not take kindly to.

And to Janna’s surprise, it seemed that at some point she had developed enough heart to punish her children.

And that punishment?

Was spectacular.

 

 

-Flashback: End-

Book of Janna: Old Testament: End

-Current Day: Noxus: Trifarix Chambers-

Standing on opposite sides of the war table, Darius and The Faceless planned the next moves in their great expansion. As they discussed various points of interest, Swain stood off to the side of the balcony, gazing up at the bright blue sky.

“Demacia, Ionia, and even the rebels in our homeland,” The Faceless mused. “Not to mention whatever that treacherous witch Leblanc is plotting. Perhaps we should have gone after each nation one at a time after crushing that foolish resistance first?”

“And give the Demacians and Ionians time to prepare?” Darius questioned rhetorically. “Half the reason we can fight them to a standstill with our forces spread so thin is because we caught them by surprise.”

“Yes, but that’s just it, a standstill.” The Faceless pointed out. “I have no doubt we will win the war of attrition as you have planned. We are Noxus. The problem is when. Ten years? Twenty? I’ll still be beautiful, and Swain’s feathered friend will keep him around. However, what about you? You’re already beginning to gray my dear.”

Darius raised an eyebrow as he looked at her skeptically. “Concerned about my health?”

“Stick in the mud that you are, you’re still an important asset.” The Faceless reminded him. “I’d much rather we get the most use out of you as possible before you kick the bucket, and wasting your life on this one war when we have many more lands to conquer is far from ideal.”

Darius rolled his eyes. “Touched.”

“I knew you would be,” The Faceless teased. “Still, as stubborn as you are, I know better than to try to change your mind without offering a good alternative. So instead, I implore you to help me begin working on your replacement.”

“My replacement?” Darius repeated, though he hated to admit it, he knew that he was not getting any younger. While he still had decades of service left within him, the time would come for him to step down either by choice or blade. “I take it you have someone in mind?”

After all, the Faceless would not have brought it up if she hadn’t.

“Indeed, one you would approve of as well.”  The Faceless informed him and he had to repress a shudder when he could feel the smirk behind her veil. “Tell me, Darius, how is young Invetia?” The Faceless questioned. “With all your tours, it’s unfortunate that your daughter can so rarely see her father.”

No.

Not her.

Darius blinked when he realized he had spoken the words aloud.

The Faceless laughed. “Oh my, dear Darius, was that weakness I just heard?”

Darius grimaced at her teasing and glared at her. “No. It was horror that you’d suggest such a terrible replacement.”

“Terrible?” The Faceless tilted her head. “How so? One could argue that she is more you than you.”

“That’s the problem,” Darius muttered. “She’s even more loyal than me,” Darius admitted freely, and it was a testament to his daughter’s loyalty that the other two hadn’t considered his words to be treason.

He simply stated a fact.

Though he had never officially claimed her as his blood daughter, more for her safety, he knew better than to think both Swain and the Faceless didn’t know. In fact, it was likely the worst-kept secret in all of Noxus. Not only had he been happily married to her mother Quiletta Varn, a woman he had known since he was a child, but it was also as the Faceless said…

…Invetia was more him than even he was.

His son had been killed by one of Singed’s bombs in Ionia and the poison had eaten away at his wife’s arm. Understandably disillusioned, his wife had been all but done with anything regarding Noxus only to be killed by their daughter who had enough of her mother’s ‘weakness’.

Invetia would be the best of all of Noxus’ soldiers, given time, a hero to her people. Darius knew this without a doubt, but she was no leader.

Her lack of temperament would destroy Noxus and the world with it.

It was by sheer luck that his child had no desire to ever lead. She was completely content with doing her duty as a citizen of Noxus and acting head of House Varn.

It was then that Darius remembered that after the Progress Day ball, the Faceless had returned and given House Varn all that remained of House Hastur’s assets, substantially increasing its power and influence.

Darius glowered at her. “You planned this.” Darius shook his head. “Matters not. Even with your ‘bribe’ I will still refuse. I will not let you doom our nation. A rebel would be a better pick!”

At this, the Faceless laughed and Darius felt his heart plummet while Swain continued to gaze outside, unfazed by the discussion.

Times like this were when Darius was reminded that he was still the youngest in the room. While his mastery of the battlefield was second to none in Noxus, the Faceless could manipulate the inner workings of nations and place people in positions of power wherever and whenever she wanted.

He protected the borders and expanded them, and she controlled what happened inside of them.

Both used their talents to further Swains’ vision.

Might, Guile, and Vision.

They were the embodiments of these ideals.

The embodiments of Noxus.

“A rebel, hm? Funny you’d say that.” The Faceless mused, and as Darius realized that while yes, the woman had a plan, he simply didn’t know how far it went. “Very well, let’s do that then. We’ll take a rebel and begin to prepare them to take your spot.”

Darius frowned. “Excuse me?”

“Yes, yes, a rather ingenious idea but I can’t take the credit,” the Faceless told him. “It was one our beloved Zaun inspired. As you know they had their own rebellion that they crushed, and without bloodshed at that.”

Darius’ eyes narrowed. “You’re referring to the Firelights.” Darius scoffed. “Yes, the fighting stopped, and they gained peace, but that was only because their leader could find common ground. What common ground could we possibly have with the rebels?”

“A desire for a better Noxus?” The Faceless pointed out and Darius paused. “A ‘better Zaun’ was the only common ground between Baron Ekko and Queen Jinx and look how that all played out?”

“You’re suggesting we surrender!?” Darius questioned incredulously.

“I’m suggesting that some…concessions may need to be made, boy.” The Faceless drawled. “We won’t send them to Mordekaiser, and they put down their arms. Perhaps we could limit the civilian casualties a bit in our expansions, hm?” The Faceless suggested. “Fear tactics are quick, easy, and efficient up until the point they start birthing rebellions. The time to change tactics has long since passed.”

Darius shook his head. “Even so, the rebels have forgotten the Noxian way–”

“Then they will be taught once more,” the Faceless told him. “As with all children, when they lose their way, it is up to their parents, their elders, to set them back on the path. Their power is respectable as are their tactics on the battlefield so you may have forgotten, but most of them are just that, Darius. Children. In the grand scheme of things, at least.”

Darius pursed his lips, but his curiosity eventually won out. “Who and how?”

The Faceless folded her arms behind her back. “Well, there was just the cutest little rebel that shamed your little brother in quite the spectacle a few years back wasn’t there?”

Darius clenched his fists as he remembered that aforementioned spectacle.

Riven.

A younger warrior, one of the best soldiers Noxus had until she became disillusioned and joined the rebels. Eventually, she had been captured and made a slave, but instead of killing her, his brother believed he’d make a show out of it. An asinine attempt to stamp out the rebels’ morals.

Instead, the opposite happened.

Despite being bound she single-handedly took out the Colosseum’s best fighters and then proceeded to defeat his brother and earn her freedom. For better or worse, rebel or not, she won her freedom like a true Noxian, and they wouldn’t dare to defy the old ways in front of so many witnesses or else they risked fueling the flames of rebellion even further.

Both Swain and Darius had to convince the Faceless not to kill his brother as his actions inadvertently tied her hands. Any assassination attempt of Riven inside of Noxus would be traced directly back to her and if the people couldn’t trust the Trifarix there would be no order.

Riven had been a threat to their nation’s stability and a thorn in the Faceless’ side ever since.

A problem that had no solution…

…until now.

“I propose this. We learn from Zaun’s example.” The Faceless told them. “Many of the rebels are former nobles, many used to be some of our best soldiers. We need them back under our banner. Tell our people that they have earned the right to have their voices heard and we can be seen as kind and compassionate leaders who adhere to the old ways no matter the situation. Of course, all of this is after we convince Riven to be your heir.”

“And how do you propose we do that?” Darius questioned while thinking over her words.

“Oh, that’s the easy part,” the Faceless waved her hand dismissively. “I kidnap her and explain, in no uncertain terms, that the only chance she has at changing Noxus in any meaningful way and also not having all of her comrades sent to Mordekaiser, is to accept.”

Darius was skeptical. “Remind me, how many of your assassins has she killed before my brother’s failure?” Despite the surprisingly high turnover when it came to the Faceless’ assassins, they were good at their jobs. In fact, they had a 95% success rate, which was by far the highest in the known world.

The problem was the remaining 5%

According to The Faceless, at some point over the years, the world had just started creating freaks. Individuals with powers, knowledge, or just plain lacking in sanity that brought her men’s once 100% success rate down to 95%.

Three notable examples all came from the current royal family of Zaun.

Between her men being out-stealthed by a damn Demacian Noble, brutally murdered by a crazed Zaunite thug that barely had more than five feet to her build, and the deaths of her assassins by a literal child it was safe to say that both Darius and Swain had seen the Faceless’ consumption of alcohol rise.

The Faceless bristled at the question, something that made Darius smirk, and he wondered if she was forcing a smile on her face or outright glaring at him behind her veil.

“Simple,” The Faceless told him, her voice suspiciously tight. “I’ll do it my fucking self.”

Darius’ eyes snapped open at that.

Oh.

Shit.

This meant she was serious.

Whenever The Faceless herself carried out a mission, she always got results.

Period.

Though the record of her men had fallen, her personal record remained perfect.

“And where will she stay?” Darius questioned knowing full well that The Faceless would succeed in kidnapping Riven.

“Where do you think?” The Faceless questioned and to his credit, it only took him a second to put the pieces together.

That’s why she had given House Varn all of House Hastur’s power!

“House Varn,” Darius muttered. “You plan on having Riven stay with Invetia?” Darius questioned. “One of them will be dead in an hour. Invetia would never tolerate a rebel.”

“She would if we order her to,” The Faceless pointed out, her voice now cold as steel. Invetia treated their words as law for their words were the words of Noxus itself. If she defied them, even by accident, Darius knew Invetia would kill herself long before the assassins could even get to her.

“But…why?” Darius finally asked.

“They’re on two opposite sides of the spectrum,” The Faceless told him. “One is a treacherous dog and the other is a loyal hound, but both are rabid. However, they are both children, they can be taught. Officially, I will have Invetia be Riven’s tutor in the hopes that your girl learns something from the experience, develops some patience, so that we can have a capable head of a powerful House. Having said House back your replacement is also ideal.”

The Faceless sighed.

“Not only that but if they can learn from each other, they might become two functioning members of Noxian society.” The Faceless added. “They’re powerful, and if we are to take over this world, we need that power. They’re vastly different, but they are the same where it matters. They want the best for Noxus. As we have all learned recently, having two vastly different but powerful people share at least one goal can shape the world.”

It was then that it all clicked for Darius.

“That’s it, that’s the answer, isn’t it?” Darius questioned looking between the Faceless and Swain. “Two years ago, I asked why you let the Zaunite have the Hastur heir. Why you two were so invested in their family and Zaun. You were using them as a test.”

“Indeed.” Swain finally spoke up, not once turning to face them. In the distance, he saw a raven flying toward him. “More than that we used both Zaun and Piltover to test multiple theories, political and otherwise. Why do you think I have pushed so hard for the faith of Mordekaiser despite my complicated relationship with him?” Swain asked curiously.

This stunned Darius as it had been something he often wondered.

Out of all Noxians, Swain was likely the least faithful toward Mordekaiser, yet he was the one who pushed the newfound faith the most to their people.

“Religion breeds faith,” Swain began. “Faith breeds morale. Morale breeds victory, which is something we have learned from Zaun as well. Zaun is a living, breathing, simulation of how various changes could impact our society. I had you maintain the threat of war with the Twin Cities so they wouldn’t notice our influence.”

Swain could have scoffed.

Honestly, why would they waste their time with war against Piltover and Zaun?

Especially when Noxian blood would soon sit upon the throne?

“It was a test, but I will not try to insult your intelligence by saying that I was not personally invested.” Swain continued. “That family…amuses me. I wanted them to succeed, and this desire granted me the flexibility of mind that I have been admittedly lacking in our endeavors.”

Swain extended his arm and the raven landed on it.

It was a fragment of the demon Raum that did not belong to this world.

To this time.

When it merged with the demon within him, Swain saw it all. Years that both happened and did not. A tale that would remain untold. A story of a daughter of Noxus, igniting the very world. The faces fading in the flames and how it was all her fault…

…but…

The story continued and from the ashes of those flames, new faces both new and familiar arose. Smiling, happy, across all nations, a new world born from the actions of what he could currently see was a smiling Noxian girl being held by her foreign mothers in a foreign land.

A time of change.

A new glory for Noxus.

And this too was…

…all…

…her…

…fault.

“Beautiful.” Swaine mused.

“You finally got the results?” The Faceless questioned and Swain turned away from the window to face them.

“I have, and they exceed my expectations. It’s time for us to change strategies,” Swain informed them. “Time for us to change our vision and acquire even more for Noxus than we ever thought possible.”

Darius looked at them incredulously, unable to fathom something that surpassed the glory he had already envisioned.

Yet he knew it was no lie.

One look at Swain could tell him that.

“Tell me. What matters most?” Swain questioned. “Our banner or our blood? Which is it that truly carries the legacy of Noxus? In time, the Twin Cities will own nearly all the gold in these lands. With our blood on the throne deepening our already amicable relationship with Zaun, and fostering new bonds with Piltover, they will work alongside us so well, so symbiotically, that they would be Noxus in all but name.”

Swain looked between them.

“Destroying them and raising our banner over theirs would do nothing but create instability for our lands.” Swain continued. “Again, the Twin Cities will be Noxus in all but name. I’m willing to let them be called whatever they want and operate however they want if we continue to reap all the benefits.”

“You finally found it,” The Faceless said knowingly. “The hill you’re willing to die on.”

Swain nodded. “I have.”

“Then allow me to congratulate you on finally walking the path to be a true King.” The Faceless praised him, surprising Darius. “Darius has long since committed to dying on whatever hill you’d choose. I only ask that you have room for one more.”

Swain’s lips curved ever so slightly when he nodded.

There was a shift in the room then, something changing in the atmosphere as the Trifarix seemed to finally, finally, fall into step with one another. Moving forward, Swain placed his hands on the war table.

“A bond of blood won us the Twin Cities, the heart of the known world.” Swain told them. “Imagine what we could accomplish with more. Yes, that will be the next course of action. We will spread our blood, topple our strongest adversaries from the inside, and spread the will of Noxus. Not even those in the world uncharted or even those lurking within the Void will be able to stop our Might, Guile, and Vision.”

A green flame poured from his hands, destroying the map.

It was useless now.

They had a new plan, and Noxus would win this war within the decade, and it would be centuries before the rest of Runeterra even realized it.

“History is written by the victors and heroes are just the killers who won,” The Faceless mused before facing Darius. “It will be strange, will it not? Not being seen as the villains.”

“Labels never mattered, we do what we do for Noxus,” Darius told her as he got ready for the paradigm shift the nation would go through, one that would shock the entire world. “Whether it be through bloodshed or lending our blood, either way, we are eliminating the weak from this world.” Darius turned from the table. “I will take my leave. I will inform Invetia of her new duties personally. As I have been reminded, it has been a while since we had last conversed.”

The Faceless gave him a lazy wave and Swain nodded.

“Guess I’ll take my leave then and find Riven,” The Faceless said taking the form of the Ionian, Irelia. From her intelligence, she knew that Riven and Irelia had once been comrades in arms.

“A familiar face always succeeds at lowering their guards,” The Faceless mused which made Swain raise an eyebrow.

“Just make sure you’re not seen by our countrymen walking around like,” Swain advised.

“When am I ever seen when I don’t want to be?” The Faceless questioned before she simply…vanished. “Still,” The Faceless continued, her voice echoing throughout the chambers. “If someone can spot me, I’ll hire them.”

“Understandable,” Swain mused. “Do let Katarina know I require her audience before you begin your mission.”

“I will.”

With that, the voice went silent, and Swain assumed she had left. Swain moved to his throne and sat down.

“Well then, when she arrives, we will begin with Demacia.” Swain mused as he thought of particularly powerful Demacian soldier, a Crownguard, that had been a thorn in his side for too long. “Our blood has already infiltrated that family once, lets see if Katarina can allow us to do it again.”

It would be impossible to get their blood on Demacia’s throne in the current generation, maybe even the next one as well. That said the Crownguards were positioned politically in a way that would be easy for Noxus to access and, in time, they would provide opening that would be needed to reach the royal bloodline.

 

-Four Years Later: Zaun: Kiramman Manor-

“I don’t know what’s more insane,” Jinx muttered before taking a bite out of her toast as she and her wife sat at the table. Jinx tossed the letter on the table and rubbed the bridge of her nose. “The fact that Birdman called for an assembly of the world’s leaders, the fact that he agreed to have it in Demacia, or the fact that the other leaders actually fucking agreed.”

“All of the above?” Lux suggested as she sipped on her coffee. Jinx groaned and slumped even lower in her seat. Safe to say, a couple of years ago when Noxus suddenly pulled its forces from both Demacia and the territories in Ionia it hadn’t captured under its banner, she and her wife had been floored just like the rest of the world.

And as expected, with the entirety of its military back at home, the resistance within Noxus had been swiftly stamped out.

Unexpectantly, however, there had been no news of any mass executions, which confused everyone.

Even stranger, despite stabilizing, Noxus remained quiet.

It was a testament to how much Noxus lived rent-free in everyone’s heads when even Jinx was getting worried.

She was possibly the one world leader that was the safest from Noxus.

Even Lux still worried her Illuminator days would have her targeted for fuck’s sake!

Lux had worried greatly about her brother over the years when his letters began to show how much his mind was starting to fray at the edges due to his paranoia. Apparently, from his last letter, Tianna hadn’t gotten a good night’s sleep in weeks.

Lux could only guess how much it worsened with Noxus agreeing to hold the assembly in Demacia to “accommodate” for Demacia’s “underdeveloped means of transportation.” Yes, that had been a shot at her homeland, but it was Noxus, that much pettiness was expected and even tame considering Demacia’s bold request.

Lux sighed. “We must go, Jinx. We’re the Queens.”

Jinx pouted, looking close to tears. “But I don’t wanna….”

Lux snorted at this. “And I do? On the contrary, my love, I was very content with forgetting my relatives, sans Garen, existed. I’d rather deal with your dad again than my parents.”

“Can’t we just send Ekko?”

“And insult General Swain?” Lux asked incredulously. “My heart holds no warmth for the man, but we owe him. He sent us his best architects and because of that Renata was able to construct the Storm Gate without any issues.”

They had already been well off, but after the Storm Gate opened, they were disgustingly rich.

Lux had learned then that there was truly a thing as having too much money.

It got to the point where Jinx ran out of places to hide the gold and ended up creating the first official bank of Zaun which was now the fifth building in their territory after opening a Magic Academy. Safe to say, as paranoid as Jinx was, having all their gold in one spot meant she couldn’t sleep until the security was up to par. When she was done, even Singed looked taken aback at how fortified the bank was.

Breaking into it would be a death sentence.

All the traps had been built, scrapped, and then rebuilt using Ekko as a test subject.

If the Man Who Shattered Time couldn’t break in, no one could.

“How old is Annie?” Jinx questioned as if she hadn’t committed the knowledge to memory.

Still, Lux humored her.

“Fourteen.”

“Eight.” Jinx muttered. “Eight years and then I’m tossing her the crown and you and I are fucking off to Ionia like we should have done at first. We’re owed at least a year of vacation.”

“That’s true,” Lux mused. “I suppose, Zeri can handle being headmistress of the Magic Academy for a year. Especially now that she’s mastered her ice magic.”

It had taken a bit for Lux to get a hang of her second element and Zeri fared no better. Still through trial, error, liberal uses of Ekko’s Z-drive, and some help from a wandering mage named Ryze, they had gotten them down just in time for the first real wave of Zaunite mages to start popping up. There were only a handful of mages, ages ranging from five to sixteen. Yet whether they were children or late-bloomers, they all received the care and attention they needed.

The care and attention both Lux and Zeri wish they had.

Even Annie and Nunu attended and acted as aids for the remedial lessons before staying back after class for their own advanced training.

“Decide on what you’re going to do when you retire?” Lux asked curiously and Jinx sighed.

“Keep it to yourself, but I’m going to take Little Man up on his offer,” Jinx revealed before giving Lux a lazy smile when she saw her wife gaping at her. “Guess we’ll both be teachers, huh?”

Like Lux, Ekko got the school in his territory up and running as well.

Ziggs was the headmaster, Ekko was just too busy with his own ventures to take over, but he was still teaching part-time. There was a lot of untapped talent in Zaun that needed to be nurtured. Annie and Nunu attended this school as well. For Nunu, it was to gain basic knowledge in gadgetry, a necessity in Zaun, and to one day be able to inherit the Z-drive.

For Annie however…

…Lux sighed, a worried expression on her face which instantly put Jinx on alert.

“Flashlight, what’s wrong?”

“It’s Annie, do…do you think she’s doing too much?” Lux asked worriedly. Both the Magic Academy and the University lasted three hours a day. Once the Academy ended, any mages who also had an interest in gadgetry had an hour to get to Ekko’s territory before the lessons began. At the end of the day, it was still Zaun and for their safety, Lux or Zeri would teleport the students who were unable to do so to the territory and pick them up.

It was only a minor inconvenience, but they both knew they couldn’t do it forever which was why Jinx and Ekko were working on miniature teleporters that moved between the schools. It would have been simpler to have both schools to be in one area, but the mages needed to be closer to the Gray and the University students needed peace and quiet that was unavailable in the heart of the Lanes.

Lux and Zeri both also knew better than to teach the youth how to teleport before their responsibility and maturity could be properly vetted. Unlike the other students, Annie and Nunu could teleport and often moved between the schools on their own. Yet, while Nunu stopped his lessons after the University’s school day ended, Annie did not.

No, after the University closed for the day, she’d then teleport Topside and catch classes with Ren.

It was Zaunite culture to thrive in the night which was why both schools started their days earlier in the morning. When the University closed its doors, Ren’s private school in Piltover would open theirs. The cousins had remained inseparable all these years and the only reason Ren didn’t attend the University was because she was apprenticing under Jayce.

Lux and Jinx had half expected Annie to ask them to make Jayce apprentice her when, instead, she shocked them both.

On top of her current studies, Annie took on an apprenticeship, but it wasn’t just one, but two.

She’d spend two days at the beginning of the week studying under Singed, supervised by whoever was available in their family. Singed was one of Zaun’s biggest assets, but that didn’t mean they trusted him at all. That said, though he was a mad scientist, he was also unironically the best healer they had in the Undercity. Which worked well considering their daughter’s fascination with the healing arts.

These lessons were bi-weekly as every other week, Annie would instead work under Renata in Glasc Industries. Again, they were filthy rich, but Annie’s Noxian pride flared up at some point during puberty and she wanted to make her own money.

It was…jarring…to say the least when Annie’s “rebellious” phase manifested itself in trying to become a productive member of society. While Lux had often found herself lost for words trying to raise her daughter, nothing would ever top the time Jinx unironically asked, “Where did we go wrong?” when Annie snuck out one winter night…to participate in a food drive and provide heat for the homeless who were awaiting their annual heaters.

Like…how did they even punish that?

In the end, they just ended up telling her to give them a heads-up next time before grounding her for all of four hours and buying her tickets to one of Seraphine’s concerts.

They couldn’t believe it, but Annie had been easier to parent when she was murdering people left and right.

At least then they knew what to do and didn’t feel so…useless.

What was worse was that on top of all of this, the Trifarix had reached out to them and offered to shelter Annie for four years so that she could learn more about her roots and her homeland. Of course, this would only be after Annie finished her studies, which would be in four more years.

They both wanted to refuse, Lux because she didn’t trust Noxus at all and Jinx for similar reasons.

Jinx didn’t think they’d harm their daughter, but she did believe there was a plan she wasn’t being made privy to.

However, despite this, Annie agreed.

Things had gotten tense for about a week after that due to the resulting argument. Eventually, it was Annie who brought it to an end.

[“Fine, I won’t say yes now but in four years, if I say yes, back off. If you can’t trust me to make decisions for myself when I’m grown, why are you wasting your time with me now?”]

The words were a bitch-slap to the face, but…they were right.

“She’s growing up,” Jinx muttered, snapping Lux from her musings. “This…uselessness we feel? Well, I’ve been thinking, maybe it, I don’t know, makes sense?”

“Oh?’ Lux questioned curiously.

“Yeah, like, she’s getting older, she won’t need us forever.” Jinx pointed out. “Maybe feeling useless is a good thing? If she doesn’t need us, then we did a good job.” Jinx gave her a bittersweet smile. “Like, look at us, we don’t need our parents anymore, right?”

“I’m not sure if we’re the best examples,” Lux pointed out with a small frown. Yeah, they didn’t need their parents, but Lux barely had any, to begin with, and Jinx lost hers to tragedy after tragedy, she didn’t have a chance to need them. “But I do see your point.”

Jinx’s shoulders sagged, looking a little defeated. “Think about it, we’ve been her moms for six years and we’re only twenty-seven. We were both young and to say we were going through a lot is an understatement. You lost your country, your purpose, and I found one for the first real time. We had to care for her, raise her, all while building a nation.”

“What are you saying?”

“That during all that shit, all that craziness, she was the only constant.” Jinx told her. “She was like, a safety net, a rock that held us down that we had to grab on to tightly or else the world would fucking end us. Things stabilized, but maybe, just maybe, we’re still clinging on too tightly, you know?”

Lux tilted her head back and closed her eyes which had begun to burn as she took in Jinx’s words. “Yeah,” Lux whispered. “I know. I hate when you make sense, you know that right?”

Jinx cracked a small smile. “Yeah, I know, sometimes I hate it too. Look, soon we’re going to have to step back and finally face the elephant in the room. We’re gonna have to find out who we are besides being her moms. We already found new jobs, and you got a head start teaching those other mages, plus there’s the vacation I mentioned. We still have plenty of time to let go, cause clinging on isn’t healthy and I’d personally like to be remembered as the cool mom.”

“Yeah, you’re-hey!” Lux’s eyes snapped as she glared playfully at her wife who stuck out her tongue. Lux couldn’t help but chuckle, her face softening as that feeling of uselessness was replaced with a familiar warmth that her wife always gave her.  “Not healthy, huh?” Lux questioned knowingly which made Jinx, the embodiment of toxicity, blush. “Have you been reading one of Annie’s books?”

“I, er, I mean I was bored one night, and it was just lying there on the counter,” Jinx explained bashfully. “I flipped through a few pages, that’s all.”

Lux proved how much she learned over the years in Zaun by successfully hiding her reaction from her wife. The thing was, it had been an unspoken rule in the family to never put Jinx and anything even remotely related to the word therapy in the same sentence. Jinx was stubborn, prideful, and skeptical when it came to the field.

To make matters worse, Jinx was intelligent which only reinforced the three other factors.

Jinx didn’t believe in therapy, nor did she want help.

Why was this important?

It was important because, while Annie hadn’t been the neatest child, she also never lost any of her possessions. Like Jinx, when it came to her belongings, Annie could always pinpoint where they were and if they weren’t there it meant that the item was moved.

This was practically a death sentence to anyone who touched what was hers.

Even now, this remains one of Annie’s remaining triggers.

Lux knew that the book hadn’t been placed there by accident. Annie left it there knowing full well that Jinx’s infamous curiosity would win, and she’d pick it up.  They knew they couldn’t make Jinx take the first steps. Jinx would have to do it herself and see that getting help didn’t mean that they wanted her to change.

They just wanted her to be happy, even while she was alone, and to see that “Jinx” wasn’t just the bad things “Powder” picked up.

Placing the book for Jinx was a calculated move that even Lux hadn’t thought of.

Their baby really was growing up.

Lux realized that now, just as she realized that this meant she was next.

Now that Jinx was at least facing the right direction, even if she never took a step forward, it meant Lux would have to work on herself as well. Unlike Jinx, Lux knew exactly what was wrong with her in almost minute detail. She could trace each of her idiosyncrasies back to the trauma that caused them. From her PTSD to her almost crippling co-dependency, Lux knew it all.

She just simply believed that she could compartmentalize and push forward despite them.

And Lux knew that this way of living wasn’t healthy, that it wasn’t right, but she was a workaholic. If it meant allowing her to continue her work, to stay busy, so she wouldn’t have to think about the pain and heartbreak then she’d gladly let the baggage build up as long as she was the only one affected by its burden. Lux would even justify all this by telling herself that if Jinx could do it then so could she.

Clearly, that excuse would no longer work.

Especially if her co-dependency forced her to adapt so her wife wouldn’t leave her behind.

Annie had knocked out two birds with one stone and hadn’t even said a word.

Lux was proud.

“Look I still don’t believe in this shit, but I’ll admit there might be a good point or two,” Jinx muttered. “Even a broken clock is right twice, you know?”

“Yeah, I know.” Lux smiled.

It was then that they heard footsteps running down the stairs.

“Bye Lux, Bye Jinx, I’ll be back tomorrow!” Annie called out but before she could leave, Jinx called out to her with a scowl.

“Hold it!” Jinx snapped which made Annie tense. “What the fuck are you wearing?”

“W-what…this old thing?” The teenager repeated nervously as Jinx rose from the table.

“Get in here.” Jinx’s words left no room for argument, and they heard their daughter sigh before she walked into the kitchen. “Yeah, no. There is no way you’re going out wearing that.”

“What’s wrong with this?” Annie questioned, she was wearing a long-sleeved blouse beneath a vest and a skirt that reached her knees. Between the pair of long socks, sneakers, and the hairband she borrowed from Lux, Annie looked damn near preppy. The oddest things about the outfit were that she was carrying a bag that had Tibbers peeking out from within it and that there were four golden bands around the four fingers of her right hand, each with runes engraved into the metal.

These had been the proofs she and Jinx crafted for their daughter.

“What’s wrong? Annie, you look like a fucking nun,” Jinx said dryly. “No daughter of mine is going to a concert looking a Piltie’s wet dream.”

“It’s a Piltovan concert!” Annie said incredulously. “Well technically, Piltovan and Zaun, but the venue is in Piltover.”

Now to any other family in any other nation, this conversation would have seemed backwards.

But for their family, it made sense.

And it was why Lux, who was privy to words left unsaid, narrowed her eyes as well.

“Annie,” Lux spoke up. “Change.”

“Lux, you too!?”

“Yes, me too,” Lux’s expression softened slightly. “Annie, what you wear behind closed doors is your business. You also know I have never stopped you from expressing yourself. But you’re not a little girl anymore. This is about safety, if not for you, then for those who might get caught in the crossfire when you burn some unfortunate soul down. Concerts are very crowded and no matter how skilled you think you are, it’s better to avoid accidents altogether.”

“Mom, I’m wearing this, so I don’t have to kill anyone!”

“Which is the problem,” Jinx said dryly, her eyes shining. Annie looked at her in confusion. “Your mom’s right. You’ll always be my little girl, but those proofs on your hands show you aren’t one. You’re a bad bitch in training, and if you think changing your clothes is going to change that, you’re wrong. You’re cute regardless of what you wear.”

“You’re trying to stop perverts, I know,” Lux continued knowingly. She remembered the unfortunate day Annie’s streak of not killing anyone was reset. She had been on her way to meet her mothers at the Chembaron Chambers when some fool drunk off their ass had gotten a bit handsy.

Their death had not been a fast one.

It had not been clean either.

On that day Zaun received a grim reminder that the Dark Child was very much still there.

It also served as a reminder for Jinx and Lux that their Dark Child was no longer a child.

No one knows what happened after that, but the dumbass’ bloodline had been eradicated from Zaun.

The citizens assumed it was Jinx and Lux who did the deed, but the massacre had happened before they could finish comforting their daughter. Given their friends and family, who all had a vested interest in Annie’s wellbeing, there was no shortage of suspects. That said, in true Zaunite fashion, nobody they questioned snitched. It was to the point that they wondered if the killer had even been one of their friends or family members.

After all, Annie had a lot of fans in Zaun as a whole.

Still, when it came to the drunkard themself, they had been one of the few kills Annie took no pleasure in.

On the contrary, she had felt dirty.

It was as if the choice to reset her kill streak had been taken from her.

“You think this will help but it won’t,” Jinx continued with a shake. “It’ll make it worse. You know why?” Jinx asked rhetorically before gesturing toward her mark. “Because by covering up, you’re covering up the real protection.”

Annie’s eyes widened at that.

Lux nodded her head in agreement. Their mark had already been feared, but after the Harrowing and the years of prosperity that’s followed so far, it had become a religious symbol in the eyes of Zaunites and its infamy even reached Topside.

If you saw the clouds, you walked the fuck away, it was really that simple.

For six years, Lux had the mark and not once had anyone tested her. It was unfortunate but Annie did not have her mark started the day her record broke. Now that she had it, it was as Jinx had pointed out. Annie was becoming an attractive woman and covering the mark would just lead to more incidents.

However, more importantly than that…

…Lux strolled forward and placed both of her hands on Annie’s shoulders, making sure she could gaze deep into her daughter’s eyes.

“Like I said, not once have I ever stopped you from expressing yourself,” Lux reminded Annie, her eyes burning gold. “So don’t you dare let someone else stop you. I don’t care if you end up burning these cities down, do you understand me?”

Annie clenched her fists but bowed her head nodding silently as she didn’t trust her voice.

Lux smiled.

“Good, now do as your mother said and go change.” Lux told her. “I can send a message to let Seraphine know to hold off for a bit. I’ll have her blame the delay on technical issues. Now go.”

Annie turned and quickly ran back to her room.

“Well, looks like our job isn’t done just yet,” Jinx mused, and Lux nodded before grabbing Jinx’s tablet from her waist and shooting a message to Seraphine. “You think we should tell her about the assassins yet?”

Ever since that incident, word had swiftly made its way through the grapevine and to Noxus. Likely from one of the spies the nation had in Zaun. They were allies, so Jinx just let them be as Zaun had nothing to hide, just as she let the assassins that entered Zaun undercover shortly after be as well.

The fact their daughter didn’t know she had a private squad of trained killers protecting her showed that Jinx and Lux still had work to do despite how fast Annie was growing up.

“No, that piece of shit did the impossible and made our daughter afraid to walk the streets of her own nation,” Lux said and the light in the room dimmed as her eyes flashed a shimmering purple that matched her wife’s. Of course, Annie wasn’t afraid of any perverts, rather, she was afraid of breaking her streak again and feeling dirty. The need to feel in control was one thing their family coveted. “I wish I had a better approach, but we can only be here for her. Some battles, especially mental ones, she needs to overcome with her own strength.”

“Yeah, you’re right, the proofs aren’t just for show, she’ll beat this.” Jinx said before she hugged her wife from behind and kissed her neck so that she’d calm down. “You sure you aren’t the one who wiped out that family? At this point, my money is on you, Big Hat, or Glasc.”

“No, but speaking of Caitlyn, she had mentioned something that I had only recently been able to verify,” Lux pointed out, which made Jinx’s eyes widen.

“Say what? Well don’t leave me hanging, what did you find?” Jinx questioned. There were a lot of murders that went unsolved in Zaun, but very few that Jinx had actively investigated remained that way.

Especially if she had Caitlyn’s help.

“Caitlyn mentioned that the room had been colder than she expected,” Lux began. “I almost ignored it because it was night and Zaun is by the sea but then I remembered that Caitlyn would obviously know that. Which meant it was cold enough for even her to take note of. I went there, and sure enough, there were signs of ice magic.”

“Bullshit,” Jinx said incredulously. “Zeri? Well shit, she’s fast enough to get it done so cleanly, I’ll give her that. Wonder why she played so coy about it? I owe her a drink.”

“Honey,” Lux interrupted as she gently placed a hand on Jinx’s forearm. “Zeri was with us when the killings happened.”

Lux gazed into Jinx’s eyes knowingly and waited for the lightbulb to click.

It didn’t take long.

“Oh.” Jinx looked as though something had blown up in her face. “Well, shit.”

“I may be speaking prematurely,” Lux began as she turned to fully face her wife. “And I know we just talked about how our jobs aren’t over just yet, but I think she’ll be in good hands when we step down.”

Jinx’s shoulders slumped. “Damn it.”

“Disappointed?”

“Hell yeah!” Jinx complained. “Do you have any idea how hard it is and how much effort I put into trying to hate that brat? He’s like, one of the best kids ever.”

Lux giggled at that. “Yes, well, I’m sure liking him won’t be too bad,” Lux teased before she kissed her wife on the cheek. “Besides, getting over it now will help you be remembered as the cool mom and not the In-law they hate to visit.”

Jinx did perk up at this. “Hey, yeah, you’re right!” Jinx then chuckled as she glanced back at the letter on the table. “Speaking of in-laws, yours are going to hate me.”

Lux looked at her knowingly. “You’re looking forward to every moment of it too, aren’t you?”

Jinx grinned. “You know me too well.”

It was then that they heard Annie come back down.

“W-well?” Annie questioned nervously and they could see that she had also redone her make-up. Jinx froze for a moment when she saw her daughter. Though she kept her mother’s hair band on, her long pink locks now covered one of her eyes. When Jinx saw the short black dress she wore now, which displayed her mark proudly Annie’s image seemed to be briefly replaced…

…by that of Hex.

Jinx rubbed her eyes and sure enough, the image vanished, and she saw Annie for who she was. Not a child, but not Hex either, just a beautiful young woman. Annie’s mark was far from finished, and Jinx knew she’d have to touch it up as Annie continued to grow, but for now, it looked perfect. When Jinx grinned, an expression of Annie’s hesitantly returned, Jinx saw the genuine happiness on the girl’s face and knew they made the right choice.

“You’re our daughter, Annie, you’re perfect no matter what you wear,” Jinx told her. “But you know what? I think you look best when that smile reaches your eyes.”

Annie beamed.

Jinx laughed and Lux giggled. “Exactly, get on Firelight, you got a concert to catch. When you and Ren return to Zaun to crash at Little Man’s, remember to keep the door open.”

Annie flushed. “Mom! You know Nu wouldn’t do anything.”

“It’s not him we’re worried about.” Both Jinx and Lux said in perfect synch, staring at their blushing daughter with half-lidded eyes.

“Ren’s going to be there!”

“And?” Jinx questioned. “I don’t judge, but I’ve seen weirder shit. Hell, I’ve been proposed weirder shit.”

“Don’t remind me,” Lux said, her eyes flashing between violet and gold which made Jinx silently step to the side.

“Ew, fucking gross, mom! She’s my cousin!”

“Again, I’ve seen worse,” Jinx said dryly while Lux chided Annie for her language. “I’ll never admit it, but Vi and I were happy to see the brat ask you out, if for no other reason than we could finally bury our fears of raising kissing cousins.”

“Jinx!” Lux admonished as Annie looked a bit green at the thought. “We promised to never tell her about that!”

“Whoops.”

“Seriously, you too!?” Annie asked Lux incredulously.

“You two did occasionally produce an…awkward…energy.” Lux said apologetically, wincing at the look of betrayal Annie shot her.

“Hey, but it didn’t happen! All’s well that ends well!” Jinx grinned. “Vi and I won’t ever have to explain how we’re both sisters and sisters and you get to make out with yeti boy.” Jinx narrowed her eyes. “But only that.”

Annie blinked at that. “You’re…you’re okay with him now?”

“Firelight if I actually hated him, you’d know.” Jinx pointed out and Annie had to concede that point. “We’ve talked enough shit, hurry on before you’re…well…you won’t be late, but people might ask for a refund if the shows are delayed much longer.”

Annie nodded at that before teleporting away…

…only to reappear moments later, startling her mothers.

“Annie–”

“What–”

Whatever they were going to say stopped when their daughter rushed forward and suddenly hugged them both tightly.

“Sorry, I almost forgot to tell you, I love you,” Annie told them sincerely before kissing them both on their cheeks. “Seriously, you two are the fucking best.”

So touched were they that even Lux couldn’t reprimand her for her language, not wanting to ruin the moment.

Which meant that it was up to Jinx to ruin the moment.

“Love you too,” Jinx smiled before looking at her daughter mischievously. “But only as a mother can. Just in case you’re confused. I know your mom and I are hot shit, but you need to get yourself and your awkward vibes out of this house and to that concert.”

Moment ruined.

Annie stepped back and rolled her eyes.

“I hate you so much,” Annie complained before flipping Jinx off and teleporting away.

“Seriously Jinx?” Lux questioned dryly. “You had to ruin the moment?”

“Of course, I did Flashlight. Had to get her out of here,” Jinx explained, her voice suspiciously tight. “How can I raise her to be a tough woman of Zaun if she sees me cry like a bitch?”

Lux blinked at that and when she saw Jinx cover her face with her hands as he shoulders shook, her expression softened, and she held the smaller woman in her arms.

“Knowing when and when not to let it out can be a valuable lesson for her as well,” Lux pointed out, still she wouldn’t fault Jinx this time. “Dry those beautiful eyes of yours and pen a response to Noxus. The sooner you finish that, the sooner we can take advantage of the empty house for the evening.”

Jinx wiped her eyes. “Now that sounds like a plan–”

Before Jinx could finish, they heard the doorbell ring. Confused, the two shared a look, not expecting any visitors, and made their way to the door. When they opened the door, both women felt their jaws drop when they saw who stood, or more like, floated, before them.

“Flashlight, am I high?”

“You’re always high, but I think I am too.” Lux muttered with an incredulous expression.  “We are seeing the same thing.”

“J-Janna?” Jinx stuttered out and sure enough, a smiling Janna was before them. “Is that you, and did you just ring our doorbell? Couldn’t you have just, I don’t know, teleported inside. My security is good, but not that good.”

“I may be a Goddess, but I am not a rude one,” Janna said, sounding almost offended, before tilting her head. “At least, not to my children. May I come in?”

“P-please do.” Lux let the deity in.

“I’m scared to ask, but what’s wrong?” Jinx questioned. “The world ending?”

“Well, there is a holy war coming, one that could end all life on this planet should the proper steps not be taken now,” Janna told her which made both Jinx and Lux pale. “The battlelines are being drawn as we speak.”

Jinx grimaced, cursing her luck as she knew things had been going too smoothly. “What do you need us to do? Tell us where we need to go, and we’ll go.”

Janna blinked at this before tilting her head in confusion. When Jinx’s words sunk in, Janna released a melodious laugh.

“Hm? Oh dear, there seems to be a slight misunderstanding. Your role in this war will be far from active,” Janna told her. “In fact, I believe you both will have been in my realm for quite some time before the war even starts. This is just a power struggle amongst us divine. Thanks to you my power is swiftly returning, which is why I can now appear before you. There will be no need to have you or your line act on my behalf when it comes to this conflict.”

“Then…what can we do for you?” Lux questioned politely.

“That, my child, is simple. I need…advice.” At their disbelieving stares, Janna sighed. “Believe it or not I am not all-knowing and, as you are personally aware, I am not all-powerful either. I am a being born into this world, seeking a purpose just like you. I just happen to be immortal and powered by the prayers of mankind.”

“Yeah, those are small differences after all,” Jinx joked which earned her a small smile from Janna. “I’m scared to ask, but what advice could we possibly give you?”

“Truth be told, my champion, I’ve come to seek guidance from your wife in particular,” Janna explained, startling Lux.

“M-me? What can I do-er-Janna, miss, ma’am?” Lux really had no idea how to address the Goddess and just prayed Janna didn’t smite her as she gave the deity a perplexed look. Soon, her perplexed expression grew as she tilted her head and looked at Janna’s face closer, confusing the Goddess.

“What is it my child, is there something on my face?”

“Actually, yes.”

“Hm? Oh hells, not again,” Janna muttered before reaching to her face and grabbing a piece of gold plating that had begun to form over her skin. With practiced ease, Janna pulled it off and crushed the gold in her fist which caused it to be dispersed into harmless particles of light.

“Uh…what was that?” Jinx questioned and they were surprised to see a dry expression cross the angelic woman’s face. Janna appeared at that moment to be a woman who was tired of dealing with whatever bullshit had been plaguing her for the last few thousand years.

“I do not wish to talk about it.” Janna said bluntly before rubbing the bridge of her nose. “Forgive me, it’s just something that’s a bit embarrassing for a Goddess of my age, that is all. Back to the matter at hand, this war is coming but it is my problem, my burden to bear. I have a plan, one that makes those of even my beloved champion’s appear sane.”

“What the hell are you going to do?” Lux whispered in morbid fascination and Jinx wasn’t sure whether to be offended or proud that her antics could be used to scale the plans made by Gods.

“I’m, how do you say, ‘taking a page out of your book’, just, on an infinitely grander scale.” Janna informed her. “It’s amazing, truly, when those you seek to inspire become the ones who inspire you.”

Annie flashed through their minds at that and both women knew exactly what Janna meant.

“Now, I won’t take too much of your time,” Janna continued. “I just have one question.” Janna’s bright blue eyes pierced into Lux’s and for that moment Lux found herself inexplicably and instinctively found herself relating, if only barely, to the divine woman. “Was it worth it?”

 

-Janna’s Realm-

“Was it worth it?” Lux repeated Janna’s question. As soon as the Goddess asked the question, Lux had found herself pulled into Janna’s realm where they could get a bit of privacy from Jinx. It was clear that Janna wanted to ensure that Lux spoke her mind freely.

“Revealing your true face to someone, removing that mask after spending so much time in the light,” Janna clarified. “Was it worth it? Revealing that darkness even if it meant showing that the light you tried so hard to embody was false?”

Janna sighed.

“Your faith is far from the strongest, my child, but that is not something I fault you for.” Janna continued. “But even you must have noticed that I do not exactly appear as one would expect of the mother of Zaun.”

“…and Piltover,” Lux added quietly which made Janna tense.

“…yes…and Piltover.”

“Sorry,” Lux apologized.  “It’s just, I know you have your reasons for being so distant with them and vice-versa, but the thought of you not giving my niece the same amount of love you give my daughter hurts a bit.”

Janna tensed but nodded her head all the same. “Apologies my child. As you have guessed my relationship with my estranged children is a bit complicated.”

“But you still love them.”

“More than they will ever know.” Janna mused. “Imagine, for a moment, that you had two children. One was strong, naturally gifted, and could be trusted to be independent. The other was born…sickly, and with an addled mind. One clearly needs your care more than the other and though you try to show your love equally, the first child grows envious and resents you but takes it out on their sibling. This is the predicament I am in with them.”

Lux nodded to show she understood, after all, that was the main reason she and Jinx simply agreed to stop at Annie. They were thankful to Caitlyn and Vi for Ren who could provide that same sibling relationship Annie needed while having her own parents that could shower her with love and affection.

This world seemed to have a surprising amount of sibling drama now that she thought about it.

“I’ll strive to do better,” Janna promised, surprising Lux with her humility. “Your correction was not misguided, in fact, it revealed to me my own biases that I hadn’t noticed. Still, forgive me, but my ‘parenting’ is not what I needed advice on.”

Lux blushed and muttered an apology which Janna waved off.

“Then, forgive me, but if it’s not ‘parenting’ am I right to guess this has something to do with lov–”

“It’s complicated.” Janna interrupted, perhaps a bit more quickly than she wanted to, which made Lux look at her in surprise. “Your answer, please?”

“Well, before I answer, I have to ask, why must the light be fake?” Lux questioned curiously confusing Janna.  “Just because I’ve accepted the ‘darkness’ within me, and that I let the intrusive thoughts win more times than the average person, does that erase the good I’ve done? The good I still strive to do? If I do good for selfish reasons, does that somehow detract from the actions or how they’ve helped people?”

“What…what are you saying?”

“Let’s go back to your ‘children’ for a moment.” Lux told her. “In our family, we view Piltover as the ‘mask’ of Zaun, but when we do that, we are referring to the name and architecture, never the people. At least, not anymore. We view the people as Zaunites who simply forgot their origin. We use Piltover to build goodwill for Zaun’s actions which in turn gets gold for Piltover. It’s all a selfish ploy, really, but that doesn’t erase the good Topside does nor does it mean that many of the citizens aren’t good people just trying to do the right thing. Do you consider those ‘children’ to be fake?”

“No!” Janna said vehemently which made Lux smile a bit.

“Well good, don’t treat your light as fake either. On some level it’s still part of you,” Lux advised. “As in my example, Piltover uses Zaun as well to make gold much like I or you use our darker aspects to our advantage when needed. You think Piltover doesn’t use Zaun as a ‘mask’ when they need to intimidate foreign countries?” Lux asked curiously. “Showing your true face to someone isn’t just showing them the parts we are ashamed of, your ‘darkness’ is just another mask.”

“If…if they’re both masks then…who am I?”

Lux grinned. “Congratulations.”

Janna blinked owlishly at that. “What?”

“I said ‘congratulations’,” Lux repeated. “You asking that question has officially made you the same as everybody else. No one, not even the most powerful person you can imagine, knows that answer. That’s the whole point of life, trying to get as close to that answer as possible before being laid to rest. Sometimes we get glimpses of the answer through adversity, sometimes through peace, and even in other people.”

Lux chuckled.

“Personally, I think the last option is where we get the most answers from, but I’m biased,” Lux told her. “We all have our own journey when it comes to this. Anyway, I said all of that to say this. Do I regret ‘taking off my mask’ for Jinx? No. Never. If I hadn’t, I would have never realized that what I thought was my true self was just another mask. Once I removed that one too, I became much closer to figuring out who I am than I was.”

Lux gestured toward Janna.

“My advice? Go uncomplicate whatever is ‘complicated’, but again, I’m biased,” Lux told her with a shrug. “My life is finite, I can’t waste time on ‘complicated’ but you’re, well, you so I guess you can take as long as you need to. It’s all a leap of faith, you could get burned taking your mask off for another but, well, you can also find one person you can try to find yourself around who won’t judge you.”

“Even if the one I reveal that self to may be seen as…less than desirable? Morally speaking?”

Lux gave the Goddess a half-lidded stare.

Janna actually appeared a bit sheepish.

“You realized that if it weren’t you, I’d probably be going straight to hell for my choice of spouse, correct?”

Janna smirked a bit at that. “Do you even believe in hell, Demacian?”

“That’s up in the air.” Lux returned the smirk. “That said, I do believe in you.”

Janna blinked as she felt her soul shift a bit, tingling as she felt the hopes and desires that Lux had kept private flow into the growing ocean that was Janna. Janna must not have been able to keep the surprise off her face when she felt Lux join the rest of her children.

“I don’t know how much time we spent here, but let’s get back,” Lux suggested. “Not sure whether you’re spared from my wife’s jealousy and you both get along far too well for me to want to disrupt that. But hey, from the sounds of it, she won’t have anything to be jealous of, for what it’s worth good luck on wooing…whoever.”

Janna chuckled at that.

“Very well,” Janna said even as a grateful tear fell from her eyes. “Let us return my child.”

Lux wasn’t sure what happened or why, but no one in Zaun ever referred to her as a Demacian again after that.

The shift had been so sudden it had been startling as the citizens began to address her differently as if on instinct.

Finally, for Lux, the word ‘home’ could truly extend outside of her house.

 

-Kiramman Manor-

Jinx was confused by the vague question but despite having not once conversed with Janna, Lux seemed to know exactly what Janna meant.

“Yes.” Lux said resolutely, more for Jinx’s sake who hadn’t been privy to that apparently very quick conversation seeing how barely any time had passed. “It wasn’t easy. It was painful, terrifying, and I found myself compromising on things I thought I never would. Not because I was forced to, but rather because I found myself privy to a new perspective on things I never considered. I’ve grown a lot. I’m still growing and with all growth there exist growing pains, but…yeah, it’s been worth it.”

“I see.” Janna said, closing her eyes as she pondered the young mage’s words. Opening her eyes, she gave Lux a tired smile. “Your answer, my child born in the light, will shape the future of this world.”

“Good.” Lux answered. “There is not much I am certain of, so I’m happy that the one thing I am certain of can be used to help you.”

“Uh, I’m lost,” Jinx pouted. “What’s happening here?”

“You will know soon, I still need to hammer out some details so to speak,” Janna answered. “You may not be fighting this war, but I will still call upon you to help me, how do you say, ‘get the ball rolling’ on a couple of items. I will be taking my leave now.”

“Oh, cool, I guess. Feel free to pop by whenever,” Jinx said awkwardly. “By the way, you have a little something…” Jinx trailed off and Janna’s eyebrow twitched in annoyance when she ripped more gold from her face.

“Fuck me,” Janna cursed which made Lux and Jinx gape at her while she continued to mutter curses, incidentally, proving herself to be the mother of Zaun. “Those damned ungrateful brats of mine will be the death of me. Stop Janna, deep breaths, remember you love them.”

With that, Janna stormed off and vanished into thin air.

“Uh…what was that at the end there?” Lux questioned.

“No idea, but if I had to guess, the Pilties are pissing her off,” Jinx answered. “Every Zaunite gets this look on their face when a Piltie is being annoying, I know you’ve seen it, she had it down to a T.”

“Well, whatever they are doing, I hope it doesn’t harm her.” Lux frowned. “I never had a strong relationship with the divine, but at the very least she seems like a pleasant woman.”

Jinx just shook her head.

Only her wife could come face to face with a god, talk to them, and remain relatively unaffected.

Demacians were just built different.

No.

That wasn’t right.

Lux was a Zaunite, through and through, and one of the best of them at this point.

“You’re crazy,” Jinx said with a shake of her head before she sat down at the table. Lux pouted but didn’t say anything as Jinx began to write a response to Noxus. As she wrote, Jinx couldn’t help but hope that Janna was right.

Whatever shitstorm Janna had been preparing for, she only hoped that she lived a long and happy life with her family and died years before it could ever be her problem.

She earned that much damn it!

 

-Four Years Later: Demacia: Mount Targon-

Kayle was sharpening her blade, something she did every day after she finished meditating. After this, she would begin training before meditating once more and resting. It was a simple routine, but one that kept her strong and sharp. Kayle made it a point to always be prepared for battle even if it had been quite some time since she had last seen a battlefield.

As she inspected her blade, Kayle suddenly tensed when she felt a powerful presence enter her domain. However, soon her body relaxed when she recognized the presence as her wayward sister. Glancing toward the entrance, she watched as Morgana walked in while shouldering a case of ancient wine.

Ever since that fateful day when Fiddlesticks reappeared in their lands, the sisters had made it a point to try to reconnect and repair the burned bridge between them so that they could be prepared to weather the storm that was brewing south of their lands.

It wasn’t an entirely unpleasant ritual the two had begun and while they’d often get drunk and find themselves in heated debates due to their conflicting ideals…they more often found themselves reminiscing on the past and wondering what could have changed if they tried to see the other’s perspective just a bit more.

Well, it was better late than never Kayle supposed.

“Did I lose track of time?”  Kayle questioned curiously. “I thought we were not due for a drink until next week?”

“There is a storm brewing in Zaun.” Morgana answered and Kayle stared at her sister blankly, her skepticism clear behind her helmet. After all, it was as if her sister had told her that the grass was green.

Seeing this, Morgana sighed and sat the case down.

“Zaun’s Princess is beginning to walk the path of her ascension,” Morgana told her. “Today, she shall leave for her motherland to study and in time, she shall return to rule Zaun.”

Kayle still wasn’t quite sure just what this had to do with anything. Morgana, knowing how her sister was, decided to take up the task of monitoring Janna’s people as they would likely be the first indicators of when Janna would make her move. The two might have seemed a bit paranoid, but they still recalled one of the few warnings their mother had given them before their father took them away from the Rune Wars.

[“No matter what happens, my daughters, do not venture south. Do not ever risk becoming drawing the interest or hatred of Jan’ahrem.”]

Even now they still weren’t exactly sure why their mother had told them that. Their mother, Mihara, had been the vessel of the Aspect of Justice and while Janna had been powerful in her prime, they still weren’t sure if she had been that powerful.

Still, their mother had been a wise and powerful woman, and they knew better than to question her words.

“I still do not see the point, sister?” Kayle said, though not as condescendingly as she might have once spoken. “The mortal is becoming Queen. I, like you, have those accursed memories as well but the light mage is stable, and that demon is gone for the time being.”

Like many divine entities seven years ago, she was not pleased to have ten years of foreign memories dropped into her mind. It had given her a headache that managed to even make her skip her routine. It had been a mess, but a mess Janna had cleaned up. Kayle had shot an arrow out toward the general direction of Zaun, one that pierced its way into Janna’s realm, that had a note claiming she was not pleased.

Janna had responded by using her wind to blow one of Fiddlestick’s feathers to her doorstep.

Yes, while Janna had given many of their peers a headache, and while the demon had taken an interest in Janna’s champion, Fiddlesticks was still officially the evil of Demacia, not Zaun.

In other words, the demon had been Kayle and Morgana’s problem.

If anyone was inconvenienced, it had been Janna.

Seeing the warning for what it was, Kayle remembered her mother’s warning and dropped the issue.

That said, she and her sister did receive messages in all types of manner from their peers questioning their sanity and asking why they would ever risk drawing Janna’s ire.

Safe to say, Demacia felt some of its political ties weakened slightly due to sudden conflicts of interest with the religious communities of its allies.

“Let me explain,” Morgana said, and it once more showed how their bond had grown when Morgana spoke patiently to Kayle and not as annoyed as she would have years ago. “The Mortal is beginning to become Queen. For Janna, this is a joyous occasion–”

“–but it’s storming!” Kayle said as the pieces fell into place. Kayle then asked the dreaded question. “Janna’s fighting, isn’t she?”

Morgana sighed and tossed her sister a bottle. “Yes.”

“Do I even want to know who?” Kayle questioned despondently. “Who could possibly be insane enough to challenge her today of all days–”

“–Who do you think!?” Morgana snapped before taking a greedy sip from her bottle. Still, it was clear her anger was directed toward the situation itself, which Kayle could understand completely.

“Mordekaiser,” Kayle spat. If there was ever one perfect reason, one being, that embodied all the reasons Kayle detested mortals it was him. The man couldn’t have simply died in peace, oh no. He had the nerve to kill and conquer his way into divinity.  “Twice slain and thrice born,” Kayle spat, repeating the feat Mordekaiser was most proud of angrily. “Let me guess, he wants to take claim of the little lost Noxian that Janna took in?”

It was truly a custody battle of biblical proportions.

“He wasn’t content with just drawing Janna’s interest, was he?” Kayle continued, once more cursing the idiocy of mortals. They were, after all, the only ones who would dare to do something this stupid. “He wants her anger as well?”

“Doubtful.” Morgana drawled. Unlike her sister who cursed the mortals, Morgana had always been one to acknowledge their strength and ingenuity. Kayle saw Mordekaiser as a vile man who got lucky, Morgana, however, saw him as the terrifying tactician and King he truly was. “In fact, I doubt he even cares about the girl. He just wants to test Janna’s strength, test how much she’s recovered.”

“Why,” Kayle almost complained, and Morgana wouldn’t have blamed her if she did. After all, who the fuck did that? Who pissed off a dangerous Goddess just to test their mettle!?

Suddenly, a dark thought crossed Morgana’s mind.

“Do…do you think he knows?” Morgana questioned quietly and, surprisingly, Kayle placed a hand on her sister’s shoulder as she immediately understood Morgana’s unasked question.

“I told you, that was just a theory.” Kayle said patiently though it sounded as if she was trying to convince herself. “Janna is a Storm Goddess. A powerful one. Nothing more.”

“Nothing more? Nothing more!?” Morgana repeated incredulously. “Need I remind you how that damned nation of hers was even built!? In his mortal days, Mordekaiser gave her Noxian land, and his Gods refused. Then, shortly after, her nation is built while the Gods of Noxus were exterminated.”

Kayle’s shoulders tensed. “I’ve told you, that is a mere coincidence. No one knows what happened to Noxus’ old Gods.”

“You’ve seen the fear in the eyes of our older peers when this issue is brought up.” Morgana almost hissed. “They know they just refuse to speak of it. For once, sister, humor me.”

Kayle sighed. “If what you say is correct. If, somehow, a Goddess of Storms managed to wipe out an entire pantheon, then that is good news. It would make Janna the reason Mordekaiser had awoken to a dead realm upon his first death. She would be the very source of his legendary fury and they’d kill each other and no longer be our problem.”

Kayle placed a hand on Morgana’s shoulder.

“But surely you see how ridiculous that sounds?” Kayle questioned. “While I share your belief that there is more to Janna than she lets on, what you’re implying, the feats you claim she’s made, would mean that she was hiding her very nature from the world almost from the very moment she was given form. A form she was given, may I remind you, by a woman dying in a desert.”

“That woman was a criminal sentenced to death who killed twenty-five mortals during her escape and fled to said desert.” Morgana said dryly which gave Kayle pause.

“What?”

“Janna’s first follower was a monster. Or did you expect otherwise from the founder of Zaun?” Morgana questioned. “You refuse to believe my claims, yet it seems you’ve forgotten that between the two of us, I am the one who’s spent years researching Janna in preparation for the eventual Armageddon that either she or Mordekaiser will no doubt start.”

Though, perhaps, Armageddon wasn’t the appropriate word. After all, that implied that all life would be wiped out. Morgana had no doubts that if Janna had it her way, her people would live. This meant to survive other mortals, and even their gods would have to bend the knee to survive or be wiped off the face of Runeterra.

“I tried to help but I should have done more,” Morgana said as she rubbed her temples. “We should have done more. Demacians hate magic, which is understandable given the Rune Wars. They likely share similar feelings toward the divine, but we should have done something besides bicker to strengthen their faith in us. To give us the strength necessary to weather this storm.”

“Then we can start–”

“-We can. Maybe it will even help soften the blow, but we both know it’s too late.” Morgana interrupted. “No matter how much we plan, train, and gather power in the end we’re only preparing to face the image of Janna that she allowed us to see. We know not her true face, her true power.”

Kayle went to interrupt but Morgana raised a hand to silence her.

“Gods like Janna are shaped by the faith of their followers. Do you not find it odd that her appearance hasn’t changed at all after all this time?”  Morgana questioned curiously. “Her nation rose, fell, rose, split, and then dominated yet she has not changed in the slightest.”

Kayle closed her mouth at that, a feeling of dread making itself known.

What Morgana revealed next was what really shook her, however.

“Her lost children aren’t lost anymore,” Morgana whispered bowing her head slightly. “The Piltovans have begun to worship her once more over the years.” Morgana downed the rest of her bottle. “The symbol of their branch of the faith is a mask.”

Kayle was glad her helmet hid just how much she paled at her sister’s words.

“What?”

“A golden mask,” Morgana explained. “It symbolizes their city. In the faith, it symbolizes fortune and is their gift to Janna. They act as a shield to the Twin Cities and the very thing that attracts business. What puts gold into the pockets of her people. The part that remains unsaid, however, is that it also hides their true face.”

After all, when you peel back the golden mask of Piltover all that’s left is Zaun.

Back before the twin cities split, before their supposed failed endeavor cost Janna her power, the ancient city of Zaun was a beautiful and prosperous place.

But it was evil.

The darkness hidden in the shadows of the great city’s luster made even Morgana’s skin crawl.

This was why, when it fell, most simply saw it as karma.

However, the sisters knew the truth.

They knew exactly who caused the city to fall that day.

It wasn’t karma that destroyed Zaun, it was love.

Tough love.

The love of a Goddess forsaken by her own children. Children who had grown greedy, weak, and were in dire need of punishment to set them straight. That day, those who considered themselves divine watched as a beautiful and gentle Goddess, crushed her own children to remind them just who they and she were.

With a smile, that monster “saved” her people using the power their desperate prayers gave her as if she wasn’t the one that almost exterminated them.

When asked why Janna would sacrifice her power, her people, to the point that she herself almost faded away she would simply answer that it had been an “Investment”.

Seeing the current state of the world now, the sisters could see the return on said investment.

Janna’s people were stronger, smarter, wealthier, and had the known world under their influence at the cost of thousands of lives.

Yet, despite their newfound radiance, the shadows that once plagued the city were even darker now than they had been back before the fall. Many would see this as a failure on Janna’s part, to which Morgana would laugh.

Why?

Because that darkness was Janna.

Janna didn’t destroy her city because it was “evil”, she did so because it was weak and had forgotten who she was, which was making her weak as well. Yet Janna didn’t mind her weakness as much as she minded the weakness of her children which had become a nation that had been all but begging to be conquered.

And Morgana knew that Janna would cast herself back into the void before her “precious children” lost their freedom.

Twisted bitch.

Morgana fished out another bottle and began to drink.

Everyone, even their fellow divine, saw Janna’s angelic image, her kind smile, and her gentle personality and would somehow forget the atrocities Janna committed. Morgana felt as though she was the only sane one left. It was as if she was the only one besides her sister, whom she had to partially convince, that knew Janna was evil incarnate. She thought that maybe after the splitting of the cities, the truth would become clear.

After all, when Piltover and Zaun arose, Janna stood with Zaun. Even after what those monsters did to those poor mortals in Ionia.

Not only that but two mortals bearing the mark of her blessing, that accursed blue hair, rose from both cities. One was Piltover’s sheriff, a woman of noble blood with a heart filled with love, compassion, and an unwavering sense of justice. The other was a terrorist. A murdering lunatic.

And which one did Janna choose as her champion?

Yet even then no one seemed to be able to see past Janna’s sheer radiance to see the monster within.

The demon hiding within the “Goddess”.

Something so deranged that even their mother Mihara, who was literally justice incarnate, felt the need to warn them.

A being so insane that it went to Mordekaiser for support.

And he helped!

At this point, Morgana was sure she could enchant a red flag on Janna, and everyone would be too entranced by her beauty that was barely hidden behind the little clothes she deemed necessary to wear to notice theGgoddess killing their loved ones.

Morgana had a theory, that Janna’s image itself, that her very form, was nothing more than a mask. One forged to protect her and her self-interests. After all, if Janna truly was the monster Morgana knew she was, then she would have scared away her first follower moments after being summoned and sent right back into the void if her appearance reflected that.

Morgana had seen it many times in nature, predators who hid their true appearance to attract prey.

Hell, she knew of at least one powerful entity in the Void, its self-proclaimed Queen, which took on a beautiful appearance to hide the monster it truly was.

Kayle, who had been the only other one to share her apprehension toward Janna, even thought she was going too far when she had first brought this theory. “Sometimes monsters are beautiful”, is what Kayle had told her, as if trying to be the wise elder sister she thought she was.

Morgana finished another bottle, to drown her re-emerging irritation toward her twin.

“A mask,” Kayle muttered before finally grabbing a bottle of her own and simply plopping down on the ground beside her sister. Removing her helmet, Kayle placed it on the table before popping open her own bottle and drinking it. “Oh,” Kayle muttered before wiping her lips. “For what it’s worth I am sorry I didn’t listen to you.”

Morgana took another drink not wanting to go down that rabbit hole of betrayal and trauma.

“If Mordekaiser knows this and is challenging her, and if she really did kill the old gods of Noxus, then he either wants revenge, or worse, he wants to test his strength in preparation for his next conquest.” Morgana told Kayle. “Either way, this doesn’t end well for everyone else. Even if he did draw her fury today, he’s had her interest for much longer.”

“She’s the Storm Goddess, she’s probably attracted to his destruction,” Kayle said dryly. “Hells, he’s practically made of iron and darkness, that’s two-thirds of Zaun. All he’s missing is glass.”

Kayle killed her bottle.

“I can feel it now, the storm in Zaun,” Kayle muttered. “The battle must be worsening. We cannot let whatever he has planned to succeed.”

“We can and we will,” Morgana drawled, surprising Kayle. “Remember what our mother told us. When the storm is this severe, you keep your head down. Best case scenario, as you said, one of them kills the other. Worst case, we draw both of their attention, and one of us dies.”

Kayle looked at Morgana incredulously. “Surely you jest!”

Morgana just stared at her, and Kayle averted her eyes.

While the base strength of a God varied from entity to entity, it also scaled in direct proportion to the strength of their faith. In her supposed “prime”, Janna had the faith of a city that held thousands. Today both cities hold millions and have influence on an international scale.

Morgana sighed.

“In these past few years Noxian blood has been spread to every nation in the known world along with the coin of the twin cities.”  Morgana told her sister. “It is far too late to go on the offensive. We prioritize protecting our people and each other because, as you know, we are expendable in their eyes.”

And wasn’t that the truth.

Janna at least cared about her people, but Mordekaiser simply wanted to rule any and everything.

No matter the cost.

It was the one difference between the two gods that gave Morgana any kind of hope that they would never truly have an alliance.

If, however, they managed to settle this difference, the world was fucked.

“I’ve kept to myself, but have you done anything lately to draw their ire?”

“Besides existing in Demacia?” Morgana questioned as Demacia would be a target of Mordekaiser if only on principle at this point. “No.”

“You’ll be staying here then,” Kayle told her before raising a hand to silence Morgana’s protests. “I won’t interfere with your business with the mortals, but you will be protected when you lay your head to rest. Outside, if you fear you are in danger, look to the light and I will come. The only way we will leave this world is how we entered it, together and preferably with me first. Understood, sister?”

Morgana turned her head, hiding the small smile that played on her lips before finishing her newest bottle.

“Understood, sister.”

 

The Book of Janna: New Testament

-Meanwhile: Mitna Rachnun, realm of Mordekaiser-

A wounded and exhausted Janna was barely able to keep herself afloat as she gazed up past the undead army surrounding her and at Mordekaiser, who stood in front of his castle.

“Damn you, Mordekaiser, what is the meaning of this?” Janna asked the twelve-foot mountain of iron and darkness gazing down at her.

“In a century or two a war will come, one between the divine,” Mordekaiser told her. “I will be leading this campaign for once it’s finished, I will have conquered the very stars and the heavens above them. Our past dealings have shown me that you, Jan’ahrem, shall be my biggest obstacle, you’ve made this quite clear with the sheer ingenuity you’ve displayed. Deciding how to handle you should be dealt with now.”

Janna scowled as she glared at him, her bright blue eyes piercing the darkness of the dead realm,

“My ‘ingenuity’ only seems great because I am surrounded by fools,” Janna said, her voice taking a slightly more lethal tone than normal.  “Surely that is not enough for the great Mordekaiser to see me as a threat.”

“A good wordsmith just like your children.” Mordekaiser mused. “Though not good enough to move me from this path. Your ingenuity is what drew my attention, but you must see me as a fool if you believe I do not know of your power. A power which brought down the very Hall of Bones.”

Janna tensed at his words. It was an involuntary reaction clear enough for all to see.

“How…?”

“How?” Mordekaiser repeated. “Did you take me for a fool due to my mortal origins like our so-called ‘peers’. Did you truly think I would make dealings with another, let alone a Goddess, without thorough research, preparation, and planning?”

Mordekaiser’s words were blunt yet held a slight edge that made Janna grit her teeth.

“Unlike those idiots, I know that with enough ambition, will, and intelligence, anyone could rise above the divine,” Janna told him, her words clipped. “Never, not once, have I ever looked down upon you for being mortal. If anything, it gave you a wisdom I lacked, and said even more for your strength which is why I sought you out.”

“Your words seem true, yet your actions betray their lies,” Mordekaiser told her. “The fact you attempted to withhold this information from me says it all.”

“I withheld it because of my children!” Janna snapped and lightning flashed through the sky when her anger rose. “If there was even a chance that what I did to your Gods would have you turn on me, on them, then I would do anything in my power to stop it.”

Janna then laughed bitterly.

“Is that what this is about? Is that why I am missing the departure of my people’s next Queen? Revenge?” Janna questioned.

“If I wanted revenge you’d know it,” Mordekaiser told her. “If anything, the fault of me awakening to a destroyed afterlife is my own. I worshipped Gods too weak and pathetic to protect their own realm. I’ve conquered and destroyed more than enough to know that it is simply nature for the strong to crush the weak. It’s how we progress, and you of all deities know the importance of progress.”

Janna remained silent.

“Not to mention,” Mordekaiser continued. “After all those years in that dead realm, watching souls wither and fade into nothingness. It was you who spoke out to me, Ochnun.”

Janna froze at this, in fact, this accusation seemed to strike her far more deeply than the previous one.

Ochnun was a profane and dark language unknown to the living.

A simple word of this forbidden and lost language could change one’s future, speaking it would doom a mortal’s soul to eternal suffering and even have Gods branded as evil.

Which made Mordekaiser’s existence all that more audacious for his very name was Ochnun.

“It was nothing more than that initial whisper, that revitalized my soul and sent me down this path,” Mordekaiser told her. “You hid your identity well, but by seeking my aid you revealed yourself as the only one amongst the divine who would have ever aided me. Upon realizing this I prepared to kill you for thinking I could be a pawn…however…through our dealings, I realized that was not the case. There was never a situation where I didn’t gain even more than you did. If anything, I used you.”

Janna pursed her lips.

“For that reason, I will grant you this one act of mercy.” Mordekaiser gazed down at Janna imperiously. “For what purpose does my existence serve you? Answer this question and I may let you live.”

“Why?” Janna finally spoke. “Why do you want me to answer? The fact you’re willing to kill me instead of torturing it out of me shows me that you already know the answer.”

“I want you to say it. To admit your true nature and reveal to me the true face of the so-called Storm Goddess.”

At this, Janna bared her teeth as she glared at him. “If you want me to give you the answer to your question, then you’re going to have to beat it out of me.”

At this, Mordekaiser barked out a laugh.

It was a loud, powerful, and haunting sound that sent a chill down Janna’s spine.

“There’s that infamous Zaunite pride,” Mordekaiser said before grabbing his mace with both hands and stabbing it into the ground before him. “Attack.”

At once, his loyal army sprang into action, hundreds of blades and arrows making their way to attack Janna, only for them all to be stopped by a pillar of light. Mordekaiser didn’t seem fazed in the slightest by the appearance of the light which protected Janna like a barrier and extended up into the air, piercing the sky of his realm.

In the center of the pillar, Janna remained floating as she continued to gaze at Mordekaiser. However, unlike before, Janna’s face was covered by a blank mask that appeared to be forged from gold. Janna’s brilliant blue eyes seemed to shine even brighter from behind the mask as if trying to pierce Mordekaiser’s soul.

“That’s a new addition.” Mordekaiser mused as he watched his soldiers continue to attack to no avail. Some even found themselves burned alive their souls purified by the light’s radiance.

“A gift from my once estranged children,” Janna answered and though her voice was calm, it was filled with a power that echoed throughout the realm. “It annoyed me at first because it reminded me of what I am. Reminded me of the lie. At first, I thought they were mocking me. But I’ve learned to appreciate it for the gift it is. This mask is practically a deity itself, but more than that it’s a reminder of what I truly am.”

Janna’s body lowered until she was no longer floating, and she dropped her staff.

No, now she stood tall on her feet with all ten of her toes planted firmly in the ground.

“Something you are so eager to see,” Janna raised a hand and gripped the side of her mask. The moment she did so, the blue light in her eyes turned a shimmering purple as matching trails of tears fell from the eyeholes and slid down the mask. The tears seemed to corrupt the mask, causing the gold to warp. As the tears dripped onto the ground causing glowing purple flowers to bloom.

The flowers were a species unique to Zaun, aptly named Janna’s tears.

They were the main ingredient in Shimmer.

It was then that Mordekaiser saw a bluebird fall from the eye of the storm above and fly toward Janna. However, Mordekaiser knew that was not just a bluebird, but rather a very powerful wind-elemental and the Goddess’ most loyal servant.

It was a once human soul that had been reforged into something far greater.

Once the bird reached Jan’ahrem, she spoke its name.

“Zephyr.”

Flashes, memories, of a time long lost, a time where he was once man and not God flashed through Mordekaiser’s mind at the sound of the elemental’s name. He could do naught but watch as the bluebird flew into Janna’s chest and melded with her body as if it were trying to replace her heart.

Or become the very heart that Janna lacked.

The storm worsened as Janna spoke once more.

“You want me to admit my true nature? Fine, I’m a lying monster that will do anything for my children,” Janna told him as she began to pull off the mask. The sickening sound of flesh being ripped could be heard as she pulled the mask that was firmly attached to her face. A shimmering liquid fell from behind the mask like blood and continued to cause more flowers to bloom. “You want to see my true face? I’ll show you, you just needed to ask. I will let you paint a portrait if you so require.”

Thunder began to rumble, the ground began to quake, and purple bolts of lightning began to strike down at the ground around them as the winds picked up.

“But if you want me to say that. To speak the truth you already know, then you’ll have to prove your worth, Noxian!” Janna boomed before ripping off her mask. An ultraviolet flash of light flooded the realm and blinded them. “We’re not mortal. For our kind, to speak that accursed truth aloud is to submit and even I have my pride.”

Even Mordekaiser, a being of Iron and Darkness was forced to shield his eyes as Janna’s words continued to echo throughout the realm.

“If you want my submission, you will have to do what you do best and conquer me.”

Mordekaiser gripped his mace tighter at these words for Janna spoke the truth.

However, he anticipated as much and expected no less.

He and Janna shared a truth, a newfound knowledge that only the two of them knew that would shake the very world. However, they would never willingly speak of it for to do so, as Janna had said, would be to submit. The two deities were two prideful, and too concerned about their own goals to ever do such a thing.

However, Mordekaiser knew that something would have to give if he wanted to continue his conquest.

His ideals were inviolate. Invincible.

He would never stray from his chosen path.

The only thing he could do is knock her down, a being that slaughtered the very Gods he had worshipped and drag her with him.

Mordekaiser raised his mace and rested it on his shoulders.

Finally, the light died down and Mordekaiser found a new addition to his realm which took the form of a massive volcano that was spilling burning magma down onto the realm. The sound of thunder echoed throughout the realm, if not Mordekaiser’s very soul, and he gazed up to the sky to see dark, almost black, clouds twisting into a large vortex that released a shimmering purple light in its center.

As the winds picked up, rain began to fall as he lowered his gaze down to the top of the volcano.

It was there that he saw her.

Janna.

No.

Jan’ahrem.

Mordekaiser had seen, fought, and even slain many of the gods in his time. He had seen firsthand just how much the faith of their followers had shaped them. They came and various shapes and sizes, and of them all there was a particular type of deity that had drawn his interest the most.  This type of God had multiple forms that reflected the various beliefs of their faithful.

Whereas some pantheons would have multiple gods to uphold each belief, each a fragment of the overall faith, this type of God carried the burden alone. They shifted their form to better match some external factor and play both “angel” and “devil” in their respective faiths.

Mordekaiser had seen such Gods be as gentle and calm as a forest on a clear day before changing into something akin to a demon when it was time for that forest to burn so that new life could rise from its ashes.

This was a type of God that tended to exist in more tropical islands, though he did recall one notable one near the Ionian border that played both lamb and wolf.

The more Mordekaiser interacted with Janna, the more he suspected she was one such deity. Gods were shaped by the faith of their followers and her appearance did not reflect the people of Zaun. Rather, it seemed to reflect the image that Piltover projected to the world. An image of beauty, radiance, and power, both strong yet elegant.

The image was, of course, a lie.

No Goddess summoned by what was once his best assassin in his mortal days could ever simply be just that.

No.

There was a darkness hidden just beneath that perfect skin.

A monster that hungered for destruction.

One that was the very embodiment of greed, destruction, and a terrifying ingenuity.

Sin itself given form.

The moment Mordekaiser realized this was the moment pieces began to fall into place. He had given his mortal life to ascend to the Hall of Bones upon his death yet when he reached those fabled gates, only death and destruction awaited him.

The realm had taken the form of its very name and had become just that.

A hall of bones.

A graveyard.

The realm had been destroyed and Mordekaiser had felt himself become betrayed. Betrayed by his Gods, by their weakness. He had given everything to serve Gods too pitiful to protect their lands. Too weak to stop themselves from being conquered.

As the single greatest warlord to ever grace Runeterra, Mordekaiser–then Sahn Uzal–felt disgusted.

Mordekaiser had always wondered who had destroyed Hall of Bones, who had been the culprit behind such a massacre. He had wanted to seek them out, yet surprisingly not out of vengeance. If his old Gods were defeated, their failure was on their heads and theirs alone. No. He wanted to test his mettle. To see if he had surpassed them. His great conquest would never have succeeded if he was weaker than the Gods who were destroyed with such ease.

Still, despite this, Mordekaiser like the rest of the divine was unsure as to just who had done the deed.

Though he suspected, the Demacian sisters, and their wretched mother, knew more than they let on.

If anything, their…apprehension…toward Janna was merely a confirmation of what he suspected.

A voice reached out to him, saved him, in that wasteland of an afterlife but the only voice that could have possibly done so would have belonged to the one who brought the realm down. This was because once a realm of a God was conquered, it became the property of the conqueror. There had been no signs of a forced entry into the realm on the day he began his transformation which was the only way any other God could have gotten in.

The killer of his Gods was a God that helped him, aided him. The only member of the divine to have ever done such a thing since was Janna. A goddess whose image reflected nothing of the people she protected outside of the lie they wished to show others.

“[You sought the answer to question that plagued your afterlife.]” Mordekaiser could hear Jan’ahrem’s words clearly despite the raging storm. He could hear her because she no longer spoke the common tongue. No, as if confirming all his theories, she spoke to him fluently in Ochnun.  “[Reached out to the truth with your own hands. And where did that lead you? Straight to me. Congratulations Mordekaiser, you’ve earned your chance to prove yourself as a God. Be warned, should you die a third time, you will not be reborn a fourth.]”

Mordekaiser’s eyes zeroed in on Jan’ahrem’s form, the true face of the mother of Zaun.

The mother of sin.

Just like her former appearance, he could tell now that her very power had been a lie. Her “storms” were just a fraction of the power she had set aside for the golden mask that had been “Janna”.

Janna may have been a bringer of storms, but Jan’ahrem was the bringer of calamity.

Mordekaiser watched as Jan’ahrem reached toward her crown which sat atop a shining blue mane of hair. He noted that her once fair skin had turned as gray as the clouds which rested above her people and her nails had become as sharp as the claws of the mutants born in the sewers beneath them.

Jan’ahrem’s eyes, which were once a Hextech blue, were now completely willed with a shimmering purple light. When she plucked off the crown, her hair that was no longer held back fell freely in front of one of those burning orbs. With a flick of her wrist, Jan’ahrem simply tossed the trinket off to the side, uncaring of where it landed.

Soon Jan’ahrem grunted, as if hit by an unexpected feeling of pain and she looked down to see blue markings burn themselves into her skin, engulfing her body from her neck down. Etched into her skin, what could be best described as a metal skeleton with clockwork gears as joints could be seen surrounded by bright blue clouds.

The markings were like those that her champion and her sister bore with the exception that Jan’ahrem’s were animated. The clouds moved across her skin as if they were moving through the sky and the gears connecting the skeletal frame moved lazily.

“[These are new]” Jan’ahrem spoke which revealed a shimmering purple light inside her mouth. With each word spoken, a purple smoke escaped her lips. Jan’ahrem clenched her fists and rolled her shoulders, her joints popping as her physique became much more toned. Grabbing her tattered top, Jan’ahrem ripped it off, proudly displaying the mural covering her bare torso. Jan’ahrem’s face seemed to release a cracking sound as she grinned at Mordekaiser. “[I’m ready. Shall we begin? Just try to conquer me, through your attempt, I will teach you what it means to be a God.]”

“[Teach me?]” Mordekaiser repeated in Ochnun, almost scoffing at the idea.  “[I have felled many of Gods before you. You will just be another victory.]”

“[I see.]” Jan’ahrem chucked before a vein began to throb in her temple when her fury suddenly spiked. “[Fool!]” Jan’ahrem’s voice cracked like thunder and a large ultraviolet bolt of lightning slammed into the ground, destroying a chunk of his undead army, and leaving behind nothing but ashes in the remaining crater.

Jan’ahrem had destroyed one-fourth of his army from just a flare of her temper.

At that moment, Mordekaiser, while still confident in his abilities, realized he had been mistaken.

It was as if an invisible weight had settled in his realm, one that was suffocating and crushing.

It was as if Jan’ahrem had stepped down to his level and her presence alone could destroy his realm.

This was the feeling he had expected to feel upon meeting his Gods in his mortal years. The feeling he had hoped to see in those other Gods who failed to put up even a semblance of a challenge. One that could reawaken the thrill of battle he had long lost and make him feel alive.

“[You dare put me in the same league as those weaklings!?]” Jan’ahrem’s body trembled as she was apoplectic with rage at his unmitigated gall. The gears began to spin faster and Jan’ahrem slammed her fists together which created a sound akin to two slabs of metal colliding before she ignited them with purple flames.

The vein began to throb more as her body burned within, revealing a purple light beneath her skin as smoke poured from her body. Jan’ahrem began to laugh, so overcome with fury that there was simply no other way for her to release the burning emotion swelling within.

Jan’ahrem began to giggle, seeming overcome with rage and madness. Her visible eye trembled as her grin widened. “[It’s okay. You’ll learn.]” Then to herself, she continued. “[Eventually. They all learn.]”

Jan’ahrem looked back at Mordekaiser. “[I hope I’m right and you are different. I hope you learn before you die.]” Soon that manic expression turned into one of fear and despair before Jan’ahrem continued brokenly. “[Don’t let me down.]”

With that, Jan’ahrem was gone.

It was only due to his centuries of combat experience that Mordekaiser managed to conjure forth his dark power, shrouding himself with it and becoming invincible, just in time to block a powerful blow from Janna. Around them, the air itself seemed to crack from the sheer power of the blow that Mordekaiser managed to withstand.

Mordekaiser didn’t even need to look back to know that his castle had been destroyed by the force of the punch. Hell, all he had to do was look above Jan’ahrem’s shoulder to get an idea of the devastation behind him. He could see it all, the remains of his now destroyed and broken army which had simply been torn asunder by Jan’ahrem’s speed alone.

Those that managed to survive would soon fall as well, as vibrant purple flowers began to bloom from their very bodies just as they bloomed from the corpses of their comrades. Like a rot, the flowers grew and spread across the realm as if bringing some sort of dark and twisted life to Mordekaiser’s realm.

The sight was hauntingly beautiful.

Jan’ahrem drew her other fist back before slamming it into Mordekaiser as well. This time, though Mordekaiser remained unharmed, he could tell that her strength had somehow doubled and felt himself be pushed back ever so slightly. Jan’ahrem then delivered another blow and Mordekaiser felt her strength double once more.

One after the other, Jan’ahrem slammed blow after blow into his impenetrable shield. With each successive blow, her power continued to double until eventually…

…she broke through.

Her fury reaching new heights, Jan’ahrem gritted her teeth, a vein now throbbing almost painfully in her neck as she stepped back and raised her foot before slamming a devastating kick into his abdomen. The force was enough to make even Mordekaiser lurch forward from the force. The sound of his shield breaking was loud, but its volume paled in comparison to the sound of his armor being torn through by Jan’ahrem’s kick. For the first time in his immortal life, Mordekaiser found himself being blown back from the force of his opponent’s attack.

As he flew back, the energy that had made up his shield returned to his body, healing him back to perfect condition instantly. Flipping, the mountain of iron and darkness righted himself before landing on the ground. His feet tore through the earth as he dug his mace into the ground to halt his movement. Looking at his opponent, he saw her staring back at him unblinkingly as she continued to seethe.

Jan’ahrem began to tremble with barely repressed fury as she saw him slide into a fighting stance.

“[You still won’t fight me seriously?]” Jan’ahrem questioned which confused Mordekaiser slightly. “[I know you feel the difference in our power.]”  That was true, the longer her shimmering aura burned, the more he felt her power continue to rise. “[Yet you still won’t face me as a God. You still look down on me and that…infuriates me!]”

Jan’ahrem threw her head back with that final exclamation as if screaming to the very heavens as her power exploded from her body, climbing to levels Mordekaiser thought impossible for the Goddess. However, he could tell that her power wasn’t just incredible, it was unstable and if it continued to release in such an uncontrolled state the goddess might explode and take their realms, if not Runeterra, with her.

Mordekaiser tightened his grip on his weapon as the cracks in the air began to grow and spread from the force of Jan’ahrem’s might.

 

-Meanwhile: Zaun: Kiramman’s Manor-

“Sheesh, who pissed in Janna’s cereal?” Jinx questioned incredulously after hearing another loud thunderclap. The windspeeds were high, to the point that Jinx was sure they had a few broken windows. “Is it her time of the month? Do Goddesses have a time of the month? It’s almost worse than Annie’s.”

“Honey, nothing will ever be worse than that,” Lux drawled and both she and Jinx shuddered as if sharing a memory that would plague them for the rest of their lives. The looks on their faces were ones of war veterans who had survived the most gruesome of battlefields.

“Oh, screw you both, I am not that bad.” Annie laughed as she came down the stairs with a bag of luggage before tossing it atop the rest that had been settled by the door.

“You burned down the house!” Jinx said incredulously. “A house I went out of my way to make resistant to fire!”

“Twice!” Lux added which made Annie huff before she plopped down on top of her luggage.

Annie pouted. “Don’t gang up on me. Besides this is my last day, shouldn’t you be nice and wishing me good fortune and all that?”

Jinx smiled a bit at that. “Well, the Hexgates are going to be closed until Janna chills the fuck out, so we still have some time to talk shit about you. We gotta get it all out before you leave since we won’t see you until the holidays.”

“Still, you can teleport, so a surprise visit or two before then wouldn’t hurt,” Lux added which made Annie smile a bit.

“Maybe after the first year.” Annie agreed. “Trying to work a bit on my codependency issues, not to mention I owe you both some space.” Annie shook her head in wonder. “Seriously, now that I’m almost the age you both took me in at, I can really appreciate how much you’ve sacrificed for me.”

Her poor mothers practically gave up what was supposed to be some of the best years of their lives for her.

Not to mention they barely had any alone time with each other either.

Annie grimaced. “Ugh, I’m such a cockblock,” Annie muttered before raising an eyebrow at her mothers. “Or…clam jammers I guess, not sure what it is for you two.”

Jinx barked out a laugh at that while Lux gasped, looking scandalized.

“Annie!” Lux blushed as she reprimanded her smirking daughter. “You’re not too old to get zapped.”

Annie stopped smirking.

Chuckling, Jinx wrapped an arm around her wife’s waist before rising onto the tips of her toes to kiss the blonde on the cheek. “Hey now, she’s not wrong.” Jinx smirked before turning to Annie. “I, for one, can’t wait till she’s out of our hair finally.”

Lux rolled her eyes. “Please, you’ll be the first one crying.”

“Like a bitch,” Jinx confirmed unashamed though her smile only widened. “But you know what? That’s fine.” Jinx’s gaze softened a bit as she looked at Annie. “Seeing who you are now, seeing how much you’ve grown…” Jinx trailed off as she remembered that chaotic but frightened little girl that she found only for the image to be replaced by the young woman in front of her. “…well, I’m probably prouder than you could ever understand, Firelight. When you were younger, I didn’t want to see you go, but now I know you’ll take the world by storm.”

“She will,” Lux agreed. “Maybe we can give you advice, help you learn from our mistakes moving forward, but Annie? There is nothing left for us to teach you. Any knowledge you want to grasp now you’ll have to do with your own hands out there and away from our protection. It won’t be easy, and you’ll probably be hurt a lot, but you will overcome any obstacle in your way.”

Lux took a deep breath as she returned her wife’s embrace and gave Annie a watery smile.

“You don’t need it, Annie, but you have our blessing to live your life however you see fit,” Lux told her. “No matter what you do, who you become, you can even come back and toss the crown in the trash…just know that we will support you no matter what decisions you make in life.”

Annie stood up then, though she was still not close to Lux in height, she had managed to get an inch or two on Jinx and pulled them both in for a tight embrace.

“Thank you both, truly,” Annie whispered. “You didn’t have to take me in, to love me, but I am glad you did. So glad. The nightmares have stopped, and I know no matter what happens, I can return to my homeland and face whatever issues arise without fear.” Annie hugged them tighter, and they rubbed her back reassuringly when they felt their daughter tremble. “I love you both so fucking much.”

Lux didn’t even bother to chide Annie on her language as she kissed the pinkette on the top of her head.

“Back at you, kid,” Jinx told her, wiping a shimmering tear from her eye.

It was then that Annie felt something pat her leg and looked down to see Tibbers looking back at her.

“Huh, what’s that Tibbers?” Annie questioned before she picked the doll up. Annie frowned for a moment before glancing toward the window. “Fine, you can go, flights are going to be delayed until the storm settles anyway. Just make sure you come back on time.”

The bear nodded and her confused parents watched as Annie placed a hand over the stuffed animal.

Soon, a familiar golden flame appeared out of the bear which had now gone limp in Annie’s hand. Annie opened her mouth and the golden fire returned to her body. However, though the golden flames were gone, what remained in their place was a pitch-black wisp that neither Lux nor Jinx had ever seen.

Annie then raised her finger, frowning cutely at the wisp.

“[Be safe and come back fast, I’m not leaving without you.]” Annie told the wisp.

Yeah, she was working on her co-dependency, but Tibbers simply did not fall under the category of people she needed to distance herself from. To Annie, that would be like trying to become independent from her right arm at this point.

“[I will mistress,]” The wisp replied much to both Lux and Jinx’s shock and horror before it rose and vanished.

Annie just shook her head and chuckled. “Oh Tibbers, what am I ever going to do with you?” Annie then blinked and looked at her mothers curiously, who both appeared as if something had blown up in their faces. “What’s wrong with you two?”

“What the actual fuck?” Jinx questioned incredulously, confusing Annie.

“A…Annie…what was that?” Lux stuttered out.

“What? Oh!” Annie smiled as if she understood why they were confused. “That was Ochnun, sorry about that. Tibbers taught it to me when I was younger so we could speak in secret. He told me it was rude to do so in front of others, but he sounded so worried just now it just slipped.”

Jinx looked torn between excited and ready to shit herself at the mere mention of the ancient language while Lux just appeared frozen.

Eventually, the Light Mage found her voice.

“N-no…I mean…Tibbers can talk!?”

Annie looked at Lux as if she had grown two heads. “Uh…yeah? I’ve only been talking to him since the day you met me.” Annie raised an eyebrow skeptically and it was clear she thought her mother was joking. “What, did you think I was talking to myself or something all these years?”

Annie laughed.

Her mothers remained quiet.

Annie stopped laughing.

“Wait, what? Are you serious?” Annie questioned incredulously. “Of course, he can talk! I am a bit too old to be talking to toys don’t you think?”

“Hey!”

“You talk to weapons, that’s different,” Annie told Jinx before returning her attention to Lux.

“But…I thought you used your magic to give Tibbers life?”

“I do he can’t move without it,” Annie confirmed. “But just because my magic gives him life doesn’t mean it gives him a soul. You can have a soul and not be alive, it’s called being a ghost,” Annie said as if it was the most obvious thing in the world. “Tibbers didn’t like being a ghost, so I gave him life. He lived inside my first mom, but that was uncomfortable, so she made him his new body. We became best friends pretty fast after the fire.”

Lux took a deep breath and rubbed the bridge of her nose, as she tried to stay calm despite the newfound knowledge that she had been living with an unknown specter for almost a decade now. A soul that kept their daughter company, alone.

Still, maybe it was a sign of how much Zaun had changed her when she decided to give the bear the benefit of the doubt.

It did protect Annie and keep her alive.

Plus, they were best friends.

Surely the soul within the bear couldn’t be that bad.

“What’s Tibbers’ name?” Lux questioned and Annie looked at her as if she asked if the water was wet.

“His government name,” Jinx added helpfully, and Annie nodded in understanding.

Lux took another deep breath.

She loved her family to death but sometimes…

…Lux just shook her head knowing that she agreed to this.

“Oh! Why didn’t you just say so, Lux?” Annie questioned. “Tibbers’ government name is Tybaulk!”

A loud thump was Annie’s only response.

“Mom!” Annie exclaimed fearfully when Lux, who gotten more familiar with the various faiths of Runeterra over the years, simply passed out.

 

-Meanwhile: Mitna Rachnun-

Before Jan’ahrem could take a step toward Mordekaiser, a blazing inferno suddenly exploded between them, igniting the realm, and flooding it with fire and brimstone. When the initial explosion died down, Mordekaiser found himself standing ankles deep in a sea of lava.

“[Master!]”  Tybaulk roared, standing tall as a multi-armed titan made of pure fire.

“[Tybaulk?]”  Mordekaiser questioned when he saw his loyal servant once more. Tybaulk and his brother, a demonic titan made of shadow, had been the vanguards of many of Mordekaiser’s campaigns, wreaking havoc on any and everything before they were stolen from him.

Though his brother remained lost for now, Tybaulk was an entity that Mordekaiser had kept tabs on after his host died. Mordekaiser was originally going to call the demon back to his side but found himself amused by the chaos and destruction that Tybaulk and the Dark Child created and decided to let them be.

The fact that Tybaulk went out of his way to return to his side proved two things.

One, Tybaulk’s loyalty was second to none.

Two, he had misjudged the threat that was Jan’ahrem greatly if the demon felt the need to come out of ‘retirement’ to protect its old master. The lava shifted and Mordekaiser looked forward to see Jan’ahrem stand up from beneath the magma. As if it were water, Jan’ahrem spit out the lava before running her fingers through her hair to clean it.

“[Not bad, at least this realm is a bit more colorful now,]” Jan’ahrem said as she looked around at the seas of magma that reached her knees. “[But, demon, you of all creatures should know that a bit of fire won’t faze me.]”  The cloud markings on her body then began to shift and move like the clouds in the sky before taking the form of a young woman engulfed in flames. The sight alone made Tybaulk’s eyes burn brighter.

Jan’ahrem whipped her hands out to her sides and the magma was simply pushed back, leaving nothing behind but the scorched earth, and hardened. Mordekaiser wasted no time and swung his mace into Tybaulk’s side, but his intent was not to harm his pet. On the contrary, when his weapon made contact with the demon, it sunk inside Tybaulk, absorbing the demon’s blazing form and imbuing the mace and Mordekaiser with its hellish might.

“[Impressive,]” Jan’ahrem praised as Mordekaiser raised his burning mace as her markings shifted once more. Soon, the image of the blazing woman was replaced with that of a powerful wolf. “[But you’re not the only one with a hound.]”

Mordekaiser’s mace slammed into Jan’ahrem’s side with enough force to obliterate a lesser God. However, Jan’ahrem simply grunted when the weapon made contact with her. The goddess grimaced when the weapon dug into her side, spilling her shimmering blood but she did not budge. Mordekaiser felt his mace being pushed back when Jan’ahrem’s body began to heal the wound and soon found his weapon pushed out of her side.

Jan’ahrem raised her hand as a bolt of lightning fell from the heavens into her palm as the image of the wolf shifted into the emblem of House Talis. In an instant, the bolt transformed into a golden hammer that was crackling with magical energy.

Mordekaiser attempted to back up when the Goddess was once more engulfed by her shimmering aura, increasing her strength even further only to find his wrist held tightly in her grasp. The metal of his armor began to warp beneath the strength of her grip.

“[I told you that I am not like those weaklings you slaughtered.]” Jan’ahrem spoke as the emblem of House Talis shifted into that of a mechanical mask while the hammer evolved, changing from gold to black as purple energy engulfed it. “[You need to fight me as a God, not a man. Only once you experience that glorious evolution can you defeat me].”

With that, Jan’ahrem brought the hammer down upon Mordekaiser as thousands of ultraviolet bolts fell from the heavens and slammed into him as if trying to smite him. Each bolt held as much strength as one of his obliterating blows and Mordekaiser was forced to raise his Invincible barrier just in time to try to mitigate the damage even as the very realm shattered beneath his feet.

 

-Later: Noxus: Frontier-

When Mordekaiser came to he noticed quite a few things wrong with his current situation.

The first was that he, of all entities, had even lost consciousness in the first place.

The second was that he, Mordekaiser, was on his back for the first time in centuries.

The third issue was that his body had been mostly destroyed, leaving nothing but his head and most of his torso.

The fourth problem was that he was no longer in his realm. No, it appeared as though he were lying in a clearing next to a stream somewhere on Runeterra.

The final issue was that he was not alone.

“Ah, Lord Mordekaiser, I am humbled to meet you, though I wish it had been under…better circumstances.” Mordekaiser turned his head to find a tall man sitting on a nearby rock and felt his eyes narrow slightly.

He knew this man.

He was one of the few mortals that had amused him enough to earn his respect even if they occasionally found themselves at odds.

A powerful, cold, and calculating leader who had reminded him much of himself.

Jericho Swain.

“I will not waste your time and will simply get to the point,” Swain continued as he looked toward the stream, watching the fish that swam by.

Swain’s vision was something that even Mordekaiser took note of, having no doubt that the man had seen the entirety of his battle against Jan’ahrem. The fact that Swain was even there to meet him likely meant he had foreseen his defeat before the battle had even begun.

This stung Mordekaiser’s pride slightly though he did not show it.

“My Lord, you cannot defeat her as you are.” Swain told him bluntly. “The talents, skills, and powers you have at your disposal stem from your time as a human and the power you gained in the afterlife. You’ve reclaimed one of your two pets that treacherous witch Leblanc had stolen from you but even the might of Tybaulk is not enough and you know this.”

Mordekaiser remained silent, but the fact he hadn’t obliterated Swain showed he was listening.

“Janna’s power stems from her faith, the belief and prayers of her followers.” Swain informed him. “A power you have yet to access.”

“That is a power that does not come without cost, boy.” Mordekaiser spoke, using the common tongue which made Swain nod.

“[Of course not. No power worth using is ever free.]” Swain replied, impressing Mordekaiser with his willingness to speak Ochnun so freely. Though the man had made a contract with a devil to bring glory to his nation, so Mordekaiser really wasn’t all that surprised. “But a stone pushed over a cliff is not so freely stopped.” Swain continued as he looked up at the darkening skies. “You feel it, don’t you? Janna’s power, how it grows?”

Mordekaiser did indeed.

“With her mask on, she is a mere Goddess of Storms. With it removed, a Goddess of Calamity,” Swain told him. “These powers are hers and hers alone. They do not stem from her followers, nor are they the reason you lost.”

He was right, whether it was a control of storms or calamity, Mordekaiser’s power was more than enough to surpass them. The issue was that her strength kept growing, this was the ability that made their clash so one-sided.

“Progress.” Swain spoke, interrupting his thoughts. “That is the strength that she gains from her followers. They view themselves as the leaders of progress in the world and thus imbue their Goddess with that same power. With a mere thought, she can increase her own power to surpass any obstacle. Though, as you can likely tell, that power does not come with control. So long as she can focus her strength against you there wouldn’t be too much issue. However, without a target, she will soon become unstable, and the very world may shatter from her might.”

Swain sighed.

“Though the Twin Cities are far from the strongest nations, they did manage to give their Goddess quite the troublesome power,” Swain muttered. “It took me a while to figure out how to overcome that for you.”

Now this got Mordekaiser’s attention.

“What? Do you think I only take the mortal threats to Noxus into consideration?” Swain questioned. “After how many Rune Wars? Fortunately for you, unlike your divine peers, your ‘children’ can look after themselves. I’ve gone out of my way to cultivate an entire faith for you in preparation of this very moment.”

“[Why?]”  Mordekaiser questioned as Swain was too clever for his own good. Despite what many mortals believe nowadays, Mordekaiser was not a God of Noxus. “Noxus” was formed by the ancient Noxii tribes that had defeated him. If anything, they had been enemies, rivals. “[Of all the Gods you could have chosen, why me?]”

“Because we value strength.” Swain informed him. “In your mortal years, you culled the weak from these lands. It is because of that that the tribes that defeated you even had the strength to do so. Of all the deities, there is no other that has the right to be called “father” by this Empire.” Swain then chuckled. “Of course, I know your reservations about using this power, and the cost that comes with it. Should you accept them in your heart, the prayers of Noxus, you will be shaped by them like all Gods.”

Mordekaiser grunted at the thought.

“I know how much you value control,” Swain told him. “Had I not taken certain steps when starting this campaign, you would have been changed against your will and we would have been slaughtered by you in rage. Not that I would blame you, that kind of change is something that we all fear.”

“[Your tongue is getting loose Noxian,]” Mordekaiser warned. “[I fear nothing.]”

Swain was treading on thin ice, though he refused to show his fear.

“Apologies, My Lord, but I speak the truth, would you prefer that I insult you by lying?” Swain questioned, privately relieved when Mordekaiser didn’t smite him.  “That fear of change, this fear that you will lose yourself, is one of the few remnants of your former humanity. Unlike the others, this remnant is a weakness, one which will bring an end to your glorious campaign to conquer all.”

Swain turned to face Mordekaiser fully.

“Your power, while vast, is not enough to stand against the likes of Mihara.” Swain told him. “This was a lesson Janna herself had to learn the hard way. While on the brink of defeat, half of Zaun sacrificed themselves to empower their World Rune to give Janna the strength to push Mihara away from their borders. Unfortunately, such a sacrifice was only made by those who were strong at heart, which left Janna alone guarding a cesspool of weakness. You know the rest.”

And indeed, Mordekaiser did.

It was why Jan’ahrem had been one of the few divine he respected.

Her people were weak and instead of ignoring their weakness, she made them stronger by force despite the pain it cost her. And, given his current state, it was clear that she was rewarded for actions with a power that had surpassed a need for her World Rune, ensuring that such a sacrifice of her strongest children would never be needed again.

Things had been different in that other accursed timeline. The Light Mage had robbed Jan’ahrem of a sizeable amount of her followers and her estranged children in Piltover had never found their way back to her faith which caused her to be even weaker.

All of that, because of the death of a single mortal.

Accepting such a blatant weakness as depending on the fickle hearts of mortals for one’s own survival was far too big a cost. Hell, Jan’ahrem’s very form had changed due to the influence of her followers.  Yet, despite that, the one thing that continued to eat away at Mordekaiser’s hesitance was that at her very core, she was still her.

Another thing was that, unlike Jan’ahrem’s children, Noxians were strong.

Mordekaiser would never trust someone like Jinx to lead his “children”.

…though Swain was a different story.

He was, in Mordekaiser’s eyes, the perfect leader.

“If you want to know why you haven’t experienced any changes, it’s simple.”  Swain raised a hand and a raven landed on top of it. “In your faith, I made it so that Raum is a messenger that delivers the prayers worth listening to, to you. Being a demon, this is a power he can’t harness so it is harmless to let him carry this burden. He has been absorbing the prayers for quite some time now, should you want the power, you merely need to accept him into your heart.”

Mordekaiser thought back to how Zephyr had been absorbed by Jan’ahrem before her transformation.

“[I suppose this is when you tell me what you finally stand to gain from this?]”

Swain smiled a bit. “What I want is simple. I have a contract with Raum, one that comes at the cost of my eternal soul in exchange for the eternal glory of Noxus. Raum is willing to accept…an alternative payment. He tires of his lot in life you see, of being forced to scavenge for sustenance like an animal. Should you take your position as a true God, you can feed him the unworthy souls forevermore.”

Raum gave a cry in agreement, excited by the prospect.

“Of course, to feed him unworthy souls, there will have to be souls in the first place,” Swain continued. “I know you’re prepared to sacrifice anything and everything for victory, but perhaps you could at least spare Noxus. If not out of love, then merely to feed the weak and sinful to Raum. You could also reward those who serve you well, to keep the faithful inspired and praying to you.”

Despite the situation, Mordekaiser found himself laughing.

“[So, you save your soul, protect your people and grant them glory by having me settle your debt with the demon who’s power you will retain access to.]” Mordekaiser surmised and he was genuinely amused. Such a tactic was something he would have come up with and despite himself, he found himself feeling…

…proud.

If left to his own devices, Mordekaiser wouldn’t be surprised if Swain had one day managed to become a God in his own right much as he did. Yet, Swain was willing to avoid all of that altogether and bend the knee to Mordekaiser in exchange for providing him with the very thing Mordekaiser lacked when he died.

Peace.

A peace he had been robbed of by Jan’ahrem, yet despite this, he felt no hatred in his heart, just a minor annoyance. After all, because of her actions he had been set on a path that would lead him to something even greater than everlasting peace.

He knew now that, unlike Swain, he would have never been satisfied with simply existing peacefully in the Hall of Bones. Perhaps that was because he died much younger than Swain currently was? Mordekaiser fell when his thirst for power was at its highest whereas Swain had spent decades at the top now.

Any nation he hadn’t conquered now feared Noxus enough to try for diplomacy instead of another conflict. The only exceptions were the Twin Cities which actively benefited from giving Noxus what it wanted and vice versa.

“Tybaulk’s brother, the lord of shadows remains sealed, but I have no doubts we’ll be able to free him from Leblanc’s grasp eventually.” Swain spoke up. “But until then, Raum is willing to step in as their replacement and grant you a power unrivaled. The power of Noxus, so long as you officially accept us as your children and become our God.”

Mordekaiser weighed the decision in his head as the storm continued to worsen to the point that he doubted there was a single nation that didn’t have a clouded sky at the very least. It was as if Runeterra itself had been covered by the Zaun Gray.

“[Jan’ahrem carries the power of progress itself.]” Mordekaiser reminded him.  “[If left alone, she will ascend past the limitations of a ‘God’ and reach the levels of an aspect. What could Noxus embody that would stand against that? Might, Guile, or perhaps Vision?” Mordekaiser questioned skeptically though rather than be offended…

…Swain smiled.

“My Lord, those are the values of Noxus’ rulers,” Swain pointed out. “They are tools that lead to that which Noxus embodies, which you will embody should you accept the deal.”

When Swain spoke the one word that contained all of Noxus’ beliefs, Mordekaiser found himself making the easiest decision he ever had in his eternal life.

 

-With Jan’ahrem-

“[Was I… mistaken?”]  Jan’ahrem wondered as she stared down at the massive rift in the realm through which she had blown away Mordekaiser. The Goddess turned away from the rift only to stumble and fall to a knee. Grimacing, Jan’ahrem clutched at her head as various colors began to “glitch” around her as she heard the screams of a thousand…thousand voices.

These were the voices of her children both living and dead.

Those who both prayed to and those who had forsaken her.

She had made a mistake, possibly the worst one that any divine could have, one which had led to the deaths of many other gods.

She had underestimated Mordekaiser.

In her base form, with her own power, she knew that she wasn’t strong enough to face him. Jan’ahrem knew going into the fight that she’d have to draw on the strength of her faith, but there was only a set amount of that power that she could control completely. A set amount which she had foolishly believed would be stronger than anything Mordekaiser was able to produce as he was.

She was wrong and learned firsthand just how absurdly powerful he was, even in a weakened state, compared to the rest of the divine. So, she had to go further, call upon more power than she had anticipated to crush him, and as a result the dam keeping the flood of power at bay, the voices, had broken.

Around her, the realm continued to shake and crack from the continuing release of her power, and she knew that if she couldn’t find a way to stop it, or at least focus it elsewhere, her surroundings would be ripped asunder.

Runeterra, the home of her children, would be left vulnerable to her uncontrolled might.

 

-Flashback: First Rune War: Border of Zaun-

“Spare them,” Jan’ahrem pleaded, on her knees as her precious city was set ablaze behind her. Before her was Mihara, who stood tall and proud as the sheer radiance of her light of justice forced even the storm goddess to avert her eyes.

“Zaun is a den of killers and sinners that are tampering with a World Rune,” Mihara spoke as she aimed her blade at Janna. “They’ve committed crimes immeasurable against the very world. They cannot be left unchecked. You, however, are just. Stand down.”

“I can’t,” Jan’ahrem replied in a broken whisper, as if trying to will Mihara to understand. Shimmering tears slid down her cheeks, a stark contrast from her bright blue eyes. From the ground where each tear fell, vibrant flowers began to bloom. “They’re my children.”

Mihara’s grip on her blade tightened, as a mother herself she understood.

She understood so much it hurt.

But she had her duty.

“They do not deserve you.” Mihara told her before raising her blade. As a mercy, she would strike Jan’ahrem down first. However, before she could bring down her blade, a powerful light erupted from the city.

Mihara cursed as grief flashed across Jan’ahrem’s face.

The World Rune had been activated…

…and Jan’ahrem could feel the loss of over half her children which had been used to activate it.

“Are they mad!?”  Mihara questioned incredulously. Rather than be judged by justice itself, the citizens of Zaun chose to make the decision themselves to take their own lives. Cursing, Mihara went to strike down Jan’ahrem only for the storm Goddess to catch the blade with her bare hand.

“You…” Jan’ahrem whispered as she stared at Mihara with wide eyes unblinking as if she were seeing the vessel of justice for the first time. Jan’ahrem tightened her grip on the legendary blade which began to crack in two when she felt her strength grow more and more. “[…will pay.]”

Mihara’s eyes widened when Jan’ahrem used the profane language of Ochnun.

Jan’ahrem was no longer a Goddess and had grown stronger than even the foulest of demons.

With power born from a sacrifice unimaginable, Jan’ahrem had become something that even gave Mihara pause.

A mother who had been pushed too far.

There was no grace, no signs of Jan’ahrem’s divinity, in the way the Storm Goddess lunged forward and tackled Mihara to the ground. It was as if a bear were mauling a mortal that had been dumb enough to stumble into its territory.

As she tried and failed to defend herself against Jan’ahrem, Mihara couldn’t help thinking about the daughters she left behind.

She prayed and hoped that the Storm Goddess’ anger only went to her and not them.

This was simply one battle Mihara didn’t want them to inherit.

 

-Flashback: End-

Before she could drown too much in her power, a sudden weight crashed down on her as a new presence entered the realm.

No.

On second thought this presence wasn’t new at all.

Eyes wide, Jan’ahrem watched as a massive pillar of green and black energy exploded from the rift while a massive silhouette rose from within it. Jan’ahrem couldn’t help but feel a chill run down her spine when two green flames made up the figure’s eyes and gazed down upon her. Jan’ahrem began to tremble as the weight of its presence continued to push her down as if trying to crush her.

The figure stepped from the pillar which soon dissipated and revealed itself to be Mordekaiser. The black of his still armor had grown so dark that it appeared to be forged from pure darkness as raven feathers lined its edges. From beneath the armor, a green flame-like energy spilled freely which gave him an almost ethereal appearance as it coated his frame and made him appear as some sort of specter of death.

Raising his mace, Mordekaiser slammed its top into the ground and rested both hands on its pommel while Tybaulk’s flames continued to burn.

“[Tybaulk, my loyal hound. You are dismissed.]” Mordekaiser ordered. “[Return to your new master, your presence is no longer required. You need not bear witness to what will follow.]”

Tybaulk’s flames lingered for a second too long and Mordekaiser tightened his grip.

“[Now.]” Mordekaiser ordered, his annoyance clear.

Tybaulk’s flames vanished immediately.

After all, you did not make Mordekaiser repeat himself.

Jan’ahrem chuckled a bit at this, grinning even as she bore witness to his newfound might.

“[Are you sure that was wise?]”

“[I need not anymore power to deal with you.]” Mordekaiser said simply and Jan’ahrem laughed loudly.

“[Is that right!?]”  Jan’ahrem questioned as her power exploded from her body, but the damage to the realm didn’t grow as it was all once more focused on Mordekaiser. “[Don’t get cocky just because you finally answered a few prayers!]”

Jan’ahrem exploded forward and slammed her hammer into his side. Mordekaiser didn’t so much as budge when the weapon slammed into his side. Eyes widening in surprise, Jan’ahrem could do nothing but watch as her weapon shattered upon impact.

“[What?]” Jan’ahrem questioned before quickly schooling her expression. Her markings once more created the image of a wolf and the vein on her temple throbbed as she felt her rage grow. Eyes blazing, Jan’ahrem released a flurry of blows into the Mordekaiser who continued to stand still. Each blow was more powerful and more savage than the last until the point that Jan’ahrem had begun to essentially claw at Mordekaiser.

Blinded by her rage, Jan’ahrem attacked until she felt her own wrists break. Scowling, the Goddess threw her head back before releasing a scream that spewed burning shimmer from her mouth like magma. Despite this, Mordekaiser just let the shimmer hit him and slide off his armor harmlessly as if it weren’t an attack that would have melted a lesser God.

Mordekaiser continued to gaze down at her impassively as her face took on an expression of disbelief. Though she had expected him to be powerful once he accepted his responsibilities as a god, she hadn’t expected this.  It was as if he were truly…

…Invincible.

Though he had returned with much more power, hers had still eclipsed his to the point that she couldn’t feel his power at all. Yet, despite this, he stood unfazed in the face of her power and fury.

Just how powerful was the faith of Noxus!?

With audible cracks, Jan’ahrem’s wrists healed while she raised her leg and slammed her foot into Mordekaiser’s who still did not budge.

“[Impressive.]” Mordekaiser mused though whether he was talking about her strength or his own, Jan’ahrem didn’t know. “[Powerful, savage, yet beautiful and delicate. You truly embody the Twin Cities.]” Mordekaiser said as he tightened his grip on his mace. “[Yet it falls short when compared to the sheer strength that is Noxus, allow me to share with you a taste of its Might.]”

 Mordekaiser swiftly picked up his mace with one arm and swung it at Jan’ahrem. So fast was the blow, Jan’ahrem barely had time to raise her arms to attempt to block the attack. Not that it did much as the power of the blow lifted her up effortlessly into their air and rocketed her back into the volcano.

In an instant, Jan’ahrem felt her back slam into the volcano. Pain shot through her body as she felt it break from the impact. Shimmer spilled from her wounds as she realized quickly that she would not be able to naturally heal from such grievous injuries.

It was as if Mordekaiser had tried to obliterate her but that was not the case.

No.

Not at all.

That attack had not been one of Mordekaiser’s obliterating blows.

All he did was swing his weapon.

As her broken body sunk deeper into the volcano which soon exploded in a hell storm of magma from the sheer force of her impact, Jan’ahrem knew that she was likely facing her final moments.

She had done this.

She had led one of the most dangerous beings to exist toward far more power than they had any right to wield. She single-handedly upset the balance of the world and had awoken a power capable of destroying the planet altogether.

Yet despite this, the feeling in her “heart” wasn’t fear.

Nor was it despair.

No.

As it continued to pound wildly in her chest, even as she broke apart and was engulfed in magma, all Jan’ahrem felt…

…was excitement.

Jan’ahrem’s face twitched and a grin threatened to split it as the clouds shifted once more and rose spread toward her face where they took the image of…

…an hourglass.

<<< Rewind<<<

Time itself bent to her will, reversing both her trajectory as well as the very devastation that had been brought upon the realm. Before long, a grinning Jan’ahrem once more stood before Mordekaiser and jumped up to avoid his swing.

To Jan’ahrem’s surprise, however, Mordekaiser’s eyes remained locked on to her and his swing had adjusted to her movement. It was only due to the increased reaction speed from her growing excitement that allowed her to adjust her body just in time to narrowly avoid the blow.

Jan’ahrem quickly conjured a powerful gust of wind to blow her back away from Mordekaiser to create some distance.

“[You saw through that?]”  Jan’ahrem questioned incredulously as Mordekaiser wristed his mace on his shoulder.

“[Just like its Might, the Vision of Noxus too is unrivaled.]” Mordekaiser pointed out and Jan’ahrem felt her eye twitch at how swiftly Mordekaiser adjusted to his newfound strength. Then again, quickly adapting had been his strength in both life and death.

“[I’m almost scared to see its Guile.]”  Jan’ahrem chuckled.

“[You should be.]”

Jan’ahrem froze when she heard Mordekaiser’s voice from behind her as the man before her simply vanished into the shadow, revealing itself to have been an illusion formed from darkness.

<<<Rewind<<<

Jan’ahrem spun around swiftly and ducked to avoid a strike from Mordekaiser. Again, she tried to create some distance, but Mordekaiser chased her down relentlessly moving with a speed and agility that had no right coming from someone of his size who was garbed in so much armor.

It had been swift, the change in their dynamic, no longer could she be on the offensive against Mordekaiser who was emboldened and empowered by the values of Noxus.

Every change to the timeline he saw through it.

Every blow she landed was simply an illusion.

Every blow that he landed could destroy her.

Was this truly it?

Would she be defeated by a monster of her own creation?

An image of the Twin Cities flashed through her mind.

No.

“[Not like this, I won’t die like this!]” Jan’ahrem shouted as she slipped past Mordekaiser’s guard and flew up high into the air. So caught up in the battle she had almost forgotten…

…victory had not been the goal.

Unlike before when she increased her power, there was no longer a set amount she had envisioned. No, this time she’d grow, she’d progress, until she simply couldn’t anymore.

Even if her power tore her apart, she’d achieve her goal.

She’d prove herself.

By any means necessary.

She had waited far too long for this very moment.

Tossing her head back, Jan’ahrem screamed out to the very heavens as her power flooded the battleground to the point that Mordekaiser found it difficult to press forward. As it continued to grow, a golden mask once more appeared on her face much to her surprise.

“[It really was a mask as well…]” Jan’ahrem mused before she ripped it off, the marks receding from her face before taking the form of a pink-haired siren that was singing toward the clouds. From her mouth, a loud melodic note was sung so powerfully that the very skies split.

From the might of her voice alone, the sky cleared in an instant, revealing an endless blue that expanded across the entirety of the realm. The light of the sun illuminated the once dark realm, revitalizing it with a light Mordekaiser had never seen once fill the realm.

Yet, despite the sheer show of strength, Mordekaiser could no longer feel her power.

As Jan’ahrem floated above him, her eyes were closed as her hair returned to its once golden color even as her marks remained. Extending a hand toward the distance, Mordekaiser watched as her once discarded staff flew to her open palms.

The markings shifted once more, and the siren was replaced with the image of a blonde Queen.

For a moment, Mordekaiser felt himself caught off guard when he felt the gentle breeze blowing through the realm. It was as if Jan’ahrem had returned to her former state. Yet, for some reason, his instincts told him that that had very much not been the case.

When Jan’ahrem opened her eyes his proven right as they had still retained their shimmering color.

“[First a mask of safety that brought you fortune, then a mask of progress that betrayed your true power.]” Mordekaiser mused. “[Tell me, Jan’ahrem, which mask will this one be?]”

“This isn’t a mask,” The Goddess answered in the common tongue. Mordekaiser tensed a bit at her words, regarding how completely…unburdened the goddess appeared. Gone was the fury on her face and in its place was a relaxed expression as she smiled down upon him serenely. “And please call me Janna,” Janna continued. “I was so fearful of my past…that I hadn’t realized that I simply have not been that person in quite some time. I almost lost myself for a moment there. I am much more than a simple Guardian after all. The name Janna doesn’t stand for that.”

“[Oh? And what does Janna stand for?]”

At this, Janna beamed at him as she spun her staff in her hands.  However, she didn’t conjure a storm or a vortex, but rather a simple breeze that was so relaxing that Mordekaiser almost felt his tension ease.

“Janna stands for freedom.” Janna said before vanishing in a flicker of multi-colored light. In an instant, she appeared before him, and he swiftly swung his mace at her only for her to slam her staff into the ground and erect a prismatic barrier.

“[Light!?]” Mordekaiser questioned when his mace bounced harmlessly off the barrier. Janna raised a hand toward his face a released a flash of blinding light which made him stumble back from its intensity.

“I am the Goddess of ‘Storms’,” Janna reminded him. “The weather falls under my domain, and that includes clear skies.” Janna told him before pointing up into the sky and when Mordekaiser looked up he saw a large rainbow arching over the realm. Janna pointed at Mordekaiser and soon arrows of multi-colored light fell from the rainbow.

Mordekaiser swiftly swung up his mace, creating a wave of infernal darkness that consumed the light and shattered the rainbow. Mordekaiser gazed down at the giggling Janna, not looking amused in the slightest.

“[You can’t defeat me.]”

-Flashback: Over 1500 Years Ago-

 

“I know,” a teenaged Zephyr told a very annoyed Sahn Uzal. Though he was on his way to becoming the youngest chieftain in their tribe’s history, he still chose to spend his time sparring with Zephyr. At one point it had been a fair match-up, yet despite not having beaten him in months, Zephyr still challenged Sahn to spar whenever they had free time.

“Then why are you doing this?” Sahn Uzal questioned, clearly annoyed. His hair was disheveled as though he always won, it was never as clean as he would like. “All you do is play pranks on me and lose. This is a waste of time.”

“Is it?” Zephyr questioned curiously. “You’re having fun, aren’t you?”

“That’s not the point!”

“It is!” Zephyr countered. “Soon, you will be the Chieftain, but I will be your advisor so let me advise you on this. Our lives are going to change when you take over and begin your ‘glorious campaign’. You won’t have the time for fun in your conquests. Sure, you’ll have your pick of riches and women, I’ll likely be one of them. But, knowing you, you’ll be thinking of future battles even when you’re waist-deep in concubines to keep up alliances.”

Sahn Uzal most definitely did not blush at that.

Zephyr laughed as if he did anyway.

“I don’t want to waste my time with that nonsense.”

“Sahn, how many times have we gone over your dreams?” Zephyr questioned curiously. “You don’t have much of a choice.”

“You’re enough.”

“I’m not, we’re from the same tribe, there is no advantage of lying with me besides entertainment,” Zephyr informed him with a shake of her head. “Not every battle can be won with a mace, try as you might.”

Sahn Uzal said nothing, but it was clear he knew she was right.

“Life is going to be nothing but one non-stop battle when you take over,” Zephyr continued. “You want to earn your eternal glory in the Hall of Bones, don’t you? Personally, I think you’ll just end up conquering that too.  The Gods are weak and selfish, why else have they never done anything for us?”

Sahn Uzal looked as though he wanted to protest but held his tongue.

They did not need to have that argument again.

“I’m saying this to say that your time for fun is limited and will go away before you know it.” Zephyr continued. “We’ll have fun now, fight when we’re older, and then we’ll die. While you’re living in eternal bliss in the Hall I’ll probably die and be reincarnated. Hopefully, as someone strong who believes in that nonsense so that I can join you.”

“If you become someone else, how would I possibly know it’s you?” Sahn Uzal questioned his old friend skeptically.

“Trust me, no matter how I look, speak, or what form I take, you’ll know its me.”

“How?”

At this, Zephyr grinned before tossing another bucket of water in his face which made him sputter at the sudden action.

“Simple! I’m the only one that can make you smile!” Zephyr declared. “So, answer my question, you’re having fun, aren’t you?”

Sahn Uzal continued to cough and wipe his face but when he finally regained his bearings, he glared darkly at Zephyr who yelped and ran away. As he chased her down, he was glad that her back was to him…

…after all, he’d never let her see him smile.

Maybe one day, when the dust was settled and he could finally, finally, convince Zephyr to give up her blasphemous ways, he could answer her question. Until that day, however, he’d keep that answer close to his chest.

-Flashback: End-

 

“You’re having fun, aren’t you?” Janna questioned and Mordekaiser froze. Almost as soon as she spoke those words a shimmering tear slid down her cheeks.

Followed by another.

And another.

“Oh, apologies,” Janna said as she began wiping her eyes, laughing nervously. “I’m not…I’m not sure what’s happening. Why am I crying?” Janna’s voice began to sound a bit hysterical, much to her surprise as she felt her heart clench.

Looking down at her trembling hands in surprise, Janna couldn't help but laugh.

However, there was no amusement fueling this laughter.

Only confusion.

“Mordekaiser, tell me, do you know how Gods are made?” Janna questioned. “Gods like me who were born like this, not Gods like you who earned and fought your way to divinity.”

Mordekaiser didn’t respond so she just pressed on.

“There’s a void, not the realm, that’s large and infinite and has been around longer than time itself.” Janna began, not once looking up from her trembling hands. “When certain conditions are met, a mortal can deliver a prayer so powerful that it cuts off a part of this void and brings it to the world. The mortal’s soul and imagination are what give this piece its form and they become this new God’s first follower.”

Janna looked up at Mordekaiser, her broken smile growing.

“That’s what my first follower did.” Janna told him as an image of Zephyr flashed through his mind. “But my follower was stubborn and loyal to a fault. Where others would simply be content with living their afterlife in my realm, she wanted more. She wanted to rejoin with the rest of herself which gave me form and became my heart. I thought she would be just a drop in the ocean. I was wrong.”

Janna’s tears continued to flow freely, causing flowers to bloom from the ground on which they landed.

“I was a young and foolish Goddess, and I confused the heart with the mind.” Janna continued. “Her memories, her mind, were little more than a footnote when combined with mine. Her heart, however, all but consumed me. It’s why I try to keep it separate from the rest of me. It’s too strong, it’s too much.”

Janna laughed once more and soon her markings began to create a second image next to that of the blonde Queen.

“Tell me Mordekaiser, for I’ve grown far too tired of searching for this answer.” Janna began to walk toward him. With each step she took the world began to darken as she absorbed the light into her very being.  “I am divine, but my heart is not. Who am I? What am I?” Janna questioned. “Where do I stop, and she begins? Are these feelings, which burn so intensely in my chest to the point that I would rather rip my heart out than live with them, mine or hers?”

Janna placed a hand on his armor and looked up at him pleadingly.

“You wanted me to admit why I spent so much time and effort on you? Fine,” Janna said, the marking on her back completely bared, revealing a blue-haired Queen who was embracing the other. “It’s because whether I am the Goddess once known as ‘Jan’ahrem’ or the human once known as ‘Zephyr’, you remain the only man to ever bring me joy.”

One last tear fell from Janna’s eye.

The image of the blue Queen moved forward and kissed the other.

“I adore you.”

With that, Janna’s body exploded releasing the light within her and engulfing both herself and Mordekaiser as she threatened to destroy the very realm with her explosion of light.

-Later-

 

Where do Gods go when they die?

If one were to ask Janna, she would have told you that they are simply cast back into the void.

Now if one were to ask her, she’d simply say Mitna Rachnun as that’s where she found herself when she opened her eyes. The realm had darkened once more, but not to the degree that it had when she had first entered the realm.

The flowers that bloomed across the land from her power had added an almost haunting yet beautiful light to the scenery. Not to mention, now she could that she was overlooking an endless sea that was so beautiful that it reminded her of her own realm.

How did she miss it?

Did the darkness of Mitna Rachnun truly hide such beauty from her?

“I didn’t die.”

“You didn’t.”  Mordekaiser replied in the common tongue and she tensed. Suddenly, she realized that she hadn’t been lying on the uncomfortable ground but rather on the armored lap of Mordekaiser who sat on his throne.

-Flashback-

 

Foreseeing the incoming explosion thanks to his Vision, Mordekaiser used Death’s Grasp, to grab Janna before dragging her with him out of Mitna Rachnun and into The Realm of Death. Unlike the other realm, this one was not his home. Rather, it was more of a storage place where he kept the souls of his enemies.

It was here that Mordekaiser allowed Janna to release her power. Though his indestructible aura shattered against her might, even when backed with the prayers of Noxus, it held on long enough to keep him unscathed.

-Flashback: End-

 

“Your body was in pieces,” Mordekaiser continued. “Fortunately for you, my shield kept me unscathed, so I used its power to mend you instead. For someone who claims to love their children, you almost abandoned them.”

“I did.”

“Why?”

“I fought you in your realm and before that I killed the Gods you worshipped.” Janna explained. “You would kill them all after killing me. Why you saved me, I do not know, but if you want revenge then I ask you to please make it quick.”

It was then she heard it.

A sound she would have sworn she imagined if she hadn’t been looking up at him.

Chuckling.

For some reason, Mordekaiser had been amused.

“A fool, brazen beyond words.” Mordekaiser mused. “You claim to adore me but were prepared to kill both me and you for your duty. Though I may never feel the same love for my ‘children’ as you do for yours, I respect the dedication to your mission regardless.”

Janna was unsure of how to respond.

This was uncharted territory when it came to Mordekaiser.

“You are a Goddess of progress and, apparently, freedom.” Mordekaiser began. “It would be hard-pressed to find an opponent you could not defeat.”

“Yet here I am, I lost to your Vision, Might, and Guile.”

“Wrong. Those values are merely tools to achieve that which Noxus truly covets,” Mordekaiser corrected. “Control and Victory.”

Janna’s eyes widened at this.

Though his control and her freedom canceled each other out, to embody victory itself meant…

“…I could have ended the fight at any point.” Mordekaiser informed her and she knew his words were true. She threw everything at him and even with power that eclipsed his own, he simply could not be defeated through any means she could produce.

“Why didn’t you?”

“Because it was fun.”  Mordekaiser answered and finally, he looked away from the scenery and gazed down at the stunned Goddess in his lap. “That’s the answer to one of your many questions, is it not? Would you like the answer to the rest as well?”

-Flashback-

 

“Who am I? What am I?” Janna questioned. “Where do I stop, and she begins? Are these feelings, which burn so intensely in my chest to the point that would rather rip my heart out than live them, mine, or hers?”

-Flashback: End-

 

“You lost, which means you submit to me.”  Mordekaiser informed her. “So, the answer to who and what you are is simple. You’re mine.” Janna was stunned by his words as he looked out toward the horizon once more. “I will give you a century or two to get your affairs in order before I spearhead my campaign. Tensions are high and I know you are quite aware that if I do not make the first move, someone else will. I’d rather not play on the defensive.”

“What of our children?”

“Their fates I leave to you,” Mordekaiser informed her, which surprised her greatly. “Congratulations, through your might, you have shown me their worth. Nurture them and love them as you always have so that they may continue to supply me with more power.”

Despite herself, Janna couldn’t help but speak. “Would it kill you to be there for your children?”

At this, Mordekaiser barked out a laugh.

“Only when they need it. Unlike you, I remember clearly my mortal days.” Mordekaiser told her. “They are not as weak as you believe, let them fall and pick themselves back up.”

Janna scowled but realized that was the best deal she was getting.

She knew very well his mercy did not extend to those outside of the Twin Cities or Noxus. The other mortals would either have to bend the knee or get stronger.

Perhaps it was Zephyr’s influence, but this felt…familiar.

…and she really needed ‘familiar’ right now, feeling so out of her depth for the first time in centuries.

“So, I shall play the role of your advisor?”

“No, you will stand beside me, not behind me.”  Mordekaiser corrected. “You are the only thing I have found of value so far in an endless sea of disappointment. The might of our pantheon will be unrivaled.”

Time seemed to freeze as she truly let his words sink in.

Suddenly, Janna paled and swiftly sat and looked out at that sea.

No…

…that sea wasn’t just familiar.

It was the fucking sea she kept in her realm.

Looking around, Janna saw that this wasn’t just Mitna Rachnun anymore. At some point when she was unconscious her realm and Mordekaiser’s merged. Janna was his with a sudden wave of culture shock as she remembered a crucial detail about the ancient tribes of Noxus.

To submit didn’t necessarily mean to enslave.

In fact, back then couples would submit to each other.

This practice would eventually become mar-

Janna swallowed. “At the risk of being obliterated. Would you say you have submitted to me as well?”

Janna became the first being to ever see what Mordekaiser looked like when genuinely puzzled.

“Of course, that is how this works.” Mordekaiser said and Janna wanted to scream that no, no it wasn’t and that a lot of things had changed over the centuries. Then again, she was a Goddess of progress while he was traditional to a fault.

Though this could potentially work out well in her favor, her feelings for Mordekaiser were still complicated–

-Flashback-

“My advice? Go uncomplicate whatever is ‘complicated’, but again, I’m biased,” Lux told her with a shrug. “My life is finite, I can’t waste time on ‘complicated’ but you’re, well, you so I guess you can take as long as you need to. It’s all a leap of faith, you could get burned taking your mask off for another but, well, you can also find one person you can try to find yourself around who won’t judge you.”

-Flashback: End-

Janna was cut from her memory when she felt him trembling and though she couldn’t see his face, she realized that he was holding back his laughter.

The bastard knew what he was doing and thought this was funny!

Janna did her best not to pout which almost made him break his restraint.

Narrowing her eyes, Janna smiled up and turned so that she straddled his waist. Raising a finger, she bit it and allowed the shimmer to flow freely from it.

“Don’t move.”  Janna warned before she leaned forward and drew a small cloud on the inside of his armored ‘collar’.  The shimmer ate into the armor, leaving a small cloud-shaped mark.  “There, now it’s official.”

“You impudent little…” Mordekaiser trailed off as he gripped her waist as she glared back at him.

Then they both burst out into laughter, and, for a moment, they were replaced with the image of Sahn Uzal and Zephyr. Though just as soon as it came it vanished as the two realized they could not lament on the past, if they wanted things to work moving forward, they’d have to look forward to the future.

Janna would have no trouble extending her love to Noxus, they were the only nation to give Zaun a chance after the split.

And Mordekaiser found the Twin Cities to be more amusing than most.

They reminded of the woman he once knew back when he was just a man…

…For the first time since he was reborn, Mordekaiser remembered what joy felt like.

 

The Book of Janna: New Testament: End

-Meanwhile: Piltover: Docks-

“Glad Janna finally calmed the fuck down,” Jinx mused as she looked up at the now clear blue sky. “I wonder what got her panties in a twist?”

Lux didn’t respond but instead looked up at the sky with a knowing expression and nodded. “So, you finally did it, good on you.”

Jinx looked at her wife in confusion.

Lux shrugged. “You’ll probably find out at church but let’s just say Janna might have had some demons to sort out and monsters to bed.”

Jinx blinked. “Janna has demons? Wait, monsters? You think Janna would bed a monster?”

“Honey, she’s the mother of Zaun.”

Jinx’s skepticism died right then and as her eyes lingered on Lux just a moment too long for the Light Mage’s tastes, Jinx nodded.

“Okay, yeah, never mind that makes sense.” Jinx mused which made Lux pout. Chuckling, Jinx wrapped an arm around Lux’s waist and pulled her close. “Hey, cheer up,” Jinx began as she gestured before them where Annie could be seen talking to Ren and Nunu. “Today’s a happy day.”

“Tell that to my wife,” Ekko said as he approached them while holding the hand of a sniffling Zeri.

“And mine.” They turned to see Vi and Caitlyn approaching them. Vi was grinning as they approached but Caitlyn looked as though she had seen better days. Her glare could have frozen hell itself and Jinx couldn’t help but feel flabbergasted as not even she had gotten such a response from the Sheriff before.

“I j-just wasn’t expecting him to go so far away so soon,” Zeri mumbled as she wiped her eyes and Ekko rubbed her back.

“I know Z, but look, Zaun is his home and always will be but so is Freljord,” Ekko told her. “Zaun is safe.” Ekko’s face twisted a bit as if after all these years he still hadn’t expected to say such a thing unironically. “Freljord isn’t and he’s going to go help stabilize his motherland and help out the cities.”

Indeed, though Ashe had all but won, there were violent uprisings still taking place, not to mention indications of an unknown third party, one that seemed to have ancient ties to the frozen land, making moves in the background.

After all these years of trading, Queen Ashe had finally called upon support from Piltover which had been outlined in the treaty Caitlyn had signed. Unfortunately, Piltover was currently going through a major change in its military.

That is to say, it was actually implementing one for the first time.

No longer under constant threat from Zaun and threatened by their sister city’s own militarization of the Fireflies, Piltover had decided they needed a force ready to protect both its borders and their interests outside of them, namely the Hexgates.

Unable to provide the promised support, Piltover reached out to Zaun to cover for them in return for paying an increased tax on traded goods as well as acting as a mediator between Zaun and Queen Ashe in future dealings.

Though the deal was sound, wounds between the cities were still healing. Zaun could forgive the past, for the right price, but it would never forget. Jinx was a lot of things, but not even she was crazy enough to lend out her nation’s military and leave themselves vulnerable as Piltover of all places made their own right next door.

This was an opinion Lux clearly shared as she, of all people, had surprisingly burst out laughing the moment Caitlyn relayed the request. Due to the surprised and relieved Chembarons present, Queen Lux’s reply of “You’re fucking crazy” to her own sister-in-law would go down in history and reinforce the fact that she too was a Queen of Zaun.

Caitlyn agreed the request was, to put it bluntly, certifiably insane but it served to open the door for negotiations. At some point, Piltover had learned how to haggle, and after a few tense weeks, it was decided that Zaun would not send their military.

They would, however, send Nunu.

This had been decided when the young man overheard that the fighting had broken out near where he had buried his mother. Wanting to both check on the grave as well as help the innocent sons and daughters of Freljord who had been caught up in the strife.

Nunu had chosen to kill two birds with one stone, though Jinx believed it might have been three as the young man seemed to have a hidden agenda, and after thinking about it Jinx agreed. However, in exchange for his participation, she made it clear that Zaun wouldn’t give anything else. Nunu was both Ekko’s heir and literally the most powerful person in both cities, a living war deterrent.

By sending Nunu away, foreign policies toward Zaun went from “don’t challenge them, ever” to “well, we might have a chance”.

If Annie, who was going on a sabbatical in her own homeland, couldn’t teleport back in an instant, Jinx thought that maybe there would be some nation of dumbasses crazy enough to fight them. Fortunately, though Nunu would have his hands full fighting a war, Annie would only be studying which meant she had no problems returning home to add more bodies to her count.

Everyone had been satisfied with this outcome except Zeri who, despite knowing Nunu’s power better than anyone, felt more than a little miffed that it was her son who had to go to war to cover up for the “Pilties”.

Vi and Caitlyn had heard that term more times than they could count, but even they shuddered at the sheer venom of Zeri’s voice, and it hadn’t even been directed toward them. Zeri had blown the power grid in both cities when she had found out and they had no doubts that she would do much worse if something happened to her son.

Fortunately, Ekko and Nunu managed to calm Zeri down.

Ekko had told her there were simply some things a man had to do, which only further raised Jinx’s suspicions that Nunu was planning something. Nunu, however, took a different approach and let her know that if there was a chance that her grave had been desecrated, he would leave home for her too.

Zeri had to be left alone for a few days but eventually, she begrudgingly got on board, deciding to have faith in her son’s strength. She had always loved how free-spirited he was and how he always followed his heart and wasn’t going to get in his way now.

Zeri even offered a sympathetic ear to Caitlyn and Vi when Ren enlisted with Piltover’s military, proving once more that the Twin Cities were cursed to mirror each other. Though nowhere near as powerful as Nunu or even Annie, Ren had grown to be the most skilled of the three. She made the absolute most of her skills and talents and wielded leadership skills that were only rivaled by Annie and were on track to surpass most of their elders.

Caitlyn had not been pleased as, like her wife, she knew Ren was a fighter but wanted her to join the Wardens where she could keep an eye on her daughter and not in a campaign spear-headed by Clan Ferros.

Vi didn’t have the heart to tell her wife that that was probably why Ren made the decision.

Caitlyn had always been the more protective of the two toward their daughter. Where Vi believed one had to get knocked down and learn to lick their wounds, Caitlyn believed that not every hardship needed to be experienced firsthand, that some things could simply be taught.

Vi tried to stay out of it and not pick a side, believing that it was best for them to work it out as she always tended to play the mediator and translator between her girls. However, during a particularly tense conversation, Vi finally put her foot down and sided with Ren, telling Caitlyn that there were just some things a woman had to do.

Ren used that opportunity to let Caitlyn know that while she had learned over the years how to be a Kiramman, she had forgotten who Ren was and wanted to figure that out in a place where her name meant nothing. In this campaign led by Clan Ferros which would send her to different lands to protect the Hexgates, Ren’s name would be nothing.

Clan Ferros would not give her special treatment because of who she is, but they also wouldn’t let prejudices get in the way of efficiency whether they be toward her father or her Clan. Ren would be judged solely by her merits, and there was nothing more she could ask for.

Ren had no doubt that she could be Sheriff but if she succeeded people would either accuse her mother of nepotism or question her skills and loyalty because of her father.

She needed a clean slate and while this campaign wouldn’t be perfect in that regard it was leagues better than any alternative.

Caitlyn almost caved then, but the straw that broke the camel’s back came from her own father who had told her. “You’re reminding me a bit of your mother.”

Caitlyn hadn’t talked to him for two weeks after that.

However, his words seemed to do the trick and she stepped aside as she knew she would have wanted the same from her own mother. Caitlyn didn’t mind so much that her mother didn’t approve of her career choice, but her actual interference was what made up for a lot of their issues.

Caitlyn wouldn’t interfere anymore with Ren’s choice, but she also wouldn’t insult her daughter’s intelligence by making her believe she was on board with it.

Ren still smiled all the same, proving that that was all she really wanted.

“Well, this day came faster than I thought it would.” Ren mused and Annie and Nunu couldn’t help but nod. “Did you all get your goodbyes out of the way?”

“Thankfully,” Annie said with a nod. “I’ve been preparing for this day for a while, I need to do this to understand not just what kind of Queen I want to be, but what kind of woman.” Annie sighed. “I never thought my resolve could waver but now that I’m here? This close to leaving?”

“You wouldn’t get on the ship,” Nunu said knowingly, and Ren nodded, understanding all too well. 

“I’m literally taking a ship when I can teleport because I wanted to spend every last minute I could with them.” Annie sighed sadly. “Homesickness is going to be a bitch, I already know.”

Nunu smiled in understanding, after all, he was doing the same. “They’ve looked out for us for years, and only when we are about to leave without them do I see how much they helped us, how much they’ve given.”

“Scary right?” Ren questioned rhetorically. “They’ve sacrificed so much, arguably too much, for us. We owe them a debt we can never repay.”

“Which is why we don’t have to,” Annie murmured. “No, we just have to pay it forward when the time comes.”

“And when will that be?” Ren asked curiously and Annie shrugged.

“I don’t know, but that’s why we’re leaving isn’t it?” Annie questioned. “They got us this far, but we need to take the rest of the steps and grow into people who will know when it’s time to pay it forward.”

“It’ll be scary,” Nunu admitted. “But we’ll still have each other, even if we are separated by great distances.” Nunu nodded toward Ren. “Jinx gave you a teleporter, correct?”

“Yep, if anything comes up, I’m just a call and a button press away.” Ren told them before stepping forward and wrapping her arms around them just as the ships made it to the docks. “Be safe, I love you guys and I’m going to miss you so much.”

“Back at you, cuz,” Annie said, her voice wavering ever so slightly. “You just make sure you come back as the top soldier in this damned city. Make sure no one can question your legitimacy to lead the family again.”

“I will,” Ren swore. “You better not slack off either, you’re leaving a Princess but I’m expecting to see a Queen when your pilgrimage is over.” Ren told Annie who nodded. Ren then turned to Nunu and punched him gently in his shoulder. “And you, Little Man, don’t drop the ball. I’m counting on you to pull through.”

Annie frowned in confusion as she looked between the two.

“Seriously, am I the only person who doesn’t know the real reason you’re returning to Freljord?” Annie asked her boyfriend, her scowl appearing more like a pout as she crossed her arms.

Nunu chuckled and wrapped his arm around her. “Trust me, Annie, you’ll find out when you need to. I just need you to trust me on this one, alright? Can you do that for me?”

“Of course,” Annie mumbled, still not pleased. “You’re the only one not in my family that I do trust.”

This said a lot as the Flame of Zaun did not trust easily.

Ren smiled at them before glancing back when she saw a few other would-be soldiers boarding her ship.

“Welp, my ship is about to board. I’ll hopefully see you for the holidays, yeah?” Ren asked Annie, knowing that Nunu would unfortunately be indisposed for the foreseeable future. Ren raised a fist and grinned at her cousin.

Smiling, Annie nodded and bumped her fist while a small tear escaped her eyes.

“Yeah,” Annie agreed and with that Ren, shouldered her bag and made her way to her ship. As her cousin boarded the airship, Annie saw that both her and Nunu’s ships were beginning to let on passengers as well. “Nu,” Annie spoke softly as she turned to face him. “Don’t keep me waiting too long.”

Unlike Ren who was going on a two-year tour and herself who predicted that she’d be studying for four years, Annie had no idea of when she’d see Nunu again. War, unfortunately, didn’t run on a schedule, and knowing how big of an asset Nunu would become to Ashe, there was no telling when she’d see him again.

“I won’t.” Nunu swore before smirking. “As impatient as you are? I’ll have to finish fast before you lay waste to my homeland.”

Annie smirked a bit at that. “Damn straight.” Annie told him before rising onto the tips of her toes and kissing him as he held her tightly in his arms. “Please be safe, Nu, and come back.”

“I will.” Nunu promised. “Freljord may be my homeland, but my home is wherever you are.”

With that, Nunu kissed her once more before separating and making his way toward his ship.

“This isn’t goodbye,” Nunu said as he walked off. “It’s just ‘see you later’.”

With him leaving, Annie turned toward her ship and for a moment her body felt as though it were paralyzed as she felt her mothers’ gaze on her back. Annie knew that if she turned back, if she saw their faces, that she would not board that ship and so she had to do the hardest thing she ever had.

Harder than sparring with Lux.

Harder than solving Jinx’s math questions.

Harder than even facing down Fiddlesticks himself.

She had to take the first step, and when she did manage to force herself forward. Her heart felt as though it broke yet her following step felt much easier. As she walked away, she could envision both Jinx and Lux walking by her sides, holding her hands as they had when she was a little girl, but she knew it wasn’t them.

No.

Rather, it was the lessons they had given her, the love they had blessed her with, and the memories they had shared that gave her the strength to board her ship. Only when she did, did she dare to look back at her mothers and when she saw their tearful but proud expressions, Annie knew…

…that she had been blessed.

With a grin that threatened to split her face, even as tears fell from her eyes, Annie waved back at them while her ship flew toward the Hexgate leading to Noxus. Right before the ship vanished, Annie knew that she was ready to take on whatever came…

…but it wouldn’t be easy.

 

-2 Years later: Piltover: Council Chambers-

Ren stood in her dress blues and stared out the window of the Council chambers and out toward the golden city of Piltover.

“How does it feel?” Ren blinked and glanced back over her shoulder to see Lady Ferros, or C. as she liked to call her, writing away on her parchment. “Being back home.” C. clarified without looking at the younger woman.

“Good,” Ren answered, giving her a playful smile. “Though I seemed to have gotten a bit too used to Ionia, all the gold here is hurting my eyes more than I expected.”

“Agreed, glad to know it isn’t just me,” C. mused. “I plan to have a summer home built out there for that very reason. I quite enjoyed Ionia.”

“Oh? For you of all people to live outside the city willingly, even for a moment, means you really enjoyed it.” Ren mused. “Was it the sights? The cuisine…” Ren smirked. “…or the company?”

A light pink dusted C.’s cheeks, but she rolled her eyes all the same.

Ionia had been…an interesting trip for Lady Ferros, almost as soon as she and the first recruits for Piltover’s army arrived, a group of assassins had immediately attempted to take her life. This was nothing new for her, but the skill of her would-be killers was a bit concerning.

She likely would have lost had it not been for Ren assisting her. Unlike the other recruits, Ren had a talent and proficiency for combat that far exceeded the others. It was for that reason that they survived the ambush as she and C. managed to draw the attention of the trained killers to themselves and managed to make relatively quick work of them.

Despite the less-than-stellar start to their campaign, C. pressed forward and to no one’s surprise who bore witness to the incident, C. assigned Ren as her personal bodyguard. This was to accomplish two things.

One it would provide C. with security that she could trust. C. Had many enemies, including Clan Kiramman. That said, the Piltover side of the Clan was too honorable to use such underhanded methods while the Zaun side of that Clan was simply too prideful to not take her life personally.

The second thing C. intended to accomplish with her decision was to keep Ren safe as the young woman had now put a target on her back by thwarting the assassination attempt. C. had held no love for the Kirammans, but she refused to let a debt go unpaid.

Yet despite her clear reasoning for keeping the younger Kiramman close, at some point their professional relationship had changed from superior and soldier to…something more intimate.

Unlike many of her peers, C. had not been prejudiced when it came to Caitlyn’s choice of spouse, such things were beneath her after all, but that hadn’t meant she wasn’t just as confused. That said, if Ren was anything like her Zaunite mother then she’d understand completely.

Ren possessed a charm, will, and proficiency for flirtation that had no right coming from one almost half her age. Of course, C. was smart enough to try and fight the almost primal feeling she had when around Ren, the power dynamics at play had made any relationship ethically questionable, yet it didn’t matter.

Why?

Because Ren was also Caitlyn’s daughter and possessed the eyes of a hunter.

No matter how well-crafted her mask of indifference was, Ren saw through it and saw clearly how much of an impact she had on the older woman. Unlike C., Ren lacked the wisdom, or perhaps the cowardice, to not pursue a relationship with Lady Ferros.

C. sighed as she shook her head clear of her darkening thoughts. “Are you sure you wish to be here? All I’m doing is preparing my speech for the festival. Surely, you have other things you’d rather do? Like, catch up with your family, for example?”

Ren chuckled a bit at that. “Oh, believe me, I’ll have more than enough time to catch up, especially since I’m leaving the army. Janna, I can already hear my mother jumping for joy.”

C. frowned a bit as she thought of Ren’s resignation.

Ren had been an asset for the army that had no equal, yet despite the promise she showed, Ren was more than content enough to step down. The reason was that their relationship was a scandal waiting to happen and while they knew they couldn’t hide it forever, they could at least make it not look as bad as it did.

Though Ren had promised her that Vi, who admittedly intimidated her a bit, would “be cool” about it she was far more fearful of Caitlyn. The Sheriff already wanted to strangle her due to their various debates in the Council chambers. When Sheriff Kiramman found out about her relationship with her daughter, C. knew a bullet was coming straight for her head.

As for the public’s perception, C. assigned Ren to be her guard because she was the best available. Ren’s position was an assignment, not a promotion which was fine. That said, Ren had earned more than a few promotions due to her stellar performance, but they both knew how it would look if she accepted them and it was later found out that she gave what was essentially her “boss” unfairly expert orgasms.

C.’s blush darkened a bit as she sipped her water.

Ren raised an eyebrow. “Good thoughts?”

C.’s blush darkened as she glowered at the smirking minx.

“Not all good,” C. admitted. “Are you sure this is what you want?”

Are you sure I am what you want?

“The army was a nice gig, I won’t lie,” Ren admitted. “But what I liked most was the thrill and serving my city, something I can still do as a Warden. The only reason I joined it and not my mothers, was because I wanted people to see me for me. To see my accomplishments as my own and not write them off as Nepotism.”

C. glanced down at her parchment unblinkingly.

“I’m sorry.”

Ren shrugged. “Don’t be.” Ren said, confusing C. greatly. “It’s because of you that I realized that none of that mattered. You believe in me. My family believes in me. Most importantly, I believe in myself. If it weren’t for you, I wouldn’t have realized that I was simply trying to prove myself to people who weren’t worth it. I wouldn’t have known that I was letting my detractors run my life and that I wasn’t sure what it was that I really wanted. Now I know.”

“And what is that?”

“You.” Ren answered simply as she strolled forward and gently grasped the side of C.’s face. “Even the shiniest of medals pale in comparison to your smile. When I look in the mirror each day, I’d rather see you standing beside me than see those trinkets pinned to my chest.”

Ren tilted her head and C. averted her eyes.

“Understand?”

“This…this will not be easy.”

“Nothing worth doing is.”

“I have no shortage of enemies.”

“And I have no shortage of bullets.”

“Ren!”

Ren chuckled and pressed her lips to C.’s. “Relax, look, I know that it won’t be a cakewalk. We’re in for some stressful times when this eventually goes public, but that’s fine. We’ll have each other, always.”

C. looked saddened at her words for they reminded her of just how much of Ren’s life was still ahead of her, how little she had seen. C. had seen far too many deaths and betrayals to see any color left in this wretched world they lived in. She had been born to serve the great machine of the Twin Cities, she was a mere cog, an older one that was beginning to rust while Ren was a new piece still looking for its place.

Could the two truly find a way to work in tandem?

“You can’t promise that.” C. whispered.

“The hell I can’t,” Ren said with narrowed eyes. “Not even death itself will keep me from you.”

C. went to respond but before she could they both heard it.

A wretched and all too familiar sound.

Stunned, they both turned to the window where they saw a rocket bearing a menacing grin approaching them rapidly.

“Get down!” Ren shouted, pushing C. away with all her might just as the rocket slammed into the chambers.

 

-Later: Zaun: Kiramman Manor-

“What do you think?” Lux questioned curiously as she held a spoon filled with red sauce to Jinx. Jinx leaned forward and tasted it and her eyes widened at the explosion of flavor that hit her.

“Holy shit, that’s amazing!” Jinx grinned which made Lux beam.

“Excellent! I was curious about this recipe. I’ll have to thank Ziggs for the cookbook.” Lux said before she turned off the stove. “We’ll let this sit for a bit and–”

Lux was cut off when they heard a loud and frantic knocking at the door. Confused, the two shared a look before making their way to the entrance. When they opened the door, they saw a frantic Vi.

“Sis? What’s wrong?” Jinx questioned worriedly. A myriad of emotions flashed across Vi’s face, none of them good, before she spoke the two words that made their hearts freeze in their chests.

“…it’s Ren.”

 

-Piltover: General Hospital-

Jinx appeared in the halls of the hospital in a flash of blue light with Lux and Vi. The blue-haired woman’s eyes were burning bright as she searched the hallway. Ignoring the startled and terrified nurses, Jinx’s eyes locked in on Camille who was standing before her disheveled grandniece while Caitlyn continued to paced back and forth with tears falling from her eyes.

The moment Caitlyn noticed Jinx she immediately made her way toward her former nemesis. It was a testament to how far they had come when Caitlyn placed her hands on the shorter woman’s shoulders, gripping them tightly, and asked. “Who did this?”

Jinx immediately pulled Caitlyn close and hugged her tightly. “I don’t know.”

Lux could see a few of the hospital’s staff were stunned at the sight, no doubt having expected Jinx to be the culprit. Lux’s eyes burned and they all practically fled as she glared at them for even thinking Jinx would have hurt one of their babies like this.

“The rocket wasn’t mine.” Jinx told her. “There…there wouldn’t be anything left if it was mine.” Jinx informed her, feeling sick at the very thought. Caitlyn knew Jinx couldn’t have done this, but this also ruled out the idea that her weaponry had been stolen. “The attack didn’t come from Zaun.”

“How can you be so sure?” Camille questioned with her voice as cold as ice as she gazed at the Kirammans.

“Because you frigid bitch, we’d gain nothing from a second split.” Jinx hissed while pulling away from Caitlyn and gently handing her to Vi. “No, these are the actions of sore losers. This has you fucking Pilties written all over it.”

Camille bristled at that.

“Absurd! Piltover gains nothing-”

“She’s right.” C. interrupted Camille, causing her Aunt to look at her incredulously. “And you know it.” C. glanced over at Jinx. “Queen Jinx, thank you for the confirmation.” C.’s cold gaze moved up to Camille. “That only leaves one other suspect.”

“You bitch!” Vi snapped as she began to make her way toward Camille. “What did you do!?”

“Nothing!” Camille snapped. “I would never threaten my precious niece! I have done nothing when it comes to thi-”

“Wrong, you’ve arguably committed the biggest mistake possible.” C. interrupted and Camille looked at her both hurt and confused by her words. C,’s voice was soft, but her words were cold and cut far deeper than any of Camille’s ever could. “You gave them mercy.”

Camille paled at that, and C. turned to the Kirammans, her expression almost lifeless.

“I apologize for getting your Clan wrapped up in this.” C. told them. “This incident had little to do with you and everything to do with me. I have a lot of enemies, none more so than my very family.” C. gestured toward Camille. “Despite your opinions of my dearest Aunt, she is weak and it’s her weakness that brought us here today.”

Caitlyn’s narrowed her eyes as Camille looked at C. stunned.

“As you know, I became head of Clan Ferros after my Aunt…trimmed the family tree, removing my parents and raising me as her own.” C. informed them. “However, she made the grave mistake of stopping with my parents and allowed certain…weeds….to grow and wounds to fester.”

“My child, they were children.”

“When has that ever stopped you?” C. asked coldly which made Camille freeze. “They were old enough to remember what you did. To hold a grudge and question my leadership. You treated traitors better than your targets. This is why I took control of the Clan when I became of age because you were too weak, too beholden to the old ways.”

“My girl, they were family.”

“Blood doesn’t make family.” C. sneered. “For family, you will submit.” C. suddenly hissed and they watched in surprise as Camille’s body suddenly sparked before the Hextech blue light that empowered it seemed to dim. “Queen Jinx, Queen Lux, as Clan Head I’ve deactivated her offensive tools. Should she try to escape. Kill her.” C. glanced down at Camille. “I love you, my dear Aunt, truly and deeply, but the great machine has no need for useless cogs.”

Camille seemed both stunned and hurt by C.’s words but surprisingly she gave a bit of a sad smile and bowed her head.

“It seems my use has run out.”

“It has.” C. said matter-of-factly. “I never had a good opportunity to clean house, it’s quite unfortunate that it finally came but all too late to prevent such a tragedy.” C. bowed her head to the Kirammans. “I am sorry for your loss.”

Lux’s eyes watered. “Is she…?”

“Not yet.” C. answered but her expression wasn’t relieved in the slightest. “But I saw the damage firsthand…there…she…she is missing a lot of her body.” C. revealed, looking sick as she re-lived the memory. “Councilor Talis has her hooked up to a machine that’s keeping what’s left of her alive while he went to Zaun.”

“Zaun?” Jinx asked curiously, getting a nod from C.

“He’s attempting to find a solution with Viktor while the staff here do their best to keep her from perishing.” C. clenched her fists tightly. “But I’m not sure if it will be of any help. I have seen a lot over the years, I saw the damage of the Split firsthand, nothing was this visceral.

“How many people know about Ren’s condition?” Jinx asked suddenly, which made C. frown in thought.

“The staff and we know. We put the Hospital on lockdown, the staff is required to stay here until the situation settles. We don’t need rumors flying around at this point in time, why?”

“Because if that many people know, lockdown or not, it’s not a secret anymore.” Jinx pointed out. “Which means its information.”

C. was confused by the words for a moment before she paled.

After all, if it was one thing both C., and the Queens knew it was that information no matter how safely guarded always had a way of making it…

“Where the fuck is she?”

…to Noxus.

Looking back, they saw Annie standing on what were now scorched tiles, flames dying on her body, as she had both Renata and Singed in tow. Jinx and Lux could tell that their daughter was pissed so much so that they didn’t even bother speaking to the woman they hadn’t seen in quite some time.

She still looked the same but now garbed in a Noxian dress, the fact that she had made stops to get help before storming the hospital had shown a great growth in her maturity. For Annie to be even somewhat rational in the face of this much pain spoke volumes of how far she had come. Jinx was going to speak but found herself stopping herself.

There was a time and place to catch up.

It was neither here nor now.

“I won’t ask again.” Annie said and knowing from Ren about the Princess’ temperament, C. pointed to the room across from them before Annie could start blasting her way through the building. Briskly striding forward, Annie made her way to the room with both Singed and Renata. “Stay here, you and I will speak later.”

While C. didn’t necessarily fear Annie, she knew that she was practically powerless compared to the future Queen. Though her hatred for her Clan’s traitors burned deep, she would stay put and let them bask in what they thought was a victory for a bit longer.

After all, whatever she had planned for them would probably seem like a mercy compared to what Annie would do. Not to mention that Annie was one of the few who knew about C. and Ren’s relationship through the correspondence the cousins shared.

Annie would know how much C. was currently hurting.

It was clear Annie wanted to say something to her and, even if it was to chew her out, she would listen to what she had to say.

“Fuck.” Renata hissed when the door opened, and it was the first time Lux and Jinx saw their niece’s condition. Lux began to weep at the sight as Jinx grimaced, glaring at what had become of their niece. Gone was Ren’s left arm along with her body from the waist down. “What are we about to do about this?”

“Everything we fucking can,” Annie answered. “I stopped by Viktor’s lab first, he and Jayce are in the middle of something to help, we just need to buy them more time.”

“And you believe you can?” Singed questioned and Annie nodded.

“I know I can, this kind of incident is one of the reasons I left to expand my knowledge.” Annie said as she moved toward Ren’s side. “You’re in the way, get out,” Annie told the doctor.

“B-but–”

“Now.” Annie hissed and the doctor fled from the room. Raising her hands, Annie burned away the sleeves of her dress with her magic before scorching her hands with a pink flame that sterilized them. “When medicine fails, we must resort to magic. I’ll drag her back from Janna’s storm even if I must use my bare hands.” Annie swore before engulfing Ren with her flames as Renata and Singed discussed the next course of action.

Renata couldn’t stand Pilties, but even she couldn’t help but mutter “Hang in there, brat.” to the one sole Piltovan she gave a damn about.

 

-The next day-

“Kid, you need to take a break.” Renata told Annie who had not stopped working since she had arrived. Renata wasn’t a mage, she knew little when it came to the arcane, but even she could tell that using her magic nonstop without rest was dangerous.

Annie’s arms were soaked with her cousin’s blood which had splattered across her body since she began operating on her. There was even a bit of blood on her face, but Annie continued just as diligently as she had when she first arrived. It would have been impressive if it wasn’t so heart-breaking. Renata dared not to speak the words aloud, but she knew that it was pointless, if anything Annie was just prolonging Ren’s suffering.

“Annie–”

“Let the child work.” Singed interrupted calmly as he continued his work on Ren’s body, mentally going through countless potential experiments he could try to bring her back from the brink. “She is a doctor.”

Renata raised an eyebrow at that as she continued to work on attaching a prosthetic leg to Ren’s body. As Annie worked on keeping her cousin alive, it was Singed and Renata who were tasked with replacing what was lost.

Transplants of this level were rare, but they were successful. One didn’t have to look any further than Chem-Baron Velveteen to see that. The problem was that unlike her, Ren had suffered severe brain damage, and her body was rejecting the implants even when they used Shimmer.

“Since when was she a doctor?”

“About two years,” Singed told her. “I gave her the title before she left.” Singed explained and it was then that Renata remembered that Annie had been the doctor’s apprentice. “She has an acute affinity for the human condition.”

“Condition? You mean its anatomy?”

“No,” Singed said with a shake of his head. “That’s too limiting. The Princess strove to learn about and learn to heal not just the body, but the mind and very soul of a human. Her arcane nature gives her a perspective that even I lack and tools to utilize exclusive to her. Upon her return, she will be Zaun’s foremost healer, of this I have no doubt. This is why we must press on. She will succeed today. Mark my words.”

 

-Mitna Ochnun-

In what had become the combined realm of Janna and Mordekaiser Ren found herself standing before Janna’s storm. The winds were powerful, and the massive vacuum would have sucked her in long ago had it not been for her cousin keeping her anchored.

“Cuz, this is killing you,” Ren said as she glanced back at her cousin who appeared as though she were made from a pink flame. Ren glanced down at her wrist which was held tightly in her cousin’s burning palm. “If you keep this up, you’ll be right here next to me.”

“Shut up,” Annie hissed. “I’m bringing you back one way or another.”  Annie bowed her head then, her expression shadowed by her bangs. “Tibbers is going to take your spot.”

This startled Ren greatly. “What!?” Ren questioned with a horrified expression. “No! You can’t!”

Ren knew how much Tibbers meant to Annie, hell, how much he meant to her.

He was family.

And he was the first family Annie had since her birth parents died.

To lose Tibbers would be to lose part of Annie, it was a sacrifice unimaginable.

“You think I want this!?” Annie snapped. “I don’t. But there is no choice. Nu set off for a major battle two days ago so we can’t call him to fix this. I don’t want to lose either of you, but this is his choice.” Annie told Ren, surprising her greatly. “His power is limited in our world, but he’s fed on enough of mine to bring you back, but not enough to do so unscathed. There is no changing his mind when it comes to this, I tried to buy some more time, but we are out of it.”

Ren fell to her knees, looking at the ground in despair as Annie watched her with a pained expression.

“It’s time to come home cousin.” Annie whispered and Ren could only grit her teeth as her tears flowed freely.

“I’m sorry, Annie. I’m so sorry.”

“Don’t be. This isn’t your fault.” Annie reassured her, though her face was devoid of emotion. “This isn’t your fault at all.”

 

-Piltover: General Hospital-

“It’s time Tibbers.” Annie spoke up quietly as her infernal companion grew behind her and stepped to her side. Annie placed a hand on his fur-covered chest and gave him a sad smile. “It was a good run, you…you were my best friend, my father, and my brother. My protector.” Burning tears slid down her cheeks as she removed her hand and pulled free the golden flame that sustained him and contained his soul. “I love you Tib.”

To her surprise, despite having his soul and power removed, the bear managed to move and hug her one last time before returning to his small plush form and falling harmlessly to the ground. Annie’s shoulders trembled but she moved the flame toward her cousin. Yet, just before she could place it within her, the door of the room slammed open.

Surprised, she, Renata, and Singed turned to see Jayce enter the room with Viktor.

“Please give us some room to operate.” Viktor said as he and Jayce made their way to the operating table.

Jayce turned to Annie, and his expression softened when he saw her haggard state. “Is she still alive?”

“Barely,” Annie answered as she looked at the golden flame in her hand. “Her brain is heavily damaged, and her body is rejecting the prosthetics even when we use Shimmer. There is simply too much damage to her nerves. I was about to perform…a ritual to get her back on the right track.”

Jayce’s expression was grim and while he didn’t know the fine details, he had worked enough with magic to know that no ritual that powerful would come without a cost.

Jayce and Annie were not close by any means, but they didn’t dislike each other either.

They simply shared a mutual connection with Ren.

And it was for that reason that Jayce placed a hand on the younger woman’s shoulder and tried to give her a reassuring smile.

“Before we resort to any rituals, let’s give science one more shot, okay?” Jayce questioned as Viktor presented a shining object in his hands.  When Renata looked at it, she saw what appeared to be a five-pointed star that had a bright blue sphere within it covered in runes that filled the shape with blinding light.

“What is that?” Renata questioned as even Singed looked a bit surprised by the sheer power he felt coming from it.

“It is the next step in our glorious evolution,” Viktor answered. “The Hexcore Mk. II.”

Renata looked particularly taken aback. “You made another one of those things?” Renata questioned before turning to Jayce. “And you went along with it?”

Jayce grimaced. “It was far from an easy choice.” Jayce glanced at Ren. “But it was necessary, at least this time he didn’t have to make it alone.”

“We had tried to find the first one, but it was missing.” Viktor explained to her. “We searched for its signal across Runeterra, but it was nowhere to be found. My current hypothesis is that it was destroyed during the Storm Gate’s construction.”

Renata recalled Jinx mentioning that such a thing had happened in passing and nodded her head.

“I would have liked to have been kept in the loop about that.” Viktor said, sounding slightly annoyed.

“Take it up with the Queen,” Renata grunted.  “Only reason she told me is because I was in charge of the Gate’s construction.”

Viktor wasn’t entirely pleased with that but pressed on regardless, there was no time left to be wasted on such petty things. His greatest failure was destroyed, but that was good enough for him.

“With the previous core destroyed, I had to find my notes to make a new one with Jayce’s assistance.” Viktor explained as he placed the Hexcore off to the side and prepared to open Ren’s chest.

“I assume that this one is more stable?” Singed questioned getting a nod from his former protégé. “How?”

At this, Jayce shrugged and looked at his former partner with a former smile. “We just needed to crank it a bit more.”

Despite himself, Viktor couldn’t help but chuckle. “Sometimes the hardest questions truly do have the easiest solutions.” Viktor said before looking toward Annie. “I’m sorry for the delay, and I apologize for asking more of you Your Highness, but please be prepared, the hardest is only just beginning.”

Annie scowled and nodded her head as she prepared to go into this operation with a renewed sense of purpose. Placing the gold flame inside Tibbers once more, the bear grew once more and used his arms to steady his mistress before she could collapse.

Even a powerful and immortal demon like him could tell that this was going to be a long day.

 

-That Night-

The occupants of the hall collectively looked up when they heard the door to Ren’s room open. At some point, they had been joined by Ekko and Zeri, and Zeri couldn’t help but gasp at the sight of Annie. Though each person there appeared severely emotionally drained in their own ways, none looked even remotely as exhausted as the bloodstained Annie who had to be supported by Tibbers.

“Annie?” Caitlyn asked apprehensively, getting her niece’s attention. They all waited with baited breaths to hear the results.

“We’ve managed to attach Ren’s heart to the Hexcore, thanks to that she will no longer need to be on life support.” Annie explained to Caitlyn. “We’re keeping her on it for now just to be safe. The Hexcore replaced her damaged nerves, and her body is no longer rejecting the prosthetics. On the contrary, it's assimilating and upgrading them.”

Vi frowned. “What does that mean?”

“It means she will probably come out of this not only alive but much stronger.” Annie told her. “That ‘glorious evolution’ Viktor keeps harping on about? Ren is it. Though her mind and soul are human, her body is now the pinnacle of both Hextech and Chemtech. A perfect singularity. We’ll be keeping her sedated for a couple more days in case of any last-minute surprises, we’re a bit paranoid since this is uncharted territory for all of us.”

Annie looked between her aunts and nodded.

“Don’t worry, your baby is going to be alright.” Annie reassured them and soon found herself embraced tightly by both women.

“Thanks, kitten,” Vi told her as Caitlyn nodded, unable to find her voice after being hit with a myriad of emotions. She didn’t need to say anything though, Annie could practically feel her gratitude as she pat Caitlyn on the back.

“I can’t take all the credit, Jayce and Viktor ended up saving her and sparing me from paying an unimaginable price to save her.” Annie told them. “Not to mention the knowledge and resources we got from the Doc and Grandma.”

“And they will be thanked and repaid when I get the chance to meet with them.” Caitlyn said, finally finding her voice as she wiped her eyes. “But don’t belittle your own involvement.”

Annie averted her eyes. “All I could do was stall.”

“And Ren is alive because of it.” Caitlyn told her firmly. “Humility does not suit a Princess, dear. Be proud of what you’ve done. You saved your cousin’s life. Words can’t describe how proud I am of you.”

“Thank you,” Annie whispered before she closed her eyes for a moment and allowed a tear to escape before opening and turning her head to face Lux. “And thank you, Mom, I wouldn’t have gone down this path if it hadn’t been for you.”

 

-Flashback-

 

“Did my fire…save her?”

“It did,” Lux answered quietly. “And I’m so proud of you my brave little girl and if Jinx was awake, she’d tell you the same thing. Your flames will always burn bright, even brighter than my light, but that doesn’t mean they have to destroy. You can do whatever you put your mind to with them, never limit yourself, okay?”

Annie nodded her head looking very thoughtful for a child her age. “Okay.”

-Flashback: End-

Lux wiped her eyes and beamed at her daughter after recalling the memory of the day she saw Annie decide to expand her horizons and show an interest in something besides destruction.

“Honey, never thank me for believing in you. I’m your mother, I know you’ll be great no matter what you decide to do,” Lux told her with a warm smile. “But what are you going to do now? I have never seen you this livid before.”

This confused most of them, as Annie simply looked exhausted as though she were going to pass out at any moment.

However, her mothers knew the truth.

They knew the signs of an impending meltdown, the calm before the storm so to speak. No matter how old Annie got, she would always be their daughter. Surprisingly it wasn’t Annie who spoke up next, but C.

“Is she? Well then, that lines up with my needs perfectly.” C. mused as she stood up from her seat and rested her cold gaze upon Annie. Despite the bags under her eyes, she had appeared as stoic and regal as always. “You’re a Princess but a Princess of Zaun, which makes you a mercenary. I’d like to offer you an accord, one that should satisfy your mounting bloodlust.”

“What’s stopping me from just taking your head to satisfy it?” Annie questioned. “My cousin wouldn’t even be here if it weren’t for you.”

“You’re right, she wouldn’t.” C. agreed wholeheartedly. “Someone had to carry her body here after all.” C. drawled and Annie glanced down at the woman’s attire and noticed the dried blood covering it. Hate still filled Annie’s eyes but the fact that C. hadn’t been incinerated meant it wasn’t all directed toward her. “You’re smart, so I know you’ll accept my deal. After all, I’m giving you a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to Cull half of my Clan.”

Annie’s eyes narrowed slightly at this, as the onlookers looked at C. in surprise. “I’m listening.”

“What are you doing!?” Camille questioned incredulously. Though she had accepted the fact that her grandniece would retaliate, she had hoped that the time she had spent in the hospital so far would calm her down a bit and temper her future actions.

Enlisting the Flame of Zaun was all Camille needed to know, that C.’s response to the attempt on her life would be devastating.

“I’m going to nip this situation in the bud and make up for your failure.” C. said matter-of-factly. “I had thought sitting here all this time would give me a chance to calm down, imagine my surprise when I just felt my anger rise with every passing moment as my hatred festered. Those fools you call family are waiting with baited breaths for the confirmation of my death, uncaring of the devastation they caused or the war they could have sparked.”

C. glanced at Jinx who looked both amused and surprised.

“At first I was going to extend this offer to Her Majesty, Jinx.” C. revealed. “However, that would have been too merciful.”

Jinx felt her jaw drop at that reasoning.

Oh.

Robo-Blondie was pissed.

“I’ve already contacted those in my family who are on my side.” C. said as she held up a tablet she used to communicate with. “They had been out to hear my speech and I made sure to let them know to not return home with their children for a few days.” C. told Annie. “Just you and me. We can take one of the hidden entrances of my Clan Home and remove everyone from within the manor. If my suspicions are correct, there should be a third party inside whose head would interest Clan Kiramman.”

C. then gave Annie a smile that could have frozen hell itself.

“We can even make a hunt of out of it, your family is oh so fond of the sport.”

“And what of the children of the traitors who will be home as well?” Camille all but hissed. “Will you hunt them down as well?”

“Why of course.” C. said as if it were the most obvious thing in the world. “They’re old enough to know right from wrong which means they are old enough to bear a grudge and develop a hunger for vengeance. Do you remember what happened the last time you let the children of traitors live?” C. questioned rhetorically. “I do. Because they shot a rocket at me.”

Camille clenched her fists tightly.

“I learn from the mistakes of my elders.” C. continued. “I am the Clan Head for a reason. You found yourself lacking and gave me the spot. Now, I will reward that faith placed in me and ensure the survival of our great machine by removing some broken parts.” C. glanced at Annie. “With help of course.”

“Enough of this,” Caitlyn interrupted. “Clan law may supersede City law but only to an extent. This is murder. I have no love for your family, especially not after this Lady Ferros, but the law is the law. I can’t let you kill who knows how many people. Especially not children.”

“Sheriff, let me let you in on a little secret. We are the law.” C. told her bluntly. “We make the rules. You stop me, and you’re just delaying the war they tried to start. You can’t arrest them. Do you think my family would leave evidence? No. This is out of your jurisdiction, and this is a matter between me and Her Highness. Stand down so I can save us from annihilation.”

Her words were not hyperbole.

A second Split, after everything both cities had gained in terms of power and influence?

There would be no survivors.

Just a barren wasteland where the glorious two cities once stood.

“From your words, Councilor Talis and Viktor have created a singularity between Hexcore and Chemtech,” C. told Annie. “If we do nothing, let my family plan another coup later, then we risk either losing this technology or having it used on our citizens. They want to split the cities, but with their blood, we can make the renewed bond your parents created unbreakable.”

C. offered her hand and Annie realized she’d be making one of the most important decisions of her reign before she even wore the damned crown.

Annie glanced at Camille and was surprised to find that the legendary woman’s stoic expression was nowhere to be found. For once her infamous dignity was cast aside and she was all but pleading with Annie to refuse, to try and find another way.

“Spare them.” Camille pleaded and Annie felt her scowl vanish.

And a practically feral grin split her face.

“Fuck no.” Annie said with so much vitriol it almost brought a proud tear to Jinx’s eye. Annie accepted C.’s hand and Camille’s expression crumbled. Over the years Annie had a philanthropic streak developing toward her citizens.

But that was it.

Her citizens.

Annie had gone down the path of healing but that did not mean she had forsaken the path of destruction, that was simply just a path she had already mastered in her youth. Annie had grown into a beautiful woman who could produce a gentleness that was softer than the most delicate of flowers but the monster beneath all of it was still alive and well, biding its time.

And after the near death of her cousin?

Her family?

That monster was hungry, and C. provided her with the perfect meal.

“Excellent,” C. said with a cold smile that Annie returned. For the first time since Annie had learned of C. and Ren’s relationship, the two managed to find common ground. “I assume you need to recover first, when would you like to begin?”

“And give Camille a chance to interfere? No, let’s do it now,” Annie answered, surprising her as she looked as though she could barely stand. “I still have some tricks up my sleeve, you just lead the way.”

“I believe this may be the beginning of a fruitful partnership,” C. said as they both began to walk away, Annie still being supported by Tibbers. C. glanced back at Camille. “By the way, interrupt my dealings again and I will have you join the traitors, Aunt.”

Desperate, Camille found herself swallowing her pride and turned to Caitlyn and Vi, asking them for assistance.

“I need to focus on my daughter’s recovery,” Caitlyn finally responded. It was clear she was torn, but when she swiftly went through her list of priorities, she surprisingly found that she lacked the motivation necessary to even attempt to stop both a Hextech-imbued woman who was her equal and the most powerful Fire Mage on Runeterra who also happened to be her niece.

A niece she loved dearly who just saved her daughter.

Did she approve of what Annie was about to do?

Absolutely not.

But it wasn’t as though she could stop her.

Vi’s refusal is more to the point.

“You killed my parents, fuck off.” Vi scowled at Camille and Jinx snickered. After she had exhausted all potential deals that she could through Camille and established a direct line of communication with Lady Ferros, Jinx finally told Vi who killed their parents.

Vi was livid.

Fortunately for Camille, Vi was still considered a Zaunite by the Piltovans and the enforcer knew how it would appear if she killed Camille. It would start the very war that Annie and C. were on their way to prevent.

It was for that reason, and that reason alone, that Vi left Camille alone.

A loud laugh interrupted the tense silence and they turned to see Renata wiping a shimmering tear from her eye.

“I spent a lot of time thinking about getting my revenge on you,” Renata told Camille. “Thought of at least a thousand ways to kill you if given the chance, but you know what? You can live. Nothing I can do will possibly hurt you more than you living every day with what your brat and my grandbaby are about to do.” Renata turned to Jinx and Lux. “Good job, you two raised a hell of a Zaunite.”

It was quite possibly the first time Renata, who loved Annie deeply even if she tried to hide it, had ever called Annie a Zaunite. They could practically see an invisible weight fall from Renata’s shoulders. Something had shifted then and Renata felt as though she had a new lease on life.

For the first time in years, Camille cried as she looked down at her prosthetics which had their offensive capabilities locked by her niece.

Her tears had not been for the traitors, their fate was their fault.

They were for the innocent that she could not protect.

Innocents that looked up to her as the immortal shadow and guardian of Clan Ferros.

Ekko let out a low whistle and shook his head before turning to Zeri.

“And this, Z, is why despite everything I believe in karma,” Ekko whispered to her quietly, which made his wife snort. Jinx had cheated, she somehow became besties with their God who seemed to protect her and her loved ones from karma.

Everyone else wasn’t so lucky.

“You’re in bad shape, need a hit before you go?” Jinx questioned and Annie shook her head.

“No, you know I’ve never handled Shimmer well.” Annie pointed out. “Don’t worry though my lands in Noxus were seized long ago. The Trifarix were kind enough to set aside my first mother, Lady Hastur’s, journal for me. I’ve found a nice little workaround for times such as this.”

Lux, for one, looked impressed by this news. “You’ve grown,” Lux said proudly usually, Annie would brute force her way through any limitation she had, such as her inability to safely consume Shimmer, but now she had become someone willing to find alternatives.

Jinx nodded in agreement. “Then at least take this,” Jinx said, and Annie just barely managed to raise her hand in time to snatch an airborne knife from the air. Quirking an eyebrow, Annie recognized the blade as the one her mother always carried around with her. “The holiday passed, but that was one of your gifts, take it.”

Annie examined the blade for a moment and nodded before pocketing it. Though her mother hadn’t handed her the mantle just yet, she had given Annie the key to destroying the cities if she so wished. Apparently, Annie had passed one of her mother’s very cryptic tests.

She didn’t know which one and probably never would.

Still…she’d accept the newfound responsibility all the same.

Annie faced C. and nodded. “Let’s go.”

 

-Later: Clan Ferros Manor-

“How are we doing this?” Annie questioned as they exited one of the underground tunnels and stepped out into the Clan’s courtyard. “You care about the building?” Though she put on a stoic façade, C. couldn’t fool Annie.

Half her body was made from Hextech but Lady Ferros was still human.

This was going to hurt.

A lot.

There was a point where Annie couldn’t care less about hurting the woman if needed but by enlisting Annie to perform this dark deed, she had earned the Princess’ respect.

And if Ren loved the woman, then she’d play ‘nice’.

“I do but living here would be quite uncomfortable after we finish tonight,” C. said as she raised a hand and Annie watched a golden mask digitalized in the woman’s palm while her hand crackled with Hextech energy. “Scorched earth, leaving nothing behind, this manor is overdue for renovation.”

Annie snorted at that, but she understood on some level. Though returning to her first home didn’t hurt, it did make her feel…unbalanced…in a way, she was glad the Trifarix seized her land. Though she would have appreciated it if they hadn’t raided her wine cellar, she’d blame that on The Faceless.

Annie sighed and tossed her a pair of keys, confusing C. greatly.

“I have a safe house in Piltover, a Penthouse apartment my mothers got me for my 18^th birthday,” Annie revealed as she inspected her nails. “Ren can give you the address when she wakes up, not like you’re leaving the hospital till then anyway.”

“Hmph, and people think that I am spoiled.” C. mused. Though she had a very affluent upbringing, she could say with complete certainty that she had never been as ludicrously spoiled rotten as Annie had been.

Annie snickered. “What can I say, there are perks to being an only child.”

“There are,” C. agreed, her expression darkening a bit as she looked at the manor. “More than you know.”

Annie glanced at her but made no further comment about that. “You two can stay there for as long as you need. No way in hell my aunts are letting you stay in their house without you telling them what’s really going on between yourself and their daughter.” Annie pointed out which made C. tense knowing she was right. “Vi might be fine, but Aunt Cupcake might–no–will shoot you.”

“Well, I appreciate–wait–Cupcake?” C. questioned curiously. “You call that cold-hearted b–I mean–Caitlyn Cupcake?”

“Of course, she’s like the sweetest woman ever, you’re the last person who can call someone cold-hearted,” Annie pointed out and C. decided she’d have to take Annie’s word for it. Both she and Ren had said the same, but C. could swear she felt the temperature plummet whenever the Sherriff entered a room.

Looks like she was different behind closed doors…

…or with people she liked.

C. could relate to that level at least.

“Blame Vi for the name though, gave it to her when they first met,” Annie continued. “Really sappy and really romantic story that is, makes me sick,” Annie laughed but C. could tell Annie didn’t actually dislike the story. “It’s silly, but that word has a lot of meaning to Ren’s side of the family–hey, you alright?”

“I am,” C. said as she placed the mask on her face. It could have been a trick of the moonlight, but Annie swore she saw the stoic woman’s eyes glisten before she placed the mask on. C.’s voice seemed to gain a mechanical edge to it as she continued. “I just…finally understood a joke Ren once told me, that is all.”

“I see, then, you make sure you tell her later,” Annie told her before sighing. “Fuck me, we’re bonding, look. I’m not going to be merciful, you can stand back and let me handle this.”

“No. That is not how the Clan, my Clan, handles internal conflicts,” C. muttered. “This mask was our gift to Janna. It was my decision to have us spearhead the introduction of her faith to Piltover. Clan Ferros was to protect her children who thrive in the light and those who thrive in the shadows cast by that light. Yet, my very family attempted to cause untold damage to her children. They strove to make me a liar to my God.”

C.’s body trembled at the thought of the sheer audacity of the traitors.

Annie realized then that Piltover’s faith wasn’t just for show. C. was truly a believer.

Annie knew then that the traitors were fucked.

The religious were a different type of crazy that even gave her pause, she knew firsthand because she was one of them too.

“I will lead by example.” C. said coldly. “If Clan Ferros doesn’t hold itself accountable, how can we ever hope to maintain order?” C. faced Annie, her glowing blue eyes completely filling the eyeholes of her mask.

At this moment, C. truly looked as though she were a weapon of war.

“How about you?” C. continued. “Your condition has not improved. Where is your ‘alternative’ to Shimmer.”

“Right here,” Annie said before she turned around in Tibbers’ arms. “Tibbers, come on, just like we practiced. What did Mother write down again–oh yes.”

Annie cleared her throat.

“Tybaulk.” Annie spoke, the weight of the word felt heavy and C. felt her legs weaken a bit as the atmosphere just seemed to shift. For a moment, Annie’s eyes went completely black before scarlet flames spilled from both her eyes and mouth. “Loyal Hound of Mordekaiser, I offer to you this vessel of blood and flesh so that you may go forth and consume these guilty souls. I offer to you all I am in exchange for all of you.”

Tibbers shrunk in size as his very soul moved from the plushie and into Annie who now stood slouched over. Dark flames now began to cover her body, producing a black smoke as the stuffed bear simply fell to the ground.

This was different from the times when she simply regained the magic that she used to sustain Tibbers. When that happened all, she did was regain control of her own flames while giving his soul a place to rest so that he wouldn’t fade from the mortal realm. When she allowed him to possess her, however, everything she was became his and her very soul became a portal for his fire.

A dark hellfire that reduced anything and everything to ash.

C. could hear Annie’s joints popping and her bones cracking as her body twitched while picking up the bear.

“Here mortal.”  Annie spoke as she handed C. the bear. “Place this in your pouch and let no harm come to it or you will join your family in kneeling before Lord Mordekaiser, bathed in my flames and drowned by his unending darkness.”

C. nodded mutely, unable to trust her voice as Annie’s threat level had suddenly skyrocketed in her eyes. She had thought the girl was simply crazy like her mothers for being so attached to a stuffed toy.

Now she knew the truth.

And the truth was simply far more horrifying.

C. realized then and there that she had truly made a deal with the devil.

“Ah yes, truly a pleasing vessel, the Dark Mistress has treated it well.” Annie-no-Tybaulk declared with a ferocious grin, literally a beast with human skin. “I could get addicted to this, but alas, my Mistress’ mind is simply too powerful for me to keep her trapped.” There was a surprising amount of fondness in her…his…it’s words. “But then again, that is why I choose to serve her. Come you wretched mortal, I have souls to consume.”

C. swallowed her fear and nodded before swiftly dashing off to the manor.

 

-Clan Ferros: Manor-

“It’s been quiet, too quiet, Merdarda! Did you fail?” Lord Ferros questioned angrily as he paced back and forth before an annoyed Ambessa. “You promised me a war that would give me a seat on the council!”

“I promised you no such thing, boy.” Ambessa said with a warning tone. “I promised your wife that. My dealings are with her. It is clear that you married into this family as she knows how to properly conduct business.” Ambessa sighed, ignoring how flustered the man became. “Where is she? My dealings are with her and her alone.”

“Resting, in her condition she cannot be expected to deal with the stress of a war,” Lord Ferros informed her before narrowing his. “A war that has not happened yet!”

“Through no fault of mine!” Ambessa snapped back. “It is not my fault the so-called City of Progress cannot do something as simple as identify the body of one of its councilors. In Noxus, such a matter would have been handled already.”

“Do not speak to me of Noxus when your nation lays in bed with sump-rats and the whores they call Queens.” Lord Ferros sneered. At this, Ambessa swiftly rose to her feet and Lord Ferros stumbled back, shaking a bit though he held on to his anger. “I’m not afraid of you,” Lord Ferros said despite shaking like a leaf in her presence. “Get me my war, Merdarda, and my seat.”

Snarling, Ambessa moved to grab the little man and show him his place but stopped when the room…

…exploded.

 

-Minutes Later-

Ears ringing, Ambessa pushed herself up, debris falling from her back as the now burning forms of her men fell around her, their faces twisted in muted horror while they burned alive. Coughing, Ambessa growled as she forced herself up to her feet.

The power of that explosion and the mercilessness with which her men continued to be killed around her let her know exactly who had caused this destruction.

An image of Jinx flashed through her mind, and she gritted her teeth, her body trembling with barely repressed fury. Yet, she supposed this was better than even she could have anticipated. Not only did the war clearly begin but by framing Jinx for the inciting incident she had clearly used the woman’s pride against her and drug her out of hiding in that cesspool she called a nation.

Finally, she could repay the debt owed to that vile lunatic.

An eye for an eye, and blood for blood.

Jinx’s attack on the Council Chambers all those years ago had frightened her into believing she had lost her daughter, though she had fortunately provided the girl with protection against surprise attacks.

Just because Mel refused to watch her own back didn’t mean her mother wouldn’t.

Though her daughter had survived the horrible experience, the attempt alone at Mel’s life was enough for her to sentence both Jinx and that wretched city of Zaun to death. Ambessa had provided Piltover with the forces necessary to protect its borders and fend of the Zaunites as they regrouped yet before they could enact the vengeance they so rightfully deserved, Mel and the other Councilors called for a ceasefire.

Ambessa could not believe it, somehow the Zaunites had frightened the Piltovans into calling for a truce. In hindsight, Ambessa wasn’t too surprised. They had power but never truly used it, the Piltovans were a soft people that used honeyed words and gold to protect themselves.

They knew not what true conflict was nor the thrill of victory.

 

-Flashback-

“After all they’ve done, after all they’ve done to you, you would let them live!?” Ambessa questioned with righteous fury as she glared at her daughter’s back. The brilliant light of Piltover shone brightly against Mel’s golden protections as she looked over the city which was still being repaired. Ambessa sneered as she took note of the bandages that still covered her daughter who even now was forced to rest her arm in a sling. “Are you truly that soft!? You could crush them!”

“We could.” Mel agreed wholeheartedly.

“Then why–”

“–But at what cost?” Mel interrupted. “There would be nothing left to rule. To lead. The Zaunites have proven their mettle, they are beasts that we should not provoke further. Mother, you are a great leader, but you lead armies, not nations.” Mel glanced back at Ambessa, her expression shifting as if she were speaking to a child. “There is a reason for that. A good king knows what hill to die on.”

Mel turned her attention back to the city.

“Get your army out of my city.”

“And if I don’t?”

“Then be branded a traitor.” Ambessa blinked and looked to the side to see Camille stroll into the Chambers. Camille barely paid her any attention as she handed Mel a letter. “There has been a change on the global scale. It seems the ‘glorious’ leaders of Noxus have chosen to side with the Zaunites to aid them in gaining their independence.”

The words made Ambessa's blood go cold.

No…

…it couldn’t be…

“Impossible, why would they side with that filth?”

“Apparently, because you’ve been thwarted in every other battle so far,” Camille drawled. “Your defeats have amused them, not that I care.”

“You don’t?” Mel questioned skeptically.

“I don’t.” Camille confirmed. “Zaun speaks one language, and that is gold. Even after all of this we could sit down with them and hammer out deals peacefully so long as it lines their pockets. Through Zaun, we have new opportunities and new ways to broker deals with Noxus if we use them as proxies.” Camille explained. “I’ve done my part, but this is the next form our great machine has decided to take, and I will not stand in the way of its progress.”

“First it’s Noxus, but soon other allies or even nations we aren’t aligned with will turn to Zaun,” Mel muttered. “And through those dealings, they will expose openings that will allow us to gain more from them than we currently have.”

“Precisely.” Camille nodded. “We were running out of jobs for the Zaunites anyway due to the advancements in Hextech. Let them fend for themselves, not like they paid their taxes anyway.  Downsizing our population will solve the employment crisis and we won’t have to hear more ‘activists’ crying about the homeless situation. If they are not our citizens, it is no longer our problem. I just need your signature, half the council is dead so even if Councilor Talis refuses to sign, a majority vote will be easy.”

“What of Clan Kiramman?” Mel questioned, and to Ambessa’s disbelief and inner fury, she saw that Mel seemed quite intrigued by the idea despite everything that had transpired.

“Already signed, Cassandra’s girl took over for her grieving father.” Camille revealed. “Though I believe she would have signed regardless, it appears she’s learned to haggle. She signed in exchange for the now-open Sheriff’s position. Seeing how she’s more than suited for the job and how said job will keep her busy and keep her Clan out of most the meetings, I saw no need to refuse.”

“I see,” Mel mused as Clan Kiramman, she believed, would have been the hardest to convince given what happened to Cassandra. Fortunately, like her late mother, Caitlyn was adept at seeing the bigger picture no matter how deep her hatred ran. “Well then, perfect. I will sign now.”

As they talked, Ambessa could no longer hear them over the sound of her rising blood pressure.

This was more than just a peace treaty.

This was a sign of her defeat.

Even her leaders had abandoned her, believing in those wretched sump rats over Ambessa.

Even her very blood had chosen defeat over the victory Ambessa knew she could give them.

Ambessa stormed out of the chambers and as she did so she could swear she could hear the mocking laughter of the one who had started it all. That…that monster which had almost taken away the only thing Ambessa had left that she truly loved. A monster that, as of now, had taken away her pride as a general.

This wouldn’t do.

Somehow, someway, someday, Ambessa would set things right and make both that psychopath and her wretched city pay.

 

-Flashback: End-

Turning around, Ambessa stared at a wall of fire where she could see a short feminine silhouette. The form was all too familiar, even now she could recall flashes of her fights against Jinx that happened during the Split.

That murderous intent and ominous presence was something Ambessa knew she’d never forget.

Drawing her blade, Ambessa stood proudly, prepared to finally put an end to this wretched chapter in her life. If she could defeat Jinx now, she’d ensure Zaun would follow and be taken by Noxus once her glorious leaders were free from whatever vile trickery Jinx had subjected them to for them to accept her so wholeheartedly.

“Jinx! Prepare yourself! This ends today!” Ambessa roared and it was then that a flame appeared from the silhouette’s face, just where its left eye would be. When the figure stepped forward out of the flames, Ambessa found herself confused as the woman before her was not Jinx. The woman in question, also seemed to be just as confused as she was as she clearly had no idea who Ambessa was or why she spoke with such hatred.

Tybaulk blinked owlishly at Ambessa before blowing Annie’s bang from in front of his face which caused black smoke to escape from the demon’s lips. “Hi?” Tybaulk greeted before flooding the area with hellfire.

 

-Clan Ferros Manor: Foyer-

Visibly shaken, an exhausted blonde woman coughed as she struggled to descend the stairs so that she could exit the burning manor. Wincing, the woman placed a hand over her enlarged stomach, grimacing when she felt the child within her kicking rapidly as if sensing the danger.

“There you are!” The woman blinked and relief washed over her face when she saw her husband rush toward her. That relief turned into horror when a Hextech-empowered blade swiftly removed Lord Ferros’ head from his shoulders. Stunned the woman could do nothing but watch as her beloved’s head rolled to her feet.

Legs going weak, the blonde held onto the banister for support even as she fell to her knees. Trembling, she rose her head to find C. standing behind the headless corpse of her husband and gazing down upon her from behind that cold golden mask of hers.

“Truly tragic what fools would do for the slightest bit of power,” C. mused. “Though your jealousy and disdain for me was hardly a secret well kept, sister, I had assumed we had an understanding. Stay out of my way and your child will inherit the family. Were you truly so impatient that you couldn’t wait a few more years?”

“And let you destroy this family, this city, further!?” Her sister snarled. “Look how powerful the Undercity has grown after all they’ve done to us and under your watch!”

“And how much have we gained as a result?” C. interrupted. “Our coffers shall remain needlessly full, nay, overflowing for generations. Our Clan is firmly positioned at the top, not just in the Twin Cities but all of Runeterra. Will you play ignorant to these accomplishments, or are you simply too blinded by your jealousy to acknowledge them, dear sister?”

The woman gritted her teeth, practically growling. “Look around you! You’re destroying our family!”

“This?” C. questioned as she gestured to their burning surroundings. “Oh no, dear sister, this is your doing. Cause and effect and all that. All you had to do was sit still and let your son grow up. I never liked the boy, too much of his father in him. It is why I worked so hard, to give us so much that not even he could mess up our legacy. I was close, oh so close to retirement and now I must remain in charge to create a new heir.”

C.’s words made her sister’s blood run cold.

“New…heir…?” The blonde questioned, her voice shaking as she understood the implied threat. “…No. You wouldn’t. Not your nephew. He’s just a child!”

“Fifteen is no mere child.” C. scoffed.  “Fifteen is how old you were when our beloved grandaunt removed our treacherous parents from the great machine. It’s the reason I was chosen to lead despite you being older, you were too tainted.”

C. then chuckled but there was no warmth in it.

“I went over the records,” C. continued. “Read how Aunt Camille pleaded for your life when the others called for your head. ‘she’s just a child!’ she pleaded while the others called you a liability and look at where we are now.” C.  gestured to their destroyed home. “Thank you for all of the hard work you did to show that our Aunt’s mercy was a mistake.”

Her sister swallowed nervously. “A-Aunt Camille won’t let you do this–”

“Aunt Camille knows her place in this family, unlike you. Under. My. Heel,” C. drawled as she casually strolled forward. “I truly must commend her, I must. Her act as the face of our family even seems to have fooled you into believing she was little more than a figurehead. Though I have only recently begun to operate in the public’s eye, surely you haven’t forgotten that it was I who has led this family since I was fifteen.”

Her sister paled as she knew C. was correct, she had been Clan Head for a long time.

It was one of the main factors that had fueled her jealousy…

…and now she realized it was also one of the main reasons her son would not be given mercy.

Being a child prodigy herself, C. was never one to ignore the potential that lay in the youth. Regardless of whether it had the potential to be an asset…

…or a liability.

Tears fell from her eyes but before she could speak, a new voice spoke up.

“M-mom?”

Oh no.

Swiftly turning around, she saw her son limp into the room.

“Mother!?” Her son questioned before his face shifted into an ugly sneer as he focused his attention on his aunt. Immediately she wanted to silence her son before he could say anything to further escalate the situation. Unfortunately, just like his father, he had a habit of speaking before thinking which allowed him to press on before she even had a chance to stop him. “You…so you’ve finally shown your true colors you treacherous snake!”

1. turned to face him fully, and despite the terror he felt he continued to glare at her.

“You’ve finally gone too far! Grand Aunt will stop you!”

“I see you’ve taught him your favorite fairy tales as well,” C. chuckled coldly, knowing how much her sister had idolized their aunt. “Reality is, unfortunately, far crueler than fiction. No hero will defeat the monsters in your life. You fight them off with your own two hands…” C. trailed off before tossing a second blade toward him which made him jump as the blade stabbed into the ground between his feet. “You make peace with them…or you let yourself be destroyed by them.”

“I’d never make peace with you!” Her nephew declared and she simply gestured toward the blade.

“Then pick it up.” C. told him firmly. “The only options you have left are to run or fight and only the latter gives you even a one percent chance of living, after all, we all get lucky.”

Her nephew trembled, filled with both fear and fury, but alas, the fear was clearly what was going to win. No one needed to see the sneer behind C.’s mask to know it was there when her nephew soiled himself, too terrified to even attempt to make a run for it.

“So, you choose death, and to think I was going to let you lead.” C. scoffed.

“Please! Don’t kill him!”

“I won’t.” C. told her as she faced her sister once more. “I’m not a monster.” C. told them and for a second, they both felt relief.

“But I am.”

Mother and son both froze, but before they could even acknowledge the new presence, flames spilled from the young man’s eyes and mouth, his body turning pitch black in mere moments before he simply collapsed on the ground. A black heel stepped on his scorched skull, reducing it to ash, as Tybaulk strolled into the room while carrying the burning head of Ambessa.

“All the souls that were once in this house, and only one lasted more than a second against my flames.” Tybaulk scoffed and tossed the head to the side. “Such weakness would have disgusted my Lord.”

“No…” C.’s sister whispered as she looked at her son’s remains.

“For what it’s worth, I would have let him live if he fought me.” C. mused. “Sure, he’d be exiled to Bilgewater, penniless, and stripped of any inheritance or titles, but he would have lived. Today, it was his cowardice that was his undoing. A cowardice he didn’t inherit from his father.” C.’s gaze focused on her sister’s stomach. “You had an heir already. I should have known your sudden pregnancy was suspicious. Truly, you would go this far to have a shield against me?”

“Shield?” Tybaulk questioned curiously. “Don’t tell me you’re going to spare her because of the baby.” Tybaulk pouted a bit. “Their lives taste the best. They make wonderful kindling you know.”

“My code was pushed to its limits tonight, but I still remain true to the oath I took when I became Clan Head.” C. told him matter-of-factly. “For family, I will give. In this case, the thing I shall give is mercy. Not for my sister, but for the innocent within her. Of course, when the child is born, I will take my foolish sister’s head.”

“Assuming she doesn’t escape, the weak and cowardly are crafty like that,” Tybaulk pointed out before glancing down at the pile of ash beneath his feet. “Most of the time anyway. Sounds like an unnecessary risk. What’s to stop me from just killing all of you?” Tybaulk questioned curiously and despite the vast difference in their power, C. raised her blade toward him proving that, unlike her sister and nephew, she was no coward.

“Nothing can stop you demon, not even me,” C. told him. “Yet when I die after obviously putting up a fight, the war we’re trying to prevent will start. A war which your mistress doesn’t want and by extension our Goddess and your Lord if the ‘revelations’ our priests have gotten over the past few years mean anything.” C. then reached to her side and pulled out Tibbers’ plushie body. “It also appears that I have a hostage.”

“Oh…” Tybaulk began before chuckling. “…I like you mortal.” Tybaulk’s grin was downright sinister. “Sorry mistress, I hope you recovered enough. You’ll have to satisfy your bloodlust on your own.”

With that, the flames around Annie’s body receded and her very demeanor seemed to shift while the flames vanished from her eyes. C. could feel the bear’s temperature begin to rise, and dropped the toy as it grew into its usual monstrous form. However, it made no move to attack C. and simply went back to its mistress’ side.

“You’ve done well.” Annie praised Tibbers before nodding at C. “So did you. You’ve shown me your mettle.”

“Is that so?” C. questioned. She had thought it was odd when the demon had told her to hold on to her beloved toy so much. It was an obvious weakness for the Princess, but it seemed to be a weakness Annie wanted her to exploit.

“I will lead a nation of liars and hypocrites,” Annie told her. “As Queen, I will be the biggest one. So, I believe I am a bit of an expert on the subject. I can now say, with full authority, that you are not one, which is good for your sake. Such a person would have no place by my cousin’s side, after all., and would have to be removed…by any means necessary.”

Annie hummed a short little tune as she practically skipped toward C’s terrified sister.

“Ren would say you don’t need our approval, and philosophically speaking she’s right,” Annie mused. “Though realistically you do if you want to fucking live. You don’t have to worry about Jinx or Lux, I’m spoiled remember? I can convince them to lay off, but let’s be real, our side of the family is the easy one to deal with.” Annie pulled out her knife and held it menacingly toward C.’s sister.

“Your Highness, no….” C. warned and Annie giggled. “…she’s pregnant.”

“Sheesh! I’m not that crazy!” Annie said as if affronted. “Besides, you told Tibbers you wanted her dead right? She may be pregnant, but you seem to forget that I am a doctor.” Annie’s expression was downright evil as she gazed down at C.’s sister while C. froze at her words. “My cousin was in that building, you know.” Annie told the petrified woman. “Almost died, actually, she did die a couple of times during the operation. You owe Clan Kiramman a debt that must be repaid in blood.”

Annie giggled as she traced the woman’s face with her blade.

“If I was my mother, I’d put a smile on this pretty face of yours,” Annie told her as her own smile was replaced with a familiar scowl. “Fortunately for you, however, I’m not her. My job now is to deliver the baby to her family, and then deliver you to Janna.” Annie then glanced at C. “You, Jinx, and Lux do deals so I assume you have the contact info for one of them at least, right?” Annie questioned and C. nodded. “Good, message whoever and make sure Jinx stays in the hospital or returns ASAP if she left.”

With that, Annie began to lower the blade.

 

-Later: Piltover: Hospital-

“Should we be concerned or not, that Lady Ferros messaged me to stay here?” Jinx questioned while Lux crossed her arms and quirked an eyebrow.

“I don’t know, but I’m concerned she has your number,” Lux pointed out which made Jinx sputter.

“What? Come on, baby, you know we do business!” Jinx said incredulously. “Hell, you’re there with me when we do.”

“Except, apparently, the time she got your number.”

“Yeah, except that–oh come on!” Jinx glanced at Ekko and gave him a look that practically screamed: Help me!

Ekko gave her a look of his own: Help you with that psycho!? Fuck off!

Jinx sneered and gestured to her coat: Queen’s orders!

Ekko simply pointed to the hourglass on his face: Like I’m a stranger to treason.

Jinx scoffed and he smirked, knowing he had her beat there, but unfortunately for him, Jinx refused to ever let him win and as always went the route of mutually assured destruction.

“Hey, she has Ekko’s too, and I don’t have nearly as many private meetings with her as he does!”

“Excuse me?” Zeri questioned and Ekko cursed. The truth was that while Zeri had gotten much better over the years, she was still far from being a fan of anything Piltover related. Ren, Vi, and Caitlyn helped a lot and she tried to be better for the children she taught but some things simply took time.

Unfortunately, because of this, whenever he brought Zeri to meetings with Piltover’s Councilors, the atmosphere was always rough as she glared at the senior enforcers who were entrusted with protecting the council chambers.

And, unfortunately, the older enforcers were just as pleased with her presence as well.

This gave both Ekko and C. headaches, so they simply met off the record to get deals done instead.

<<< Rewind <<<

“Come on, Lux, it’s Jinx.” Ekko said dryly, already inwardly grimacing when he drew the Light Mage’s attention. “She probably just gave it to her when she was drunk off her ass in Demacia after we finished the first summit a few years back.”

“That…actually makes sense,” Lux mused as she remembered that summit which had been the first true public appearance of Clan Ferros’ true leader. Jinx held back a sigh of relief and glanced at Ekko who glared at her.

Jinx just smiled sheepishly.

The truth was far more embarrassing, at least as far as Lady Ferros and Jinx were concerned. As Ekko said, Jinx and C. did exchange contact info during the Summit. A lot of things happened during that summit, but Jinx supposed that was a story for another time.

Regarding what happened between Jinx and Lady Ferros specifically, the truth was that Jinx had no idea how to deal with Demacians. They were exhausting and after having to live with the fucking Crownguards for a few days, Jinx was preparing to just blow up their house when C. stumbled upon her.

Wanting to avoid the diplomatic incident waiting to happen and the potential world war, C. offered an ear to Jinx….and that’s when the unthinkable happened. Something that Lady Ferros and Jinx decided to take to their graves that would have even their families looking at them in muted horror and maybe eve…disgust.

Jinx and Lady Ferros…

…became friends.

Best friends, much to both Jinx and Lady Ferros’ horror, like the kind that one went shopping and gossiped with.  It made Jinx feel like such a girl and it sickened her, and Lady Ferros was no better. To be amicable drinking buddies with Jinx seemed to cause her physical pain.

The two had an unspoken oath, they’d never speak of it and never acknowledge it.

Jinx was grateful too because she didn’t want to be dragged into the fallout whenever the others found out Lady Ferros and Ren were a thing. It showed how stressed Lady Ferros was to even tell Jinx in the first place. Jinx also thought that Lady Ferros forgot she had a teleporter as she seemed really surprised when Jinx popped up mid-text and put a gun to her head.

Still, she surprisingly let Lady Ferros talk and realized that what the two had, much to her horror, was real. If Annie heard everything from Ren’s perspective, Jinx heard everything from C.’s. To what Jinx would assume would be everyone’s surprise, she decided to let it go.

After all, anything she did would pale in comparison to the shit Annie and Lux would do.

Not to mention Ren’s parents.

Jinx had decided that if Lady Ferros wanted to take on the task of dealing with the rest of her Clan, she could and if she succeeded then clearly fate itself wanted those two together, so she’d step aside. Her family was crazy and even if Ren was annoyed by the overprotectiveness, Jinx called it karma. Jinx had known the very day Nunu had first slept with Annie.

How?

Because there was no other reason why she stumbled across Ren waterboarding the poor kid the day after. A kid that was damn near a God in his own right.

Annie was crazy.

But Ren was crazier.

And Nunu was a little soldier for letting Ren do it.

Jinx had to hold back a laugh for her poor friend, who knew not the mess she had gotten herself into. All she could do was hope that Annie didn’t start a war when Lady Ferros tried to make it official.

After all, convince Annie? To date Ren? That would be the day.

Jinx sighed and realized this stress was why she avoided having friends. All they did was cause drama, get your wife jealous, and fuck your nieces.

Okay, maybe that wasn’t true for all friends, but it was apparently true for Jinx!

Jinx had been quite content with her perfectly toxic friendship with Ekko thank you very much! He didn’t do any of that shit!

Then again, though she’d never admit it, she supposed he had long since been elevated from best friend to “brother”.

Especially now since their kids were fucking.

Wait, was that how in-laws worked?

Before Jinx could question just what the hell she and Ekko would be legally after their kids got hitched, a swirl of fire interrupted her thoughts. A second scorch mark joined the first when Annie re-entered the hallway with Lady Ferros.

And they didn’t come alone.

“Mom, I need some of your blood!” Annie called out.  “Three drops! No more.”

“Annie!?” Lux questioned in alarm as Jinx wasted no time and bit deeply into her thumb. Lux gaped when she saw that Annie came back covered in even more blood somehow. “What happened?”

“There was an…early birth.” Annie answered as C. pulled off her mask, though she looked a bit green around the gills, she seemed more concerned for the small baby that had been wrapped in a bundle of burnt cloth. “Hurry, I’ll get her mouth open.”

“Is...is this safe?” C. questioned.

“You’re fucking asking that now!?” Annie asked incredulously, gently opening the baby’s mouth, and letting Jinx give the poor girl the recommended dosage of Shimmer Annie requested. “The other option is death. Trust me on this one, I’m a doctor.”

“I don’t think you know what that word means.” Lady Ferros said dryly which made Annie giggle.

Jinx didn’t know what was crazier, her daughter leaving to kill a family and coming back with a baby or the fact that her daughter and C. seemed to have bonded.

“What the fuck happened?” Jinx questioned in morbid curiosity. One simply didn’t get the respect of her daughter without some twisted shit happening. Lux seemed to be just as curious as she gently grabbed the bundle and tried to soothe the baby who started wailing as ultraviolet veins covered its body.

“Long story,” Annie said before sighing in relief. “Thank Janna she’s crying.”

“Agreed,” C. muttered. “She was so…quiet.”

“Yeah, but it worked out,” Annie told her as she watched the baby grow a bit, the Shimmer in her veins fast-forwarding her body through a month’s worth of development she had missed out on. “There, there, little one it hurts for now, but it’ll be over soon.” Annie said gently.

It took a long time, or at least it felt like a long time, but soon the baby settled down.

“She’s…quiet again,” C. spoke nervously.

“She’s tired herself out,” Annie told her. “Get your ass over here, this is your kid to deal with now.” Annie called out, but C. could see a teasing expression on her face. “Her eyes opened a bit when she was crying, they’re blue with hints of violet.”

“Should I be concerned?” C. frowned.

“No,” Annie shook her head. “I used my magic to get a feel for her condition and she’s healthy, almost too healthy.”

“What does that mean?”

“That while the Shimmer did have side effects, it was nothing negative,” Annie explained. “I can see her developing faster, but nothing crazy, she’ll just appear a year or so older than other kids at the most, completely irrelevant once she hits her teens. It’ll take a bit more to get her sick too,” Annie explained. “When she joins your family business of chopping parts of her body off, something tells me her body will accept the prosthetics easier than yours or Camille’s.”

Annie shared a look with Lux and nodded to C.

With a soft smile, Lux moved to Lady Ferros who for once in her life looked incredibly terrified. Lux gently handed over the baby and C. seemed to freeze, as if terrified she was about to break her niece.

“You should be proud,” Annie said before glancing at her mothers. “Good thing Zaun is at peace with Piltover, I’d hate to have this little one as an enemy.”

“You’re back?” The occupants of the hall turned to see Camille at the end of the hallway with Renata. After everything that had happened, Camille needed some air and Renata volunteered to make sure the woman didn’t do anything stupid like chase after Annie and C. “You…” Camille trailed off as she saw the baby in her niece’s arms. “…you did it, didn’t you?”

“I did.” C. confirmed, her eyes unwavering as she remained resolute in the decision she had made for the betterment of their clan.

“I see.” Camille closed her eyes and allowed a tear or two to fall for the family she had lost before she opened them once more. “You…look just as I did when I held you for the first time.” Camille mused as she strolled forward to her niece. “She’s about a month early, but alive.” Camille stopped before her niece and tilted her head curiously. “And strong?”

“Queen Jinx assisted with that,” C. explained, and Camille was able to get an idea of what had happened. “Princess Annie delivered her, and Queen Lux soothed her.”

The meaning behind C.’s words was clear.

They owed them a debt.

“I see, and what would our gracious benefactors from across the river want in exchange for these boons?” Camille questioned and the royal family of Zaun glanced at each other before coming to the same conclusion.

“Please stop making orphans in our city,” Jinx said dryly.

“It hasn’t happened in a while, but we’d like to keep it that way.” Lux continued.

“Seriously, stop. Every orphan you make ends up growing up into a legend anyway,” Annie said dryly. “We’re trying to do you a favor to keep the power balance.”

Despite herself and the tense situation, Camille let out a short sound that was something between a scoff and a laugh before shaking her head.

“Very well.” Camille told them. “May I?” Camille questioned her niece, extending her arms and C. nodded before handing her the newborn. The baby’s eyes fluttered open, startling Camille with their beautiful color. The look on her face must have been hilarious for the baby began to laugh and reach up toward her.

“Now that the matter is settled, I’ll turn on your offensive systems later.”

“No,” Camille told her which surprised her. “Only after you took them away did, I realize that I haven’t used them in quite some time. I didn’t need to and that is thanks to you and your leadership which I had questioned. Being powerless was… eye-opening,” Camille muttered. “I humbly request that you give me what you deem necessary for self-defense but nothing more.”

“Very well.” C. nodded. “I’ll take your opinion into consideration.”

“That is all I ask,” Camille told her. “Have you come up with a name for the little one?”

“Yes, actually,” C. informed her. “Camilla.”

Camille’s eyes widened at that and even she couldn’t stop the bright smile that appeared on her face.

As everyone found themselves stunned by the incredibly rare sight, Renata glowered a bit as she saw the expression on her nemesis’ face. Camille’s pain had been too short-lived for her tastes and that enraged her. However, a new feeling dwarfed that hatred as she looked on at the scene.

Annie blinked owlishly when she felt something heavy and cold grip her shoulder.

“Brat,” Renata spoke as she got Annie’s attention. Renata squeezed Annie’s shoulder gently before leaning forward so that only the pinkette could hear her next words. “You’re next. Don’t keep me waiting for long. I’ll drag that boy back from Freljord myself if I must.” Annie paled and looked back at Renata incredulously who chuckled. “Don’t look at me like that, there is a power balance between the cities that must be maintained after all. Still, focus on your studies, for now, can’t have an idiot raising an idiot.”

With that, Renata walked away as Annie continued to look at her in disbelief.

Un-fucking-believable.

“Everyone!” Annie’s head whipped to the emergency room where she saw the exhausted yet frantic forms of Vi and Caitlyn. “R-Ren’s awake!”

“Oh…” Annie began as a bright smile appeared on her face. “That’s…” Annie trailed off as her vision began to darken. “…good.”

With that, all the exhaustion hit Annie at once and she passed out thankfully into the gentle arms of her aunts. Vi and Caitlyn had been terrified at first but when they saw Annie still breathing and snoring lightly with the smile still on her face, they couldn’t help but mirror her satisfied expression.

“Sis, Princess,” Vi called out to Jinx and Lux, even as a Queen, Lux would never escape Vi’s nickname. “You two know this, but it deserves repeating. You two did good.”

Caitlyn nodded with a bright smile as she ran her fingers through her niece’s hair.

“Really good.”

-Two Years Later-

-Piltover: Council Chambers-

“So, how was it?” Jayce asked curiously as he sat on the edge of the council table and sipped coffee from his mug. He raised a second mug to Ren who accepted it gratefully. Taking a seat, she regarded him with a calculating gaze. Her once silver eyes had now been filled with a Hextech blue light that seemed to pierce his very soul.

“When did you become such a gossip?” Ren asked with a raised eyebrow. “Or interested in foreign marriages of all things for that matter?”

“What?” Jayce asked with a fake gasp. “I have always been interested in them, Ren.”

Ren stared at him with half-lidded eyes before smirking. “You’re not slick. You’re fishing for ideas, aren’t you? Bout’ time, Uncle J, you aren’t getting any younger. Wouldn’t want the newest ruling family to rise and die in the same generation. You’re gonna have two brats, right? One for each Clan?”

Normally such a thing wouldn’t be allowed between Governing Clan Heads, Ren knew this personally, but since the only other member of Jayce’s Clan was his doting mother, there was no pushback from his side and Clan Merdarda desperately needed more political strength, so they didn’t refuse either.

Jayce almost choked on his coffee and glared at Ren who laughed at his flushed appearance.

“Aw, you’re blushing.”

“I swear…” Jayce muttered with a shake of his head. “You’re worse than your mother.”

“You only say that because she doesn’t know yet,” Ren teased him. “You know how relentless she is, it’s why she’s still Sherriff.”

Jayce chuckled. “She’s still Sheriff because you won’t take the job.”

Ren glowered at him. “And whose fault was that again? Oh right, yours.”

Jayce just grinned at her in response. “I have no idea what you mean, Madam President, it had been put to a vote.”

Ren practically snarled as she slammed a fist down onto the table, cracking it a bit.

“Vote my ass!” Ren exclaimed as he burst out laughing. “That was the most rigged shit I have ever seen, and I vacation in Zaun. It was an affront to the very word ‘democracy’.”

The incident in question was one of the latest changes in Piltover, one that fundamentally changed how the governing body operated. The world at large had begun changing rapidly, and unfortunately, the previous system in which major decisions had to be made via unanimous vote had proven to be too inefficient to use. By the time motions had been carried out, the political climate would have already changed at least three more times.

It was inconsequential at first but soon Piltover began losing deals and gold to the Zaun who were able to make decisions much faster due to their monarchy. Losing business to Zaun was already a blow to Piltovan pride, but when they started to lose deals to Demacia they knew something had to change.

So, they decided to upgrade their former system and introduce a new democratic element to the Council system by creating the seat of “President”. They would cast a majority vote and the elected Clan head would be elevated to a position of power that would allow them to make decisions on behalf of the city.

Piltover was both a city and a business and with that in mind, they decided to mimic how their most profitable businesses worked on a much larger scale. The president would be the CEO and the Council would be the Board of Directors.

At first, it had been suggested that the citizens as a whole would elect someone through a majority vote. However, the older Councilors had an issue with that and even Caitlyn had been apprehensive as she thought it would leave them unnecessarily vulnerable to the influence of foreign powers. Caitlyn also feared that they risked electing someone who, while possibly talented or influential, lacked the required skills of diplomacy that they had all been taught.

Even Jayce, who had no shortage of lessons over the years from Mel, still felt he was unqualified at times.

Unable to argue with her logic and unwilling to spend the time and resources on the required logistics of such a grand endeavor, Mel suggested that they downsized the voting pool, limiting it to that of the Council.

Doing this would maintain each family’s power and influence, and arguably make their votes carry even more weight. Was there still a risk of corruption? Of course. That said, it was a familiar risk they dealt with for as long as they had been in power. Currying favor with each other was much more favorable than currying favor with foreign powers and it would help ensure they maintained their independence.

With that in mind, they had their current system which had worked wonders. They would elect one of their own as president who would make the decisions. To keep the elected Clan Head’s power in check, the Council would be granted the ability to veto any decision via majority vote and the previously unanimous vote requirement would be reserved solely for changing Piltovan laws that had already existed.

It was such a monumental step in the right direction that Ren found herself praising them for their ingenuity and ability to effectively work together to come up with a solution. It was moments like those that, while rare, showed just why the Council had been in power for so long and such a formidable force on the planet.

For a moment, Ren was truly and deeply proud to be a Piltovan…

…until those fuckers elected her.

There had been only one Councilor able to get more than a single vote for themselves and that was her mother. Unfortunately, her mother was already one of their main lines of defense and responsible for maintaining law and order within the city and there wasn’t anyone qualified to take over for her other than Ren or Vi.

Relations between Piltover and Zaun had improved from absolute hatred to an intense rivalry. Vi barely got any strange looks when they went out anymore and people finally saw Ren for who she was instead of her father’s mistakes.

That said, it would be a cold day in hell before the Council agreed to let a Zaunite become Sheriff.

It would be an even colder day when Vi actually wanted the fucking job.

When Caitlyn brought up the possibility of Vi becoming Sheriff, surprisingly it was Vi who interrupted her. Vi, bless her heart, had claimed the day she became Sheriff would be the day she defected. Considering she had her “I’m serious” face on and the fact that Caitlyn loved Vi more than the air that filled her lungs, she scrapped the idea before it could even be put up for a vote.

Ren almost laughed at the memory.

An outsider would believe that Vi was the “whipped” one in the relationship. After living with and being raised by the two, Ren knew it was the other way around. When it came to her moms and their love, Ren knew for a fact that Vi had fallen hard…

…But Ren believed with all her heart that Caitlyn had fallen harder.

And because of that and how quickly Caitlyn caved, Ren found herself with her current job.

It started from an off-hand comment from Vi just after she had refused.

[“Ren’s an adult now, just make her Clan Head and give her the position.”]

It was said in jest but there was some level of sincerity in it as well.  Caitlyn had been preparing Ren to take her spot on the Council not long after she quit her job in the military. It was why Ren was even in the room that fateful night to begin with as she was acting as her mother’s scribe to gain some first-hand experience.

Ren had laughed, Vi had laughed, most of the Councilors had laughed or at least chuckled…

…C. did not.

And Ren knew at that moment she was fucked.

When C. raised her hand and seconded the motion, Ren swore she heard a pin drop as everyone gave Lady Ferros their full attention knowing full well that she was not one to joke, especially not during working hours or when it came to matters of Piltover’s well-being.

Before Ren could even begin voicing her refusal, C. had continued presenting her case with the worst things possible for Ren at that moment.

Facts and logic.

The Clan Heads had too much complicated history with each other for this first round of voting which was why Clan Kiramman ended up with the most votes, to begin with.

Jayce didn’t want the job and neither did the head of Clan Tariost.

Clans Ferros and Merdarda were out after the incident that almost cost Ren her life. Though they had not fallen out of grace after Lady Ferros and Annie dealt with the traitors, the Clans both took a hard blow to their images but fortunately nothing unsalvageable.

The remaining Clans, while powerful and formidable within Piltover, were lacking when it came to a global presence. Ren had to admit it was right, it was a bit mean to think, but she truly doubted anyone outside of Piltover even knew who Clan Arvino was.

Hell, even the rulers of Zaun forgot that the Clan existed.

Safe to say, only Clans Ferros, Merdarda, Talis, Kiramman, and Tariost had a global presence and none of their current Clan Heads could take the position.  The only two that even had heirs were Ferros and Kiramman, and Lady Ferros’ heir was far too young to be viable.

Needing time to raise Camilla was the main reason that not even Lady Ferros wanted the job.

And, unfortunately, it was the reason that deep down Ren knew she’d eventually accept.

That little girl was her weakness and seeing how much more human raising her had made her lover made Ren know that if it came down between her or C., then she’d be the one to take the seat.

But she wasn’t happy about it.

Neither were some of the older Clan Heads who, while begrudgingly accepting C.’s logic, voiced their disapproval. Ren assumed they were just upset that they had been called out for being relatively unknown outside of their borders. They went as far as threatening to halt their businesses in protest and it would have worked had it not been for Mel saying one word.

[“Annie.”]

Ren remembered how her jaw dropped when the protesting Councilors shut up in an instant. In their anger, they had forgotten that soon Zaun’s Queens would step down and that their daughter would rule. A powerful daughter with questionable morals who didn’t seem to fear Gods or death.

There was only one person in Piltover who would be able to make deals, debate, and even fight with Zaun’s future Queen and that was Ren. Zaun and Piltover were mirror images and when it came to Annie, it was Ren that was her reflection.

Ren pouted back then at the reactions her cousin’s name had invoked. Seriously, Annie wasn’t that bad but apparently, she lived in the back of the Clan Heads’ minds rent-free.

And that was how Ren had found herself as President-elect of Piltover before she even became a Clan Head.

The looks of disbelief on her and her mother’s faces had been captured in the celebratory portrait that had been commissioned by Grandpa Tobias two weeks later. What made matters even worse for Ren was that she was good at her job.

Really good.

To the point that the other Councilors found themselves with a bit more free time as their paperwork was reduced by a third.

She couldn’t help it, she was a try-hard at heart, physically unable to not give anything she chose to do in life her all. When she realized they failed to set term limits for the position, mainly because they could vote anyone out in an instant if it got that bad, she thought she was fucked.

When they voted not to add them when she pointed this out, she knew she was fucked.

She’d be doing this till the day she fucking died.

Ren groaned at the thought.

“I hate you.”

“Why?”

A small girlish voice that most definitely did not belong to Jayce questioned from beside her. Blinking, Ren turned her head to the side to find Camilla perched on top of the table, her face mere inches from Ren’s as her off-violet eyes looked at Ren in curiosity.

Ren bit back a scream and fell back off her chair from the child’s sudden appearance.

Camilla giggled at the sight, clapping her hands at Ren’s comedic display.

“You’re funny Renny.”

 Ren clutched at her chest, her hand over the star-shaped core shining beneath her shirt and tried to catch her breath. “You little Minx, how many times have I told you not to sneak up on me?”

“Seventy-eight.” Camilla answered honestly and both Jayce and Ren shared a surprised look before looking at the highly intelligent two-year-old. “Why do you hate Uncle Jayce, Renny?”

“I don’t,” Ren sighed as she climbed back to her seat before grabbing the giggling child and placing her on her lap. “He’s just a bit of a butt sometimes. Don’t say hate either, you know your mother doesn’t want you using ‘bad’ words that are four letters or less.”

Jayce raised an eyebrow at that.

“What? This kid’s going to grow up saying bad things anyway, might as well be smart about it,” Ren pointed out. After all, why say ‘hate’ when ‘despise’ gets the point across so much better.

“You say bad words that are less than four letters.” Camilla pointed out.

“Cupcake’s not my mom.”

“But you called her mommy last night.” Camilla said innocently and Jayce’s second eyebrow joined his first while Ren’s face went as red as her hair. “Why’d you’d you call her mommy? And why so many times, did she not hear you?”

“I…I…you’ll know when you’re older,” Ren sighed, flustered, but she kissed the girl on her brow anyway. “Do me a favor and never repeat that again.”  Ren pleaded while privately making sure to be much quieter next time. “Especially not in front of your grandmas, please?”

“Okay!”

“She’s…she’s only two, right?” Jayce help but ask.

“Indeed,” Lady Ferros said as she strolled into the chambers. C. was as cool and collected as always, but the faint red dusting her cheeks let them know she had managed to catch what had been said. “And she has all the curiosity that comes with it.” C. glanced at Ren. “I blame your aunt.”

After all, it was Jinx’s blood that ran through Camilla’s veins.

Ren couldn’t help but nod in agreement as Lady Ferros looked back at her daughter.

“Camilla, what have I told you about running off away from me?” Lady Ferros questioned, and Camilla winced slightly.

“Sorry…”

C. sighed. “You have endless energy, curiosity, and potential, my girl. I want you to be able to grow old enough to be able to focus it into something marvelous, but I can’t if you endanger yourself needlessly.” C. then reached forward and gently grasped the side of Camilla’s face and to Jayce’s surprise, he saw Lady Ferros’ façade crumble. “Do not scare me like that again, Camilla.”

Camilla’s eyes watered and though she didn’t fully understand the situation, she knew on some level she had scared her mother by running off.

“Sorry Mommy, I just wanted to see Renny.” Camilla said as she sniffled. “She’s been coming home late, I tried to stay up last night to see her, but she went straight to your room and locked the door.”

Ren repressed a groan as she realized just why Camilla had been up late enough to catch her in the act. Most kids her age would have been knocked out in bed hours before she had gotten home. Camilla, however, wasn’t like most kids. She had energy to spare and if she wanted to do something she’d do it.

“Sorry about that,” Ren apologized. “I’ve had to make sure the city is safe for tonight.”

A lightbulb went off in Camilla’s head. “Because of Aunt Annie’s co-cro-coro….” Camilla’s face screwed up a bit as she struggled with the word. “Her crowning thingy?”

“Her coronation,” Lady Ferros corrected gently which made Camilla nod.

“Exactly, tonight she’s going to be a Queen.” Ren grinned at her, not having the heart to correct Camilla that Annie was technically her cousin and not her aunt. Ren supposed she and Annie were practically sisters anyway, so it made sense for the child to think they were.

Camilla gasped at the news. “Will I finally get to meet Uncle Nunu?”

Ren’s smile faltered briefly at that. Like all children, Camilla was fascinated with fairy tales and fantasy so to her, having a Princess as an aunt was the coolest thing ever. Even more so when she found out that, just like in the books, she had fallen in love with a hero.

Unfortunately, Camilla had never once seen Nunu, and she even saw his parents a few times.

“Perhaps, miracles do happen,” Ren said as she tried not to get the girl’s hopes up. “Tonight is going to be a happy day for Annie, so just in case he’s still saving the world and can’t make it, try not to ask her about him or she’ll get sad.”

Camilla looked terrified of potentially making her favorite aunt sad. “I won’t, I promise!”

“Good,” Ren said before hugging the girl. “That’s my girl!” Ren looked up at Lady Ferros. “We’ll be riding with my folks, by the way, and taking the scenic route.”

“Will I survive?” Lady Ferros questioned, only half-joking.

“Come on, you know my mom’s mellowed out about us,” Ren chastised gently though she understood C.’s apprehension. Camille hadn’t exactly been the most welcoming person either. Jayce frowned a bit at that as he remembered the rough start the two had after becoming “official”. The fact that the Council had vetoed their marriage still pissed him off greatly, but they only had half the votes required and there was too much fear of Clans Ferros and Kiramman becoming too powerful.

Though she didn’t approve at first, and still needed help adjusting at times, Caitlyn stormed the Chambers the next day when she heard the bad news and he thought for a second that he’d see the Sheriff shoot someone. It was Ren who calmed her down and told her it didn’t matter.

Vi had been suspiciously absent.

He understood why during the next meeting when Ren and Lady Ferros came back with matching tattoos that he had seen on Caitlyn and Vi. Apparently, Vi decided to go ask her sister for a favor and the two had their wedding anyway.

He was happy for them, of course, some dumb Clan Heads said it didn’t count but they didn’t care.

It wasn’t about the money, or the power.

They simply fell in love and wanted to get married, it was that simple.

Another dumbass had tried to claim that this would be the end of Clan Kiramman as Camilla was Clan Ferros’ heir. However, he was swiftly reminded that Clan Kiramman wasn’t just Piltovan Nobility, it was Zaunite royalty.

Worst case scenario, all the Clan’s assets would go across the river. Something that the Council couldn’t stop unless it wanted to spark a war. The idea of losing Clan Kiramman in its entirety to Zaun had terrified them so much that the vote regarding their marriage would be revisited in the next meeting.

Something told him it would work out this time if what Mel told him was true.

Fear was a hell of a motivator.

“Don’t worry it’ll be fine, you’ll see,” Ren assured her wife who just sighed.

“I shall take your word for it, but does it have to be the scenic route we take?” C. questioned. “Why not take the bridge?”

“Something tells me that bridge will be…under construction.” Ren said ominously and Lady Ferros decided not to question it. “Speaking of the travel plans, if I remember correctly, I am supposed to pick you up after I finish some paperwork. Why’d you come all the way here? Not that I don’t appreciate the visit.”

At this, C. averted her eyes, blushing a bit as she sheepishly twirled a strand of her golden hair.

“Ah yes, that,” C. mused, surprising both Jayce and Ren with the amount of vulnerability the Chief Intelligencer was showing. “Actually, I am here because Camilla had a question for you and refused to wait a moment longer.”

“Oh?” Ren asked curiously before looking down at the girl who seemed to have just remembered why she was there in the first. “Well?” Ren asked with an encouraging smile as she tickled the girl’s sides. “Spit it out, you little minx!”

Camilla laughed until she was flushed, and when Ren stopped tickling her, she caught her breath before asking the question she desperately wanted the answer to. “Renny, now that you and Mom are married…can I call you mom too? I mean, your moms are my grandmas, right?”

Jayce’s expression softened a bit at that and he quietly made his way out of the room when a tearful Ren hugged the girl while repeating the word yes. It was a heartwarming sight, but Jayce couldn’t help but be stunned by Camilla.

Seriously, the kid was only two, her intelligence both mental and emotional was frightening.

Still, It was a beautiful moment, truly it was, but Jayce believed it was a moment best kept between the new family. As he walked away, he frowned when he felt a slight trembling, as if there had been a weak earthquake. However, after all these years he knew better and he couldn’t help but sigh.

Looks like Ren had been right, he’d have to tell Mel they’d have to take the scenic route to Zaun later.

 

-Zaun: Main Bridge-

Lux fell to a knee on top of the bridge and coughed, glowering toward the smoke cloud before her as flames spread across both sides of the bridge. Lux grunted as she stabbed her blade into the ground to support herself before pushing herself up to her feet.

“You know, at some point, the citizens are going to start protesting if we keep destroying this bridge.” Lux spoke as Annie walked out of the smoke. Though her daughter hadn’t gotten any taller since she first started her pilgrimage, Annie had matured in a way that made her seem larger than life.

“That’s on you all, not me,” Annie drawled as she placed a hand over her hip over her mark which peeked out from beneath the strap of her underwear which rose above the top of her black low-riding pin-stripe slacks. Her matching sleeveless shirt stopped just above her abdomen allowing almost the entirety of her mark to be displayed. Like her mothers, the mark stood out proudly and almost seemed to glow in response to the release of her own magic. Annie’s long pink hair had been tied in a single braid which hung in front of her shoulders and for a moment Lux saw Jinx standing before her instead of their daughter.

That image, of course, shattered when flames spilled from Annie’s visible eye.

“Seriously, just because I have two Zaunite moms doesn’t mean you should jump me to test my mettle,” Annie complained with a scowl.

Lux chuckled. “Please, as if you aren’t enjoying this.”

Annie’s lips twitched ever-so-slightly.

“Well, I suppose that’s true. I don’t get to fight like this often,” Annie conceded. “Still, we should have done this earlier, we’ll be late at this rate.”

Lux raised an eyebrow. “And whose fault is that? Your schedule is busier than ours ever was.” Lux raised her blade at Annie before flipping it and holding it in a reverse grip. Lux then smirked as a purple light bled into her eyes while her veins became visible as they began to pulse with Shimmer. “Let’s speed this up.”

A blade of darkness suddenly rose from Lux’s shadow and pierced Annie through her chest. Annie blinked and looked down at the dark magic incredulously before her image simply vanished in a swirl of flame. Chuckling a bit, Lux erected a wall of shadows from the ground just in time to block a blast of fire.

“Couldn’t, get you with that one, huh?” Lux mused as she dropped the wall.

“No,” Annie said as she raised an eyebrow. “I’m a bit too old to fall for something like that, don’t you think, Mom?”

Lux’s eyes shone with pride. “Yeah, you’ve come a long way.”

With that, Lux blasted off toward Annie who jumped back to avoid the initial swing of Lux’s sword. Soon, both took the skies, clashing repeatedly and releasing arcane spells of light, darkness, fire, and wind which collided with so much force that their strength could be felt across both cities.

 

-Flashback-

“Don’t worry, Annie, these things take time,” Lux told the exhausted nine-year-old as she stood in the center of a circle she drew into the dirt. “One day, you’ll make me budge. You have a lot of power, you just gotta grow into it.”

“You always say that, but how long will that take!?” Annie questioned, both frustrated and sad that she couldn’t pass this test. “I want to be stronger now!”

“Don’t worry about that,” Lux advised her. “Focus on the day-to-day and savor each moment. Don’t wish your life away. The day you surpass me will come quicker than you know. You won’t be my little devil anymore when that day comes.”

Annie looked a bit apprehensive at that. “But…but will I still be your daughter?”

“Oh, Annie.” Lux shook her head before kneeling and pulling the girl into a loving embrace. “Of course, you will. Nothing will ever change that.”

 

-Flashback: End-

A tear fell from Lux’s eye as she created a barrier just in time to block a blazing punch that exploded upon impact and knocked her back through the air. Quickly recovering, Lux teleported back in front of Annie and brought her blade down upon her daughter only for Annie to catch it at the last moment in her flaming palms.

The two glared at each other as Lux’s blade struggled for dominance against Annie’s strength yet before long both of their gazes softened. And soon the two couldn’t help but grin at each other.

“Thank you, Annie,” Lux told her softly. “Thank you so much for letting me be your mother.”

Annie’s eyes widened at that before she grimaced when she felt them begin to burn.

But not from her fire…

…but from her tears.

“D-damn it, Mom, that’s cheating,” Annie scowled, and Lux couldn’t help but chuckle. “I’m the one who is supposed to say thank you, damn it! Without you, without you both…I’d be nothing.”

Before Lux could respond, another voice interrupted them.

“Hey! Sorry to break up the mother-daughter bonding, but a little help here Flashlight!?” Lux and Annie blinked, and they looked back to find Jinx lying on the bridge with Tibbers sitting on her back, pinning her in place. “I’ve been stuck here for like ten minutes, some of us ain’t mages you know! What the fuck am I supposed to do against the murder bear!?”

Both Lux and Annie snorted at that.

Rolling her eyes, Lux teleported down onto the bridge and grabbed a handful of Tibbers’ fur before teleporting once more with him. Reappearing above Annie, Lux released the bear and kicked him down into her surprised daughter, sending them both crashing down onto the bridge.

“Thank Janna, fucking finally!” Jinx groaned as she stood up. Jinx stretched a bit and cracked her back as Lux appeared beside her in a flash of light. “I’m getting too old for this.”

“Too old?” Lux questioned skeptically. “You’re only 35.”

“Only!?” Jinx said incredulously. “That’s like…70 in Zaun years! I’m old, washed up, past my prime!”

“-and still as beautiful as the day I met you,” Lux interrupted, making Jinx’s mouth close with an audible click. “Be careful, Jinx, no one talks bad about my wife, not even my wife herself.” Lux warned her which made Jinx pout. Lux then gave Jinx a serene smile. “Also, we’re the same age so I suggest you keep those comments to yourself.”

Lux’s smile didn’t falter but Jinx shuddered at the killing-intent she felt all the same.

“N-N-never mind.” Jinx stuttered and Lux patted her cheek gently.

“Good girl.” Lux said before she stepped forward and gazed across the bridge at Annie who just hopped out of Tibbers’ arms after the bear helped her up. “Now let’s finish this now, we still have a whole day of festivities to get through.”

“Gotcha,” Jinx said as she brandished Fishbones. Jinx ran her palm against Lux’s sword to draw blood and smeared it on the Fishbone’s side, activating the hidden runes. “How much light you got in you?”

“Enough to kill a scarecrow.”

Jinx cackled. “Let’s see how the Teddy Bear fares.”

“Oh?” Annie questioned when she saw Fishbone’s transform into a light cannon. Chains of light sprung out from the bridge and bound her and Tibbers together.  “Amazing…this power…” Annie whispered as she once more felt that immense power that left her stunned as a child. The power of a weapon that banished the greatest evil she had ever encountered.

Annie’s gaze then hardened.

“…felt so much stronger when I was a child.” Annie muttered, no longer impressed in the slightest by the weapon that had become a war deterrent. “I get it now, that level of strength is nowhere near enough to protect this nation, my nation, anymore.” Flames spilled from Annie’s eyes as she tensed her body. “Tybaulk.”

Having bonded to the point that he could understand his mistress’ most intricate of orders with a mere glance, Tibbers needed no further instruction as he began to tether his soul with hers. As his body returned to that of a small stuffed bear, Annie’s power swelled and allowed her to break free of the now loose chains. Crimson runes burned on Annie’s rings before she slammed her fists together.

The power that had been radiating from Jinx’s weapon had suddenly felt dwarfed as Annie opened her mind, body, and soul to Tybaulk. Annie’s hair burned gold and she pulled apart her now blazing fists before extinguishing the flames engulfing one hand so that she could catch the bear before it fell. The whites of Annie’s eyes turned black as the golden hellfire began to melt the bridge.

Jinx raised an eyebrow at her daughter while Lux looked baffled by the power she felt.

“Huh, that’s new.” Jinx mused before she took aim.

“Is it?” Annie questioned before realizing she had never gotten the chance to show this to her mothers. “No wonder you challenged me then, I’ll try to visit more after this.” Annie promised as the flames on her fist burned even brighter.

Laughing, Jinx shook her head and grinned. “You better!”

With that, Jinx pulled the trigger causing the surrounding light to be absorbed into her weapon. First, the color of their surroundings vanished, leaving everything painted black and white as Annie cocked her fist back. After that, even those neutral colors found themselves absorbed into Fishbone’s gluttonous maw, which turned everything pitch black as Annie ran forward.

Though they could not see a thing at that moment, Annie’s next words rang clear.

“Cease and…”

At that moment, like glass, the darkness shattered as the Light ripped free from Fishbones. In a flash, their vision and the colors of their surroundings returned as the wave of light blasted at Annie who had slammed her fist into the beam. For a moment, neither side gave in as Annie found her approach halted.

Soon, however, Annie dug her heels into the ground and forced herself to step forward, pushing through the beam. Each step was harder than the last the closer she got, yet, somehow, she seemed to push forward with increasing ease until she began to sprint toward her mothers, splitting the beam as she did so.

Before long, Jinx’s beam dispersed and Jinx could only watch as Annie was now before her, fist cocked and blazing with power she could only dream of wielding. Jinx wondered then if this was how she was going to die.

Fights between their family were special because they always fought with the intent to kill. To do otherwise would be to look down on each other’s strength and they respected each other far too much to pull back. Of course, they didn’t want to kill each other, they loved each other which was why trust was so important when they “played”.

They needed trust in each other to be strong enough to take whatever they dished out.

And they also needed trust in themselves, to pull back at the last possible moment before someone died.

It was a very delicate and dangerous dance they did. If their trust in one another wavered in the slightest, it would spell disaster which was why combat had become such an intimate ritual for their side of the Clan. So even as she stared death in the face, Jinx found herself grinning…

…because there was no one she loved and trusted more than Annie.

Feet digging into the melting concrete, Annie gritted her teeth and released her punch. The moment before the blazing fist could connect, however, the flames vanished. Jinx coughed up blood when she felt Annie bury her fist into her stomach, filled with nothing but her daughter’s own physical strength which lifted her feet off the ground. With a roar, Annie turned and launched Jinx into a stunned Lux who barely had enough time to raise her arms defensively before her wife crashed into her.

Lux found herself knocked down onto the ground with her wife draped over her. When she attempted to move, Lux looked up just in time to see Annie appear above them with her foot raised and engulfed with her golden hellfire. Their eyes met for only a moment, but Lux knew that Annie was going to follow through with the attack for she trusted Lux enough to keep both herself and her wife alive.

Not one to betray her daughter’s trust, Lux used whatever dark magic she had left to create a barrier around herself and Jinx just as Annie slammed her foot down.

“Submit.”

It felt like the sky itself had fallen upon them when Annie slammed her foot down. Despite her barrier, Lux could hear Jinx scream in pain above her. Lux couldn’t blame her, she herself shouted from the crushing weight as their surroundings exploded along with her barrier and her vision went black. The last thing she could recall before losing consciousness was the freezing waters of the river that split the Twin Cities.

 

-Later-

“Make sure you two spend some time in your retirement training,” Annie said as she dragged her mothers out of the river by the back of their collars. Once they made it to the shore, Annie let them go as Jinx and Lux continued to cough up water. Annie raised her hand and snapped her fingers, conjuring flames that washed over them and dried their bodies. Annie reached into her pocket and fished out a small bottle of Shimmer before tossing it to Lux. “Two drops, you should be able to fight of any infection the waters could give you by now, but better to be safe than sorry.”

Nodding gratefully, Lux took the prescribed dosage. Almost immediately she could feel her body burning as it fought off whatever cocktail of toxins that filled the river. “What about you?” Lux questioned as Annie and Shimmer still did not mix well. “Will you be, okay?”

“Of course, between Jinx and The Faceless, I’ve been trained on how to deal with toxins,” Annie said, and Lux noted that her daughter appeared flush as if running a fever. Curious, Lux stood up and placed a hand on Annie’s forehead and almost yelped from how hot it felt. “Be careful,” Annie said, giggling a bit when she saw Lux waving her hand to cool it off.  “I’m kind of sterilizing my body right now.”

“Noted,” Lux mused before giving her daughter an appraising look before glancing at the destroyed bridge. “Well, safe to say you won, and we’re going to get a lot of complaints about that bridge. Maybe we should investigate new venues to deal with family matters.”

“What? No, it’s tradition fuck up that bridge at this point!” Jinx sounded almost appalled by the very idea. “This is where we settle beef. It’s the whole reason we’re making another one over there!” Jinx gestured to the distance and sure enough, a second bridge between the two cities could be found being constructed. “Plus, repairing this one is good training for the new architects.”

“Fair,” Lux conceded as Jinx turned to their daughter with a grin.

“Speaking of traditions, how do you feel? Like someone new?” Jinx asked curiously as she gestured to the water. “You know this but, these waters have a habit of killing our old selves and replacing them with someone stronger.”

“I remember,” Annie said as she walked to the edge and knelt beside the river.  Annie placed her hand inside, causing steam to rise almost immediately before she pulled it out. “However, this is one tradition I don’t need to follow.” Annie said as she stared down at her reflection. “Stronger? The only version of myself that can be stronger than who I am now is the me that will wake up tomorrow and the day after and so on and so forth. Only time and experience will make me stronger, I don’t need to be anyone else.”

Annie smiled softly as Jinx and Lux stood beside her and she could see their reflections beside hers.

For a moment, she saw herself as that child they took in and laughed when the image vanished.

“There is no one else I’d even want to be besides the girl you took in,” Annie continued. “A scared girl who grew into a woman who learned how it felt to be loved and love in return. Yes, I am very content on remaining who I am.”

“I see,” Jinx mused with a smile and Annie could see from the reflection that Jinx appeared as though a weight had fallen from her shoulders. Annie wasn’t sure what that silent burden Jinx carried was, she had asked but her mother never answered. All she did know was that at times Jinx would look at Annie with a conflicted expression as if worried about something Annie herself could never understand.

With that burden now gone, Annie supposed she didn’t need to.

Annie blinked when she felt a weight settle on her head and looked at her reflection in surprise when she saw the black headband which had been fashioned to double as Lux’s crown now on her head. Looking up at Lux, she saw the blonde giving her a grin which rivaled even Jinx’s.

“Much better, I knew you’d grow into it eventually,” Lux mused before kissing her daughter on her forehead.

“Mom!” Annie exclaimed, knowing how hot her skin was.

“Oh please, Annie, when has a little pain ever stepped me from showing you, my love?” Lux questioned before offering her hand. “Rise, a Queen kneels for no one.”

Annie accepted it and when she rose to her feet, she felt Jinx drape her jacket over her shoulders and fasten its golden chain around her neck.

“Perfect,” Jinx praised, her voice warm. “You’re always so serious, you remind me of your grandpa. I know he’s watching down on you with a smile, you’ll do better than he, me, or your mom ever could.”

Annie felt her breath hitch as the weight of her new station finally made itself known.

“How…how do I know I won’t fuck up?”

“You don’t!” Jinx laughed while Lux giggled. “That’s the hard part but know this. Even though we are stepping back, letting you lead your own life how you want to, even though you’re grown, we’ll always be your parents. If you fall, we’ll catch you.”

Annie grabbed them both into a tight embrace. Her mothers quickly hugged her back and just as she opened her mouth to speak, Lux interrupted her.

“Don’t thank us,” Lux interrupted with a gentle yet firm voice as she pulled back and gazed down into Annie’s confused eyes. “We did nothing that requires your gratitude. I understand how you feel but trust me on this. One day, if you have children of your own, you’ll understand.”

“No rush though,” Jinx continued. “I don’t even know if you want kids, so don’t let anyone pressure you. Not even Glasc, I don’t know what happened to make her want you to have an heir so quickly. If I didn’t know better, I’d think she was going to assassinate you or something.  Her excuse has been all about ‘maintaining the balance’ there is no way she would.”

“Little Camilla must have her concerned,” Lux mused. “The girl is quite bright and charming after all and will be in a position of power one day.” Lux raised an eyebrow at Jinx. “Are you truly considering taking her on as an apprentice one day or was that something you said in jest?”

“I was joking at first,” Jinx admitted. “But after I saw the strange colors, and that both Camille and Renata turned when I mentioned the idea? I changed my mind. If she keeps it up, I’ll take her on if for no other reason than to piss them both off.”

Lux shook her head with a small smile. “Always the agent of chaos, aren’t you?”

“It’s why you love me,” Jinx said with a smirk and Lux couldn’t deny it.

“I…I do,” Annie spoke, almost quietly making both of her mothers freeze. Jinx and Lux shared a surprised glance before looking at their daughter with wide eyes. “I knew I did the moment I delivered Camilla, the times I spent with her only reinforced that.”

“Then…why haven’t you?” Jinx asked genuinely curious. To a normal person, Jinx’s question wouldn’t have made much sense because there were hundreds of factors that went into such a decision.

But Annie wasn’t normal, and they lived in Zaun.

“Chosen” families were far more common in Zaun than families that shared blood. Despite all the bad within the nation, surprisingly it had the best adoption rate in all Runeterra. Add all of this to the fact that Annie could be extremely impulsive, it was a genuine wonder to Jinx why Annie hadn’t grabbed a kid by now if she had felt so strongly about it.

“Noxus,” Annie answered. “My time there was…enlightening. Zaun is my home, my nation, but to say Noxus isn’t a part of me would be a lie. To say I have no soft spot for it and its culture….my culture…would be a bigger one.”

Both Jinx and Lux immediately understood.

When it came to heirs and children, Noxus and Zaun couldn’t be more different.

It was a classic tale of nature vs. nurture.

Where Noxus believed in the strength of one’s blood in determining their potential…

…Zaun believed in the power of one’s surroundings and how they dealt with them to be the deciding factor of one's worth.

As a person trapped between both worlds, both ideals, Annie believed both were equally important.

Annie wanted children, or at least a child.

But she wanted one with her blood that would be raised in Zaun.

“I…I do want a child, but I simply can’t.” Annie finally revealed to them.

There was something off with the way she spoke those words, something that immediately put her mothers on edge.

“For so long, I only valued strength and power,” Annie said as her eyes began to water only for the tears to evaporate. “I’ve pushed myself a lot over these past few years. I’ve experimented on myself countless times, to further my medical knowledge to help more people and added with the toll of becoming a vessel for Tibbers soul...” Annie trailed off and shook her head, swallowing back her emotions and once more placing her signature scowl on her face.

But her mothers saw the expression for what it was.

A mask.

“I’ve become extremely powerful,” Annie said simply. “But this is not a power I can pass on. My own selfish actions saw to that.” Annie sighed and looked up at the clouded sky. “Not to mention the other issues. The Twin Cities are in a volatile period, Ren and I need to be at our best, mentally, emotionally, and physically. Even if I could have children, the risk of me not being able to be combat-ready for an extended period is too much. We have too many enemies.”

Annie then chuckled.

“Not to mention, the only person I’d want to help me in producing an heir is missing.” Annie continued. “It’s been years and I’ve grown up. My feelings for him have grown, but I am not foolish enough to expect the same of him. Especially when I have not heard any suggestion that the conflict in Freljord will end soon. By the time it does, if he’s even alive, I doubt he will feel the same. It may be selfish, and cowardly, but part of me hopes he doesn’t return just so I can avoid confronting all of this. I fear no enemy or monster, but this…this terrifies me.”

“Annie…” Lux whispered, her heart breaking for her daughter while Jinx gritted her teeth, her eyes blazing.

“Don’t. Just…don’t,” Annie whispered. She couldn’t handle their pity and didn’t need words of comfort. She told them because she had to. Because she needed to get it all out in the air, to be vulnerable at least one time before she sat on the throne. She had to be at her best to serve their people. Annie glanced back at them, and her expression was clearly pained even as she forced a smile on her face. Placing a finger over her lips, Annie spoke. “Queen’s orders.”

Annie turned and strode between them as she summoned Tibbers to her hand and fastened him to her hip.

“Come on, we have a coronation to get to.” Annie told them and as expected, she could hear one set of footsteps behind her. Lux was used to this, born into this, she’d do as Annie requested and find time to properly vent later.

Jinx would need to take a moment to blow up something before she met up with them.

 

-Later: Zaun: Chembaron Chambers: Event Hall-

“Now entering, Queen Annie H. Kiramman, and the Queen Regents Jinx and Lux Kiramman.” Theiram announced as Annie and her mothers finally entered the event hall. The room was large and spacious, accommodating the representatives and diplomats of nearly all the nations in the known world.

From what Annie could see, the party was something that would have resembled a Piltovan banquet. It was far too formal and tame, but as the hosts, they had to accommodate the foreigners who may have been put off by their ways.

And that would have cost them money.

So, for the sake of the almighty power known as gold, the Zaunites would play pretend for now.

Besides, the real fun was always the after-party, everyone knew that.

As they strolled in, everyone quieted down and either bowed or smiled respectfully at them as Annie made her way to the throne with a smile of her own. All of her family had made it which was all she really cared about, though she was curious whether they got official invites for their roles in their government, personal ones for being family, or both.

Climbing the stairs to her throne, Annie stopped for a moment to appreciate the portrait of Silco that had hung on the wall behind it. Annie regarded it for a moment, looking at his appearance, noting the few similarities between herself and him before she turned to regard the room.

“My grandfather Silco laid the foundation of this nation by creating an era of Iron and Glass,” Annie began, her voice wasn’t too loud or too soft, but it did carry a power that was felt by all those in the room. Even Swain, who had decided to attend personally gave her a nod of acknowledgment. “Through the tools provided, he gave Zaun the means to acquire gold for itself by any means necessary.”

Annie’s eyes slid over to Jinx.

“His daughter, and my mother, Jinx severed the gilded chains which kept us bound and gave Zaun freedom,” Annie continued. “She went on to make a name for herself before returning to take the throne. To hide Zaun’s weakness and to protect that freedom she ushered in an era of shadow. She shielded our vulnerabilities from view and reminded the world that Zaun was a nation to be feared, to deter anyone from trying to rob us of that hard-earned freedom.”

Annie’s eye shifted to Lux. “Through her marriage to my mother, Queen Lux, Zaun would no longer need to hide its weakness. Though gentle, Queen Lux was powerful and ushered in an era of light. She showed both us and the world the weaknesses of Zaun so that we could remove them. Whether it was mending the bond between Queen Jinx and Baron Ekko or extending a hand to our allies, Queen Lux put us on the path of obtaining true power so that Zaun could stand on its own feet.” Annie then looked at Renata. “Were it not for her deals, Ms. Glasc might not have taken such an active role in donating her services to our nation.”

Renata snorted at that and continued to sip her wine.

The others shook their heads as even now, despite everything, there still wasn’t any concrete proof to connect Renata to the Baronage of Zaun.

Truly the worst kept secret in all Runeterra, but a kept secret, nonetheless.

Annie nodded and gestured toward Swain. “Though not Zaunite royalty, General Swain, you are no less significant. You took a chance on our people, took Zaun under your wing, and through the mercy of Noxus, you created an alliance that will continue until the world itself crumbles into dust.”

“Your words humble me, Your Majesty,” Swain spoke and there was a small hint of pride in his eyes. “I am quite pleased to be able to see your coronation, were we not expanding, The Faceless and Riven would have come as well, instead they send their regards.”

“I wish you all well in your endeavors, assistance from Zaun is merely a letter away,” Annie told him before looking over the room. “Finally, there is me,” Annie sat down on her throne and there were sounds of surprise when the walls were suddenly coated in flames. The lining of her jacket burned with these same flames as she rested her chin on her fist. “I will bring an era of fire.”

Everyone gave her their undivided attention as Tibbers removed himself from her hip and grew into his larger form, resting beside her like a guard dog.

“Power is meant to be used,” Annie told them. “I will use it. My flames will reforge the iron and glass into new tools to both enhance our infrastructure and tear through our enemies. My flames will cast a shadow that will be feared by all who threaten the order our nations have built while their light will guide the way toward a better tomorrow. Terrorists, creatures of the Void, or even the undead, it doesn’t matter, they will be reduced to ash all the same when faced with my flames of protection, of healing.”

Annie smiled. “To our allies, please enjoy tonight’s festivities, to my countrymen you do the same but be prepared, for we will be getting back to work afterwards.”

With the end of her speech many clapped, a few even cheered, and her countrymen kneeled.

For this one moment, all was right in the world and Annie would have it no other way.

When the celebration continued, Vi and Caitlyn approached their in-laws.

“Alright, spill, what’s up with kitten?” Vi questioned quietly. To everyone else Annie appeared perfectly fine, but to her family they could tell something was off, which was likely why Ren, Camilla, and Lady Ferros had made their way to Annie as soon as it was socially acceptable to do so.

“Don’t worry about it,” Jinx said simply, and she gave Vi a pleading look to not push it. “Just…just trust me on this. Annie’s grown and she’s dealing with some grown up issues that’s all.”

“Alright, I won’t pry.” Vi conceded as Caitlyn nodded.

“But our doors are always open,” Caitlyn reminded them. “I’ll be damned if I let that girl spiral.”

“Much appreciated,” Lux told them gratefully. “How are you all? I heard you’d be sharing a ride with your daughters’ family.”

“Oh, it’s great, finally getting used to being a grandma though but I’m like almost eighty in Zaunite years so its fine.” Vi said with a shrug as Jinx gave Lux a glance as if saying “See!”. Lux just rolled her eyes in response.

Caitlyn just downed her glass.

“Cupcake!” Vi whispered and Caitlyn groaned.

“I’m fine, truly, I am. My daughter is happy, and Camilla is adorable,” Caitlyn sighed. “Lady Ferros has been nothing but perfect for her and I can tell she loves them. I am okay with them. Now I just must deal with being okay with them.”

“That’s progress,” Jinx mused, and Caitlyn gave her a genuine smile.

“Thank you, I am trying, and I like to think I am succeeding,” Caitlyn mused. “They accepted my invitation to brunch next week.”

“Baby steps,” Jinx said, and Caitlyn nodded.

Truly, the progress was astounding considering Caitlyn almost shot Lady Ferros when she found out.

Okay that was a lie, she did shoot her, but Janna’s winds moved the bullet.

As they conversed, Camilla bound up to Annie and gave the Queen a bouquet of flowers.

“Here I picked them myself!” Camilla chirped, practically shoving the flowers into Annie’s face.

“Camilla!” Lady Ferros hissed, making the girl tense but Annie just laughed.

“It’s okay she’s just excited,” Annie said before grabbing the flowers and scooping Camilla up onto her lap. “Just because I’m a Queen now doesn’t change the fact, she’s still my little Princess.”

Lady Ferros sighed but conceded. “Very well, I shall let it go because it’s your day.” Lady Ferros said before giving Camilla a look that told her to behave. “I’ve decided not to give her etiquette lessons until she’s older, but the little minx makes me question that decision every day.”

Annie laughed at this. “As expected of our little gremlin. Still, kids are meant to be free to play. How have you both been?”

“No complaints,” Lady Ferros said honestly. “I can finally converse normally with Caitlyn.”

“Oh progress!” Annie teased.

“I knew she’d come around,” Ren said proudly. “But how about you? Are you okay? You seem…off.”

“I’m fine, just some nerves,” Annie reassured them. They didn’t buy it for a second but didn’t push so Annie decided to at least calm Ren down. “I just had a very…open…conversation with my mothers, that’s all.”

Lady Ferros still didn’t know what that meant but she supposed she didn’t have to with how Ren’s eyes softened.

This was just a matter between cousins, so she politely stayed out of it, she’d know when it was necessary for her to know.

“Ah,” Ren said as a pained expression swiftly flashed across her face. “How did they…?”

“As well as expected,” Annie answered. “Jinx might have set back the second bridge’s construction a few weeks. Lux…I’m not sure, you know how she is, calm before the storm. Might have to talk her down from going out to find some sort of dark ritual to fix me.”

Ren’s glare was swift, and her voice was firm. “You’re not broken.”

Annie rolled her eyes. “You know what I mean.” Annie said as she did not want to get into this again, it was a happy day after all. “Anyway, I had to admit I was afraid, I hate doing that.”

“Oh, so you told them everything.”

“They can teleport,” Annie said dryly. “If I didn’t, they would have hunted Nunu down. You know he can shape reality. I really don’t want to pull him out of a war to deal with something as mundane as this.”

Ren sighed and rubbed the bridge of her nose.

Annie always did this, when it came to those she cared for, she’d stop at nothing for them but when it came to herself, she treated her own pain as inconsequential.

“Uncle Nunu is a hero, right?” Camilla spoke up. “He’ll save you! Hero’s always save princesses and you’re a Queen now. He’ll try even harder!” Camilla raised her small hand and patted Annie’s cheek with a grin that reminded her of Jinx. “Don’t cry, he’ll save you!”

Annie, while internally distressed, had been nowhere near close to crying.

She was a vetted warrior and had been trained by Runeterra’s best.

The Faceless themself had said Annie’s ability to control her emotions was almost second to none.

Yet here, in here throne room, when faced with the gentle innocent concern of a child….

…she almost broke down.

“I–”

“Excuse me! Sorry for the interruption but we have one final guest!” Theiram called out and Annie felt her eye twitch. Not at poor Theiram for he was just the messenger, but at whoever had the audacity to show their face this late.

A guest, no matter how important, simply did not show up after the Queen themselves.

It was a social faux pas that was almost unrivaled in its absurdity.

Even Camilla looked stunned by the rudeness.

Seeing the glares sent his way and feeling the tense energy within the air now, Theiram nervously continued.

“A-arriving now, Barron Ekko and Madam Zeri,” Theiram began which surprised Annie. Her Uncle Ekko and Aunt Z told her they had to deal with a trade agreement abroad and unfortunately wouldn’t be able to attend. It was still crazy to show up this late, but Annie would have let it slide if it weren’t for so many foreign diplomats.

Annie could already feel her headache grow as she thought about ways to salvage this before the rumor mill could have a field day.

“…and their son, the Acting captain of the Firelights and hero of the Freljord, Nunu, and his second-in-command, Willump.” Theiram finished and you could have heard a pin drop when Ekko and Zeri walked in. Ekko was smiling and greeting familiar faces as he passed and Zeri was wiping her eyes, clearly proud to be reunited with her son.

Speaking of her son, Nunu strolled in looking as though had just walked off the battlefield. Garbed in nothing but a furred cloak and cargo pants, Nunu walked in confidently as he held a large axe on his back. He had grown considerably over the years, towering over his parents and with a muscular build that made it seem as though he had stepped right out of a prison.

Yet despite his growth or the scars that littered his body, his bright blue eyes still held all the warmth Annie remembered.

“Sorry I’m late,” Nunu said, his eyes never leaving Annie’s and she could tell from his voice he wasn’t just referring to the evening. Nunu kept moving forward, his parents stepping off the side while Willump entered and continued to follow him. Once he made it to the throne, Nunu took a knee. “Your Majesty, words can’t describe how sorry I am. The war was taking longer than I expected and with your coronation coming quickly I knew I had to end things fast.”

Nunu sighed.

“But I still showed up late, should have taken my dad’s advice accepted the Z-drive when he offered,” Nunu said sounding annoyed with himself. “I come bearing both gifts, and the reason I volunteered to deal with the matter up north.”

Annie said nothing as he reached to his side and pulled out a scroll.

“From Queen Ashe, the Freljord has an abundance of natural resources as well as a few new deposits Hexite crystals.” Nunu informed which made a few of the diplomat’s whisper amongst themselves. “Zaun will be the first nation she will make a deal with.”

Annie then watched as he grabbed something out of a punch Willump was carrying. Turning to face her, Nunu raised what appeared to be a head entombed in ice and covered with glowing runes.

“What is that?” Annie finally spoke and Nunu shot the head an annoyed glance.

“The reason for my delay,” Nunu told her. “This is Lissandra, without boring you with details I know you don’t care about, she was one of the main forces manipulating things in the Freljord which prolonged the war. Even my patience has its limits and I decided to go deal with this personally, I am a son of Zaun. Queen Ashe may be a Queen, but she isn’t my Queen so even if she was against it, she couldn’t stop me from leaving.”

“So, you went off on your own and lobbed off this bitch’s head?” Annie questioned curiously.

“Yes, but not alone, I asked Ryze for help. Fortunately, she was standing in between him and a World Rune so convincing him wasn’t that hard.” Nunu explained.

“So, it’s his power I fill within those runes,” Annie muttered getting a nod from Nunu. “Is it safe to be carrying her head around? If both of you went to deal with her, she must have been powerful.”

“She was, but I must admit that enlisting him might have been overkill,” Nunu explained sheepishly. “I just really wanted to come back to you, so I didn’t want to take any chances. I’ve sealed the head in True Ice and he sealed her consciousness with the runes. We also burned and scattered the rest of her body. I figured you can use this as a trophy, or a paper weight if you want.”

Nunu sighed then.

“Forgive my impudence Your Majesty,” Nunu continued. “You’re smart so you probably pieced together why I did this, but I will ask anyway. Will you accept this trade agreement with Freljord and the head of my most hated enemy as offerings for your mark?”

Multiple gasps could be heard from those who finally pieced everything together.

“You went through all of this…just to ask me to marry you?” Annie questioned, her voice bordering something resembling disbelief.

“You’re the Queen of Zaun, I couldn’t have our parents outdo me when it came to this,” Nunu told her, and his eyes slid down to the surprised Camilla that was on Annie’s lap. “Am…am I too late?”

Annie was confused but Ren quickly caught on a snatched her daughter up.

“Nope, no you’re not, this one is mine,” Ren quickly informed him, surprising Nunu.

“Oh, thank Janna,” Nunu said as he placed a hand on his chest before giving Ren a sad smile. “I missed a lot it seems, sorry for losing contact.”

“It’s okay, we told her a lot about you.” Ren said as Camilla kept smiling at the hero.

“Nu…I…we…” Annie trailed off, her eyes burning with unshed tears, but she swallowed back her emotions. “The price you paid is worth any mark in the world.”

“We’ll have to agree to disagree on that, Your Majesty,” Nunu chuckled.

“Cheeky as always,” Annie muttered before standing up and offering her hand which Nunu accepted. “We have much to discuss, much to catch up on, but when all is said and done, if you still want my mark, it is yours. Now stand, the Queen’s consort kneels before no one.” Nunu almost yelped when Annie pulled him up to whisper into his ear. “Except me, in our chambers.”

Flushed, Nunu didn’t trust his voice when he settled on to his feet and felt Annie hug him tightly.

When he felt Annie tremble, his expression softened as he placed a hand on her back.

“I’m sorry I hurt you,” Nunu whispered. “I will spend the rest of my life making up for that. I promise.”

Annie sighed but felt her lips twitch.

“Idiot.” Annie then let him go before pulling him down into a searing kiss as the onlookers clapped and cheered, the loudest of all being those from Zaun.

Safe to say, this was an offering that would be remembered forever.

“You might have been the best gift I received ever, let alone tonight,” Annie whispered. “It will be hard to top that–”

Annie stopped speaking when a loud cracking noise could be heard. Eyes wide, Annie moved Nunu to the side as she saw the very air in the middle of the room begin to crack as if reality itself was shattering like glass. The mages in the room all a massive weight slam down into their shoulders as purple runes began to appear around the “crack.”

Eventually, the air shattered leaving behind a hole which began to burn at its edges with a golden fire.

“This…magic…” Annie whispered incredulously as Nunu looked between both her and the hole as he shared the same thoughts she did.

This magic was a power, foreign, but also terrifyingly…familiar.

“Everyone, stand back!” Annie ordered as she moved toward the hole while Nunu pulled off his axe while bright blue tribal markings covered his body. “Nunu!”

“With all due respect, my Queen, I just got you back,” Nunu told her. “We’re investigating this together.”

Annie averted her eyes, knowing she’d do the same in his position and sighed.

“Just be prepared for anything,” Annie told them as the Firelights stormed the area to protect the terrified guests. Making their way to the opening, Annie was surprised to see what appeared like a metal case slowly but surely moving out of the hole.

The closer they got to it, the more a second magical signature could be felt intermingled with the first.

“Is this…” Annie trailed off, glancing at Nunu who seemed just as confused as she was.

“…my magic? Yeah, it is, but why and how?” Nunu muttered.

Once they made it to the hole, Annie placed a hand on the case and looked deep into the tear. To her surprise, she saw….

…herself.

The woman looked broken beyond belief, tired and exhausted by the world she lived in but Annie couldn’t mistake her for who she was. She was her, a different her, but she was her all the same. For a moment, the two Fire Mages stared into each other’s eyes, taking each other in, and musing over how similar yet different they were.

Finally, her doppelganger spoke and though she couldn’t hear the woman over the influx of power, she could read her lips clearly.

Congratulations. Here’s my gift. Please. Love him.

With that, the broken woman turned, and Annie found herself pulling the case out just in time for the tear to mend itself. Stunned, she placed the container down and knelt, while running her fingers across crimson runes that were filled with her magic that were burned into the container.

“I didn’t make these…but they’re mine?” Annie questioned and Jinx moved out of the crowd toward Annie. Jinx was a person who practically feared nothing, so it was no surprise that she was the first to move followed quickly by Lux.

“What’s going on?” Jinx asked curiously. “That a bomb?”

“I don’t know, if it is, it’s one I made myself,” Annie muttered confusing Jinx. However, a nagging itch popped up in the back of her mind and somehow, despite all logic, she just felt as though her mother had something to do with this in some way. “In that rift, on the other end, I saw someone. Another me. Do you happen to know something about that?”

“It’s a long story.”

“You will tell me later.” Annie’s words were not a request. For the first time, Jinx found herself truly before the Queen of Zaun. Annie respected Jinx’s silence on whatever the hell it was she was keeping to herself, but this had now become a matter of national security. “Well, the coronation was fun while it lasted, we need to figure out this puzzle as soon as possible.”

“This puzzle might have come with an answer.” Lux said, getting Annie’s attention. “Look, right there, burned onto the case.”

Annie looked to where Lux pointed and sure enough, she saw a message seared into the metal.

It wasn’t a long one, but rather it was ridiculously short and only offered more questions.

The message was simple: “The answer.”

Annie felt her eyebrow twitch in annoyance. “The answer? What the hell does that mean?” Annie questioned but much to her annoyance, Jinx gasped as if coming to an understanding.

“Annie, quick, open it!” Jinx called out and Annie narrowed her eyes before doing so.

“Yes, you and I will definitely be having words later,” Annie muttered as she opened the strange case almost intuitively. “This thing looks like it was designed by Uncle E-what the hell!?”

Annie was shocked to pop open the case only to find an infant inside.

The baby had been trapped in some sort of stasis field, frozen in time, but as soon as the pod was opened time once more resumed once more for the infant. Slowly, the baby opened its eyes, staring up at Annie with bright emerald eyes that were identical to hers…

…and smiled.

Giggling the baby reached up and grabbed Annie’s braid.

“Annie, I know this sounds weird, but is this yours?” Nunu couldn’t help but ask. “This power is so familiar.”

“I feel the same, but if the brat is somehow mine, it’s yours as well,” Annie said dryly. “I feel your magic too, plus he has black hair. What the hell is going on here?” Annie questioned as she scooped up the baby and held him in his arms while Nunu looked down beside her. The familial resemblance was uncanny. “Just what secrets are you hiding, little one, and how much power do you wield?”

The baby was radiating enough magic to put adult mages to shame.

“Uh, should we name him?” Nunu questioned sounding completely out of his depth.

“Names are how you get attached,” Annie warned but it sounded as if she were trying to remind herself rather than him. It was as if she were trying to stop herself from feeling hopeful regarding an unexpected blessing that, for all she knew, could be taken from her in an instant. “If you want to name him, go ahead.”

“Hm,” Nunu had a thoughtful expression for a moment before the portrait behind the throne caught his eyes. “Silco.” Nunu decided which made Annie freeze. “Yes, he’ll be named Silco.” Nunu declared which made the baby giggle. “Like that huh, little buddy?”

Nunu’s unrivaled ability to just go with the flow never ceased to amaze her.

But she supposed that was why she loved him.

“Annie.” Jinx spoke up, getting her daughter’s attention. “It’s real.” Jinx told her. “I know you have questions, and we can chat about it until you pass out later, but for right now? Just take it. Trust me. It’s real, he’s yours, and he’s not going anywhere.”

“I…I see.” Annie whispered, knowing her mother would never lie to her and especially not about something this important. “I…I need…a moment…please hold him for me.” Annie said as she gave the baby to Jinx with trembling hands. “I’ll be back.”

Jinx sighed as she took the baby but didn’t blame Annie.

Having something you wanted this dearly, that you believed to be impossible, suddenly pop wrapped in a tiny bow moments after becoming Queen and getting engaged would have shaken anyone.

In the span of an hour, Annie had become a Queen, and wife, and a mother.

The fact she was able to fight off the panic attack this well was praiseworthy.

“Take Nunu with you, you two need to talk,” Jinx told her before turning to Nunu. “You know what to do, I’ll look after the brat.”

Nunu nodded and quickly grabbed Annie just in time to teleport away before she could succumb to her meltdown.

“Jinx, I do hope you will be sharing that story with me too,” Lux questioned with a raised eyebrow and Jinx nodded, already knowing full well that she’d be on the couch for at least a month after revealing what she hadn’t gotten the chance to tell Lux yet.

This was why one should never procrastinate.

“The answer huh?” Jinx muttered as she looked down at the baby alongside Lux. “So, you’re it?”

Jinx felt her head tilt involuntarily when something tugged on one of her braids.  Tensing, Jinx swallowed back the instinctual rage she felt at someone daring to touch her hair and looked down to see Camilla grinning up at her.

“Aunt Jinx, Aunt Jinx! Is that a baby? Can I see!? Please?” Camilla questioned excitedly as she hopped in place.

The rage vanished in an instant.

It was truly fascinating how fast Jinx could be filled with patience when it came to her little Piltie gremlin. Not even Annie could touch her hair without getting reprimanded, yet here she was letting a damned Piltie get away with things no one else could dream of. Seriously, was there anything as undoing as a–

-oh.

...ohhh.

“Oh!” Jinx said as the lightbulb went off before she grinned down at the baby. “You’re the answer. You’re the answer! I finally get it!”

“Jinx?” Lux questioned, worried about her wife’s mental stability.

Though honestly, that wasn’t anything new.

“Flashlight, don’t you get it? He’s the answer, and so is she, apparently.” Jinx’s grin was blinding as she simply plopped down in the middle of the floor, uncaring of who was watching and pulled Camilla into her lap so she could help the toddler hold the baby.

“He’s so small.” Camilla said, her voice filled with wonder.

Jinx laughed. “Like you can talk, pipsqueak.”

“Hey!” Camilla called out but she laughed all the same before gasping. “Wait, is he really Aunt Annie’s son?”

“He is,” Jinx answered though she was concerned about what kind of questions and how many an overactive two-year old would bombard her with. Oh Janna, what if the kid asked her where babies came from!?

“Aunt Annie is a Queen, he’s her son, which…” Camilla gasped. “Does that make him a Prince?”

“Huh, well, I guess it does.” Jinx mused. “Probably looks a bit different than the ones in those fairy tales you like so much, but he’s just a baby. Nunu is his father, so I guess you can assume he’ll grow to be somewhere between his height and Annies.

“Hm,” Camilla hummed to herself, and her eyes gained a calculating look that reminded Jinx of…well…herself when she was scheming something that was no good for anyone. Jinx began to sweat when Camilla was uncharacteristically silent before speaking two words that terrified Jinx more than any question Camilla could have possibly said. “I see.”

Never had Camilla appeared to be so clearly the heiress of Clan Ferros.

Jinx had no idea why at the time but, she felt as though this simple exchange would have profound repercussions in the future.

And she wasn’t the only one.

“Jinx…” Lux whispered as she looked at her wife, knowing that only Jinx would be able to pick up on her voice. “What the hell have you just done?”

“Language Aunt Lux,” Camilla practically sang, startling them as Lux realized that perhaps there was someone with senses as sharp as her wife’s. Camilla’s stoic expression returned to normal as she carefully and gently tried to rock the baby with Jinx’s help. “Go to sleep baby prince, my mom says sleep is what makes you grow big and strong.”

It was official, this creepy ass child terrified them both.

Soon, a large shadow covered Jinx and Camilla, and when they looked up, they saw Renata standing with her hand in her pocket. Extending her Chemtech arm, she looked at them expectantly.

“Baby.” Renata said simply and Jinx rolled her eyes while Camilla pouted, still, they acquiesced all the same and handed little Silco over. The baby continued to giggle, and Renata reached toward her mask before pulling it off, revealing a surprisingly unscarred face. With a bright smile, she gazed at Silco. “Looks like balance has been restored.”

Renata froze when she heard someone clear their throat and turned to see a smiling Lux.

Lux was smiling warmly at Renata, but you didn’t get to be a Zaunite her age without learning how to recognize killing intent.

And it was pouring off Lux in waves.

Lux let them have their moment but held her hands out expectantly.

She had been just as confused as her daughter, but at the end of the day she realized the facts. Somehow, someway, she was now a grandmother.

A grandmother who didn’t get to hold her grandchild yet.

“Thank you,” Lux chirped when Renata wordlessly handed the baby over. Still, Lux was merciful and stood next to the older woman so they could both observe the new addition to the family.

Eventually, an emotionally drained Annie would return to the Hall with Nunu. She looked much better and conducted the rest of the event professionally and brought the night to a close. To most others, she carried herself with all elegance one would expect of a Queen though her family could tell that she must have broken down and bawled her eyes out before returning.

Whatever she and Nunu said was for their ears, and their ears only, which was fine with them as Annie, while drained, looked happier than she had in years.

And when she once more picked up her son when the guests left, Annie looked happier than they had ever seen her, period.

 

-21 Years Later: Chembaron’s Chambers-

“Honestly, recruiting the Winter’s Claw? How desperate is that witch?” Silco muttered to himself as he scrolled through a report on his tablet. No longer an infant, Silco had grown into a man of average height much like his namesake and even had a similar build to the first King of Zaun.

Unlike his namesake, however, he had opted to grow a beard like Vander and appeared to be much healthier due to his mother solving Zaun’s malnutrition problem. “Remind me again why Queen Ashe chose not to wipe them out?”

“[I do believe, Sir, that the reason was because she had ‘morals’.]” Silco glanced up with a single emerald eye as the other was covered by a black eye-patch which bore his great grandfather’s mark. Before him he could see a small one-handed axe stabbed into the table.

Unlike a normal axe, however, this one had been developed using both Chemtech and Hextech

The axe lit up as it continued to speak with a posh Piltovan accent. “[She still views them as her people and while willing to imprison them, she refuses to kill them and their next of kin as is customary in Zaun and Noxus.]”

Silco scoffed. “And now those would-be rebels have fallen into the clutches of Leblanc.” Silco said with a dry expression, tapping his finger on the table impatiently. “I lost an eye because of that bitch. I liked that eye.”

“[As did I, Sir.]”

Silco glowered as he was once more reminded of “the incident”.

Having grown frustrated with how much Noxus’ stability had strengthened the Trifarix and undermined her plans, Leblanc had chosen to target the primary source of that stability, the Twin Cities. The plan was surprisingly straight forward and effective.

Step one, take control over a high-profile individual of Piltover.

Step two, have them attack and kill the heir of the throne.

Step three, walk away and let the fallout consume the cities.

There was only one person in all of Piltover that could kill Silco and unfortunately, she had no resistance to magic. The only thing that had saved Silco from the unexpected attack was that he knew his brainwashed assassin far better than anyone else and was able to spot that something was wrong before it was too late.

He managed to subdue his assailant and break the spell, but not without cost.

Absentmindedly, Silco ran a finger over his eye-patch. The loss of his eye was a hefty price, but it paled in comparison to just how much he gained from the incident. Always one to plan ahead, Silco saw a way to both strengthen the cities, get what he wanted most, as well as make Leblanc’s plans backfire against her in a single move.

Though it had been the plot of a third-party, Silco demanded that Piltover pay for the incident, citing their weakness as the reason he almost lost his life. Unhappy, but not wanting to undo all the progress the cities had made, Piltover swallowed its pride for once and paid it in full.

And the Great Machine took on a new form, one which no one could have anticipated.

Before he could get too lost in his thoughts, Silco frowned in confusion.

“To what do I owe the visit?” Silco questioned before a small smile played on his lips. “Grandmother.”

Turning off the tablet, Silco looked up to find Jinx sitting on the table. Glancing upward, Silco figured she had leapt down from the ceiling, she had a habit of hiding up there and out of sight whenever she visited while a meeting happened to be going on.

Rising to his feet, Silco smoothed out the wrinkles of his black pinstripe suit before embracing the smiling woman and kissing her on her cheek.

“This is unexpected, I thought you and Nana were still in Ionia?” Silco questioned curiously, silently marveling at how, despite her age, Jinx looked the same as she had when he was a child. His family did a lot of things, but aging poorly was not one of them. Though given their sheer wealth and access to the best Chemtech and Hextech had to offer, he wasn’t really surprised.

“What? And miss the wedding? No way, squirt,” Jinx said even though she had to look up at Silco. Jinx’s grin wavered slightly when she saw the bewildered expression on her usually stoic grandson’s face. “You know the wedding…your wedding?”

“Grandmother, I do believe you’re a year late,” Silco pointed out. “Not to mention, you created the marks.”

“That was the Zaun version, I’m talking about the Piltie version,” Jinx clarified and finally a lightbulb went off in Silco’s head as Jinx gaped at him.

“Huh,” Silco mused as he looked at the empty chairs. “So that’s why no one showed up, I thought they just had nothing to report.”

“Oh, you fucking workaholic!” Jinx exclaimed before she smacked him on the back of his head. “You’re just as bad as my old man, how did you forget your own wedding!?” Jinx turned to the axe. “Aye, Wolf Fang, you ain’t remind him? I love the boy to death, but you know how he is!”

Though Silco had inherited his mother’s resting bitch face, as Jinx always loved to tease, he inherited his father’s temperament. He ruled with an iron fist when necessary and was a great king, but because of his relaxed nature he was in desperate need of a scheduling assistant or secretary.

Which had been the main reason she even made him the fucking axe in the first place.

Annie could talk to Tibbers, Nunu had Willump, and Jinx had her weapons, because of this Silco wanted a companion to talk to as well when he was a child. Being the overly doting grandparent she was, Jinx made that wish a reality and forged Wolf Fang. It would be a friend, a weapon, and something to keep the constantly wandering child from getting lost in Zaun much to his mother’s relief.

“[Apologies Mistress, Sir has scheduled his reminder for ten minutes before the event.]” Wolf Fang explained as Silco pulled out his Z-drive which doubled as a pocket watch and checked the time. Silco soon snapped his fingers as if suddenly remembering that he did, in fact, do that. “[The reminder wouldn’t happen until five minutes from now.]”

Jinx rubbed the bridge of her nose. “Janna give me strength.” Jinx gave Silco a dry look. “Cutting it close ain’t ya?”

Silco waved off her concerns. “That’s more than enough time…” Silco trailed off when he saw his grandmother preparing to reach for Zapper! “…on second thought, it never hurt to be early.” Silco decided before grabbing his jacket and pulling it over his shoulders.

Jinx snorted, amused. “Smart man. I’m glad I trained you well, but rather than my Zapper you should be more afraid of your wife taking your other eye if you showed up late.” Silco winced slightly at the thought. “Speaking of, it was one thing when your marriage was on the downlow. It had no legal or political repercussions. How are things going to work? There is no way she will be allowed to remain president.”

“And she won’t,” Silco confirmed. “As you expect, many Piltovans see it as a conflict of interest though her Clan sees this as nothing but a boon for them financially. She will be replaced with the leader of Clan Tariost.”

Jinx gave him a deadpanned expression at that. Clan Tariost and their leaders were just figureheads. They existed solely to do what Clans Ferros and Kiramman desired.

Jinx knew this more than anyone, she was the one who made them that way.

“So, she still has the power, just not the title, and she still has her position as Clan Head,” Jinx mused before raising an eyebrow. “Are you making a Shadow Government? Because this totally sounds like how you make a Shadow Government.”

“I assure you Grandmother, I have no idea what you mean,” Silco said with a charming smile that would have made anyone who hadn’t seen him grow up melt. Jinx, however, knew damn well he was up to no good. “Shall we? Don’t wish to keep the guests waiting.” Silco said as he summoned Wolf Fang to his palm and offered Jinx his arm.

Jinx rolled her eyes but smiled all the same as she accepted it.

 

-Zaun: First Church of Janna-

The sky rumbled before a bolt of purple lightning slammed down into the street across from the large temple. The ground was scorched by the electricity and when it died down, Silco and Jinx stood before the temple.

“See? We have time to spare,” Silco said as he gestured toward the temple. He chuckled when Jinx rolled her eyes and led her toward the church where Lux was waiting. Lux appeared a bit worried, but her expression brightened when she saw them.

“There you are, I was getting worried,” Lux said relieved as she approached them and pulled Silco into a warm embrace before kissing his cheeks. “For a moment there, I thought you were getting cold feet.”

Silco raised an eyebrow. “A bit late for that isn’t it, Nana? Plus, she’s been planning this ceremony for a while, I don’t want to die.”

“Dear, when you’ve been around as long as I have in this crazy world, nothing surprises you anymore,” Lux said bluntly. “Especially not in this family. Your father ended a war to get married and, hell, you almost started one to do the same.”

“Come now, Nana, that’s far from the craziest thing I’ve done.” Silco pointed out.

“You’re correct.” Lux nodded. “The craziest thing you’ve done is test your mother’s patience.”

As if on cue, an annoyed voice called out “Boy!”

Silco winced and sighed before smiling nervously when a wall of flames surrounded him and his grandmothers.

“Mother, radiant as always!” Silco greeted her with a smile as his mother descended the steps of the temple leaving flaming footprints in her wake.

“You’re late.”

“Actually, I’m early,” Silco pointed out before checking his pocket watch. Just as his reminder went off. “About ten minutes early, actually.”

Annie felt her eye twitch before taking a deep breath and rubbing the bridge of her nose.

“Janna, give me strength.” Annie muttered and though they loved their daughter, both Jinx and Lux felt a bit vindicated every time their daughter had to deal with her son’s antics. Perhaps this was why grandparents loved grandchildren so much, they were like their little agents of karma for their own children.  “You’re too much like your father, I swear.”

“Until he’s pissed,” Jinx laughed. “Then he’s all you, Firelight.”

“I’ll take that as a compliment,” Silco said as he strolled forward and wrapped an arm around the annoyed woman. Annie rolled her eyes as he gave her a kiss on her cheek. “You look great, as do all of you. I know this is a bit different than what you’re used to, but we appreciate your attendance all the same.”

Even Annie couldn’t help but feel her annoyance fade and gave him a genuine smile.

“Just get your ass inside before your bride takes the other eye,” Annie told him which made him chuckle before leading them into the temple.

 

-30 Minutes later-

With a hand in his pocket, Silco stood beside a veiled woman garbed in white as Theiram stood before them behind a podium.

“Ladies and gentlemen, extinguished guests and citizens of the Zaun, we are gathered here today…”

“You’re late.” A silky voice whispered so softly that had it not been for his enhanced senses, Silco wouldn’t have heard it.

“Am not, if anything you are,” Silco whispered back just as quietly. “You walked in after I did, Minx.”

“That’s how the ceremony works,” Camilla reminded him. Her face was stoic, as expected of a member of her Clan, and she looked the part of the unwilling bride perfectly. Still, the warm and almost amused tone with which she addressed him betrayed the truth of the matter. “The bride comes in after the groom.”

“Sounds needlessly convoluted.”

“The best plans usually are.”

“That’s false,” Silco said sounding almost affronted by the notion. “Simple but effective, those are the best plans.”

Camilla almost snorted. “Says the one who lost an eye just to ‘marry’ someone who was already his wife.”

“A bit crude, I admit, but still simple and effective.” Silco pointed out. “I could have stopped you sooner, but then I’d lack the justification to do this. I was content to love you in the shadows, truly, I was, but I was not ignorant of the pain you felt of having to do so. For your happiness, to love you in both the light and the shadows, an eye is small price to pay.”

Camilla’s hands tightened around the bouquet slightly. “I hate it, you know? That I hurt you. I haven’t gotten a good night’s sleep since whenever I sleep alone and not in your arms. I’m so sorry.”

“Not your fault, the witch made you do it.” Silco reassured her. “Relax and enjoy your day, if anyone actually blamed you, you’d be dead.”

Which was true, while he had been joking with his father, Vander, and Ekko about his new scar the same could not be said about the others. His mother, grandmothers, and even great grandma Renata had been on a warpath. Granny Z had struck down many of Leblanc’s followers in places no one had even considered looking.

A lot of blood was spilled that week and it only stopped when Silco himself ordered them to return home. Leblanc had people hidden within the governments of each nation, if he hadn’t called for a ceasefire, the women would have started at least three different wars.

The Kirammans were hunters, Silco knew this, but while it was frustrating to let prey escape it had been a necessary evil. On this, Camilla agreed, their prey had to get confident despite the failure to take his life, it was the only way to ensure that slippery bitch would show herself again before long.

“As someone so intimately fond of needlessly convoluted plans you should understand her the best,” Silco continued. After all, Camilla, despite their parents’ best efforts, refused to establish any sort of familial relationship with him for as long as he could remember. Camilla had been adamant that she saw him as a friend, a close one, but not family. They had all been confused about this, him most of all, until she kissed him before he left for his sabbatical in Noxus four years prior.

Silco smiled a bit at the memory, recalling the dumbfounded looks on his and their family’s faces.

“The longer the plan, the easier it is for the entire thing to fail.” Silco mused. “For centuries, she carefully laid out each piece where she needed to on her board yet before she could take the most important one, my mother, my Loose Cannon of a grandmother snatched her up and consequently put her under the protection of the Trifarix and left her unable to be touched.”

Indeed, it had been obvious in hindsight, that one action, that one event, destroyed over a thousand years of planning. Leblanc had lost control over one of Mordekaiser’s hounds, Noxus had stabilized, the world had even gotten stronger through the trades that went through the Twin Cities.

Leblanc had been aiming to seize control over a weakened world, yet Jinx had accidentally made the world powerful enough to not only stand on its own but fend her off.

The best part was that he knew for a fact his grandmother had no idea of any of this.

Jinx had single-handedly saved the world by ruining Leblanc’s plans and she had no idea. Sometimes Silco debated telling Jinx but decided against it.

It was funnier that way.

“Today will mark an end to an important chapter in not just our lives, but for all of Runeterra,” Silco told her. “The people of Zaun, of the Twin Cities, deserve to be free but we cannot know that freedom while Leblanc’s shadow still lurks behind the scenes.”

Camilla said nothing else as they listened to Theiram continue the ceremony. For his first Piltovan wedding, he did a surprisingly good job. The two eventually exchanged their vows, which had been quick and to the point. They had images to maintain and had long said all that they needed to each other long before.

Those words, those feelings, were for their ears and theirs alone.

“You may now kiss the bride.”

Silco cupped the side of her face and leaned in.

“Let this mark the beginning of a new chapter,” Silco said before he leaned forward and pressed his lips to hers. Camilla closed her eyes the moment their lips met, and she couldn’t help but smile when she heard an explosion outside which shook the temple.

Camilla pulled back, smiling as she rested her forehead against hers even as their guests had all risen in alarm for the sudden commotion. “I know I said kissing you made me see fireworks, but this is a bit much isn’t it, love?” Silco chuckled at that, and she beamed. “Tell me again what you said about needlessly convoluted plans?”

“What?” Silco questioned innocently. “It wouldn’t be a memorable wedding without the guest of honor.”

“Can’t believe that bitch took the bait,” Camilla muttered as she turned to face the entrance where a Firelight sudden burst in to inform them that they were under attack.

This wedding was arguably the most important event in Runeterra as though the cities would remain separate, the unspoken bond between them would become unbreakable and elevating them even higher than where they previously stood.

Through them, their allies would become unconquerable and when the known world set their sights on those lands still untouched, none would stand against the great expansion. Should this occur, it would have been the final nail in Leblanc’s coffin so it was no surprise that she attacked the wedding when they would be at their most “vulnerable”.

It was a good plan, but the one thing she appeared to have forgotten…

“Who…dares…” Annie growled out, her eyes blazing and Silco let out a small whistle in appreciation when the walls were suddenly coated with flames.

…was that their family was far from vulnerable.

“So, this is the day bitches die,” Jinx mused as she lifted Fishbones from beneath her pew and began to load it with malicious intent. Silco wasn’t sure if she was more offended on his behalf or that of her “apprentice.”

“Teacher, please calm yourself,” Camilla pleaded though she never lost her warm smile and despite herself, Jinx stopped what she was doing.

“In fact, all of you calm down,” Silco said as he addressed the room. “Today is a joyous day, and you all are my guests.”

Guests who just so happened to be some of the most powerful people on the planet.

And not just politically.

“Sit back, relax, and enjoy yourselves. We’ll take care of this,” Silco reassured them. “Then again, we Kirammans are quite fond of the hunt and those who have interrupted us make for entertaining prey. You can join us if you want, but I do ask you stay put for a bit. After all, it is customary for the newlyweds to have the first ‘dance’ from what I am told.” Silco then raised an eyebrow. “That means you too, Nana.”

Lux, who was already halfway out of the door, sword drawn, froze.

Lux’s eyes were blazing but she took a deep breath and walked back inside and pouted as she sat down next to an amused Jinx.

Silco’s words served to calm down the diplomats who chose to attend, while those who they considered family and friends each seemed amused. Silco clapped his hands with a small smile.

“Excellent!” Silco grabbed his axe and turned to Camilla. “Shall we?”

Camilla nodded and reached back to undo the bindings on her hair. When she finished, her hair fell into two long golden braids that were filled with the same proofs Jinx once wore. “We shall.”

As the new couple made their way to the door, Jinx couldn’t help but think of that one old question that used to confuse her.

[“Is there anything so undoing as a daughter?”]

Jinx looked at Annie, who was in the middle of being placated by her husband who used his ice to keep her flames at bay. As her mother, Jinx thought she knew all the faces Annie could make or the feelings she could have, yet when Annie herself became a mother Jinx saw quickly how false that assumption was.

The Annie who did her best to make her parents proud was a powerful and bright woman, but she paled in comparison to the Annie who did her best for the sake of her son. The moment Annie became a mother and accepted it, she had become someone that could destroy the very world if it had been for his sake and Jinx doubted even Nunu could stop her.

Looking back at the newlyweds, Jinx continued her musing.

The star shaped Hexcore in the middle of Camilla’s chest shone brightly as a golden mask appeared in her palm in a flash of blue, digitized, light. Though Camilla appeared as calm and collected as her predecessors, Jinx spotted the mad grin that split her face moments before she covered it with her mask. Camilla’s blue eyes suddenly burned a shimmering purple as she summoned her weapon to her hand.

The weapon in question was a golden particle cannon, forged from both Hextech and Chemtech, the barrel shaped into the form of a dragon’s maw. It was a weapon that surpassed all of Jinx’s creations and marked the end of her apprenticeship.

Its name?

Dragon’s Breath.

It was an extremely powerful weapon that used Shimmer to power itself and Hextech gemstones as ammo. It was an extremely effective, ingenious, but ludicrously expensive weapon to wield that could bankrupt the average Piltovan after two shots. Yet, in Camilla’s own words she ‘was fucking rich’ and Jinx approved if only for the insanity of the weapon alone.

Jinx knew then there was nothing else to teach the girl.

As they stopped before the door, Silco removed his eyepatch, revealing a small Hexcore of his own that now took the place of his lost eye. It was black in color apart from a purple five-pointed star that took the place of his iris. His Hexcore burned, filling his body with power, and causing it to grow until he reminded Jinx more of Vander than Silco. Along with his body, Wolf Fang transformed as well until it took the shape of a massive two-handed axe, it’s blade burning with a shimmering flame.

Jinx could hear the sky rumble and glanced out the window to see the winds picking up to the point that some could wonder if Janna’s fury had been invoked. In a way, Jinx supposed it had, as if there was anyone who could embody Janna’s rage the best, it would be Silco who’s magical control over the weather had granted him the moniker of “Storm King.”

Slamming the bottom of his axe into the ground as if it were a staff, Silco grabbed the jacket of his suit and tore it off. Silco kicked the door open, allowing a powerful gust of wind to enter the temple which blew back the coat hanging from his shoulders and lifted Camilla’s veil which allowed them to see their matching marks.

Though mark was probably too inadequate of a term for what was once a simple cloud tattoo after these couple of generations. Jinx supposed the better word would be a mural, it had become a complex array of marks, of images, which told a story that Jinx lived firsthand. One which would only grow and persevere even long after she had finally kicked the bucket herself, though she made sure she’d live as long as possible to add as much to that mural herself as she could before it was time for her to join Janna.

Camilla raised her weapon and began firing beams of concentrated magic which vaporized the terrorists that attempted to storm the temple, leaving nothing but ash behind. A chilling sound echoed throughout the temple, one Jinx knew to be Camilla’s laughter as she simply held down the trigger and let a continuous beam of energy decimate all that approached.

As his wife had the time of her life, Silco continued to scan the cities for Leblanc’s magical signature as bolts of purple lightning fell from the sky and struck down his enemies.

“There.” Silco mused before raising a fist and slamming it into the jaw of one enemy that had managed to make it to him. The sound of the man’s neck snapping from the force of Silco’s blow was heard by all. “I found you.” Silco muttered as the terrorist slid off his fist, falling onto the ground in a lifeless heap. “Four miles, east, let’s go.”

Camilla nodded and slammed a palm over her Hexcore before vanishing in a blue light while Silco disappeared in a flash of lightning.

“Is there anything so undoing as a daughter?” Jinx mused before snorting and glancing at her wife.

Lux appeared confused by the question but also equally curious to hear the answer which Jinx was happy to give her.

 “…Yeah, fucking grandkids.”

 

Fin.

 

Notes:

"Is there anything so undoing as a daughter? Yes a fucking grandkid." -This is the thought I had in my head when I first heard that line and this is why I wrote this fic. Yes, this entire story was born from that one lame ass joke I told myself which made me chuckle. No I do not apologize. Yes I may be insane.

With that we can finally put an end to this story, and place "The Answer" In the vault of "Completely long ass stories that RebukeX7 actually finished". Hope you all enjoyed the worlds longest dad joke.

Will: ALL HAIL THE MAN! THE MYTH! THE LEGEND! REBUKEX7!!!!! ALL HAIL THE ANSWER!!!!! Man, what an incredible journey this story has been! The Answer has finally been said and concluded. And as I expected as I was editing throughout the series, it was exceptionally poignant…and fucking hilarious! Classical X7 Entertainment everyone, refined through the years. I honestly don’t know how you’ll top this one Rebuke. Then again, you’ve only continued to do that. Thanks again for having me here Rebuke and see y’all on the next one folks.

RebukeX7: It's been great working with you Will, and the next project might be sooner than you think. Moving forward when it comes to my stories, especially to avoid long delays like this one got, I think I'll take advantage of this site's ability to connect stories into series. I'll post each arc of future fics as their own story and only upload when i have the particular part/arc already finished to make the overall experience a bit smoother hopefully.

As for this series, as you might have noticed there are numerous plot points that could be their own stories/chapters/etc. For example, whatever happened at the World Summit introduced in this chapter. I will be making a separate story titled "solutions" at some point (no dates or anything yet, still brainstorming) that will serve as a side story/more slice of life/supplemental story for this one. It will be a series of one-shots or shorter fics that take place somewhere between chapter 1-15 of "The Answer" that will fill in some blanks or showcase stories that didn't make it into the main fic. No timeline at all for when I will actually set this up, but its something I do want to do at some point.

In the immediate future I will be deciding on which story to write next for a different fandom altogether. Currently I have four in mind each taking place in one of the following fandoms: Spider-Man, Harry Potter, FFXIV, and Twilight. Most likely the next project I do will be for Spider-Man, but who knows, I certainly don't, knowing me it could be something completely different. You can look at my previous fics "Spider-Network" and "Marvel: Trinity: to get an IDEA of what this tory would be like, but I plan for it to be a different beast altogether.

Feel free to let me know which of those fandoms you would be most interested in seeing me write in in your comments!

That said, the next time you do see me post, I'll have whatever opening arc already written out an completed when I post. Tanks again for all of your support as we close the cover on this latest story.

Read and review!

And as always...

...stay Classy!

~RebukeX7