EVEN WITHOUT NAMING YOU

CHAPTER 1

With a trembling hand, he took a match. The paper, so fragile, seemed almost to resist. It was a rare and precious thing, almost sacred. But Ekko knew that destroying this drawing was the only way to move forward. He had to break the last tie to a time long gone, to a version of himself that could never return.

He struck the match, the flame crackling in the dimness. His eyes stayed fixed on the paper as it began to slowly burn. The blackness spread across the edges, creeping slowly, until nothing remained but ashes. The details of her drawing, the lines of Powder, the fragile silhouette of a child full of hope—all of it slowly faded in the heat of the flame. He watched it disappear, in silence.

The flame danced before him, bright and cruel, a cruel reminder of everything he had lost and everything he had sacrificed to get here. He could no longer save her, but he had to save himself. He had to move forward, for Zaun, for himself, for the peace he had never known. Except in that other world, a world he did not belong to...

The paper burned slowly, turning to ashes. The last remnants of Powder, the one person he had shared so many dreams and aspirations with, were gone in smoke. He had nothing left to hold onto. But inside, he knew that loss wasn't measured in things or memories. Loss was measured in what he felt. That emptiness. That absence. That permanent grief.

When the last corner of the paper burned away, Ekko straightened slowly. He hadn't cried. There was no room for tears. He was no longer a child. He was a leader, a survivor. But deep inside, he knew he had lost something precious, something he would never get back. And even though the flame had burned everything away, the pain remained.

He let the ashes fall, watching the last trace of Powder disappear into the air. He knew he would never truly forget. But at least, for the first time in a long time, he felt like he had taken control of his own future.

And the path ahead of him was lonelier than ever.

----

The morning light bathed the streets of Zaun in a warm, golden glow, contrasting with the electric atmosphere of the previous day. Ekko walked through the city's alleyways, a modest smile on his lips, greeting the children who jumped on him, seeking attention, a smile, or even an autograph. Some had even become impromptu fans, mimicking gestures he had made during the war. Behind him, his friends, Scar and the others from his group, skillfully navigated the streets on their skateboards, hopping from wall to wall. Zaun, their city, was slowly being reborn under the heat of acclaim, but for Ekko, the shadow of the past still loomed.

He turned the corner and saw Vi. She was standing in front of a wall, admiring a new graffiti that a group of kids had just painted. He approached quietly, his footsteps echoing on the cobblestone ground. When she turned towards him, he saw it. The spark of madness was no longer in her eyes. Instead, there was resignation, calm, but also a lingering pain that he knew all too well. Ekko stopped in front of her.

"Are you holding up?" he asked, a sincere but tired smile on his lips. Vi nodded without immediately answering. Her gaze was fixed on the drawing on the wall.

"I guess you could say that," she replied in a quiet, almost muted voice. She turned toward him, looking at him for a moment with that familiar spark of friendship but also a sense of vulnerability. "And you, Ekko? Do you feel like a hero now?"

Ekko smiled, a slightly sad smile, but he didn't have time to respond. Vi turned slightly to show him her back, and Ekko noticed something new. A tattoo. A delicate blue cloud etched into Vi's skin, just below her shoulder, the outline almost perfect. It was a soft shape, but full of meaning.

He froze for a moment. This tattoo... it was Powder's. The blue cloud. It was the same one they had painted together. The one they had traced on their bodies before the war, a symbolic act of transformation. But now, it was more than that. It was a tribute, a silent promise he couldn't ignore.