[ARCANE] Would've, Could've, Should've TimeBomb [EN]

Chapter 8

"I'll do everything I can to help you, Powder." He placed a hand over the tattoo on his bicep. For a moment, she thought he was stroking her arm with his thumb, but the movement stopped as abruptly as it had started. "But it won't be that easy. The machine... it doesn't exist here anymore."

She frowned. "You didn't bring it back with you?" she asked.

Ekko sighed and let himself slump against a table, which groaned under his weight. "No. It was destroyed during the fight with Noxus."

"Well. It'll take longer than I thought, but if I've built it twice, I should be able to do it a third time," she said, her tone meant to sound motivating. "Let's get started!"

She turned toward the tools on the table and picked up some pieces of metal. Yet, a knot formed in her stomach. She couldn't pinpoint why. Was it sadness that Ekko seemed so unshaken by her decision? Was it the knowledge that she would, once again, be leaving her sister behind? Or was it the fear that she might not be able to leave for all those reasons?

Suddenly, Ekko grabbed her wrist. The metal pieces she was holding clattered to the floor, landing on the hammer with a dull thud.

"You're not doing this because I didn't answer you yesterday, are you?" He locked his gaze with hers. "It's not because I didn't tell you what to do that you don't matter to me."

She felt as though he was searching her eyes for the slightest hint of doubt. Her throat tightened, and she could only whisper, "Please... don't make this harder."

Ekko slowly released her wrist and pulled her into his arms. She found herself pressed against his chest, her face buried in his neck. His hand gripped the back of her head, his fingers lightly tangling in her hair.

A crushing weight settled on her shoulders. She was afraid.

Afraid of losing things she would never find anywhere else. Her breathing quickened, and a sharp pain shot through her head. Voices pounded in her ears, and strange colors danced before her eyes.

This time, she was alone in the vast expanse of a white void.

She screamed. She ran, but there was nothing. Nothing except a deafening silence.

"Jinx!" she shouted again, and again, and again. "Show yourself!"

Powder tried to stay calm, despite her heart hammering in her chest. She had no idea how long she had been wandering in this empty space—minutes, maybe days?

"Is this what it felt like?" she asked the void. "Lost in a bubble, while someone stole your life?" She stopped, glancing around her, but there was still nothing. "I just wanted to see her again." She screamed, but no sound came back to her. "I just wanted to see him again," she said softly, falling to her knees. "JINX!" she cried with all the strength in her lungs.

"Wow, take it easy. And here I thought I was the crazy one."

The voice echoed in her ears, clear and almost mocking.

Powder spun around sharply. She was there.

"Jinx," she said simply.

"It's me." She stepped closer, measuring her with her gaze.

Powder stood up. They were face to face, just a few dozen centimeters apart. It was like looking into a mirror, except one had violet eyes and the other, blue. For the first time, Powder noticed that she was wearing her own clothes—the ones from her reality.

"I'm leaving," she said. "I'm giving you back your place. I just need time."

"And why should I let you?" Jinx replied coldly. "Did you ask me for my opinion when you took my place in my own life? When you got close to the people I spent years running from? And for what?" Her gaze was terrifying, blazing with anger. "To satisfy some morbid curiosity? To see what life is like for 'Powder with her favorite big sister'? To use MY body to get close to a boy you've known for, what... a week?" She laughed, the sound sharp and bitter.

"I'm going home. I promise."

"Your presence—my presence—puts everyone in danger. You're only hurting them. So, for everyone's sake, hurry up."

She stepped back, and in her eyes, Powder saw a crack: a flicker of sadness, a barely concealed pain.

When she opened her eyes, her lungs filled with air all at once, as though she had forgotten to breathe for an eternity. She gasped, taking deep, heaving breaths, and stood up despite her trembling legs.

She was standing at the edge of a gaping void, in a basement that took her a few seconds to recognize.

It was her hideout, but the central platform was missing, leaving only a deep hole in the floor.

Behind her, she heard hurried footsteps coming down the stairs.

"Jinx!" a voice shouted—Ekko.

"Ekko," she whispered.

Jinx's voice echoed in her head: 'Your presence puts everyone in danger. You're only hurting them.'

For a moment, she hesitated. She thought about hiding, avoiding him, but a certainty struck her: no matter where she went in Piltover, Ekko would find her eventually.

He spotted her quickly and stopped, breathless.

"You're Powder, aren't you?" he asked, catching his breath. One look had been enough. She nodded, and he sighed in relief, bending over with his hands on his knees. "I've been looking everywhere for you. She's been gone for hours."

"Ekko," Powder said.

"What?" He lifted his head to look at her, his brow furrowed.

"I need to go home. And fast."