Arcane: World Two - AU (Non-binary reader)

XVI - Vicious Cycle

Sevika stands beside him and looks at the map, her gaze averts to the files beside it. She opens one to see: "Igor, 5 foot 11, male, rifle" His name is scratched out, implying you already got to his one: "How long do you think they were running out to kill them?"

Silco takes a deep breath: "Weeks, maybe since the attack" Silco crumbles into tears, Sevika tries to give a helping hand but it changes nothing: "My child... is dead. And I had an opportunity to stop them" 

Sevika puts her hand on his back: "They're just like you, there's nothing you could've done to stop this. They're with Kara now" He nods slowly, it's all he can do at this point.

***

Vander sits at a table with everyone else: "In their note to me, they stated that if by some stroke of luck we can host a funeral, we should play the song My Love" His voice becomes shaky: "When the guards would play it, Kara would dance to it through the walls. She always offered y/n to join her but he never did"

Ekko sits at one end of the table, he re-reads his note over and over again until Benzo has to pull him out of his trance: "What's so different about yours?" Ekko shows Benzo the bottom part of your letter to him:

"...in my old house, from before the bridge, you'll find my old bed. Underneath is what I want to give to you. It's useless but it sure as shit is cool to look at. See you around Little Man.

Your friend, even from beyond the grave
-y/n"

Benzo hands back the letter, his eyes skimming over the top part of the letter: "We'll go find it tomorrow, okay" Ekko's head falls to the table as he sobs.

***

Contrary to popular belief, and demand, you're alive. You're thrown to the ground in front of Carthon: "You killed my nephew, my men, burnt down my safehouse and yet this was such an easy slip-up" He walks towards you, chains rattling with every step.

You look at him, and a smile emerges on your face as you pull out the detonator: "One more step, this place blows up" Carthon begins to laugh but a small light on the detonator flashes red, cutting him off: "We're gonna play by my rules now, okay"

Carthon is hesitant to respond but does anyway: "What are these rules?" He walks back to his seat, unknowingly above one of the bombs you'd scattered among them. 

You shove them away from you: "You don't come back to Zaun or Piltover, you stay away from my family and you certainly don't come near me again. In return, I won't have to go out in a blaze of glory"

Everyone watches as Carthon scoffs: "You've spent weeks hunting my men only to look for peace now? How... pathetic"

You crack your neck: "This is a vicious cycle of violence that sucks too many people in. I want to end it"

You hear people mumble from around you. Carthon reaches for his revolver slightly: "Say that to the man you tore in half. Or my nephew, who wasn't killed by bullets, but by the cold that enshrouded his wounded body"

You drop the detonator and grab a small tube from your waist, you put it to your mouth at incredible speeds as you blow a dart into his neck: "Tell them yourself" He panics as he clammers at the spot the dart had hit, his face has swells as poison floods his blood. The other gang members back themselves to the wall out of fear of such a painful death.

You walk out of the building until you're a safe distance. You look back at it, seeing a hallucination of Kara in the doorway, a tear swells at the sight as she nods at you. You raise the detonator and with one swift motion: BOOM.

***

At the last drop, everyone is either asleep or planning your funeral. Silco is sitting beside Vander when he takes a deep breath: "Vander, I- I have a confession" Vader, who was drinking, turns to Silco: "Marcus, the enforcer, was on my payroll"

Vander nearly spits his drink out but holds himself back: "Did that stop him from protecting people?" Silco shakes his head, the old Vander would've cast him out but too much had been lost already so he simply goes back to planning your funeral.

***

The room is cold and damp, the wallpaper had been peeling off as mould sat in the corner, watching as Ekko searches under your bed.

Benzo watches from the doorway: "Any idea what it is they left for you?"

Ekko keeps looking: "They said it was almost useless and left under their old bed" He eventually reaches your bed and pulls out a sealed box. He opens it as Benzo steps closer, watching as Ekko pulls out a pocket watch, it retained the smell of the river you found it in when you were only four. Ekko taps at it while it spins in circles: "It works, right?"

Benzo inspects it, putting it up to his ear to hear the ticking noise: "Works like it's brand new" He tosses it back to Ekko, he catches it but unintentionally swings it in a swift motion before it lands in his pocket. It was like it wanted to be with Ekko.

As they begin to walk out, something else catches Ekko's eye. He looks over at a skateboard leaning against the wall: "Do you think I could..." Benzo picks it up and hands it to Ekko. You'd want him to have it, after all.

***

After a day of trekking through the snow, you finally reach the Lanes. You begin walking back to the Last Drop. It reminds you of your return from the train wreck. 

Before long, you have the bar in sight. Your strides become long, the seconds it takes to reach the bar feel like minutes. You reach the door eventually, as your hand moves towards the doorknob, you hear the song: My Love. You freeze for a moment before moving to look in through a window.

You look through and see your portrait on an easel, a vase of flowers beside it. Your friends and family gathered. Silco and Vander stand beside one another, Vi and Caitlyn sit next to each other, hand in hand. Mylo and Claggor are standing in the back. Powder and Ekko are holding back tears together.

They think you're dead: it hurts them, but it means they're not worried for you. Your own words return to your mind: "This is a vicious cycle of violence that sucks too many people in" You pretend to think things over but your mind was made. Carthon didn't want to end this but you do. You take a deep breath and look at your bracelet, bringing back memories that feel like a lifetime ago. You turn around and walk away.

The last thing that could hurt your family is gone and they don't have to pray you're alive anymore, as far as they know: you're not.