[Always the savior, never the saved] READERXEKKO

A/N: I had to do so much research for this, I hope yall enjoy!!

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It had been days since you abandoned Ekko. You didn’t know if he’d made it back to the firelight base or if he was still alive. The thought gnawed at you, but you shoved it down. You’d made your choice. 

With nothing to occupy your time, no purpose as the so-called “Girl Savior,” the hours dragged by. Your gaze fell on an old, forgotten drawer—the one where you’d once hidden your black sack. The drawer that had, in a way, changed your life. 

You hesitated before opening it, the creak of wood breaking the silence of your empty house. Inside, tucked away and seemingly untouched, was a single vial of the vaccine. 

Your breath hitched. 

All this time, it had been here, waiting. One last vial. If you could figure out how to recreate it, you could start over, couldn’t you? You didn’t need the firelights. You didn’t need Ekko. 

Your hand hovered over the vial, your fingers trembling. "I can do this on my own," you whispered, trying to ignore the tightness in your chest. "I don’t need anyone." 

But as you held the small vial in your hand, its weight felt almost unbearable.

But how would you recreate the substance? You had no clue how to make a copy… and you weren’t going to set foot in that lab. Ever again. You needed to think. 

“Think, [Reader]…think,” you muttered, pinching the bridge of your nose as your mind raced. The vial sat on the table in front of you, its contents swirling faintly. You tried to recall the ingredients. The pieces were fragmented, incomplete. 

Honeyfruit… That was an easy one. Its restorative properties were widely known. But finding fresh ones in Zaun? That would be a challenge in itself.  
A glowing purple flower… The image lingered in your mind. You had no idea what it was called, only that it grew in the outskirts—far from the safety of the city. It was rare, dangerous to retrieve, but unmistakable. 
And then there was… the rest. Unknown liquids, powders, and processes you’d seen in passing but never fully understood. The firelights hadn’t had access to them, and neither did you. 

Your chest tightened. You were stuck. You didn’t have the ingredients—not all of them. And the ones you did know about? They weren’t exactly easy to find. 

Your gaze flicked back to the vial, and a desperate thought crossed your mind. Maybe I don’t need all the exact ingredients…maybe I just need to get close enough. Honeyfruit and the flower were the starting point. If you could find just those two and experiment from there, maybe you could figure something out. 

It was a long shot, but it was all you had. You scrawled a list of what you’d need: tools to extract the honeyfruit, protective gloves for handling the flower, and containers to store everything. 

You sighed and leaned back. This is impossible, you thought. But that tiny vial on your table seemed to mock you, daring you to try.

. . .

It had been a grueling day—hours spent scavenging for supplies, wandering the outskirts of Zaun with little luck. The glowing purple flowers were supposedly tucked away in a strange cave you stumbled upon. You swore you caught a glimpse of something…a beast, lurking deeper within the shadows. But none of that mattered now. You had one of the two main ingredients safely tucked into your bag. 

“Now, just the honeyfruit…” you muttered under your breath, your voice heavy with fatigue. You let out a long sigh as you slumped against a rusted pipe. Where am I even supposed to find that? 

Thankfully, you’d thought ahead. You rummaged through your sack and pulled out a worn, creased map of Runeterran plants, a resource you’d begged Ermit to track down for you a while back. 

“Okay…honeyfruit…” you murmured, scanning the map with tired eyes. Your finger trailed over the markings, landing on a labeled region. 

“Palcyff?!” you exclaimed, your voice echoing off the walls. The realization hit you like a punch to the gut. Palcyff wasn’t just far—it was dangerous. 

“Nope. No way. I’m NOT going to Palcyff…” You groaned and buried your face in your hands, willing another solution to fall into your lap. And then it hit you—a simpler, safer idea. 

You pulled the hood of your cloak tighter around your face, steeling yourself for the chaos of Zaun’s bustling markets. If anyone had honeyfruit, it would be one of the vendors there. It wasn’t a perfect plan, but at least it didn’t involve venturing into a death trap. 

“Alright,” you muttered as you pushed yourself to your feet. “Let’s hope someone’s selling.”

. . .

There it was—the chaotic, bustling market of Zaun, alive with noise, colors, and the overwhelming scent of fried food and chemicals. Your eyes scanned the rows of vendors hawking all kinds of wares, from weapon parts to rare herbs. And then, you saw it. 

A stall at the far end of the market, tucked beneath a flickering neon light. The vendor was selling honeyfruit—not just the fruit itself, but the actual plant. A full, thriving specimen, complete with vibrant green leaves and tiny buds ready to grow. 

Your heart skipped a beat. “No way,” you whispered, staring in awe. If you had that plant, you wouldn’t just have a temporary solution—you’d have the means to harvest honeyfruit whenever you needed it. 

You weaved through the crowd, careful to keep your hood low as you approached the stall. The vendor, a wiry older man with mechanical goggles perched on his forehead, glanced up as you neared. 

“Ah, got your eye on the honeyfruit, eh?” he said with a grin, gesturing to the plant. “Rare find around these parts. You’re lucky I managed to get my hands on it.” 

You stopped in front of the plant, your eyes fixed on its glossy leaves. “How much?” you asked, trying to keep your voice steady. 

The vendor leaned back, sizing you up. “This beauty? She’s not cheap. 400 gold.” 

Your stomach sank. 400 gold was no small sum, especially with what little you had left after your recent supplies run. You tightened your grip on your sack, weighing your options. 

“C’mon,” the vendor added, noticing your hesitation. “You won’t find another like this in all of Zaun. It’s a steal.” 

You bit your lip, the gears in your mind turning. You needed that plant—but how were you going to afford it?