Arcane: INSANE (OC X JINX)

Chapter 8: Episode 8: Rebirth



(A/N: Make sure to drop all your spare powers tones! It boosts the algorithm and helps our family get bigger!)

Powder's eyes, wide and frantic, burned with a fury that Bael had never seen before. She clung to him, her voice trembling with rage and heartbreak.

"I don't care. She's not my sister anymore... We're finished!" Powder's voice rose, cracking with emotion as tears mixed with the venom in her words. "Next time I see her... I'll kill her..."

Bael's heart skipped a beat at her words. The intensity of her anger was raw, fueled by the pain of betrayal, and for a brief moment, he wondered if she meant it. Powder's grief had already turned into something far more dangerous, her fragile sanity fraying at the edges.

When she whispered, "You're all I have left," something inside Bael shifted. The weight of those words crushed him, but in a strange way, it felt like a bond was forming—a bond that neither Vi nor Vander could ever break, no matter what happened.

Bael nodded slowly, a solemn expression in his eyes. "You're right, Powder. I'm all you've got. And you're all I've got."

His voice trembled slightly, but his resolve hardened. They had nothing left. No one. There was no time to dwell on their losses, no time for regrets or questions. They had to keep moving, keep surviving.

Without another word, Bael helped Powder to her feet, and together, they fled the scene of destruction. They ran through the ruined streets of Zaun, their footsteps echoing in the desolate silence that followed the chaos. The crumbled walls, the shattered pieces of their lives, all of it seemed distant now, irrelevant.

They didn't know where Vander was. They didn't know if he was dead or alive. They didn't know if anyone would ever come back from the wreckage of that night.

Everything had gone to shit.

And yet, as they ran, Bael's mind raced—not with fear, but with a cold, unfeeling acceptance. This was their life now. There was no going back.

...

The morning light filtered through the cracked windows, casting faint, jagged shadows across the room.

Bael awoke in the bathtub, his body still stiff and sore from the injuries of that night. The pain in his missing arm was still a lingering reminder, but it was manageable now, thanks to the sophisticated mechanical arm he'd crafted over the years.

His gaze shifted to the right, where his mechanical arm rested, where his biological arm used to be before, that night.

His mind wandered back to those first few years after the explosion, after everything went to hell. Powder, or Jinx as she was now known, had never fully recovered from the trauma, but thanks to Bael, she's managing pretty nicely.

Jinx was now was nothing like the scared little girl she once was. Her childish and manic behavior could flip in an instant, but Bael never gave up on her, even as she lost herself more each day in the chaos of Zaun's dark new order.

His eyes softened as he looked at Jinx, still asleep on his chest. She clung to him like she always did, her small frame curled up against him as she slept soundly, blissfully unaware of the world outside, even if for just a moment.

Her appearance had changed drastically. Her small hair now reached for her ankles, and apart from that, she had tattoos all over her body.

It had been ten years since Vi's departure. Ten years of wondering if she'd ever come back. Ten years of silence, where Bael had to be both a protector and a caretaker. He had never heard from Vi again, though he knew deep down she must've been aware of where they were.

She knew Zaun like the back of her hand. But she never came. She never returned, leaving a hole in Bael's heart that he tried desperately to fill with his work, his inventions, and keeping Jinx safe.

But he couldn't shake the feeling that everything had spiraled out of control.

Zaun, under Silco's rule, had become a breeding ground for corruption and decay. Shimmer was everywhere, like an insidious poison coursing through the streets, warping those who used it. The city was no longer a place of hope or community. It was a place where people fought for survival in a world that had forgotten what it meant to live.

Jinx stirred slightly, a small murmur escaping her lips as she cuddled closer to him, still deeply asleep. Her movements were always like that—whimsical and chaotic, just like her. Bael smiled softly, brushing his hand along her back as she calmed once more.

Though everything had changed, there was still something that connected them both—an unbreakable bond formed in the chaos of their youth.

Powder– Jinx, had become his official family, his responsibility, his world. He wasn't sure if she even remembered the girl she used to be, the girl who dreamed of a better life, of being accepted, but he couldn't blame her. The world had turned its back on them, on all of Zaun, and they had to survive however they could.

"Maybe it's time," Bael whispered to himself, his voice barely audible. "Maybe it's time to make a stand."

Jinx stirred again, but this time, she opened her eyes, her usual manic energy already bubbling to the surface. "Bael," she muttered, her voice a mix of sleepy and childlike. "When are we gonna blow something up? I'm bored."

Bael chuckled softly, despite the weight of everything. He had learned to live with her outbursts, her need for chaos, because that's what kept her going.

"It's time for breakfast silly." Bael says, smiling as he helped her get up from the makeshift bed.

Bael smiled at her excitement, watching Jinx devour the cereal with the same wild enthusiasm that had come to define her. Her antics, her energy, they reminded him of the life they had built together—a life so different from what he had once imagined for her.

When she was still Powder, he had dreamed of giving her peace, a quiet existence free from the chaos they were now entangled in. But the world didn't give them that, and neither did Jinx want it. She was a different person now, but in that difference, there was no regret in Bael's heart. They had survived together, and now, they were thriving.

"Alright, enough stuffing your face, Jinx," Bael said, his voice light and teasing as he sat across from her. "We've got work to do today. The Hextech stabilizer isn't going to finish itself."

Jinx, still chewing on another spoonful of cereal, gave him a wide, unrepentant grin. "YEAH, YEAH, I'M COMING, I'M COMING!" she shouted with her usual gusto, then stood up, practically bouncing with energy. She stopped, her eyes gleaming with mischief. "But first," she said, holding up a finger dramatically, "I think I might need to blow something up. Just a little one, to start the day right. Y'know, get the creative juices flowing!"

Bael chuckled, shaking his head. "As long as you don't blow up the whole place, we'll be fine."

Jinx dramatically rolled her eyes but nodded in agreement, her face lighting up with excitement. She was a walking whirlwind of destruction and brilliance, and as much as Bael had to keep an eye on her, he wouldn't have it any other way. She was the spark that kept him going, the chaotic heart of their world.

...

Bael and Jinx stood at the edge of a tall building, gazing out over Piltover. The city had transformed in the past decade. Thanks to the brilliant minds of Jayce and Viktor, Piltover had become a beacon of progress. The invention of Hextech, and the subsequent creation of the Hexgates, had revolutionized the city, turning it into a hub for trade and travel. These towering skyscrapers, pulsing with the energy of Hexcrystals, now allowed ships and cargo to teleport across vast distances, boosting the economy to unprecedented heights.

Jinx was practically vibrating with excitement, her eyes wide and manic as she bounced on the balls of her feet. The thrill of the city below, the electricity of it all, had ignited something inside her. She was grinning like a wild animal ready to pounce. "Ooooh, I can already feel it! The chaos, Bael! It's in the air, just waiting to pop like a balloon!" She giggled, her voice high-pitched and dripping with insanity as she twirled a small detonator in her fingers.

Bael leaned on the edge of the rooftop, his mechanical arm reflecting the sunlight as he checked the blue crystal that pulsed faintly in his pocket. "Remember the plan, Jinx," he said, his voice steady, despite the growing excitement in the air. "We blow things up, cause a little mayhem, but we're not here to raze the whole city."

Jinx turned to him, her eyes twinkling with manic glee. "Blow things up? Pfft, Bael, blowing up things is too boring. I wanna shake them up! I wanna watch their pretty little faces when the whole world turns upside down!" She threw her head back and cackled wildly, her laughter echoing off the rooftops like the rattle of a loose chain. "They think they're safe up there in their shiny towers, but I've got a little surprise for them! And it's gonna be a big one!" She patted the detonator like it was a beloved pet, her grin growing wider.

Bael sighed, rubbing the bridge of his nose. "Don't get carried away," he warned, but it was too late. Jinx was already vibrating with anticipation, practically bouncing in place as she lined up her first target. Her hands were a blur, wiring explosives to the side of a nearby Hexgate, a glowing blue crystal tucked safely inside her pocket.

With a maniacal grin, Jinx turned to him. "Too late, Bael! They're already fucked!" She pressed the detonator, and for a brief moment, everything went silent.

And then—BOOM. The explosion ripped through the air, shaking the building beneath them. Jinx's laughter drowned out the blast as she jumped up and down, the adrenaline pumping through her veins. "YES! YES! DID YOU SEE THAT? DID YOU SEE THEM SQUIRM?!" She whooped, practically bouncing off the walls as she skipped in a circle, her hands waving in the air like a mad conductor orchestrating her symphony of destruction. "I can't believe they thought they could stop us! I'm gonna paint the whole city with their faces! Hahaha!"

He watched as she practically danced in place, her eyes wide with glee, her heart beating in time with the chaos she'd just unleashed. She was out of control, and maybe—just maybe—that was the way she was always meant to be.

"Alright, alright," Bael said, his voice steady as he pulled out a small map of the city. "Now let's keep things rolling. No time to waste. We've got a whole city to shake up, and we're just getting started."

Jinx's eyes sparkled with excitement, her whole body vibrating with the anticipation of more destruction. "You bet we do, Bael! Let's make it beautiful! We'll turn Piltover into a firework show—but with way more blood!" She threw her head back, cackling again, the sound wild and unhinged. "Let's make this place a mess!"

And with that, they ran toward their next target—Jinx leading the charge, her mind already racing ahead to the next explosion, the next bit of destruction. For her, there was no plan, no end game—just the sweet, glorious chaos of it all.

This what Piltover had created, the blessing of Hextech and its various creations against the curse of lunatics and their unimaginable chaos.

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