Your body ached as you struggled to move through the labyrinth of chutes and tunnels beneath Zaun. Jinx's limp form hung heavily over your shoulder, her breathing shallow and uneven. Your own breaths were ragged, your vision blurring in and out as you stumbled over piles of rusted scrap and jagged metal. Somewhere, during the chaos of explosions and the frantic climb down, he had lost Vi.
You didn't know how long it had been since they were separated—minutes? Hours? Time felt warped in the winding, suffocating depths of the tunnels.
"Vi!" you shouted, your voice hoarse and desperate. It echoed off the cold, rusted walls, bouncing back at you with nothing but silence. The only answer was the low hum of the city above and the occasional clatter of loose debris falling into the darkness.
Your legs were starting to give out. Every step was agony, but you couldn't stop. You couldn't leave Jinx behind—not like this.
"Vi, where are you!?" you called again, the panic in your voice rising as the oppressive silence pressed down harder. The sound of your own voice felt small, swallowed by the endless tunnels that stretched in every direction.
Your knees buckled, and you collapsed against a large heap of scrap, Jinx slipping from your shoulder and onto the ground beside you. You sat there for a moment, gasping for breath, your mind racing with fear. your head throbbed, and your muscles felt like they were on fire. The weight of it all—the fear, the exhaustion, the responsibility—was starting to crush you.
You reached out and shook Jinx's shoulder, gently at first. "Powder," you whispered, your voice trembling. "Come on, wake up. I need you."
But there was no response.
"Please, wake up..." you repeated, your voice breaking as you knelt beside her, brushing the dirt and soot from her face. She looked so fragile in that moment—so different from the volatile, destructive Jinx you had seen earlier. You could almost see the little girl she used to be.
Your hands trembled as you touched her cheek. Her skin was cold. Your heart clenched with a suffocating fear. What if she didn't wake up? What if you lost her, here, in this forsaken labyrinth of darkness and ruin?
"No, no, no," you muttered under your breath, shaking your head as you pushed back the rising panic. "You're okay. You're going to be okay."
You hoisted her back over your shoulder, ignoring the sharp pain that shot through your legs and back as you rose to your feet. You couldn't stay here. you had to keep moving, had to find Vi, had to find a way out.
"Vi!" You shouted again, your voice more frantic this time as you began walking through the maze of tunnels, your footsteps uneven and shaky. Your mind raced with worry, the overwhelming fear that you were lost, that you were both lost, gnawing at you. You didn't know which way to go. Every tunnel looked the same, every path twisted and turned into more darkness.
As you wandered, your breath came out in uneven gasps. your body screamed for rest, but you couldn't stop. Not now. You called for Vi again, but your voice cracked, fading into the hollow echoes of the underground.
You hated the silence that followed. It felt like the world was closing in around you, trapping you in this never-ending labyrinth. The only sound that remained was the faint, shallow breaths coming from Jinx. Even that scared you—how fragile those breaths were.
In the oppressive quiet, memories began to claw at you. Memories of the past, of the days when Powder was your best friend, when she was still that bright-eyed girl who made the world seem a little less dark. It wasn't supposed to be like this. You weren't supposed to end up like this—lost, broken, haunted by the streets of Zaun.
"Come on, Powder," you muttered through gritted teeth, struggling to hold back the tears that threatened to fall. "I promised I'd always look out for you. I'm not giving up now."
As you continued down a narrow tunnel, the walls closing in on you, you whispered one last desperate call.
"Vi... please..."
But there was no answer.
Your legs gave out as exhaustion finally took its toll. Your body collapsed against the cold metal floor, your vision swimming with the suffocating darkness of the tunnels. Your breath came in shallow, uneven gasps, and your mind felt foggy, on the edge of slipping away completely.
Jinx's weight was too much for you now. You gently laid her down beside you, your hands shaking uncontrollably from the strain and fatigue. Your whole body ached—your muscles, your chest, your head. You could barely keep your eyes open, barely hold onto consciousness.
"Powder..." you whispered, your voice barely audible in the stillness of the tunnels. There was no one around to hear you. No Vi, no one to help. Just you and Jinx in the depths of Zaun, lost and alone.
Your eyes fell on the necklace hanging around your neck—the one you had worn ever since they were kids. The simple metal pendant had always been a reminder of the promise you made to yourself, to look out for her, no matter what. And now, in the darkness, it felt like the only piece of hope you had left.
With trembling hands, you pulled the necklace off and gently placed it in Jinx's hand, closing her fingers around it. Your heart clenched as you looked at her, hoping—praying—that this wasn't the end. That she would wake up. That they could still find their way out of this mess.
"I'm sorry..." you muttered under your breath, your voice cracking. "I'm so sorry, Powder."
Your head grew heavier, the world around him spinning as your eyelids fluttered. You tried to fight it, tried to stay awake. But your body was too weak, your mind too clouded. The weight of everything—the pain, the fear, the exhaustion—dragged you down like an anchor.
Your hand rested on Jinx's for a moment, holding hers tightly as the last bit of strength left you.
And then, everything went dark.
YOU ARE READING
ALL CAPS (Rapper male reader x Arcane / KDA)
RomanceGrowing up with an affinity for creating music, could you make it to the big leagues? Or will you fail like the rest of them?