𝙄 𝙋𝙧𝙤𝙢𝙞𝙨𝙚 { Vi X Reader OC }

THE HUNT

Lavender blinks up, her vision blurry as she tries to focus on the face in front of her. Slowly, her mind registers the familiar gray eyes and wild, braided hair adorned with mismatched clips. Pow-pow.

She smiles faintly, a sensation of calmness washing over her. Her mind convinces her that Powder is standing right there before her, a dream, a ghost, or perhaps a memory. But the little girl smiles back at her, her hand still pressed to Lavender's cheek. And then, she begins to sing, her voice sweet and soft, a lullaby that Lavender has never been able to forget.

"Dear friend, across the river."

Lavender's heart stirs, the melody pulling at something deep inside her. Without thinking, she harmonizes, her voice blending effortlessly with the child's.

"I'll take what you can spare.

I ask of you a penny.

My fortune it will be.

I ask you without envy."

Lavender closes her eyes, a small breath escaping her. Her head falls back against the chair, the soft hum of the tune mingling with the pulse of her heartbeat. The world feels distant, hazy, as if she is floating. Then, a sudden jolt runs through her—her chest tightens, and the music falters as everything goes black.

And then, she dies.

At least, that's what she believed...

⟡♪⟡

"Where's Violet?"

"Whoa—"

"Don't let her get up!"

"Not so hasty, my dear."

Lavender groans, the sound raw and strained as her mind tries to claw through the fog. Her head is heavy, her vision swimming, and there's a pounding ache in her skull that feels like it could split her open. She tries to lift herself, but the world tilts around her, and a dull, almost mechanical hum fills her ears. Her eyelids flutter, each blink an attempt to clear the fog that clouds her thoughts. Everything feels too bright, too sharp, and for a moment, she wonders—no, she fears—she's back in Singed's lab. The sterile, oppressive scent of chemicals and metal. The cold, metallic restraints that held her in place. The cruel, unrelenting pain of experiments she never asked for, and the death that almost claimed her.

But... this is different. The stench of chemicals isn't here. There's no whirring of machines. No needles.

No pain.

Just... this strange, overwhelming sensation of aliveness. As though something has shifted inside her, something so fundamental she can't yet grasp it.

"Ekko, get off me!" she snaps, her voice hoarse, raw, as she shoves against the warm weight pressing down on her. Hands—strong hands—press her back into something hard, but she doesn't care. Her body trembles with panic, her limbs trying to break free.

Jayce is there, too, his large hands gripping her shoulders, trying to keep her down. He speaks, but his voice is muffled, distant, the words slipping through her mind like water.

"Lavender, just calm down! We're not finished. If you stand now, the hexstone will fall out—"

"Hexstone?!" Lavender's voice cracks, a sharp, panicked whisper. Her heart skips a beat. Her body freezes in place as she struggles to make sense of what Jayce just said. Her chest tightens, her breath catching in her throat, and she looks down—slowly, as if fearing what she might see.