Ending the Cycle || A Timebomb Fanfic

XI

Please forgive me for the long chapter :P

My brain hurts from studdying for finals so much, so I needed a LONG writing break LMAO

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Terbisia came into view as the sun dipped low on the horizon, painting the sky with hues of amber and violet. The town, nestled in a valley surrounded by jagged hills, was a shadow of what it must have once been. Lux guided Starfire down the worn path toward its center, her voice soft but steady as she recounted the history of the place.

"This used to be a bustling mining town," she began, her gaze fixed ahead. "Years ago, an earthquake hit, shattering the foundations and collapsing most of the buildings. The townsfolk left, abandoning it to nature. By the time I came here, it was just rubble and overgrowth—empty and forgotten."

Jinx and Ekko listened in silence, the rhythmic clop of hooves accompanying Lux's words. "But when the Mage Rebellion began, it seemed like the perfect place for a sanctuary. Hidden, out of sight from most of Demacia's patrol routes. We started rebuilding—using old bricks to create stable houses, patching walls where we could. Most of what you'll see now is a mix of patched stone and makeshift tents."

As they approached, the full weight of Lux's words settled over them. The town wasn't entirely ruins, but it was far from whole. The remnants of stone structures lined the uneven streets, their walls scarred with cracks and moss creeping along their edges. Some buildings had been painstakingly restored—small houses built from salvaged bricks, their roofs patched with mismatched tiles. Other areas were little more than rubble piles, a stark reminder of the destruction that had once torn through the town.

Tents and makeshift shelters crowded the streets and open spaces. They were fashioned from faded canvas and patched cloth, their colors dull against the earthy tones of the crumbling town. Smoke rose in thin trails from scattered fire pits, the scent of woodsmoke mingling with the faint aroma of food cooking over open flames.

It was the people, however, who caught Jinx and Ekko's attention. Families huddled together near their tents, their faces etched with weariness and grief. Children with wide, uncertain eyes clung to their parents' sides, their laughter subdued but not entirely absent. Some adults sat near fires, their postures heavy with the weight of loss. Others moved with quiet determination, carrying supplies, tending to wounds, or working to fortify the fragile shelters around them.

Lux slowed Starfire as they entered the heart of the sanctuary, the soft murmurs of the camp reaching their ears. "This is what's left of the people who had to flee," she said, her voice tinged with a mix of pride and sorrow. "Mages, their families, anyone who couldn't stay behind once the war started. Some of them left everything behind—homes, lives, people they loved."

Jinx leaned forward slightly in her saddle, her eyes scanning the scene with an uncharacteristic solemnity. She had expected something more orderly, perhaps more hopeful. But what she saw was raw—a place born of desperation rather than triumph. The mages who had gathered here weren't warriors. They were survivors, similar to herself. And though they were safe for now, their eyes carried the weight of their sacrifices, the haunting memories of homes and lives left behind.

Ekko tightened his grip on the saddle. "They're not just running from the rebellion," he murmured, his gaze fixed on a group of young mages practicing simple spells under the watchful eyes of an older man. "They're running from being hunted, from being seen as enemies just for existing."

Lux nodded, dismounting Starfire as they reached the center of the sanctuary, where a large fire pit blazed brightly, surrounded by stones and makeshift benches. "That's exactly it," she said softly. "Some of them used to believe in Demacia's ideals—its promise of justice and order. But now, they've seen the truth. That justice isn't for everyone."