Scarred For Life

Chapter 19

Distorted visions of a distressed Ekko flashed past my eyes. The white of the room engulfed me in its bright light.

"Scarlett?"

Echoed whispers plagued my ears.

"Scarlett? Are you alright?"

Past dreams, different worlds, landscapes of a faraway realm I had never seen before glitched in my brain. Memories that were not mine suddenly filled my mind. A shroud of black magic took over the white light of the room I felt I was still in.

"Scarlett!"

I was snapped back into reality. Jayce's large hands gripped my shoulders with worry as he tried to look into my face.

"This is why I didn't take you in there" Jayce said with a sigh. "If you don't even know what lies within you...I can't take the risk of causing another...uh...incident."

We stood in yet another decorative, fancy pilty hallway. Enforcers lined the walls every so often. I slowly turned to Jayce, catching my breath.

He had shown me the base of the hexgates, where he last saw Ekko and Professor Heimerdinger.

"So...you three were investigating the leaves...went down there and were sucked into a...the arcane?" I asked with furrowed eyebrows.

"Yea...that's one way to put it" Jayce sighed as he continued walking down the hall.  I followed alongside him lazily as I listened. "I wish I could help you further. We were separated. I don't know where it sent them."

"But you came back" I spoke quickly.

"Well...I...I was sort of sent back. It's a long story but, I found someone who sent me back to put a stop to all this" Jayce explained.

I stopped walking and held my arms as I stared at the ground.

Finally, the answer to a question I had tried to force down my throat for so long...closure at last. So why do I wish I never asked? Why do I wish I died without knowing?

"Listen" Jayce spoke, stepping in front of me. "I can't guarantee that he'll get back. I...I can't even guarantee that he's still alive. I almost died myself. But I can guarantee that if we don't stop Viktor, he won't be the last to be lost to the arcane."

I let out a huff as I pushed past him and continued walking down the hall.

"I didn't say I was out of the dumb fight" I groaned.

Jayce hurriedly caught up with me and took the lead, ushering down another hallway.

"So...uh...what were you doing in the commune?" Jayce asked, clearing his throat. I slightly rolled my eyes with a sigh.

"He was healing my dad" I spoke softly, trying to push down the memories of the recent events. I shook my head and deadened my eyes. "To make a long story short, we were trying to turn a hairy beast back into a man....but...the noxian got to Viktor."

"What do you mean she got to Viktor?" Jayce asked with furrowed eyebrows.

I let out a painful sigh and clenched my jaw. My father always told me a deal's a deal, if I didn't go through with it then there was no point of making it in the first place. But....the memories felt like stabs in every part of my body.

"I don't know if you know this but...something happened to Viktor out there. I could feel it" I recalled the events. "Someone tried to kill him, it was obviously the noxian right? And now she's using his followers for her little war game. She's controlling him. I just wish we knew her plan."

Jayce stopped walking and stared at me. I turned around to him in confusion, noticing the door he stood in front of. I walked back towards him and stared up at the door.