Disclaimer: Totally forgot to put one of these bad boys up on the previous chapter. I don't own League of Legends. Sometimes the truth hurts.

A/N: Hey-o everyone, sorry for yet another super late update. I kept rewriting this chapter over and over again trying to think of how I want to story to flow for Jinx. I think I got it how I'd like it, got the characters moving the way I want. Hopefully you'll guys will enjoy it.

Just a heads up, I got another story up now. It's not League related though, so fair warning. But if you're into Superheroes you'll find it interesting. That one is based off my current favorite book series.

Anyways, that's all for now on with the show~!


Everything was a blur. Just as Janna and Lux landed they found Malzahar limping along, using a car as support. He looked worse for wear, he favored his left leg, and his right arm hung loosely in its socket. Then suddenly as he turned around Janna could feel her blood run cold. Malzahar's robes burned away, fading back into the void magic it was conjured from. He didn't even realize his sudden transformation. He stood before the two guardians, a weak smirk on his face just as arrogant as always, clad in their school's uniform. But what drew Janna's attention was Malzahar's, no, Ala'aldeen's eyes. They were no longer the soulless pits of Void, they were the chocolate brown she stared into many times before. The same eyes she used to find comfort in. Janna found that her voice had caught in her throat, unable to say a single word. Before she could reach out to him or attack him, she wasn't quite sure which she wanted to do more, he fell out of her grasp. Disappearing back into the Void. She could hear Lux's voice faintly behind her. Honestly Janna couldn't decipher what she was saying, her chest hurt too much to try, or even care for that matter. Janna felt the light touch of a tear rolling down her cheek. Softly she wipe it away, pulling her hand up to stare at the small stain on her glove. She felt the rising storm of emotion growing in her stomach. The regret, the anger, the heartache. Suddenly she was in the air, leaving Lux and Veigar far behind before either of them could say anything. Like there was anything either of them could say that would calm her down. She needed space, a lot of it, to even start to unravel the thoughts running through her head.

Lux could only watch her friend leave, nothing she could do other than to send a silent prayer to the First Star to give Janna some kind of guidance. She sighed heavily, turning to pat Veigar on the shoulder, "Come on, we still need to talk to the others."


The next day Lux wasn't that surprised to find out her friend had decided to skip school. She hadn't seen her on the way up to the school's gate or waiting for them in either her classroom or even in their club room afterwards. Hopefully she would return soon, Lux and the others were deeply worried for their fellow guardian. And to be honest they wanted to know what was going on. No more secrets or half truths. Lux and Poppy were only able to figure out Malzahar/Ala'aldeen's connection to Janna as her ex only by sharing what each of them knew. That in the end left them with more questions than answers. There was too many things she didn't know about her closest ally and that hurt.

Lux sat alone in the literature club's room, luckily for her Diana wasn't attending club today. Eyes danced across pale pages, their words lost to her. She simply didn't have the heart to continue reading. She was mostly killing time until all the clubs had ended. There was guardian business to do that didn't involve Malzahar, and she had asked the others to come.

"Hey!" Lulu said, coming through the door followed closely by Veigar. She was much too early and her tagalong was unexpected.

After yesterday's incident Lux had allowed Veigar to keep his memories about the Star Guardians, at least the parts pertaining to Lulu. She saw no harm in letting the little yordle share her secret with her closest friend, and the First Star seemed to agree. Plus he was pleasantly surprised to find a warm welcome when he returned to class. Something that Lux suspected he wouldn't have appreciated as much if he had forgotten his momentary power trip. Of course it also meant keeping a close eye on him just in case he ever has a lapse in self control, his time in possession with Mejai's tome had some lingering effects. Namely a spark of magic that is stubbornly taking its time to fade away. For now it was dormant, and Veigar has yet to tap back into that power. As for the magic book Veigar stole from Malzahar, Lux had decided to keep it for now. They had no other idea on what to do with it and it seemed more important to keep it secure than to lose track of it entirely. With no way to destroy the book it was their only choice. They locked it tightly away and hidden within arm's reach. They had no idea if Malzahar had a way to track the book, but it still gave them peace of mind knowing that if he does ever tried to make a move to re-obtain it he'd have to get by a guardian to do so.

"Oh um, hey." Lux didn't want to sound rude, but beyond the one time they talked yesterday Lulu and her didn't really know each other. Not outside guardian duty that is.

Lulu didn't seem to notice how unprepared Lux was by her sudden appearance and kept rolling on with what she was doing. She pulled out from behind her back a small potted plant and held it out the blonde. "I noticed you didn't have any plants in your club so I thought it would be a great idea to liven up the place with some succulents."

Lux didn't know plants, she guessed that the plant was called succulent and not a play on words. Still she forced a smile and took the small pot from Lulu. "Thanks?"

"Of course! Oh and before I forget, Pix here has some notes on how to take care of your plant." Lulu held up Pix in her hand and in his mouth was a piece of paper folded in the shape of a heart. To the spirit's credit it didn't so much as blink when Lux took it. It was playing its role as a mere plushie very well. Lulu made an excited motion telling her to open it.

Veigar shook his head behind Lulu, "Better just take the dam-, uh, the plant. Lulu's been handing these out all day." From his tone and the bored expression on his face, he didn't suspect anything. This interaction between the two girls was something out of the blue on Lulu's part and not something between guardians.

The note Lulu had passed told her otherwise. Clever of her to hide a message in the guise of gardening tips. Lux skimmed the words, the first half was indeed instructions on how to take care of her new plant (which required little watering), the second half was a thank you letter of sorts. Lulu was incredibly thankful they were able to help Veigar regain his senses, and that she will try her best to help as the new Star Guardian. And also that they should all definitely hang out sometime. Lux didn't know if the last part was possible at the moment…

The notion still made Lux smile. When she went to say thanks, much more genuinely this time, Lulu was already ushering Veigar out the door and supposedly over to their next destination. Only after they left did Lux notice the small cart Lulu had filled with more potted plants. The two of them working together to push it down the hall. Lux shook her head at their fun, the smile still upon her face. The fact Lulu was able to share her secret with Veigar must be an incredible relief to the young yordle. Yet she knew she herself wouldn't be able to share her secret with her other friends or even her family. What would they even think? Lux didn't want to think what her parents might try to say. Garen would probably agree with them, his overprotectiveness could only be so endearing. Jayce would undoubtedly become more of an annoyance. His flirtatious attitude was enough to deal with as is. Caitlyn and Vi would probably be very supportive. Caitlyn was one of the most mature girls she knew besides Janna. And she could picture Vi giving her tips on how to fight. Even if the chances of a fistfight were low, knowing how to throw a mean punch might come in handy.

Lux idly flipped to the next page of her book, her train of thought not slowing down at all. Ezreal… how would he react? He would be supportive of her for sure. Then again, she knew her own feelings for him and wondered if he shared them, could she go out with him and be the guardian? Knowing full well it would worry him. It hadn't worked with Janna.

...That wasn't fair to Janna, she shouldn't compare their relation with her own. Still, she knew she told Janna she would keep her friends at arm's length for the moment, but wondered when she'll be able to close that gap.

...

Jayce slid open the door so hard it slammed into the frame jostling the whole room. He threw his bag into an open chair and waited for his best friend to get inside already. He was impatient, and rightly so. Last night Lux all but said she didn't want to hang out anymore (He can tell she was lying, just not exactly sure about what) and Ezreal just rolled with it. Ezreal flaked out on them and pretty much left him in the dark about why. Waiting all day had helped very little to improve his patience. All that kept his cool was Ezreal promising to let him know. As soon as the smaller teen entered Jayce hooked his laptop to the tv and put on the loudest anime he could find. The noise would drown out any would be eavesdroppers. Allowing them to keep a private chat with each other.

"Alright, out with it." Jayce said as he made double sure the door was locked behind them. He sat down in a chair across from Ezreal, the blond acting more anxious by the second.

Ezreal bounced his legs, fidgeting uncomfortably in his seat. He was holding off on this as long as he could. Jayce was stubborn when it came to secrets between friends. His philosophy was that there shouldn't be any. "Dude I don't think I should tell you," he pushed forward, halting whatever protest Jayce was gonna argue with, "not everything at least."

Jayce wanted to call him out, that a half answer would be bullshit, instead he leaned into the back of his seat with hands raised as if to say he won't interrupt. He trusted Ezreal will at least be fair.

Ezreal took in a deep breath. He wasn't sure if this was a good idea or not. But if he knew Jayce, and growing up with him meant that he did, then the big jerk wouldn't let up on him until he told him what was bugging him. He just had to keep it vague, and keep all the more prudent details hidden. "Okay so, uh, umm. Okay, do you remember how Ahri had that betting pool about who could guess who the Star Guardian was?"

"Yeah." Jayce shrugged, "You and I both thought it was Akali. I put like five bucks on it and Ahri still hasn't returned it." Ahri's little bet had fallen to the backs of everyone's minds, old news when compared to the plethora of new pictures and sightings all over the Valoran metropolis area. At this point everyone knew the guardian went to school here. Afterall a lot pointed to it; a video of two of them fighting in the courtyard, first hand witnesses of the same two in the gym, picture of two others fighting at one of Valoran High's dorm buildings. Even if the bet wasn't at the forefront of people's thoughts, the secret identities of the Guardians was. It was a mystery everyone was curious about. Who among their classmates were the Star Guardians? "Wait, why bring that up?"

Ezreal fiddled with his hands, pressing the tips of his index fingers together tightly over and over again. "I think if I changed my bet, I would win the pot…"

The words hung in the air for a silent moment. Jayce slowly processing them. His eyes went wide and he shot forward in his seat. His hands slammed down on the table as he leaned heavily over the table. "No dude, no way, Are you serious!?"

"Yes-" Ezreal eked out before getting cut off by a barrage of questions. At least he can count on Jayce to take him seriously. Other's would have called him out for lying, even if he wasn't.

Still there was more to iron out between the two. Ezreal wanted to keep Lux's identity secret. It would only be fair for her.


Ala'aldeen, no… his identity no longer matter. Whichever guise he decided to wear they would already know the truth. Malzahar wandered his small apartment, his limp from yesterday reduced to a mild ache. Pacing back and forth as he wracked his brain. Yesterday kept playing over and over and over again in his head. He can't get Janna's hurt expression out of his face. He never wanted to hurt her like that. This was a betrayal of a different kind. Yes he wanted Janna for himself, and was willing to kill the Star Guardians to do so. But that was only because they took her away from him first. She was never meant to know his part in their passing. Now he doubted she would ever look at him again with affection in her eyes.

He growled and magic exploded into the palm of his hand. He slammed his fist into a nearby wall, cracking the plaster and putting a sizable dent where he struck. There was a loud bang from his neighbor which he ignored, yelling at him from their side of the building. Like he cared what they thought of him now that he could no longer keep his secret.

Sighing, Malzahar opened his hand and let his fingers trace the cracks. Fine so be it.

No more hiding…

Malzahar walked over to his front door, pausing to look back at his near empty apartment. For what it was worth, he was going to miss this quiet part of his life. While the school was only a distraction at most, he actually liked attending. The shift of focus let him relax when he didn't have to be the 'prophet'. He chuckled at that thought. When had his life as part of the void overcome his normal life? He can't remember, not clearly. Sure he can still remember his childhood and what middle school was like. And even the time spent with Janna before either of them became who they are now. But he cannot, for the life of him, remember when the turning point is. Maybe he really is more Void than human now. The only lingering humanity he had left was his love, and now that it was falling away he is truly empty.

As he swung open his door he caught sight of his neighbor coming out of their apartment. They had an angry expression on their face, and the words fell out of their mouth before they realized who they were talking to. "You put a crack on my side of the wall! You better pay…." Their words fell to silence as Malzahar's 'eyes' locked onto their own. Without a word Malzahar stepped up onto the walkway's railing and with little effort took to the sky.

The Void had made it clear that he would not be allowed to fail anymore. His return to their domain last time was almost his last. Without Mejai's tome Vel'Koz almost took his head from his shoulders right then and there. Malzahar was quick with his words though, he had told them that it was easy enough to track down. He had planned for such an occasion. If they were ever able to take the book from him he would be able to track it.

A large pulse of magic pulled at his senses. His eyes drifted across the city skyline and to the direction of a dorm building where a beacon of magical energy was emanating from. It called to the prophet. Malzahar chuckled, Of course.

...

Honestly Janna didn't know what she was doing here. She stared down at the cup of coffee sitting between her hands. It was the same Starbucks she talked to Ala'aldeen, not Malzahar, but Ala'aldeen. What happened only a few days ago now feels as if years had passed. She was even in the same seat as she was before. Why does it feel so different? Janna knew, she knew, Malzahar was responsible for the death of her old team. Their pained faces fresh in her mind now that her memories have become clear. And yet she still cared for Ala'aldeen, in a strange way. She hated herself for feeling that way. His betrayal should have filled her with fury not regret and heartbreak. It was confusing, a mix of emotion she had no control of anymore now that memories she mentally locked away a year ago had finally come back to her.

There were so many times she was with Ala'aldeen, where they were close in each other's arms. She felt warm in those memories. They would talk hours on end, hang out in her dorm way past curfew, and they even thought about continuing their relationship even through university.

Then it changed. When she decided her guardianship was who she was, he fell into despair. His broken heart was what allowed the Void to take hold of him, making him the prophet he is now. Warping his emotions and mind to fit their needs. She hadn't realized, not back then, that Malzahar's appearance came too closely to their break-up.

Her warm memories were replaced by that of cold hatred. There were many times she sought revenge for his action, for her loss. She remembered now, after all this time, that the reason she first lost her powers last year was because she had lost her way. She had strayed from the path of a Star Guardian. When hatred was all that was left in her body, the First Star took back the powers. Janna remembered that moment too, she was so willing to forget her losses that she gave up her duty as a guardian. Along with the memories that followed… at least most of them.

Janna sighed. So much of this world's strife felt like it was her fault. Even now, Lux was in the exact same position she was in, and Janna was leading Lux down the same destructive road. She just hoped Lux and Ezreal would make better decision than her and Ala'aldeen.

Looking down at her phone she saw that it was the end of school, clubs will be going for a while longer. Then afterwards Lux would most likely hold a meeting, to plan their next step.

...While they did that Janna would be here…

She cursed under her breath. One could only hide for so long, sooner or later she would have to talk to them. Explain what had happened yesterday, why she ran away. Standing up, she took her half full cup of coffee and tossed it into the trash. One step at a time.


Jinx rolled over in her bed only to find she had run out of bed to roll over to. She hit the wood floor hard and the sudden jolt of pain woke her up. She stood quickly and felt her hair drape over her face. She spat as she wiped her face free from the blue strands. Jinx hated mornings… She yawned and looked down at her clock. Her eyes went wide as she read the time. Okay so it wasn't exactly morning.

She cursed and flopped back onto her bed, her eyes drifted around her room. From poster to poster then back to the clock. Ekko won't like that she skipped school again. At least this time it wasn't on purpose. She slept through her alarm, how can he fault her for that? It's much too late to attend now, might as well go out and see what fun she can stir up. Jinx pushed off the bed and walked over to her closet. She pried it open slowly as to not disturbed the mountain of clothes she haphazardly thrown inside. They weren't dirty, she was just lazy and folding clothes took way too long and it was incredibly boring. Washing them was easy, just throw them in the machine with a bit of soap and walk away.

After she dressed in her choice of tanktop and shorts she sat back down onto her bed. The next part was tedious as well but very vital in her mind. Jinx parted her hair evenly down the middle. She tied one side off with a hair tie to hold it in place while she worked the other. She would much rather keep them braided so she wouldn't have to redo them every day, but they hurt her head if she kept them in too long and despite what others might say, she took some pride in her appearance. She had a certain style to uphold, and tight braids was part of that. Jinx raked out three strands and separated them in between each of her fingers. It was almost hypnotic how easily Jinx braided her hair. Years of doing them up had taught her how to be quick and efficient. One strand of over the other and back again with the third…

Jinx muttered a song to herself as she worked. It was when she finished her first and was about to start her second when she heard the crash a few doors down. Her hands stopped in place as she paused to listen. Nothing. Jinx shrugged and started up again. Maybe she imagined it. Then there was another crash, unmistakable this time. Jinx stood up and walked over to her door, her braiding momentarily forgotten. Tip toeing as to not make a noise, she carefully pressed her ear to the wood and listened. No one should be back from school yet, not this early. There was yet another crash as if whoever was making the noise was kicking down doors one after the other. Jinx gulped a little as she notice the next crash was closer than the last. If it was a break in then they better stay the hell away from her room. No way was she going to be caught like some dumb damsel in distress.

Stopping her braiding for now, Jinx made her way to her desk. She dug through the junk littering the drawer until she came up with a band of metal that sat securely in her fist. It wasn't a real brass knuckle, they would never sell anything like that to a young girl like Jinx. Despite her attempts to find a real pair. No, it was only a decorative belt buckle Ekko had bought because it looked cool. It most certainly didn't look cool in her personal opinion. She looked at it with a credulous look, the metal felt wrong. It was much too light. Jinx got another idea, one she like much more. Tucking the belt buckle in her back pocket she dug a bit further into her drawer and pulled out a lighter. Not much by itself unless used creatively with a paint can.

The next crash was just next door. The sound almost startled Jinx if she wasn't already listening for it. The would be criminal sounded like he was trashing the room. It won't be long now. Jinx knelt down in front of her door paint can and lighter raised at the door, then thought better of herself and moved to the side so she was along the side the wall. When the punk comes in he won't see her unleash hellfire on him.

Jinx was so sure she would catch the asshole by surprise. Which is why she was the one caught off guard when the door didn't get kicked in but instead completely shatter at the man's touch. She stumbled onto her butt as Malzahar came striding in, unfazed by his destruction. He looked around the room slowly, looking for something, until he found Jinx's face frozen and mouth agape. He only raised a single eyebrow in response. Amused at her slack jaw expression. Quickly Jinx's composure recovered and she brought up her improvised flamethrower. She sprayed him with pink paint, while her thumb worked the lighter. It clicked uselessly three times, with each fruitless spark making Jinx's stomach drop further and further.

Malzahar looked down to the building stain on his robe, the meager retaliation was laughable. With some effort he held out a force of telekinesis that let the paint float and build into a ball. When it was of adequate size he flicked his fingers and the splatter struck Jinx in the eyes.

She let out a curse and flinched away. She fell back while she also wiped her face furiously.

Malzahar stepped in with an open hand that went to her throat. He made Jinx gag out a cough in surprise as he slammed her into the wall. The force knocked wind from her lungs and she was kept just high up enough so she couldn't stand comfortably. "That is quite en-" Malzahar flinched away as Jinx tried to spray her paint can into his face. He growled and used his other hand to hold her improvised weapon down. She was now just stubbornly keeping the thing spraying at this point. "That is enough."

Jinx only coughed in his grasp.

"I will let you go, unharmed, so long as you do one thing for me. Tell me which room belongs to Lux." Malzahar loosened his grip ever so slightly to let Jinx take a lungful of air.

Jinx gasped and nodded. She spoke in a soft hoarse tone, which made Malzahar strain to hear. Quietly she slipped a hand into her back pocket. She spoke again, only for Malzahar to strain once more. He leaned in close, almost face to face until he heard her clearly say, "Get bent."

He felt the steel toed tip of Jinx's boot plant itself into his groin forcefully and the prophet went down to his knees in a heap.

Jinx landed wobbly onto her feet and with as much weight as her skinny frame could, threw her fist into the prophet's skull. The metal the belt buckle was made out of bent from the sucker punch and Jinx dropped it to the ground. It was too warped to use again. While he was still dazed Jinx ran as quickly as her legs could carry her.

As she ran down the hall a small voice, no wait, it was two small voices, together they rang through her ear. "Is she really running away?" - "She's really running away…"

Jinx shook her head. Her eyes glanced around trying to see where the voices had come from.

"Pre~tty cowardly." - "Oh yeah, super cowardly."

Jinx slowed to a jog, her eyes twitching with irritation. "Hey!" She turned to find an empty hallway.

Whatever else Jinx was about to say was cut off when a large boom of energy erupted from down the hallway. Jinx could tell that her room was pretty much gone, the wall was torn down and the debris littered the hallway. Malzahar walked into view, holding his head with his head. The bump he felt was already fading. He rolled his head, stretching his neck and listening to the pops as he shook the daze. His gaze locked onto Jinx's, for a second there was nothing but silence. Then he rushed forward with terrifying speed.

Shit, shit, shit. Was all that ran through Jinx's head as she ducked into the closest room for cover. From a cursory glance she could tell the room belonged to Vayne. The girl had too much black for her own good. Jinx scrambled to her desk and found a small stack of textbooks, they were the only colorful things in the room. As soon as Malzahar showed his face Jinx threw one in his direction.

The textbook burst into confetti as his magic tore into it. He sidestepped the second book and it thudded against the wall harmlessly. Void magic arced between his fingers as he brought them up from his sides. "Stop, really you're only embarrassing yourself."

Jinx cocked back her arm ready to throw yet another textbook when Malzahar blasted it straight out of her hand. She cursed long and loud, holding her hand close to her chest. The skin felt like it burnt and it stung at the slightest touch.

"Which room belongs to Lux?" Malzahar asked as he took a step closer.

Through her clenched teeth, Jinx hissed out "How the hell should I know?" She blew onto her hand, hoping that it might help sooth the pain. "Hell, I Didn't even know miss goodie two shoes lived in the same dorm as me."

Malzahar shrugged, "Well, then what good are you to me." He sent a blast of magic at Jinx. Striking her in the stomach. Jinx doubled over in pain. "If you told me sooner, would have saved you a whole lot of pain. But instead you annoyingly decided to retaliate." Malzahar turned around and almost absentmindedly waved his hand over his shoulder.

Jinx had only a split second to think she was off the hook before her vision was engulfed with purple haze. Static filled her mind and pin pricks of pain surrounded her head. She screamed as fire erupted inside her head. She grabbed handfuls of hair, one half still left unbraided, as horrific vision invaded her mind.

As Malzahar walked away he listened to Jinx's pained screams. His eyes swept the leftover rooms. He still had most of this floor and the next floor up to search. The rest of the dorm building was dedicated to the boys, so no use for him. He again tried to reach out to Mejai's tome, he was again overwhelmed by a massive pulse. He knew the book was in this building, but the couldn't pinpoint it any further than he already had. Its strong magical pull only blurred his vision once he got so close. Malzahar growled in frustration and walked back down the hall. He stopped at a door he hadn't destroyed, and then destroyed it. A single glance told him it wasn't Lux's room. He moved on, Jinx's screams growing fainter as he walked away.


Lux waited patiently as Poppy and Lulu made their way to their seats. Lulu was particularly happy to see that the plant she had just given to Lux was sitting by the windowsill.

After the two sat down, Lux spoke. "Alright…" She took a breath. Not exactly sure what to say, even after she took the last hour or so to prep. She decided to skip her proposed starting points and skip to a topic that would be easier to broach. "How is Veigar doing Lulu? From what I saw he seemed fine."

Lulu bobbed her head side to side, not a nod nor a shake, more like a physical motion of weighing her thoughts in her head. "Um yes. Well, during class he seemed more than fine. He was attentive and was his usual self."

"Meaning he probably called someone idiotic or foolish when they got a question wrong and then answered it himself." Poppy interrupted.

"Uh…" Lulu pressed her fingers together, embarrassed for Veigar, "Yeah." Lulu then frowned. "But after class was over he was- uh. I don't know... Evasive?" She said it like it was a question. When no one else spoke up, Lulu continued on. "It wasn't until I remember he usually goes to the Occult club after classes did I know why…"

"Malzahar…" Poppy said under her breath with more venom then she must have realized. Ala'aldeen was also the Occult club's

Lux winced, she didn't want to start on this train because once it started it was hard to stop.

"It wasn't fair for Janna to keep it a secret." Poppy said suddenly

Lux tried to cut the conversation before is started. "Poppy stop. Janna didn't know any more than we did. She was just as shocked to see Ala'aldeen-"

"Aw c'mon." Poppy cut Lux off. "Janna had to know at least something right?"

Lux slammed her hands onto the table. The mere action startled both the yordles. "Enough, Poppy." Lux said in an even tone, which made Poppy back down. A calm voice was more intimidating than an angry snap. "We cannot do anything about it until Janna returns. Hopefully after she takes a day to sort through this whole ordeal she'll be more level headed. For now we will have to respect her boundary even if we don't like it."

Poppy crossed her arms over her chest and looked down at the floor sharply. Then she closed her eyes and snorted. "Its frustrating though. Isn't it?" She asked looked back and forth from Lux and Lulu.

"It is, and we will talk about it LATER." Lux pushed hard on the last word. Trying to get the message through Poppy's thick skull.

Lulu jumped in trying to change the topic. "What's our plan then? We have the book, and we stopped whatever plan Malzahar was working on."

Lux sighed. "We were only able to halt his plan. Whatever Malzahar was doing with the book has only stopped because we have it. With it, he can start again without a problem."

"So we just need to play keep away?" Poppy said.

"Only until we figure a way to destroy the book." Lux leaned forward in her chair, her hands curling around her arms. "Which we cannot do until we free the souls within."

"Can we read the book?" Lulu asked innocently. It only made Lux and Poppy to stare at her.

Lux shook her head. "No. No one must read that book. The magic inside is so foul even touching it harms us and non-guardians become consumed with power. If we try to read it, I would fear the consequences."

"So we just sit on our hands then." Poppy said with irritation.

"The book is secured for now and there's nothing else we can do on that front. We can however move forward elsewhere. We still need to recruit the last guardian to our team."

"Who is that going to be?" Lulu asked

"I- I uh, don't know."


Jinx was scared, something she wasn't entirely used to feeling. She writhed in pain, rolling around Vayne's room holding onto her head tightly. It was burning behind her eyes and they could do nothing but water and sting. Her mind wa also filled with vision of terrifying creatures. Beasts from another world, and they all wanted to torment her and everyone around her. All she wanted was for this feeling to stop.

"She's isn't looking too hot." - "Not hot at all."

There they were again those other two voices. She knew she wasn't crazy, not really. She was spastic and impulsive for sure, but not actually crazy. That's only what everyone else said.

"Fu-"

"Ah, careful there." - "Gotta keep that PG-13 rating"

Jinx chanced opening her eyes and was only assaulted with more visions. She struggled to her feet. Her legs were so wobbly that they barely even listened to her. They were asleep and numb. It took more concentration telling them to move than it did to keep her balanced. She got onto one knee before she fell forward again and hit her head on the nearby desk. She cursed loudly and explicitly.

"Al~most had it there." - "Very close…"

"OKAY who ever the fu-" Jinx yelled into the empty room.

"Whoa there" - "Remember, it's rated T for Teen."

These voices were making no sense. What were they even talking about? All she knew was that this hurt like hell and she needed to make it stop. She pushed off the desk with her hands. Gripping it tightly so she can use it for support. Her legs almost buckled a second time and her vice like grip was the only thing keeping her upright. Now that she had her feet under her, she rushed out the door. She couldn't risk walking slowly, fearing her legs will buckle if they weren't constantly moving. Jinx went through the door and slammed into the wall opposite. She rebounded and continued to rush down the hall. Not a run exactly, more like a hurried jog. Jinx was pushing her way to the closest bathroom. The shared bath had stalls for each shower. Jinx didn't know if dunking her head in water would work. It only felt like her head was engulfed in flames. Her vision was mostly blurry, so she had to rely on memory to make it into the showers. In her rush she almost bowled over the same asshole who set her head aflame. Malzahar side stepped her easily and watched her ineffectual grasp at the door knob. The stupid knob wouldn't turn, and Jinx resorted to throwing her shoulder into the door. Behind her she could hear him laugh at her. He was seriously pissing her off.

"You have a lot more fight than I thought." Malzahar said.

The door swung open and Jinx fell back onto her chest. She felt the cold tile hit her cheek and it did nothing to sooth the burning all around her. Then suddenly stopped.

"I've changed my mind… You can be of use to me." Malzahar suddenly filled her view. He was knelt over her and held his hand over her mouth, making it hard to talk back. He pushed her head from side to side, getting a good look at her. Her gaze was hard and full of fire. She made another swing at him, but Malzahar caught the sucker punch this time. She was in no position to put any strength behind it. He wrenched her arm behind her and pinned her down onto the floor. Then suddenly the burning sensation returned. Similar but not quite. She could feel a rush of energy in her body, filling her and emptying her at the same time. Her eyes glazed over and turned purple. She felt like she was being pulled from her body, and she was watching it below writhe as it was engulfed in purple energy. Her tanktop tightened into a black and purple crop top, almost bikini shaped. Below the crop top her chest was wrapped in a belt covered in bullets. Jinx pushed herself onto her knees. At least her body did. Jinx felt like she had no control over what she did. She was yelling into her ear, she wanted to sucker punch that motherfu- or at least run. Her waist was weighed down by another belt, more bullets covering this one. On her hip rested what look like a combination of a tesla coil and handgun and on her lower back was grenades with small bear traps attached to them. Her body got to her feet and held out her hand. In it a pink mini gun appeared and fell into her waiting grasp. It looked like it'd weigh a ton but Jinx's body held it easily in her hand. She pushed that aside when a strap appeared and in her other hand a blue rocket launcher appeared. She smiled at Malzahar.

"Go distract the guardians while I search the building."

Jinx wanted to curse at him, flip him off, do something. Instead her body threw up a lazy salute, a wink and turned on her heel.

"This isn't good…" - "Not good at all."

"No shit" Jinx said and then noticed two little creatures floating beside her.


Ezreal walked alone towards Lux's dorm. It took a while to get Jayce to stop bugging him for the Star Guardian's identity. When he was able to get it into his friend's thick skull that it wasn't his secret to tell, Jayce backed down. What Ezreal couldn't stop was Jayce idea that since Ezreal wasn't 'into' Lux anymore, she was 'free game' now. Ezreal sometimes hated Jayce. It'll be a whole lot of work to reel back his friend's flirting. If Lux thought of Jayce as annoying before, it's going to get a whole lot worse.

For now at least, he can at least still be friends with her. Maybe, if he could ever find the right opportunity, he can tell her that he knows of her secret. He didn't know if that was a smart idea, what he did know is that he trusted Lux. If he had to lose the memory of her identity, at least she would know he was honest with her. He suspected she was only keeping everyone at arm's length to keep her friends safe.

Ezreal turned the corner and almost ran into someone else. He quickly backpedaled and dipped into a small bow. "S-sorry. I wasn't looking."

"No it's alright." Janna said. She didn't want to tell him that she had been pacing back and forth for the last ten minutes arguing with herself whether or not to go to Lux's dorm. "Oh, Ezreal. Do you know if Lux is at her dorm?" If she wasn't Janna would be able to lie to herself and go home. That was also the same reason she decided not to try to text or call her.

He only shrugged in response. "I don't know. I was only going to drop off her notebook for her. I missed her after clubs cause I didn't have the time."

She must be out training then… Janna thought, already mentally readying herself to leave. "Then-"

"Hey-, ah, sorry." Ezreal quickly apologized for cutting Janna off. When she didn't continue, Ezreal started again lamely. "Um, since I was just gonna drop off her notebook wanna just walk together?"

Janna pursed her lips, weighing his offer. "Sure." This was just the push she needed. She stepped aside so she could fall in next to him.

They walked in silence. It wasn't awkward, thank goodness. It was more that they were comfortable with not talking. Ezreal always thought Janna as the mature upperclassmen. A lot like Caitlyn in his opinion but more studious. While Janna was glad she would still be able to think things through in her head. Her company was enjoyable in the fact that he didn't talk just to talk.

The duo was ripped from their reverie when they heard someone yell. Ezreal and Janna looked down the street and saw four of their schoolmates running to take cover from a hail of bullets. The lead tore up the street behind them. Tryndamere had Ashe in his arms and was glaring down from where they came. Sejuani was running just behind them, keeping pace with the two. While Olaf was limping along next to her.

Ashe was the first to notice them. She wriggled out of her boyfriend's grasp to run over to Janna and Ezreal. "Turn around. Some girl is going crazy and attacking everyone."

"It wasn't some girl, I'm pretty sure that was Jinx." Sejuani said as she caught up.

Speak of the devil, Jinx rounded around the street and into view. Taking pretty much everyone by surprise. They didn't expect the girl to catch up to them so quickly. She was excited and was letting the rush of adrenaline push her forward. She reached behind her and threw a trio of grenades at the group. Tryndamere all but tackled Ashe to get between her and the explosive. Sejuani kicked her shoe off as soon as she notice one clamp down onto the rubber sole, before diving for cover along with the couple. Unfortunately for Ezreal one grenade seemed to fly straight towards him. The damn thing must have had a bear trap attached to it because it bit down onto his leg. The pain caused him to fall to the ground. Olaf recovered from his surprise, batted one grenade away with his school bag and then noticed the one stuck to Ezreal. He reached down and ripped it free like a bandaid. To say it hurt was an understatement. Once it was free Olaf chucked it as hard as he could. It made it only three feet before it went off.

Wind buffeted all around them. Protecting them from the worst of the explosion. The five not aware of Janna's power looked around in amazement. Janna herself had feigned fright with the others and was kneeling along side everyone else. When she was sure the explosion was deflected she reached over to Ezreal, "Are you alright?"

Ezreal sucked a breath between his greeted feet. "I got a chunk missing in my leg, but I think I'm okay." He said just as a strong pair of arms hooked under his own and hoisted him up.

"You guys gotta get outta here." Olaf said, passing the injured boy over to Sejuani. "I'm gonna stall her."

"Like hell you-" Sejuani started then her eyes went wide and shoved Ezreal and herself to the ground.

The rocket hit the windshield, the mere power of the attack made Janna wince. She couldn't keep the shield up without fully transforming and she couldn't do that with so many witnesses around.

"What is that?" Ashe asked looking intently at the shield.

"Who cares?" Tryndamere said. "It's keeping us safe. Lets run while we can." He held his girlfriend in his arms and firmly tried to get her to run to safety. Ashe hesitated for a second then moved along with him.

Sejuani picked up Ezreal in a fireman's carry and followed after them. She turned to grab Olaf by the arm. "You're coming with."

Olaf grumbled an argument, but shut up when yet another rocket hit the shield. From the looks of it the wind was dying down. Who knows how long it will last. Well Olaf wasn't stupid, foolhardy yes, stupid no, he limped along with the others.

Janna was the only one who hesitated. She didn't want to stay with them. If she went along, she wouldn't be able to get away long enough to transform. And even then, they'd wonder where'd she went. She had to call the other guardians. Quickening her pace, she fell into step with Olaf and Sejuani. Glancing back, she noticed Jinx run after them for a few feet then turn back around. The gun toting girl was staying within sight of the dorm building. That was weird.

"We need to call Lux." Ezreal said through the jostling ride. The statement made Janna stare at him. Ezreal mentally slapped himself and then rushed over his blunder, "W-we have to call Lux a-and Quinn, and everyone who goes to that dorm. They need to know to stay away."

"Right. I'll call Lux. Do you have the other's numbers?" Janna said, taking her phone out in the process.

"Not everyone's. I have Quinn's, and I think Garen texted me once."

"I got Garen's" Olaf said. Sometimes people forgot that he used to hang out with the other Demacians before befriending Sejuani and her group.

"Okay, we'll call them. Then we can get the police or something to respond." Janna said. Her phone already dialing Lux.

"What about the guardians?" Ezreal asked as straight faced as he could.


Lux fiddled with her phone, locking it and unlocking it over and over again. A text to Janna was half written on her screen. She needed to ask about the next guardian they were to recruit. Janna had told her only of Poppy and Lulu. The last guardian, Janna wanted to tell everyone at once. When asked why, Janna said she wanted to explain to everyone why she was chosen only once. To be honest, that didn't sound good to Lux. Who could it be?

"I bet it's going to be Tristana." Poppy said, making Lux slow down and throw a raised eyebrow at her. "Just throwing out guesses." Poppy replied with a shrug. "Trist is pretty easy going and she's responsible too."

"Oh yeah," Lulu joined in, "She volunteers at that pet shelter, and has that big pitbull named Riggle, cause he wriggles a lot." Lulu remembered running into Tristana when she was out in Bandle City, she was walking her dog around the park and Lulu got to play with him.

"S-she has a pitbull?" Lux said with a slight hint of fear. She was never a dog person, especially big dogs.

"Technically her parents have a pitbull, since she can't keep him in the dorms. Don't worry, he's a big ol softy. Most dogs are. The only dangerous dog is one mistreated, and all those jerks of owners who mistreat them." Lulu said.

Lux pursed her lips, still a little uneasy around large dogs. "Um, I don't doubt she'd make a good guardian. The thing is, Janna made it seem like we wouldn't like who the First Star chose."

Poppy's shoulders bounce, brushing off Lux's worry. "If the First Star chose them how bad can they be?"

"You're right, I'm more worried about… well you know."

"Is that why you haven't texted Janna yet?" Lulu asked jumping up to take a glimpse at Lux's cell. Right there the text still laid unsent.

"No! Well, not exactly. I don't want to- yah!" Lux's phone started to ring loudly, startling Lux. Lulu stifled a giggle while Poppy jumped over to look at the cell. Lux pulled the phone away from both their prying eyes and held it close. She peeked at the name called and her eyes went wide. "Girls, quiet. It's Janna." That instantly got the two yordles attention. They hushed as Lux answered the call, only for her to pull the phone back when Janna yelled into the receiver.

Once the initial panic subsided Lux put the cell on speaker and let the others crowd around it. "Janna what happened?" Lux asked aloud.

The voice on the other end was scratchy and there was a lot of background noise. As if she was running. "Janna did you get through?" That voice definitely caught Lux's attention. That was Ezreal. "Yes." Janna said more to Ezreal than to Lux or the yordles listening in. "Lux, don't go back to your dorm. Someone is attacking anyone who gets close. So please stay where you are and DON'T go to your dorm."

"If that isn't a thinly veiled message I don't know what is." Poppy said only for Lux to hush her a second later.

"I'm with Ezreal and a few others. We're heading back to the school so we can tell anyone else who's still there to avoid the dorms. I'll try to meet up with you when I can." Janna said. Then abruptly the call ended.

Lux looked down to the two others. No need for words. All three ran to the closest secluded side street. The never paused as their bodies were enveloped in light. In a few stride the three guardians were transformed and together they took to the sky. Lux leading out in front while Poppy and Lulu held on to the latter's staff.


"Both of you SHUT UP!" Jinx yelled at the two… she was so frustrated she didn't even know what to call the two creatures. One was white while the other was black. Each had a single wing on opposite sides, the white had an angelic wing and the black had a leathery devil wing. If they were suppose to be the dual aspects of her conscious, they were doing a shitty job at it. All they were doing were complaining and nagging at her. What the hell was she able to do. Currently she was nothing more than a ghost or an astral projection. She could no nothing. Jinx watched as her body acted like a guard dog. Running a lap around the block looking for anyone remotely heading towards the dorm building. Every now and then she would use that mini gun or the rocket launcher to cause some havoc.

"I'm gonna be in sooo much shit after this!" Jinx said with two handfuls of hair. Sure she had done her own fair share of petty crimes. Destruction of property, defacing local landmarks, some small theft (snatch and grabs at convenience stores with Ekko.) and one case of breaking and enter at the local zoo. Nothing she knew she couldn't get away with. And no where near as this destructive.

"You need to retake control!" - "Purge the Void with your righteous soul!"

"STOP, I don't know what that means! Even if I did, I don't know how to do it." Jinx yelled at the two whatevers. This is absolute insanity. It didn't take one long to know she didn't have a righteous soul. What she was currently working with was a ball of building rage and two intangible fists she had trouble wringing her own neck with. She whipped around and launched one hell of roundhouse kick that phased right through her body's midsection. "This isn't working!"

"Nonono NO. Use your inner light!" - "The fireball of passion in your gut!"

"It's a fireball of something alright…" Jinx seethed through gritted teeth under her own breath. Jinx moved around her body. At least she was still somewhat conscious. She was aware of what was going on. She was also able to look around, her astral view wasn't locked into the same pov as her own body. She could look around. Though flying seemed to be out of the question, while she could float whatever kind of force that was controlling her body was also keeping her tethered to it. She couldn't fly any farther than ten feet. If she tried it was extremely painful, then it would snap her back like a dog on a leash.

As Jinx's body ran down the street, Jinx noticed someone in the side street's mirror. The round convex mirror used to check corners when driving. She recognised that white mohawk anywhere. Shit! What the hell dude!?

Ekko was creeping along the side street. Ducking from one car to the next. In his hand was his cell, no doubt in her mind who he was calling. Jinx phone was on her person, her body was just not answering it. So to Ekko it must seem like the worst case scenario. Jinx waved her arms back and forth, trying to send mental signals to her friend to just run away.

Of course, he took that moment to notice Jinx. The gun toting fruit loop that was Jinx anyways. He smiled and called out to her, then saw the minigun strapped to her waist. Then the smile vanished as realization hit him like a grenade. Literally. The trio of grenades barely even bounced before they blew up. Jinx flew forward until the pain of the tether whipped her back to where her body was. She had her eyes locked on the side street, the dust was just clearing enough for her to see through. As the dust parted Jinx saw Ekko laying flat on the ground, hand over his head but very much alive and freaked out. There was barrier of light flashing around him, having protected him from the explosion.

"Phew that was close." Lux said as she lowered herself down to the street.

Jinx let out a sigh of relief and flopped to the floor.

"You okay?" Poppy asked as she helped the kid back to his feet. Ekko nodded, shaking the effects of the explosion off. "Good. Now get outta here before you get hurt."

"No way!" That took everyone by surprise. Jinx most of all. "That's my friend there!" Ekko looked and locked eyes with Jinx, his jaw tightened. "She must've gotten her head messed up by that purple guy Ahri's been gossiping about."

Poppy shot a glance at Lux, both of whom had first hand experience with people taken control of by Malzahar. "Don't worry, we'll take care of her." Poppy said

"She means that in the nicest way possible." Lulu said coming up to Ekko's side.

Jinx suddenly drew that strange tesla pistol at her side and shot it towards Ekko. The guardians all jumped forward simultaneously. Poppy lept ahead of everyone and summoned her shield, Lux shielded Poppy, and Lulu pulled Ekko back down to the ground. The electricity washed over the shield and the static that encompassed Poppy made all the fur on her skin stand on end. She felt a little numb, but she was still able to move and that was good enough for her.

Lux threw her hand back, shooing Ekko and Lulu with the gesture. "Get him out of here!" She dove to the side as a hail of bullets rained onto the sidewalk where she was a moment ago. Poppy charged head first, letting her shield deflect many of the shots. "Poppy, careful!"

Lux continued to call out orders. Lulu grabbed Ekko by the arm and tightened her grasp on her staff. Ekko saw the fight scene shrink away as he was pulled away. He struggled in the tiny yordle's grip, which was surprisingly strong. "Let me go! Jinx-"

"She's going to be fine!" Lulu said, "Our abilities will purge the foul magic controlling her. You have nothing to worry about."


Malzahar destroyed another door. He wasn't getting tired, not in the slightest, but the longer it took the more likely he's going to run into the guardians again. He cannot let that happen. For one, he didn't know what he'd end up doing if he ran into Janna again, and another was that he could not lose the book a second time. He subconsciously rubbed at his throat. Kha'Zix made sure to graphically explain what he would do to his head once Vel'Koz gave the order. No, he couldn't let that happen. He needed to find that book. Malzahar looked around the room. It was plain, minimal amount of decoration, only a single poster on the wall with the latest pop group craze, and one poro plushie on the bed that was meticulously made.

He looked around slowly. Nothing screamed it wasn't Lux's room, then again the last few didn't either. He took a few steps in, there was a desk kept very clean and organized, the textbooks were stacked in order of class schedule. Whoever this room belonged to was studious sort, and also very boring. He ramped up his magical sense, and felt the linger scent of magic in the room. It was only marginally more than the other rooms, though it was enough for Malzahar to notice. This place was so washed out with magic from Mejai's tome that it was hard to tell. Malzahar pulled open the drawers of the desk one after the other. More school supplies and some personal notebooks. The latter made Malzahar pause. Not because he was the nosy sort, but because if the book had personal info he might be able to figure out who's room this was.

He flipped to a random page in the middle and saw the usual rambling of a high school girl, and the name of the owner of the book. He snorted, "Finally." With a thought he burned the notebook and turned to face the rest of the room. So the book is somewhere in here…


A/N: That's a wrap! Starting off Jinx's story with a twist.

Time for the QnA portion.

Valguienmas1 (Who I'm assuming reviewed under Guest accidentally) - While I love Gailio's old lore, and how he was a major part of Poppy's old lore, I never actually thought about putting him into this story. As a character or otherwise. If he does show up, it's going to be as a statue. I honestly wouldn't know what to do with him. Sorry if dear readers if he is a favorite champion of yours.

Rufael - I think the chapter answered your question. I'll explain it here too for a more condensed less fluffy version. Janna used to be the Star Guardian, along with her team original team, this took place a year ago on the same world as the story. When she broke Malz's heart, he became the prophet and got revenge. Filled with anger and greif Janna threw herself onto a vengeful path. Seeing as this would only lead to disaster, Janna gave up her power and consequently her memories. The First Star stalled against the Void while she seeked out another guardian team to replace the one that she lost. Finding Lux, the First Star also brought back Janna, hoping for her to redeem herself.

See you all soon. Love you, bye!