His vision faded. He saw Powder looking down on the other Ekko, the one that belonged here, and jealousy surged through him. He wanted this life for himself, in a world where everyone — almost everyone — lived happily ever after. For a moment, he almost stepped out of the anomaly, but he reminded himself that he had no right to do so.

This was a place where he made the right choices. Where he hadn't given up on anything, as she said. Where he didn't abandon her. And this made it a place where he did not belong. He closed his eyes, ready to face the consequences of his actions. Ready to face his Powder. His Jinx.

He didn't know what shocked him more — seeing her new, roughly cut hair that made her almost unrecognizable at first, or the bomb she held in her hand, emitting that all-too-familiar blue light. It only took him a split second to realize what was happening.

She was going to kill herself.

And she pulled the trigger.

The explosion spread quickly, and it threatened to blast Ekko into pieces as well. He pulled the Z-Drive's handle, dreading that he would be sent back to the alternate timeline, but his fears were unfounded, as he found everything else around him wind back in time.

He saw the bomb still intact in Jinx's hand, and he knew that he had less than four seconds to act.

"See you on the other side, kid." He had never heard her talk in such a resigned voice ever before.

As she started to pull the trigger, he let out the most feral scream of his life.

"WAIT!"

She stopped and turned towards him. He took a moment to collect himself, exhausted from both the dimensional and the time travel.

"I just… wanna talk to you, okay?" He dared to take a small step towards her, his eyes fixed on the trigger she was still holding, ready to end her — to end both of them — in a split second. He made sure to rest his right hand on his Z-Drive's handle in case the worst happened… again.

"I never got to thank you, you know."

Whatever Ekko expected to hear in response, this was not it. He stopped in his tracks, shocked.

"For… for what?" Dammit, what are you even asking her? This is—

"For that look you gave me, on the bridge. It's why I believed her when she looked at me the same way." She looked at something behind Ekko, but he couldn't risk following her gaze, not even for a split second. "But she's gone now. And so are you."

What?

"What do you mean, I'm right h—"

"So thanks. And thank you for being the last one here. This time, I will finish the job."

And she pulled the trigger.

Thank me for that? There is nothing to —

"But she's gone now. And so are you."

"I did nothing… that you could thank me for. The only thing I did to you… is give up on you."

After a split second, she continued.

"It's true, you left me. But I'm glad you made it to the finale."

And she pulled the trigger.

He quickly assessed the situation.

I can't be let down by what she said, I need to focus! She thinks I'm dead. That I'm just a hallucination.

"But she's gone now. And so are you."

"I'm not just an illusion, Powder! Please, wa—"

And she pulled the trigger.

I got the name wrong.

"But she's gone now. And so are you."

"I'm not just an illusion, Jinx! Please, wait!" he pleaded with her, standing still, not risking another move before her reply. It came instantly.

"But how could you not be, Little Man. You died months ago."

And she pulled the trigger.

Months? Months have passed by while I was in the Anomaly? Shit!

"But she's gone now. And so are you."

"I haven't died, Jinx, I was just… gone. But I'm here now and I can explain everything! Just give me—"

"That's what they all say. And you're too late anyway."

And she pulled the trigger.

He felt it. He felt the pain inside him swell up. He knew that the next time he rewound might also be the last. He needed to gain at least a few seconds of leeway before he could use the Z-Drive again, to let both it and his body recover.

Alright, this is clearly not working. Time for another approach. She was talking about a kid?

"But she's gone now. And so are you."

He looked back for the first time and saw the drawing on the pillar. Two girls' faces, smiling at each other. One was clearly Jinx, the other he did not recognize.

Must be the kid.

"So thanks. And thank you for being the last one here. This—"

"Look at her." The stern tone he hit surprised even himself and stopped Jinx's monologue. "Look at her face and think of what she would say if she was here right now!"

And she stopped. She looked at the drawing again, as if contemplating something.

Please, whoever you are or were, wherever you are, help her make the right choice!

Her face had lost even the smallest semblances of emotions, and her eyes looked empty. He noticed the fresh wounds on her fingers, no doubt caused by her own nails. He had never seen her this hollow before. It was the saddest scene he ever saw in his life.

"But that's the funny part, Little Man. She can't be here since… she died because of me."

And she pulled the trigger.

She looked at the drawing again, as if contemplating something.

Running out of ideas, he took the opportunity and simply ran towards her. He noticed her expression soften. It was as if he could see the longing in her eyes, that she wished for him to make it. With less then ten steps needed, he hoped he could get to her in time, to make her feel that he was real, that he was there for her, and that she would never again—

She laughed.

"Always the Boy Savior."

And she pulled the trigger.

This time, he did not emerge unscathed. He was too close to the explosion and got caught in the forefront of it right as he rewound time.

Shit.

Ekko's blood spilled on the floor. The parts of his clothes that melted away did not form back around his body as the hot sensation still lingering on his right arm forced him to let go of the handle. He lost his balance and crashed against the handrail, losing sight of Jinx for a few seconds, time that he knew was crucial.

But nothing happened. As he regained his composure and turned back towards her, he saw her frozen in place, shifting her attention from the blood on the floor to his body, truly looking at him for what was perhaps the first time in their conversation.

She might believe me now.

"Always a dance with you," he said, still panting heavily. He let go of the rails and looked for a more stable support instead. "I… I think I'm just gonna sit here a minute, you know, catch my breath... See if I can talk an old friend out of blowing us up." He let out a small laugh as he remembered how many times he failed just that in the last minute or so.

Whatever Jinx's thoughts were, her face revealed none of them. She turned away from Ekko and looked down on the grenade in her hand. For a few seconds, nothing happened, and then she slowly released her finger from the trigger.

Yes, now just let go of it please, and we can—

"I'm tired of talking."

And she threw herself into oblivion.

She slowly released her finger from the trigger.

Ekko stood up instantly.

"You know, I learned from someone… " — you — "…very special… that no matter what happened in the past, it's never too late to build something new."

His Z-Drive hang from his shoulder sideways and caught her attention. The glowing mote in it filled the device with a dim light, illuminating her face.

"Someone worth building it for."

She looked at Ekko, then past him, at the drawing once more.

And she gave up on her plan.