Jinx tightened her grip around the pendant, its dim glow pulsing against her skin. The Watcher's words echoed in her head.
"The corruption should have taken you. The chaos should have consumed you. But something—someone—held on."
She didn't like what that meant.
Powder was gone.
She had made sure of that.
But if that was true… why did she keep seeing her?
The Watcher stood, their piercing gaze never leaving her. "You are not ready," they murmured. "But the time will come when you must choose."
Jinx scowled. "I hate riddles." She shoved the pendant into her pocket and pushed herself to her feet. "You wanna be helpful? Maybe start with telling me why the Void suddenly gives a damn about me."
The Watcher's expression remained unreadable. "Because something is coming."
Jinx narrowed her eyes. "Yeah? What kind of something?"
The wind shifted, carrying a faint whisper through the trees. The Watcher turned their head slightly, as if listening to something Jinx couldn't hear. "A storm."
Jinx rolled her eyes. "Wow. Thanks. Super helpful."
The Watcher didn't react to her sarcasm. Instead, they took a slow step back, their form beginning to fade into the mist. "You are not alone in this, Jinx."
She stiffened.
Nobody had called her that since—
Since her.
By the time she found her voice, the Watcher was already gone. The mist swallowed them whole, leaving only the eerie silence of the Ionian forest.
Jinx exhaled sharply and turned on her heel. She needed to get back to Kael. Maybe he'd have some actual answers instead of cryptic nonsense.
She was halfway back to the village when she felt it.
A prickle at the back of her neck.
Like she was being watched.
Her hand instinctively drifted toward the knife at her belt. She kept walking, slow and casual, listening. The trees rustled gently, but the air was still—too still.
Then—
A snap.
Jinx spun, blade flashing—
But there was nothing.
Just the trees. The mist. The whisper of the wind.
Her grip tightened on the knife.
She knew she wasn't imagining things.
Something was coming.
And whatever it was—
It had already found her.
Jinx stood motionless, her fingers tight around the knife's handle. She wasn't imagining things—something was out there. Watching. Waiting.
Her heartbeat steadied as she slid into familiar instincts. If something's hunting me… I'm hunting it first.
She moved deliberately, her steps silent against the damp forest floor. Every shift of the wind, every rustling leaf—she listened, searching for a break in the pattern.
Then—there. A shadow moved between the trees, just at the edge of her vision.
Jinx smirked.
"Gotcha."
She took a slow step back, slipping behind a fallen log. If they thought she was easy prey, they were about to be very disappointed.
With practiced precision, she reached into her belt, fingers wrapping around a small Ionian smoke bomb. She had technically stolen it from Kael, but hey, she had a reputation to maintain.
One flick of her wrist, and the small sphere arced through the air—
It hit the ground with a soft pop, and thick purple mist erupted, swallowing the area in seconds.
Jinx waited.
One breath. Two.
Then—movement.
Fast. Too fast.
Jinx barely had time to register the figure before it was on her.
A blur of motion—
Jinx dodged sideways, just as a blade slashed through the air where her throat had been.
She hit the ground hard, rolling to a crouch, knife raised.
The smoke thinned, revealing her attacker.
A masked warrior. Dressed in sleek black and red robes, two short daggers glinting in the dim light. Their stance was low, poised, lethal.
And the way they moved—this wasn't some random thug. This was an assassin.
Jinx grinned, adrenaline surging through her veins.
"Oh, this just got interesting."
The assassin lunged.
Jinx twisted, barely dodging the first strike. She countered with a wild slash of her own, but the assassin was fast—faster than she expected. They danced out of reach, already preparing the next attack.
"Alright, so they're better than me in a knife fight. Cool. Let's change the rules."
Jinx flipped backward, kicking up dirt as she reached for her belt—
Fingers closed around a small surprise.
She flung the gadget forward—
A mini flashbang.
The moment it detonated, the assassin recoiled, momentarily blinded.
Jinx didn't hesitate.
She sprinted.
Not away—toward them.
The assassin barely had time to react before Jinx slammed into them, tackling them to the ground.
They hit the dirt hard, and Jinx wasted no time, pinning them down with her knee.
"Alright, ninja boy," she panted, pressing her knife to their throat. "Let's have a little chat, yeah?"
The assassin didn't struggle. Instead, they slowly raised their hands, a silent surrender.
Jinx narrowed her eyes. Something felt off.
And then—
The assassin laughed.
Low. Amused. Familiar.
Jinx's stomach dropped.
She reached forward, gripping the mask—
And ripped it away.
Her breath caught in her throat.
The assassin wasn't a stranger.
He was someone she knew.
Someone she never thought she'd see again.
Jinx's grip on the knife wavered. Her mind reeled.
"No way."
Her voice came out barely above a whisper.
"Ekko?"
Jinx's knife hovered just above Ekko's throat, her grip unsteady. Her mind raced.
It couldn't be.
Ekko was supposed to be back in Zaun, leading the Firelights, cleaning up the mess she left behind. He was supposed to hate her.
But here he was. In Ionia. Dressed like a damn assassin.
And he was smiling.
"Hey, Powder."
Jinx flinched. Her stomach twisted.
Only two people had ever called her that. One was dead.
The other was pinned beneath her, looking way too pleased with himself.
Jinx scowled. "You wish Powder was still here." She pressed the knife a little harder, just enough for Ekko to feel it. "Try that again."
Ekko raised an eyebrow, completely unfazed. "You gonna stab me or keep pretending?"
Jinx hated how calm he was. Like this was just another one of their stupid games.
Like they weren't standing on the edge of something dangerous.
"Pretending?" she echoed, her voice sharp. "Pretending what, exactly?"
Ekko tilted his head slightly. "That you don't care."
Jinx's eye twitched. Her pulse pounded in her ears.
Because he wasn't wrong.
And she hated that.
Ekko sighed, his smirk fading. "Look, you can kill me if you want. I wouldn't blame you. But if you really wanted me dead…" He gestured to her trembling grip. "…you'd have done it already."
Jinx hated that he was right.
With a frustrated growl, she shoved off of him, stumbling backward. Ekko sat up slowly, rubbing his neck where the knife had been. "Damn, you got stronger," he muttered, shaking his head.
Jinx crossed her arms, scowling. "What the hell are you doing here?"
Ekko dusted himself off, his playful look darkening. "Looking for you."
Jinx frowned. "Why?"
Ekko exhaled sharply, running a hand through his hair. "Because something's coming, Jinx. And you're right in the middle of it."
Jinx narrowed her eyes. "You sound just like that creepy old Watcher."
Ekko gave her a look. "Wait. You saw a Watcher?"
Jinx blinked. "Uh. Yeah?"
Ekko cursed under his breath. "Then we're out of time."
Jinx's unease deepened. "Out of time for what?"
Ekko looked up, meeting her gaze.
"For stopping the Void."
Jinx's stomach dropped.
Of all the things he could have said, that was one of the worst.
She swallowed hard. "Oh. Cool. No pressure or anything."
Ekko gave a humorless chuckle. "Yeah. Welcome to the party."
Jinx huffed, trying to ignore the gnawing feeling in her gut. Whatever was coming—whatever Ekko had chased all the way to Ionia—
It wasn't just a storm.
It was a war.