Chapter II - The untold question
"Need a little help?"
Her gaze lit up when she saw Ekko on his overboard. The machine had clearly taken a beating in the fight, but it seemed ready for one last ride to the top of the Hexgate. Ekko carefully landed on Vi's platform. He was so relieved to see that she was alive. She seemed to be holding up, but after scanning the surroundings, his face grew worried.
Then he noticed something about Vi. Her eyes, usually bright and powder blue, were now much darker, puffy, and still swollen with tears.
"Jinx?" he asked softly.
Vi's gaze drifted into the void as she tried to hold back her tears. Ekko wanted to ask what had happened, but he knew it was too soon for that. Without saying another word, he climbed back onto his overboard and extended a hand to Vi, offering to help her up. When she climbed on, the machine struggled to stay stable, but they managed to fly back to the top.
The view from above was terrifying. Piltover, usually bright and full of life, now looked more devastated than Zaun. Buildings were partially or completely destroyed, and ashes filled the air. As they descended, they could hear screams and cries. People were injured, some already dead. Vi's heart pounded in her chest as she searched for Caitlyn. She spotted her near the Hexgate door and pointed in her direction.
The moment they landed, Vi jumped off the overboard. Not used to riding the flying machines, she stumbled, but Caitlyn caught her just in time.
"God, you're alive! Are you okay? What happened to your eye?" Vi asked, taking Caitlyn's head in her hands.
"It's okay, I'm fine... I guess. At least this eye isn't my aiming one," Caitlyn replied, reaching up to check Vi's face.
Vi collapsed into Caitlyn's arms, breaking down in heavy tears. Caitlyn held her, but she knew Vi wasn't crying out of relief. Something had happened. She glanced up at Ekko's face, which was etched with sadness. He shook his head, and without a word, she understood. Jinx was dead.
Caitlyn couldn't believe it—this was finally over. At first, she felt relieved, but the feeling didn't last long. She was snapped back to reality when she felt Vi's tears soaking her shoulder. How could she feel happy about Jinx's death while Vi wept for her sister? The guilt hit her hard, but the questions kept coming. Jinx had helped them save the city—but did that make her a good person? Could a single act of sacrifice erase all the terrible things she had done? Deep down, Caitlyn believed it didn't. Jinx wasn't Vi's sister—Powder was, and Powder had been gone for a long time.
She wanted to empathize with Vi, but she couldn't understand why the loss was hurting her so much. So, against her better judgment, she asked the question everyone was thinking but no one dared to voice. "What happened back there?"
Vi froze. She wasn't ready to answer, not yet. The pain was still raw, still unbearable. Saying it out loud would make it real—and she didn't want it to be real.
As Caitlyn watched Vi struggle to respond, her guilt deepened. She shouldn't have asked, not now—but she needed to know. Finally, Vi muttered something, her voice so quiet that Caitlyn didn't catch it.
"Sorry, what?" Caitlyn asked softly, cupping Vi's face in her hands.
"She saved me," Vi whispered, her voice cracking. "She sacrificed herself."
Caitlyn was stunned. She had imagined many things, but not this—not Jinx sacrificing herself to save Vi. She couldn't believe it. After everything Jinx had done to her, after everything she saw, she had been certain that the madness inside her ran too deep. But maybe Vi was right—maybe there was still a piece of Powder left within her. Even so, Caitlyn found it hard to accept. It was so much easier to hate someone rotten to the core than someone who had been broken and steered onto the wrong path.
Even though Caitlyn wasn't convinced of Jinx's sacrifice, she knew she had to put her doubts aside. Vi needed her now, more than ever. Vi had been there for her when her mother died; she had put on the uniform, setting aside her own values, to help Caitlyn seek justice. Caitlyn couldn't let her down now.
The fight was over and the time for rebuilding had begun. Vi, Caitlyn, and Ekko set to work helping the injured around them. It was harrowing—none of them were prepared for such horrifying sights. Dead bodies lay scattered, and people writhed in agony on the ground. Cries echoed through the air as survivors called out for their comrades, desperate to find friends and allies amidst the devastation. Yet, as the mist began to clear, a glimmer of hope emerged. Citizens of Zaun and Piltover were helping one another, regardless of which side of the city they came from. The road to unity would be long, but for the first time, there was hope.
At the end of the day, the darkness of the night made it impossible to continue. People regained their homes—or what was left of them. The majority of the severely injured had been brought to doctors, and the dead had been taken care of. Some locals from both Piltover and Zaun had transformed their homes into shelters for those less injured or for those who didn't have a safe place to spend the night. Caitlyn insisted that Ekko come and rest at her mansion, but the boy declined the invitation. He needed to head back to the Firelight hideout to take care of his people. For her part, Vi followed Caitlyn, too exhausted to return to Zaun, where everything reminded her of Powder.
When they got home, Caitlyn's father was relieved to see that his daughter was alive. The sight of her, injured with her eye so damaged that nothing could repair it, was difficult to bear. She had grown up so quickly, especially after the loss of her mother. She wasn't the little child he needed to protect anymore. Still, he was her father, and he began to tend to her injuries. She didn't even wince when he applied disinfectant to her wound; he could tell her mind was elsewhere. He noticed her gaze lingering on the pink-haired girl sitting in the corner. She looked exhausted—both physically and mentally.
"You still haven't introduced your friend to me, my name is Tobias" he said kindly, meeting his daughter's eyes.