Chapter Text
Chapter I:
The shimmer in the air tasted of ozone and burnt sugar, a familiar tang that Powder associated with Ekko's latest tinkering disaster. Except this time, the air crackled with a raw power she'd never felt before, a terrifying energy that made the hairs on her arms stand on end. One moment she was leaping toward Ekko, the next she was tumbling through a swirl of colors and distorted sounds.
Then, just as suddenly, she landed hard on solid ground. The shimmering portal snapped shut behind her, leaving her in a dingy alleyway reeking of mildew and something vaguely chemical. Disoriented, Powder scrambled to her feet, her heart pounding like a drum in her chest.
"What the..." she muttered, taking in the unfamiliar surroundings. The buildings were taller here, the architecture sharper, more imposing. Everything felt... off. Wrong. Yellow light filtered through narrow gaps above, casting long, distorted shadows that danced across the grimy walls.
A prickle of unease crawled up Powder's spine. She felt exposed, vulnerable. Her eyes darted to and fro, each flicker of movement, each glint of metal in the dim light, causing her chest to tighten.
Then she saw it. A silhouette glowing faintly in the darkness at the back of the alleyway.
"Hello?" Powder called out cautiously. "Ekko?"
The figure shifted, and Powder's breath caught in her throat. It definitely wasn't Ekko. Panic surged through her, sending her scrambling back.
"Wait!" a voice called out, but Powder was already running, her feet pounding against the uneven cobblestones. This Zaun, this grim, decaying place, was a nightmare. Where were the vibrant colors, the chaotic energy, the sense of community she knew?
This wasn't her Zaun. Here, it appeared that only despair reigned.
She burst out of the alleyway and into a wider street. Her labored breaths were barely audible above the din of machinery and the rumble of passing vehicles. Strangers shoved past her, their solemn faces barely bothering to look at her.
Suddenly, a hand clamped down on her shoulder, spinning her around. Powder gasped, her eyes widening in fear.
Staring back at her was a young woman with fiery red hair and piercing eyes. She was dressed in worn leather armor, her knuckles scarred and calloused.
Powder's heart stopped. Vi. Her sister. Vi, who was supposed to be dead. But here she was, alive and well, standing right in front of her.
The world seemed to disappear around them.
"Vi?" Powder croaked.
Those familiar, tortured eyes of her sister widened. "Jinx?"
Powder's hand instinctively went to the worn leather cord around her neck, clutching the familiar weight of Vi's old necklace. "Jinx? It's me Vi, Powder."
Something within Vi trailed off, eyes searching Powder's face. Words seemed to catch in her throat, her hands releasing their grip as she took a step back. Powder saw flickers of pain, loss, flash across Vi's eyes.
"It's me," Powder pleaded, stepping closer. "It's Powder. Your sister."
Vi's breath hitched. "P-P-Powder?" she repeated, her voice hoarse. "But... that's impossible. Powder's..."
"I'm here," Powder insisted, tears welling up in her eyes. "I don't know how, but I'm here."
Vi stared at her in disbelief and a desperate, fragile hope. She reached out a hesitant hand, as if to touch Powder's face, but then pulled back.
"No," Vi said, shaking her head. "It can't be. You're just... a ghost. A trick of the light."
"I'm not a ghost!" Powder cried, her voice cracking. Her arms reached out toward Vi, who recoiled back in fear. "I'm real! I'm here!"
But Vi just shook her head again, her eyes filled with a deep, unyielding sadness.
"No," she whispered, her voice cracking. "You're not real. You can't be. You're... gone."
The delicate seams of Powder's heart unraveled, desperation clawing at her throat.
"Vi," she trembled. "When you tucked me into bed at night, you always made sure to..." Powder paused, drawing in a shaky breath. She couldn't finish it. It was too silly, too childish, too private. But it was the only thing she could think of, the only memory that was uniquely theirs."...to tuck the blanket in extra tight around my feet."
The effect on Vi was immediate. She stared at Powder, her mouth slightly open, as if she'd just been doused in cold water
"Because..." Vi started, voice hoarse, "because you said monsters couldn't get you if your feet were covered."
Powder nodded, tears welling up in her eyes.
"Powder?" Vi breathed.
Powder nodded, unable to speak past the lump in her throat.
Vi took a small step forward, then another. She reached out a trembling hand, her fingers brushing against Powder's cheek. The touch was tentative, almost reverent, as if she were afraid Powder might vanish like a dream.
"It's really you," Vi whispered.
Powder leaned into the touch, a sob escaping her lips. "It's me, Vi," she said, her voice choked with tears. "I'm here."
Vi's eyes glistened. She pulled Powder into a fierce embrace, holding her close as if she would never let go. Powder clung to her sister, burying her face in Vi's shoulder, the warmth and familiarity of her embrace washing away what felt like eons of pain, sorrow, heartbreak.
Time seemed to blur. A memory flickered to life in Powder's head: Vi holding her close after a nightmare, whispering reassurances until she fell back asleep. Only Vi could make the scent of worn leather and engine grease comforting. It was the last time they had shared a hug. A memory from a lifetime ago.
After a long moment, Vi pulled back, her hands still gripping Powder's shoulders, her gaze searching Powder's face as if trying to memorize every detail.
"How?" Vi demanded. "How are you here? How is this even possible?"
Powder took a deep breath, trying to calm her racing heart. "Ekko," she said, remembering. "We... were building something. A machine. It was supposed to... I don't know. Change things. But it brought me here."
Vi frowned. "Ekko?"
Powder nodded. "But... not my Ekko, your Ekko" she added. "Vi, there's these... anomalies. Different realities. I read his notes, I-I-I don't know how to explain it."
"Anomalies? Different realities?" Vi's brow furrowed. "What are you saying?"
Powder shook her head, as if trying to clear it. "I saw the schematics," she muttered. "Something that could... bend time. But I never thought… He said something about a convergence! A point where timelines intersect. And that maybe... maybe we could change things. Fix things. But I didn't understand..."
"Shut up," Vi interrupted, voice gentle yet firm. She pulled Powder back into a hug, holding her tight. "Just... shut up for a minute."
Powder collapsed into Vi, her rambling words dissolving. "Vi," she whispered, her voice trembling. "You're... you're dead. In my world. You died."
Vi stiffened, her body going still. "What?" she whispered, pulling back to look at Powder.
"You died," Powder repeated, quieter. "During the job. At Jayce's place. You... you didn't make it."
The blood drained from Vi's face. Powder watched Vi's eyes land on her necklace, and then her hair. The necklace Powder had taken from Vi before the Enforcers took her dead body away. The streak of crimson in her sea of cobalt hair that Powder had dyed in remembrance.
Powder, tears streaming down her face, tried to continue. "I saw it. I saw you..." Her voice trailed off, the memory of Vi's broken body beneath the rubble, the cold finality of death, too painful to revisit.
Vi's expression crumpled. She reached out, her hands trembling as she cupped Powder's face, her thumbs gently wiping away the tears. "No," she whispered, "No, that's not..."
She pulled Powder closer than ever before. Powder was shaking now, the only thing keeping her anchored to this reality the beat of Vi's heart
A heavy silence fell between them, broken only by the soft sounds of their shared grief. Then, Powder's voice, small and filled with dread, broke the silence.
"Vi," she whispered, her voice trembling, "I'm not alive here, am I?"
Another silence stretched between them, heavy and suffocating. Vi's voice, when she finally spoke, was barely a thought, filled with a sorrow that mirrored Powder's own.
"No."