Arcane: Red Sands

--------5 years ago, Zaun.-------------

In the heart of Zaun's undercity, the Last Drop pulsed with life. The music was deafening, a chaotic mix of bass, distortion, and synthetic melodies that made the walls tremble. The main floor was packed—gangsters, chem-barons, and mercenaries crowded the tables, their voices shouting over the noise as they exchanged drinks, deals, and threats.

But above the chaos, in a hidden workshop nestled deep within the structure, the air was quieter, charged with a different kind of energy.

Jinx sat at her workbench, her pale blue braids trailing over her shoulders as she tinkered with a half-assembled grenade. Her tools clinked rhythmically against the metal casing, the repetitive motion grounding her restless mind. Around her, the walls were a chaotic collage of blueprints, sketches, and graffiti—wild, swirling patterns interspersed with jagged letters and crudely drawn faces.

"Just a little more…" she muttered, tightening a screw with surgical precision. A spark flashed as she connected the final wire, and her eyes lit up. She held the device up to the light, grinning wide.

"Boom, baby," she whispered.

But as the light reflected off the polished surface of the grenade, her grin faded. In its distorted reflection, she saw herself—not the grinning, confident Jinx she tried to be, but a shadow of the girl she used to be. Powder.

A memory crept in, uninvited: Vi's voice, warm and teasing. "You're gonna blow us all up one day, Powder."

Her chest tightened, and her grip on the grenade faltered.

A knock at the door broke her spiral. She turned as Silco entered, his calm, deliberate footsteps filling the quiet space. He surveyed the workshop, his sharp features illuminated by the soft glow of the overhead lamps.

"You're working late," he said, his tone almost fatherly.

Jinx spun in her chair, forcing a grin. "Greatness doesn't clock out, boss. Check this out." She tossed the grenade to him without warning.

Silco caught it easily, his movements smooth. He turned it over in his hands, inspecting it with a critical eye. "Compact. Efficient. Devastating." He met her gaze, nodding. "It's perfect."

Her grin widened. "I know."

Silco set the grenade back on the workbench and crouched slightly, meeting her eye level. "You're special, Jinx. Your talent, your vision—it's something Zaun has never seen before. You're going to change everything."

Jinx blinked, caught off guard by the warmth in his voice. "You really mean that?"

"I wouldn't say it if I didn't," Silco replied. "You're not just a cog in the machine. You're the spark that keeps it running."

For a moment, she believed him.

--------------------------

High above the bustling main floor of the Last Drop, Ekko crouched silently in the rafters. The beams creaked slightly under his weight, but years of running the rooftops of Zaun had given him the balance of a shadow.

His eyes scanned the crowd below. Silco stood out even among the chaos—a figure of authority in a sea of opportunists. But it wasn't Silco who held Ekko's attention tonight.

He received information, that silco's goon were getting bolder lately, something big was going to happen and he need to know what it was. But then the faint glow from an open door on the upper level, showed a figure hunched over a workbench.

He received information, that silco's goon were getting bolder lately, something big was going to happen and he need to know what it was.

At first, he didn't recognize her. The girl with blue braids, older now and with a manic energy in her movements, looked nothing like the Powder he had known. But then she turned slightly, and he saw her face.

His chest tightened. "Powder…"

Ekko waited for the opportune moment, slipping down from the rafters and making his way through the upper corridors. His heart raced—not with fear, but with something heavier.

When he reached the workshop door, he hesitated. What am I even going to say? But before he could second-guess himself, he pushed the door open.

The sound caught Jinx's attention. She spun in her chair, her wide eyes locking onto him.

"Ekko?" she said, her voice laced with confusion.

For a moment, they just stared at each other.

"You're alive," Ekko said, his voice thick with emotion.

Jinx tilted her head, a grin slowly spreading across her face. "Wow, you're observant. What gave it away? The breathing or the explosives?"

"Powder…" Ekko stepped forward, his grip tightening on his staff. "What are you doing here?"

Her grin faltered, her eyes narrowing. "It's Jinx now. And I could ask you the same thing."

Ekko lowered his Wrench slightly, his voice softening. "I came for answers. Silco's up to something big, and I need to know what it is. But… seeing you here…"

Jinx rolled her eyes, spinning lazily in her chair. "Let me guess. You think I'm being held prisoner, right? Forced to build big, scary weapons for the big, scary crime boss?" She stopped spinning, her eyes blazing. "Newsflash, Ekko: I'm not a prisoner. I'm a partner."

"No," Ekko said firmly. "This isn't you, Powder. This isn't who you are."

Jinx slammed her hands on the workbench, standing abruptly. "You don't know who I am!"

"I do!" Ekko shot back. "I knew you before all this. Before Silco, before the bombs, before… everything. I knew the real you. The Powder who built gadgets that didn't hurt anyone. The Powder who laughed and played and dreamed with us."

Her voice dropped to a deadly whisper. "And look where that Powder got us. Mylo's dead. Claggor's dead. Vi's gone. And it's all her fault."

"No," Ekko said, stepping closer. "It's not your fault."

"Isn't it?" Jinx snapped, her voice cracking. "They're gone because of me. Because I was weak. But Silco sees me. He knows what I can do. He made me strong."

"You were always strong," Ekko said. "You didn't need Silco to fix you."

Jinx hesitated, her hands trembling slightly as she reached for a nearby grenade.

"Come with me," Ekko said, his voice softer now. "We can go back. To the Lanes. To home."

"There is no home," Jinx whispered.

"There is," Ekko insisted. "We can rebuild it. Together."

For a moment, her resolve seemed to falter. Her fingers brushed against the grenade but didn't pick it up. Her eyes darted to the doorway, then back to Ekko.

"Powder, please," Ekko said. "Let me help you."

But the moment passed. Her hand tightened around the grenade, and her eyes hardened.

"I don't need your help," she said, her voice cold.

"Powder—"

"It's Jinx!" she screamed, throwing the grenade.

Ekko dove to the side as it exploded, the shockwave rattling the workshop. When the smoke cleared, Jinx was gone.

Ekko stumbled out of the wreckage, his heart pounding as he looked around. The room was empty now, the echoes of the explosion fading into silence.

"What the fuck is going on..," he whispered to himself."I need to get out of here, fast!"

But as he turned and slipped back into the shadows of the Last Drop, doubt gnawed at him.

And deep in the twisting alleys of Zaun, Jinx Ran alone, her fists clenched and her mind a whirlwind of anger, guilt, and something she couldn't quite name.

"Powder's gone," she told herself. "I'm Jinx now."

But the words felt hollow.