Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Time does not exist in the void.

There is only emptiness and rage.

Voices call to her, whispering like the wind. Hisses behind bloodied lips, unnatural words creeping up from behind the nation of undead souls, crawling like hellspawn from beyond their crumbling graves.

She is lost. She is found.

She is eternal.

Two glowing purple eyes glare at her from the darkness, the acrid scent of death hanging in the air as she watches the monster loom closer. Her eyes widen as she watches it come into view, the ever-imposing beast drooling and gnawing at the empty space between them with anticipation. She shivers under its’ shadow as it looms over her,  imposing as it takes up the entirety of the void with its’ sheer size.

From behind the monster approaches a tall, muscled warrior, her eyes hardened steel as she places her hand into the fur of the beast. Flames lick up from around them, bathing the eternal void into fire and ash.

“Go,” the figure hisses in the beast’s ear, “wreak havoc, Dreadwolf.”

The beast howls, a earth-shattering sound as she curls into herself, watching as the demon springs loose from the confines of this damnation, bursting free from the seams of this temporary plane of existence as it launches past the flames and into the great beyond. She can only watch as she’s powerless to it’s rampant destruction and ire-filled rage.

“You cannot escape this.”

She turns to the figure, who stares back at her with eyes of hardened steel.

“This is your fate,” the figure says as they gesture to the Dreadwolf clawing through the flashing picture of the town. “You cannot subvert destiny, young alpha. You must fulfill the prophecy. There is only death.”

She looks back at the figure with wide, fearful eyes as it looms over her, lips curled in a grin.

“Welcome,” the figure coldy sneers, “to the end of the world.”

* * *

“Now is not the time to be looking for your makeup, Princess. We need to find my sister.”

Caitlyn ignores the jab from Jinx as she continues to rummage through her drawer for the vial. Her mind is still thrown for a loop given the events of the past few days. Between mating Vi, finding out she’s pregnant, and now trying to stop her mate from destroying Piltover, she’s struggling to hold it together. She hears the other omega growl behind her, clearly itching to get going. As if to agree, the screams of both the Undercity and Piltover at war still rages on outside the massive glass windows. Caitlyn looks over shoulder out the window where Warwick in his massive form looms closer, growling and snarling.

If they’re going to stop him, they’re going to need Vi.

A part of Caitlyn dreads having to do this. She wants nothing more than to cure Vi and then take her far away, to allow her a moment of peace that she’s never had. She wants to curl the alpha into her embrace, to hide away and deliver her pup in the safety of their nest, and for them to live as a family without having to face reality.

But that reality won’t come until they stop Warwick and save their cities.

Caitlyn growls as tears well in her eyes, shaking away the images of a beastial Vi from her mind. There was something so terrifying about the listlessness of her gaze, of the monstrous demeanor and sharp teeth. She tore Sevika apart like she was paper thin, and ripped through the Chemtanks with furious vengeance.

Then, her fingers clasp around the vial.

Caitlyn closes her eyes as she realizes what this means. She recalls her conversation with the Apothecary down in the fissures from a month and a half ago, of the fear in her eyes as she proclaimed her warning.

You must—under no circumstances—ever let that girl taste a drop of Shimmer.

Caitlyn squeezes the vial around her fingertips as she sucks in a deep breath.

A fatal venom. 

“No,” Caitlyn whispers as she feels her stomach plummet the tighter she holds the vial. “Vi…”

If Vi ever ingests even a drop of Shimmer, you must dole it to her. 

It will be the only thing that will stop her from reigning destruction upon the world. 

We do what we must to survive, her mother had once told her, no matter the cost.

Except, Caitlyn won’t accept that. 

Vi won’t die. She’s sure of it.

“Princess?”

Caitlyn turns at the sound of Jinx’s voice and she swallows down her anguish to look at the confused omega. She grits her teeth, fighting through the pain. She retrieves the vial and stares back at Jinx. The younger omega looks up at her, the scars on her face fading, before she glances down to the receptacle.

And then, her eyes widen.

“No,” Jinx growls as she raises her minigun defiantly. “You’re not killing her.”

“I’m not,” Caitlyn seethes back as she steps into Jinx’s gun without fear. “I have a plan, Jinx.”

Jinx shakes her head, pointing to the vial. “That will destroy her—”

“I can bring her back.” Caitlyn says, shaking her head stubbornly. “I know I can.”

“Yeah? What makes you so sure?” Jinx growls with a crack in her voice. She has tears in her eyes as she shakes her head at the older omega, her scent distressed. Caitlyn takes a deep breath, knowing that arguing with Jinx right now is not the way to approach this situation. She has to be mindful and calm.

“I found her,” Caitlyn says softly, “my omega.”

Jinx snorts, still apprehensive. “Good for you, toots, but that’s not gonna do shit.”

Caitlyn thinks of the power she wielded when she thought she’d lost Vi. She thinks about the visions she saw when her implant was removed, when Vi came to her as Vixtrana and she ascended to Caoimhe. 

“I know you have no reason to, but I need you to trust me now,” Caitlyn says, thinking about how the situation has flipped since their encounter with the Hextech stone back at Ekko’s tree. Jinx’s grip on her minigun falters as Caitlyn looks at her pleadingly. “I trusted you, Jinx. I still do. I ask you to trust me.”

Another rumble tears through the ground and both Jinx and Caitlyn look up to see Warwick causing major destruction near the bridge. His claws scrape through buildings, tearing out thousands of screaming people. Caitlyn gulps in anxiety as she knows that the Enforcers her mother had sent will not be able to do much to stall the lumbering monster. She glances back down to the pained expression of Jinx and whines.

“Jinx,” she says desperately, “please. We cannot wait another moment.”

It takes a few minutes before Jinx eventually softens, lowering her gun.

“What’s your plan?”

“First we have to get to Vi,” Caitlyn says quickly, pocketing the vial as she retrieves her small hunting knife from her drawer and sliding it onto the belt of her armor. “Then we go after Warwick. Together.”

“You’re sure you can save her?” Jinx asks, her voice soft. “You’re absolutely sure?”

“Yes,” Caitlyn growls impatiently, her gaze flickering back outside. “Jinx, we don’t have time—”

“Vi deserves an honorable death,” Jinx says suddenly, the mood in the room shifting to something more solemn as she looks back up with a saddened expression. “If she doesn’t come back, she doesn’t deserve to be… that. You and I both know that she wouldn’t want that for herself. If you can’t save her—”

“I know,” Caitlyn says bitterly, tears in her eyes. “I know what needs to be done.”

“But will you be able to do it?” Jinx asks, voice raspy with emotion. “Can you kill her if it came down to it?”

Caitlyn can see the unheard statement in her devastated expression. She knows what the omega can't say based on her tortured expression.

Because I won’t be able to.

“That’s a question for a later time,” Caitlyn says, dismissing the anxiety building in her chest at the idea of having to kill her mate if worst came to worst. Jinx stares at her with anger, but even she relents eventually. Caitlyn takes another deep breath before she looks over to Grayson’s old hunting rifle.

Who are you shooting for?

Caitlyn grabs the rifle and holds it in her arms and clenches her jaw as she lets the emotion of the moment fall over her. She squeezes the fine wood detailing before she looks up at the framed picture of her mentor. She remembers her mother’s story about Cillian, of what Grayson did to save their son.

Sliding the rifle over her shoulder, she turns back to Jinx and nods determinedly.

“Let’s go.”

* * *

A fire rages inside of her like an inferno. 

There’s no fighting this feeling as she writhes under the shadow of the figure, glaring up at it them with angry, hate-filled eyes. The figure simply stares down at her, a blank expression on their scarred face.

Then, she finally spits out, “who are you?”

The figure chuckles as it stares down at her, flashing their fangs.

“You know who I am, young alpha. The question is who are you?”

“Vi,” she croaks miserably, “I’m Vi—”

“That is your given name, yes. But who are you?”

Vi splutters, shaking her head as she says, “I-I don’t understand—”

“Or perhaps,” the figure drawls salaciously, “What are you?”

The figure gestures behind her and Vi turns to see the blurry face of Caitlyn staring back at her. The omega is holding her hands out pleading desperately for her to stop, to come back. Vi scrambles to her feet as she feels herself getting pulled back by the tendrils of the void, preventing her from reaching Caitlyn. She watches in horror as the Dreadwolf turns, eyes glaring down at Caitlyn and fangs descended. 

“No!” Vi screams uselessly, her voice muffled by the fire and flames around them. “Cait—”

“Stop avoiding this,” the figure snarls, one of it’s hands clawing into her back and pulling her away, “this is your fate—”

Vi snarls, curling on the figure as she claws at the tar holding her down. “Fuck you and your fate, that’s my mate! My pup, my family!”

The figure shakes their head and scoffs, eyes darkening with anger.

“What would you know of family?” The figure asks. “What do you know of pain, alpha?”

Then, it strikes Vi like a bullet to the chest.

The figure, the same figure from her nightmares, they’re both the same.

“You’re her,” Vi breathes out as she slumps against the tendrils, “you’re King Vixtrana.”

King Vixtrana only smirks, showcasing her yellowed, cracked teeth. Her eyes are purple, driven mad by the power of Shimmer coursing through her veins. Vi shakes her head as she forces herself to look at the Dreadwolf again. She looks down at her hands before she growls, clawing her way through the sticky tendrils of black tar holding her to this realm as she finally reaches out, placing her hands in the fur of the beast. The Dreadwolf snarls and cocks its’ head in her direction but Vi uses her strength to shake her head and pull its’ attention away from her mate and her family. She doesn’t have long, she knows, because her power wanes as King Vixtrana’s hands claw at her back once more, tearing her away.

The only thing Vi can summon of the beast is to run.

* * *

“I can’t believe you decided to get pregnant now,” Jinx mutters as Caitlyn leads her down the long hallways of the Kiramman Mansion. They’d just past the armoury,. grabbing extra armor for Jinx and some more bullets on the way out. “Of all the times for Vi to knock you up, of course she chooses right before a damn apocalypse to do it. Excellent fucking timing, if you ask me. Dumb knotbrain alpha.” 

Caitlyn grumbles, blushing as her hand finds her stomach. “Not like we could control it—”

“Really?” Jinx snorts, chuckling. “I’m younger than both of you and I know how to use a condom at least. I’ve never had any trouble keeping away from pregnancy, and somehow she got you in on the first go.”

“Can we please talk about something else,” Caitlyn groans, blushing deeper as she thinks about the conception of their pup. If she’s right, it likely happened when her implant was removed. “Anything else.”

There’s a lapse in their conversation as they make their way through the large estate corridors towards the back entrance. She can smell something different on Jinx now as the omega inches closer slightly, almost protectively. Previously, Caitlyn would have balked at the idea of Jinx of all people wanting to stand at her side protectively. In fact, this whole situation is absurd; never would she have imagined teaming up with Jinx to save Vi. However, as she looks over at the pensive omega, she knows that Vi would be proud of their rebuilding relationship. Jinx brushes against her side as she eyes her belly, even though it's flat and she's hardly showing. Caitlyn can't help but reach out and graze her shoulder with her hand before squeezing gently. 

Jinx pauses and looks back up at her, her brow furrowed in confusion. “You seriously didn’t know?”

“No!” Caitlyn hisses as she blushes again, removing her hand. “I just… I’ve never been pregnant before and think about how much is going on right now! I just saw that Vi was a little off, but I figured it was a big transition—”

Jinx sighs and takes on a dramatic tone, waving her fingers in a crude gesture. “She knew the moment her seed took—”

Caitlyn grimaces as she interrupts with a disgusted, “ew—”

“Oh shut up,” Jinx grumbles back with a smirk which has Caitlyn blushing an even deeper red, “you’re living up to your stick-up-the-ass Piltie stereotype, ya know? You and my sister boned, I was there, remember?”

Caitlyn rolls her eyes as she huffs, though she is grateful for some relief of tension. "Do you have to be so tawdry about it?"

“Well,” Jinx sighs as she looks down at her scuffed boots. “I suppose I can’t blame you considering it’s only been a few days. Besides, Vi was—is always more perceptive with that kind of stuff.” Caitlyn hears her stumble over the words, as if she’s bashful. In that moment, she’s reminded of how young Jinx truly is. She's not an adult biologically, but she knows the young woman had to grow up far too quick. Before they can move any further, Caitlyn can’t help it. Her hand places itself upon Jinx’s shoulder.

On any other given day, she knows Jinx would’ve tensed. But today, she almost relaxes at the soft touch.

“We’ll bring her back,” Caitlyn tells her, causing them both to stop and look at each other. “We will.”

“I hope so,” Jinx says softly, appearing unconvinced, however. “But there’s a chance—”

“No,” Caitlyn growls, possessive yet affectionate. “We will not go down that path, Jinx.”

The two of them stare at each other in a stalemate before Jinx eventually rolls her eyes and asks,

“Have you thought of a name?”

Caitlyn feels something flip in her heart at the mention of her pup. Her hand automatically goes to her belly. She rubs over the thick hide of her armor, her palm splaying out flatly over the surface of her stomach. “Given that I only found out today, no.” She says the words sadly, thinking once more of Vi. “I am sure that Vi would come up with something creative. She always has a fond way with her names.”

“Yeah, that’s accurate,” Jinx says, chuckling lightly. “Cupcake, right?”

Caitlyn smiles nostalgically. “Yeah…”

Oh, what she’d give to be called Cupcake by Vi right now.

“She used to call me Pow-Pow,” Jinx says softly as they continue striding through the corridors at a quick pace. “Everyone else, Mylo especially, they used to call me a jinx, because I’d always mess it up. Vi used to get mad at him for it. Told him that no matter what I do, I could never be a jinx. That I’m smart. Worthy.” Caitlyn’s heart pinches when Jinx’s voice cracks on the last word. She sees the omega gulp sadly, hanging her head as she looks away. There’s a moment of pause before she clears her throat.

“Anyways, the day Vander died—when I killed him,” Jinx corrects, her tone taking on more of a self-deprecating flavor now, “Vi called me a jinx. I know now that she didn’t mean it, but back then, she was so angry, so hurt and upset, that I thought that I had lost her. And then she ran away from me…”

Jinx trails off, her head hanging low as she swallows thickly. “Then, she was gone for ten years.”

Caitlyn pauses in her walking, unable to stop the urge of holding out her hand and placing it on Jinx’s shoulder. She gives the sinewy flesh underneath a gentle squeeze as she says, “that wasn’t your fault.”

“It was,” Jinx says with a helpless shrug, teary-eyed. “I killed our family because I was so desperate to prove something—I just wanted to be wanted, y’know? Everyone had a role. But I was nothing to them. When I became Jinx—when Silco said to let Powder fall down into that well, I thought I finally lost what held me back. I thought that I finally became worth something—that I’d be something Vi’d be proud of.”

Jinx snorts and growls as she glares ahead with red-rimmed eyes.

“Instead, I became a monster,” she says coldly, “a murdering, heartless, monster. I killed him like I killed Vander. I should feel something, shouldn’t I? But all I feel is empty, Princess. So yeah, I’m a monster.”

“That’s not true,” Caitlyn says as she looks over at Jinx fiercely, feeling a wave of protection course through her. Despite the burnt bridges between them, she knows that Jinx is far from a monster, but instead a broken down teenager with trauma.

Jinx was a child that was forced to grow up under the thumb of a narcissistic, abusive maniac. She was a tool to Silco, not his daughter, no matter how much the alpha proclaimed paternal love or affection. She was trapped, in her own way, much like Vi—tortured not physically, but in her mind by her past actions.

Emotional, Caitlyn squeezes Jinx’s shoulder again before she pulls the omega into a hug.

“It should have been me,” Jinx croaks as she starts to cry into her chest, “Vi never deserved this. She only ever cared about protecting me and I let her down. I couldn’t do what was needed to be done. I couldn’t find her like she told me to. I couldn’t fix it, Caitlyn, I jinxed it, like I jinx everything in our lives.”

Caitlyn shakes her head and growls protectively, holding the younger omega closer to her. She presses her lips into her hair, breathing in her scent and purring soothingly. Jinx continues to sob, her fingers clawing into Caitlyn’s armor as she drags herself closer to the older woman. It only strikes Caitlyn then that Jinx used her real name instead of Princess or Toots. She feels tears well in her eyes as she thinks of her progress. While Jinx still isn’t anywhere close to healing, she’s glad that she isn’t alone in her fight.

No matter what happens to Vi, Caitlyn decides she will never let Jinx be alone again.

“You tried to help,” Caitlyn says with a hardened, steely voice. She pulls Jinx back and reaches down to thumb over her tears, waiting for those broken blue eyes to stare up at her. “You were trying to be a good sister and it went wrong. It wasn’t your fault, Jinx. You didn’t mean for them to die. You didn’t mean for Vi to get captured. You didn’t want any of this to happen. You wanted to help them. You aren’t a monster.” Jinx sniffles and shakes her head in anger, bitterness wafting off her distressed scent in waves.

“You don’t know what I’ve done—”

“He made you do those things,” Caitlyn says sternly, “Jinx, he forced you to kill those people.”

“No, he didn’t!”

Caitlyn’s jaw snaps shut as Jinx stares up at her, tears running down her cheeks as she growls, “Progress Day was my idea! I wanted to prove to him that I could make a statement so I rigged it to blow. I did it!”

Unable to reply out of shock, Caitlyn simply stands there and takes the information in with a soft gasp. Jinx shakes her head and pries herself out of Caitlyn’s grasp before her head cocks to the side and she starts muttering. The older omega watches as those hands come up and claw at her head violently.

“Stop,” Jinx snarls as she curls into herself, “shut up, shut up, I’m trying—”

“Jinx—”

“I didn’t mean it,” Jinx whines as she slams her eyes shut, “I swear I didn’t mean it, please stop—”

“Jinx!” Caitlyn snarls as she gently grabs at Jinx once more. The omega flinches at her touch and reels back with a frightened whimper as she’s touched and Caitlyn winces. She softens her grip immediately, her thumbs running gentle lines over those lithe, tattooed arms. She lowers her voice as she whispers, “come back to me, Jinx. They’re not real. You don’t need to let them haunt you any longer, okay?”

“I c-can’t,” Jinx whimpers as she shakes her head, “they never leave…”

The omega mumbles under her breath, trembling beneath Caitlyn’s gentle hold. Caitlyn gives her a soft shake, drawing that terrified gaze back up to her. Caitlyn takes a deep breath and says, “I know you’re overwhelmed. I know this is a lot, Jinx. If you can’t handle it, you can stay here, where it’ll be safe—”

“Nowhere is ever safe,” Jinx echoes as her eyes fog over, “nowhere is ever safe…”

“Jinx,” Caitlyn says, drawing the teenager’s stare once more, “listen to me. I know you don’t trust Piltover and my people, but I can keep you safe here. My father can look after you while I go to save Vi. She can’t be alone for much longer. You’ve been through a lot. I can’t ask you to do this with me.”

Suddenly, Jinx’s head snaps to the side and her expression shifts from fear to understanding. Caitlyn holds her tongue, wanting to give the teenager a moment to process whatever hallucination she’s seeing. It takes a few precious seconds before Jinx gives an imperceptible nod in the direction of her shadows. Then, she turns back to face Caitlyn with a determined stare, her lips forming a tight line as she stiffens in her grip.

“I’m coming,” she says as she swallows down her fear, “it’s my turn to save Vi.”

Caitlyn almost considers overriding her decision, but she sees that familiar recognition in Jinx’s gaze. There’s more at stake here for Vi’s sister than simply retrieving her sister. Saving Vi means more than just getting her sister back; it means redemption. It means starting over and atoning for her past mistakes.

“We’re in this together,” Jinx says hoarsely, giving Caitlyn a soft smile. “Right, Princess?”

Caitlyn can’t help but return her smile with a watery grunt, nodding down at the young omega.

She reaches out her hand and Jinx clasps it, squeezing hard.

“For Vi?” Caitlyn breathes out. Jinx nods determinedly.

“For Vi.”

Before Caitlyn can reply, the sound of thundering footsteps interrupts them. Caitlyn acts immediately, pulling Jinx behind her. She draws her rifle and aims at the figure emerging from the shadows quickly.

“Master Kiramman!”

“Oh for fuck’s sake,” Caitlyn mutters, and she hears Jinx laugh at the comical way her shoulders droop when it’s clear there’s no threat. Caitlyn pockets her rifle as she sees Henry jogging down the hall.

“Master Kiramman,” the butler huffs, out of breath, “you have a visitor.”

Caitlyn rolls her eyes. “I’m leaving, Henry, I don’t have time for visitors—”

“He insisted—”

“Then tell him to un-insist—”

“Master Kiramman, I really—”

“Henry,” Caitlyn says firmly, “I’m leaving. Tell him that there are more pressing matters. Is he unaware that there is a literal twenty-foot tall wolf-hybrid tearing down the city or is he plain obtuse?”

“Hey now, I thought we were past the insults, Piltie.”

Jinx and Caitlyn both freeze as Henry moves out of the line of sight to reveal their guest.

“Ekko?” Caitlyn rasps, tears welling in her eyes. “What are you doing here?”

“Oh y’know, passing through,” Ekko says nonchalantly, before he sniffs and his eyes widen.

“Holy shit, you’re pregnant?!”

Caitlyn rolls her eyes and throws her hands up in frustration. “How the fuck did you know?!”

Before Ekko can reply, Jinx’s soft voice interrupts as she says. “Ekko, the kids—”

“Are safe,” Ekko finishes gently, his eyes falling upon Jinx in gratitude. “I’m here to help.”

Caitlyn watches as the younger omega softens, sliding out from behind her to stand in front of her. Ekko’s gaze finds Jinx’s own and the two teenagers take a moment to take each other in. Caitlyn steps back and looks away, sensing a moment between them. She idly fiddles with her rifle, though she watches through her peripheral vision, watching as Ekko takes a nervous step forward, his hands awkwardly reaching out.

“I—”

“You’re—”

Ekko and Jinx both talk at the same time, blushing when they interrupt each other. Ekko rubs the back of his head and makes a gesture to Jinx, nodding at her to go first. Caitlyn watches curiously as Jinx’s gaze softens in a nostalgic way. She remembers the stories Vi used to tell of Ekko and Jinx’s relationship, of how the two had always been inseparable. She’d seen how much love Ekko had used upon drawing Powder in the mural, and it was clear from his scent during her time at his tree that he loved her.

Or perhaps, as she takes a subtle sniff now, loves her.

“I didn’t think we’d meet again,” Jinx whispers as she swallows thickly. “Ekko… I’m so sorry.”

The raw emotion in Jinx’s voice pulls at Caitlyn’s heart and she thinks of Vi. She looks at the young omega and sees the similarities between her and her sibling. Ekko can only smile and hang his head.

“I am too,” he whispers softly, “for leaving you behind. For not coming back.”

Jinx reaches out and Caitlyn’s heart softens at the tender way the young omega’s trembling hand grazes his cheek. Caitlyn knows there’s not much time left for them to waste—that they need to find Vi—but she won’t interrupt this moment. She knows what it feels like, to be so in love and so scared of losing it all. Ekko seems to get it as he leans into her touch, smiling sadly as tears well in his dark brown eyes. 

“I missed you,” Jinx says softly, giving his shoulder a teasing punch. “Boy Savior.”

Before Ekko can reply, however, another terrifying roar splits through the air. Caitlyn hears Henry gasp and stumble against the wall in fear and she gives him a reassuring nod, nonverbally telling him to go. The butler squeaks out a thanks as he bounds off, no doubt heading for the underground shelter. She turns her attention back to Jinx and Ekko who are now staring back at Caitlyn with a determined expression.

“We have to move quickly if we are going to get to her,” Ekko says as he reaches for the hoverboard on his back. He pulls out two devices and throws them ahead, and Jinx watches as they expand into boards.

“How?” Jinx asks, bewildered. “You managed to channel the technology to make a portable version?”

Ekko shrugs, a sly smile pulling at his lips. “Someone once told me that they’re a lot to lug around.”

Caitlyn catches the device and squawks awkwardly when it expands in to a board. She looks back at Jinx, scenting the warmth in her scent as the younger omega looks at the beta with a renewed sense of kinship. Clearly something had happened between them after the explosion on the bridge, but there’s no time now for Caitlyn to be curious about it as she inspects the board with a worried expression. She looks at Ekko. 

“That’s great and all,” she says, “but I don’t have the slightest clue how to ride it.”

Caitlyn’s confused voice brings a smile to Jinx’s lips. The young omega chuckles and rolls her eyes, grabbing at the board before clipping her boots in place. The metal starts to levitate and hum, and Caitlyn can see genuine excitement rush through her. Jinx then looks to Ekko in awe, and the boy shrugs again, trying to appear nonchalant and unaffected, even as he starts blushing at her response. Caitlyn rolls her eyes as she looks between the two lovestruck teens, subtly wondering if this is what Ekko felt when she and Vi were inseparable back at his tree. She watches as Jinx takes a few experimental circles around them before her legs adjust to the board’s calibration. She then turns to Caitlyn, nodding at the board and smirking as she flies in lazy circles around the older omega, her arms crossed and her gaze nostalgic.

“It’s like trash-surfing,” she offers nonchalantly. “We used to do it all the time in the Lanes.”

Suddenly, Caitlyn is reminded of Vi and her first time lane-running.

My sister could do that when she was seven.

Caitlyn guffaws, glaring down at the hoverboard in disgust. “Trash—what?”

“Just put your boots in,” Ekko says before Jinx can likely quip out a remark about being privileged again. “The board is calibrated to your weight and height. You just have to hold yourself out like you're balancing on a tightrope. I know Vi has taken you lane-running, and you’re not half bad at it. The board requires similar muscles and movements. Just picture where you want to go and aim in that direction.”

She’s sure that despite the gravity of their situation, it’s probably comical to both Ekko and Jinx how Caitlyn struggles like a newborn deer on the hoverboard. She sways and swears in a huff, glaring at them.

“I’m fucking pregnant,” Caitlyn growls as she wobbles on the board. “This can't possibly be safe!”

“And tracking down my sister-turned-werewolf and saving the world isn’t, either. But you’re doing it,” Jinx says with a shrug, reaching out to hold Caitlyn’s hip and steady it with a gentleness Caitlyn never knew her capable of. “If you’re gonna be a part of this family, you gotta accept our traditions, got it?”

Caitlyn looks over at the soft, accepting look in Jinx’s eyes and suddenly she feels a new wave of determination wash over her. It takes a few tries—and some assistance from Ekko and Jinx—before she finally gets the swing of using the board. She’s still jittery and hesitant, but for now, it will have to do.

“Right,” Caitlyn says as she steadies again, “shall we?”

Ekko looks at her and then Jinx, before he nods.

“Let’s go hunting.”

* * *

“What do you want from me?”

“I want nothing,” King Vixtrana says as they follow the path of the Dreadwolf through the city. “My time in this realm has long-since passed, young alpha. The decisions I made, I made for the greater good.”

“You killed your children,” Vi snarls as she struggles against her binds once more. “You blew up the world.” King Vixtrana hangs her head as she looks over at Vi with a solemn, far-away expression.

“Tell me, young alpha, what are you willing to do to save this world?”

Vi suddenly remembers the words from her dream, her blood running cold.

What are you willing to give up?

Images of her family crash through her mind.

Jinx, Ekko, Caitlyn…

Her pup.

“Could you do what we had to?” King Vixtrana asks in a low echo. “Or will the cycle repeat itself?”

Vi watches as the Dreadwolf carves through the city, bypassing Warwick’s mountainous form. While it’s her body, she is detached from her mind as she watches it continue towards its’ destination. Vi doesn’t need to ask where it is going, because she knows. And she knows, because she wants to go there.

This is the beginning of the end, after all.

* * *

Flight is beautiful, Caitlyn decides.

Something about the wind whipping through her hair calms the nerves threatening to take over her mind. She’s free, and she gets why Ekko made the devices. Free-running and parkour was always up Vi’s alley, but it wasn’t always a transferable skill. Caitlyn barely became accustomed to it over the few days she had to do it, but she was no expert by any means. Vi had decades of experience, despite her imprisonment. 

Caitlyn doesn’t know if she’ll ever get used to lane-running, to be honest.

But flying?

Flying is a different story.

Caitlyn is like a baby bird in the back, awkwardly squawking every time she loses and regains her balance. She’s at least grateful that she isn’t more than a few weeks pregnant, else this would be a different experience entirely. But it’s liberating, she thinks as she swerves over the city-tops with Ekko and Jinx at her side—it’s freeing in a way she’s never really been free before. She looks over to the the teenagers, watching as they make small talk and weave in and out of each other’s flight path. She can see the lines of Ekko’s shoulders, puffed up and regal in a way that makes him look powerful and like a leader.

It makes her smile sadly. At least a piece of Vi lived on in him.

“Babette and the Chembarons found a truce,” Ekko says, blinking Caitlyn from her thoughts. “They were trying to dismantle Silco’s forces when Warwick emerged from the depths. He tore through the fissures.”

Caitlyn winces as she thinks of Vi’s home, of all the people stuck down there.

“We can’t save the dead,” Ekko says in a steady tone, reminding her once more of Vi. She looks at him and then to the sad gaze of Jinx. The three of them hover above the dust and destruction of the Lanes. “Babette’s forces are heading to distract Warwick alongside the older Firelights. This is it, Topsider. This is the war that our people have foretold for years. This is the prophecy so many have spoken of—come to light.” Caitlyn looks over the destruction and debris to the path Warwick had left in his wake. The towering werewolf is not too far in the distance, swatting at the green lights of the Firelights angrily. 

“They won’t last long,” Jinx says, “we need to help them.”

“And we will,” Ekko says as he procures his pocket watch, giving Caitlyn a knowing glance.

“But first, we need Vi.”

* * *

Vi shouldn’t be surprised that she’s here, but even as she stands before the mountainous doors, her body still tenses. Behind her, King Vixtrana stands tall, placing a weathered hand upon her shoulder.

The Dreadwolf growls and Vi reaches out, tugging her hand through it’s fur.

“Are you ready?” King Vixtrana asks. “To face your past and become what you are destined to be?”

Vi swallows and freezes, glaring in the direction of the concrete doors.

King Vixtrana smirks and beckons towards the sight with a smooth wave of her hand.

“Then away we go.”

* * *

“You’re absolutely sure she went this way?”

They’ve flown over most of the Lanes now, but as they approach the daunting concrete building in front of them, a pit forms in the base of Caitlyn’s stomach. She sees the trail of destruction of broken roof tiles and the unsteadiness of the water around the base of the bridge. Upon closer inspection—footprints in the sand. She looks over her shoulder to Jinx, who is staring at the building in front of them in horror.

“What is this place?” Ekko asks as they hover to a stop above the shore. “It looks terrifying.”

Caitlyn doesn’t respond, as her gaze is glued to Jinx, who stares at the building with tears in her eyes.

“It’s Stillwater,” Jinx breathes out as she looks back at Caitlyn in fear. “Isn’t it?”

Memories of her first visit here causes Caitlyn to pause. She brings her hoverboard to the ground and steps off it, her booted feet sliding softly into the sand. She hears the crashing waves behind her and the smell of the salt from the sea. She closes her eyes as she tunes out the screaming and explosions in the distance. In her mind, she sees Vi, fresh out of prison, holding onto the bloodied clothes from her youth.

Burn it.

Caitlyn opens her eyes as she blinks back tears, unable to push down the raw emotion from the memory. It had only been a month ago that Vi had been stored deep in the pits of prison, with no hope of ever seeing light again. And now, she has come back, in some shape and form, to the place where she held captive.

But why?

You know why, she hears the Warden’s raspy chuckle, because she’ll always be mine.

Caitlyn growls, her scent powerfully cascading through the group in anger. Beside her, Jinx flinches and reels backwards while Ekko whimpers. She looks at them apologetically before tampering it down quickly. Jinx stumbles back to her feet and Ekko shakes his head to clear the pheromones from the air.

“Sorry,” she murmurs as she looks back at the prison, “this is… a lot.”

Caitlyn can’t help but turn green at the horrors of this place. She feels sick again, but then she hears a soft, broken purr. She looks beside her in surprise to see Jinx softly nuzzle her arm, her fingers reaching out to loosely tangle over hers, where she notices she has them in a tight fist. Caitlyn relaxes slightly under the gentle hold, tears springing to her eyes as she looks down at Jinx’s mournful expression of recognition.

In that moment, Caitlyn realizes Jinx knows this won’t be easy for either of them.

There’s a moment of silence before Caitlyn swallows thickly and stares back at the broken prison gates.

“Got a plan, Piltie?” Ekko asks, his voice uncharacteristically quiet and nervous. Caitlyn looks down at Jinx, who appears deep in thought. She squeezes her hand and Jinx looks up at her, teary-eyed and sad.

“We have to get her back to the factory,” Jinx says as she turns to look at Ekko. “Silco said that the failsafe to the collar around her neck was there. If I had to bet, it was the secret project he was working on when he thought I wasn’t paying attention.” Caitlyn looks down at her, brow arched in confusion.

“You know what it is—this failsafe?”

“Not exactly,” Jinx says with a frustrated huff, “I was too trusting of him to go look at it. I thought it was one of his Shimmer projects—y’know, like the Chemtanks. I didn’t think anything of it. I was dumb—”

“You didn’t know,” Caitlyn kindly corrects, squeezing her hand again. Jinx shrugs helplessly.

“If you saw the device, could you figure out how to use it?” Ekko asks, breaking the tense moment. Caitlyn looks over at him, seeing the worry dancing in his dark gaze. Jinx sucks in a deep breath.

“I can try,” Jinx says as she looks up to Caitlyn, “for Vi.”

Caitlyn nods approvingly, giving her hand another encouraging squeeze. The young omega’s head dips to the side and she tremors, but Caitlyn gives her hand a squeeze again, grounding her from the voices in her head. Jinx gives her a half-hearted, but still appreciative smile as she lets go of their hands and nods at Ekko. The young omega steps up to him and points over to the direction of the factory grimly.

“We have to lure her out of there,” Jinx says as she glances back at the prison. Ekko snorts roughly.

“And how do you think we do that?” Ekko asks, crossing his arms. “She’s not in that sort of mind.”

The three of them remain quiet, dumbfounded. They’d left with a plan, but Vi being at Stillwater complicates things. The Factory is on the other end of the city, and they’d have to be careful on getting her out of the risk of hurting any innocent bystanders. Not to mention, without Sevika controlling her collar, there was no way to really know if the shred of self-control Vi displayed in the vault was even still there. But with each second that passes, Vi loses herself to her feral side and Warwick wreaks havoc.

“I… I think I have a plan.”

Caitlyn looks over at a mournful-looking Jinx and watches as she reaches into the small satchel at her back. Ekko gasps softly when she retrieves a small, hastily stitched and worse-for-wear stuffed bunny.

“She used to say we all had bad days,” Jinx says with a soft shrug, fingering over the bunny’s lopsided ear. “But that we learn from them. And we stick together. No matter what, we always protect the family.”

Caitlyn watches as Jinx swallows before determinedly lifting her head, clutching the bunny tighter.

“I know what we have to do.”

* * *

When Vi sees him, all she feels is rage.

The Dreadwolf takes them all down, all those that wronged her, but it leaves him for last.

“W-What?” He says as he eyes the beast in fear. “N-No, don’t—”

Vi doesn’t give him a chance to finish as she extends her arm, power coursing through her veins. The Dreadwolf lets out a snarl and charges forward, fangs extended and muscles tensing violently.

Propriety matters no longer, she thinks as she feels King Vixtrana stand beside her.

Shimmer powers her like a drug. The older alpha places a hand on her shoulder and squeezes it reassuringly, imbuing her with power behind her corporeal form. Vi closes her eyes and drinks it in greedily, connecting herself to the mighty Dreadwolf.

And then, she opens them, at one with the beast itself.

“You said I’d be back,” Vi whispers, grinning at his petrified body, “long time no see, Warden.”

* * *

“You’re sure about this?"

Caitlyn looks over to where Jinx is standing in front of the two torn-open prison doors in fearful awe. They’d rehearsed their plan only a few moments ago, and while Caitlyn isn’t one-hundred percent onboard, she knows that this is their best shot at saving Vi. Her eyes follow the line of blood and dirt trailing inwards upon the sand, like a sick roadmap to the person they need the most. The open doors are swaying in the wind, beating against the cracked, concrete walls with a terrifying shattering noise. 

“I’m sure,” Jinx replies firmly, looking over her shoulder to Ekko. “You good, Boy Savior?”

Ekko swallows nervously and nods, clutching his board. “I’ll be up top. Good luck, Caitlyn.”

Caitlyn smiles and nods, giving his shoulder a squeeze. “Fly safe, Ekko.”

Ekko nods and pauses, before he nuzzles under her chin the way a littermate might. Caitlyn hums and purrs, nosing his hair in return. Ekko pulls away to look over at Jinx with a worried expression.

“Don’t go doing that now,” Jinx says with a croak, “you’ll make me cry, and that’ll just be ugly.”

“Jinx,” Ekko says in a rough voice, “I… if we don’t make it out of this, I want you to know—”

Before he can finish, Caitlyn watches as Jinx steps forward, placing her finger on his lips.

“Don’t,” she hears the omega whisper softly, “tell me when this is over, okay?”

Ekko’s eyes water but he nods. Before he can move, Jinx reaches out and wraps her long arms around his shoulders, drawing him in for a hug. Caitlyn looks away, giving them a moment once more. She hears Jinx’s staccato purr—so similar to her sister’s, just not as deep—and she smiles as she thinks of Vi. Eventually, Jinx pulls away, and Caitlyn turns her gaze back to watch her nuzzle his shoulder affectionately. The beta chuffs and presses his lips to her forehead, giving her arm a soft squeeze.

“Good luck,” he says as he lets go and steps away, glancing over to Caitlyn. “Both of you.”

Caitlyn nods and Jinx comes to stand beside her, folding her arms over her chest as she mimics the nod with one of her own. Ekko gives them both a resolute nod before he clips his boots on his hoverboard and jolts up into the sky. Caitlyn watches him fly off in the direction of the Factory, her heart sinking.

Now the real work begins.

* * *

Vi is as relentless as he was to her. 

She takes no mercy as she tears him limb from limb, biting into his flesh as he screams in fear.

It matters no longer.

No one will save him, just like no one saved her.

* * *

“So,” Jinx says as they walk through the prison doors. “This is where they kept her.”

To a large degree, Stillwater hasn’t changed much, Caitlyn remarks. It still reeks of desolation and death, and the interior is dark and lit by a faint red light. The air is stale and humid from the sea air wafting in.

The exception, however, is the amount of blood and gore staining the walls. 

All around them, mutilated bodies litter the floor. Some are ripped in two, others are entirely unrecognizable. Blood and guts litter the floor, alongside debris and rubble from the building. The Warden’s desk is smashed in two, and Caitlyn feels a strong sense of approval from it, despite everything. She sees a few scattered pieces of paper on the floor, and what’s written atop it catches her eye.

She can’t help it as she bends down to retrieve the bloodied parchment, her eyes widening in disbelief as she reads.

Inmate 516: Experiment Log #1 - Taser

Despite her size, subject was able to withstand three thousand volts before rendered unconscious. Regeneration of burnt dermis happened within sixty seconds. Subject revived and experiment continued until dermis was blackened and crisp. Subject repeatedly called for ‘Powder’ before succumbing to unconsciousness. Unlikely what substance ‘Powder’ refers to. Further research is warranted to identify the nature of this substance and it’s relevance. Regeneration then took one-hundred seconds. Damage is dose responsive. Councilman Hoskel demands testing of all weapons to be done immediately.

Inmate 516: Experiment Log #2 - Rubber Pellets

Ineffective. Despite the subject’s discomfort, no penetration of the dermis. Again, subject was recorded to be crying hysterically for ‘Powder’. Withdrawal symptoms of substance abuse are not consistent with known substances, such as Shimmer. Either way, rubber pullets are useless. Next time, use metal bullets.

Inmate 516: Experiment Log #3 - .50 Caliber Bullets

Extremely effective. Tore through dermis and ripped organs. Subject appeared to suffer, but regenerated quickly. The Enforcer firing squad lined up and each took shots until the subject was reduced to pulp and rendered unconscious. Regeneration occurred within seventy-five seconds. Firing squad repeated the experiment twelve times. Subject continually revived and regenerated with consistent timing. An extract of the dermis was obtained from the subject while conscious. Subject was observed to repeat her need for ‘Powder’. Withdrawal of this substance must be difficult, given it has been four years since her capture. No further information has been revealed as to what ‘Powder’ is. Experiments will continue overmorrow.

Inmate 516: Experiment Log #4 - Sawtooth Blade

Subject was chained to table. Dismemberment of limbs occurred while subject was conscious. Once more, only a few instances of ‘Powder’ were observed to be said by subject when in clear appearance of pain. Withdrawal from substances appears to take approximately seven and a half years. Still no information has been gathered on ‘Powder’ though it is understood this substance is inherently dangerous. Despite being in obvious discomfort, the subject did not fall into unconsciousness at any point. It appears as though the subject is developing resistance to wounds as she ages. At twenty years, her regenerative capabilities are remarkable. Her limbs regenerated fully within seven days. The samples we obtained from her severed limbs and blood will serve to advance Dr. Shoola’s research on prosthetic replacement. 

Inmate 516: Experiment Log #5 - Sperm Sample

After confirming that subject is, indeed, a prime alpha, Councilman Hoskel requested reproductive evidence. A contraption was created by the team at Stillwater to obtain this sample. Subject was drugged with Hexatrol and brought into the testing room during her ruts. When sufficiently docile, subject was tied to the contraption and the penis was forced into the sheathe. Ejaculation occurred within forty-three seconds and sample was extracted and sent for analysis in Dr. Amora’s lab. Samples of subject’s scrotal and penile skin were also obtained and sent for analysis. Results are expected in two weeks. Preliminary findings suggest that this alpha is exceptionally virile and genetic sampling would bear a strong litter.

Caitlyn’s fingers nearly tear through the log as she glares down at the paper. Tears well in her eyes as she lets the paper fall before she starts to sob, a sickening churn of nausea taking over her. She moves away from the desk and hurls, vomiting out whatever little bile she has left in her system. Her eyes close and all she can imagine is all the cruel and heartless things the councilors had done to her mate.

Her mate, who had been nothing more than a child.

She wipes her lips as she turns back, only to see Jinx holding the paper, her eyes wet with tears.

Caitlyn feels her heart break all over again before she shakes her head. Jinx’s eyes stare down at the paper, before she lets out a seething growl. She hands the piece of paper out, careful not to crinkle it.

“Keep it,” Jinx snarls as Caitlyn swallows down another wave of nausea. “When this is over, I want all of those fuckers who did this to be locked up and experimented on, just like they did to her. Got it?”

Caitlyn doesn’t even have to hesitate as she takes the paper and folds it, putting it in her pocket, before she nods. Jinx still looks upset as she trembles with rage, before the omega lets out a roar and retrieves her pistol, firing it into the head of one of the dead Enforcers lying in the ground, over and over again.

“You fuckers will pay,” Jinx snarls as tears slide down her cheeks, “you’ll all fucking pay!”

Caitlyn can only watch as the young omega unravels, crying out in agony as she falls to her knees, clutching her head. Caitlyn numbly slides down to her knees beside her, reaching out and holding her shoulder. She cries as she thinks about the horrible things she read, and the likely countless other things that had befallen her mate upon her captivity in this horrid prison. Jinx heaves against her, sobbing.

“How could they do that?” Jinx sobs. “She didn’t do anything to them… how could they do that…”

And the entire time, Caitlyn knows, Vi was only ever calling out for Powder.

“She never gave up on me,” Jinx cries as she shakes her head, more tears dripping from her eyes as she looks to her bloodied hands. Caitlyn feels the omega curl inwards with disgust. “All of this and she still only wanted to find me… and what did I do… I was staying with the fucking traitor who put her there.”

Jinx claws at her face and Caitlyn’s eyes widen as blood pools under her fingernails. “I deserve this,” Jinx heaves as she claws harder, slapping her face every now and again as she rocks back and forth. “I did this to her and I killed her. I jinxed it… I jinxed it all…” Caitlyn growls and firmly grips her hands, holding her close. Jinx shakes her head as she continues to sob heavily, her breaths catching as she heaves.

“Jinx, enough,” Caitlyn says in as gentle a tone she can muster, “you have to snap out of it. Vi needs you.”

Jinx continues to rock back and forth as she cries, but Caitlyn is quick to pull her into her arms. She remembers how Vi appreciated firm hugs and she prays Jinx is the same. She holds her tightly, squeezing onto the sobbing omega for dear life. Jinx eventually stills in her arms, hiccupping as the panic washes over her. She trembles and quivers, but Caitlyn purrs as steadily as she can, trying to calm the scared teen.

“We’ll make them pay,” Caitlyn says, trying and failing to keep the bitter rage out of her voice. “I promise you, when this is all over, I will track each and every one of those fuckers down and cut off their heads.”

Jinx cries into her shoulder as she nods, clutching onto Caitlyn tightly. It takes a few moments before she sniffles and leans back, her eyes red from crying. Caitlyn’s heart lurches guiltily because she remembers that Jinx is only seventeen, barely older than Vi was in some of those experimentations. She shouldn’t have let the young teen read the journal entries. She can see how distressed Jinx is and she wants to cry.

But she can’t, because she has a job to do.

They both do.

As if in response, the ground rumbles beneath them and Caitlyn gasps when it’s followed by a terrifying howl. Jinx flinches in her arms and the two of them look over to where the sound had come from.

Caitlyn swallows thickly as she sees the flickering light above the empty elevator.

And then she looks down, at the hole in the ground.

“I know where she went,” Caitlyn says as she looks at Jinx. “We have to go. Now.”

Knowing the situation is dire, Jinx nods and wipes away her tears. She retrieves her gun and the two of them move forward, past the lines and droves of dead bodies, towards the daunting-looking elevator. They cross the narrow, bloodied hallway in a few strides, until they’re only a few feet before the lift. Caitlyn stiffens, her hand starting to shake with nerves. She can hear a subtle thumping noise beneath them.

Caitlyn doesn’t have to guess to know what it likely is.

Vi.

Before she can step forward, however, something clutches her ankle.

Caitlyn jolts in shock as she looks down, only to see a man with only his torso attached, wheezing.

“Please…,” he moans as he bleeds out, “s-save… us… the… the beast… has… r-returned…”

Caitlyn flinches as he collapses, his mouth open and dripping blood and saliva upon the concrete. His grip around her ankle loosens and his hand falls with a thud. Jinx swallows thickly beside her, scent fearful.

“What did she do?” Jinx asks as she looks at the other bodies. “Caitlyn… Vi, she… she did this…?”

“I know,” Caitlyn roughly chokes as she steps into the elevator. “We have to go.”

Jinx gulps as she follows, watching with worried eyes as Caitlyn presses the button labelled ‘40’.

“Down we go,” Caitlyn whispers, “we’re coming Vi.”

* * *

She is limitless.

She is everything that was ever taken from her.

She is not just any alpha.

She’s the prime alpha.

All she smells is blood. All she tastes is flesh.

This is her true nature, after all.

In the distance she hears, a familiar voice, like a chill running down her spine.

"Embrace what you have become."

* * *

As the lift descends with a groaning creak, Caitlyn finally finds the strength to speak.

“This is the first time I met her,” she whispers, breaking the tense silence between them. Out of the corner of her eye she watches Jinx flinch as Caitlyn’s voice wavers. “She was so touch-averse and scared, and yet terrifying at the same time. I felt an instant connection to her. Yet my intention to break her out was selfish. I needed her help with the investigation. I… I laid a claim on her to try and protect her from the Warden who wanted to beat her, but when I looked back at her, she was so defeated.” She sees Jinx grimace, no doubt also remembering how touch-averse her sister was upon their first interaction at the cannery. Caitlyn wills herself to continue as she clears her throat. She plays with her fingers idly as she says, “I knew then that I needed to be better than those who put her here. When we left and we were rowing across the river, I asked her what she wanted. I gave her the opportunity to just walk away.”

“Walk away?” Jinx echoes, her voice airy. “You mean… to run?”

“Run, hide, move to another planet if she wanted,” Caitlyn chuckles wetly, her eyes red with tears. “I should have been more insistent. I should have told her to take her freedom and not follow me.”

I’m not going to hurt you, I promise.

Caitlyn winces and closes her eyes as the lift rumbles.

Promises are meant to be broken.

“But some part of me knows,” Caitlyn speaks again, softer this time as she detracts from her memories of that terrible boat ride back to Piltover. From beside her, she watches as Jinx looks up, those blue eyes brimming with love and grief over her distraught sibling. “It knows she still would’ve made her way to you. She only ever wanted to find you, Jinx. She loves you so much, and I know, just as you do, that our Vi wouldn’t do this. Our Vi isn’t that beast that Sevika and Silco created. Our Vi is good. Our Vi is safe.”

Caitlyn turns to Jinx, who straightens courageously, a mirror image of her sister. Caitlyn can see the steely determination in her gaze, and she feels like she’s looking at a younger version of Vi staring back at her.

And then, the lift comes to a grinding halt.

The two of them look past the bars to the trail of blood. Jinx takes a deep breath and reaches out to clasp their fingers together. Caitlyn squeezes back, drawing as much strength as she can from her mate’s sister.

“What do you say, Princess?” Jinx asks, voice raspy and emotional. “Are you ready to do this?”

Caitlyn takes a deep breath and sets her jaw.

“I’m ready.”

* * *

She starts with his eyes.

She peels back the lids with her claws before she gouges them out. She revels in the squelching sound of blood and gore beneath her sharp talons as she tosses them across the room. He’s still alive, screaming muffled against the hindleg pressed up against his chest. She grins, her jaw pried open and drooling.

He looks up at her, begging in a wheezing voice, “p-please… have mercy…”

Mercy?

When did he ever show her mercy?

The power of the Dreadwolf courses through her and she shakes her massive head, swinging spittle and blood around the cracked concrete floors. She looks at his blind form, heaving from exertion and fear. 

And then she does what she’s waited ten years to do.

She snarls and bites down on his nose, tearing it off before she snags her fangs into his jaw, ripping it clean off from his face. He screams in agony but she presses her hindleg further into his bruising throat. Rage curls all around her as she tastes his acrid, putrid blood. She bites at his ears next, prying them off.

And then, when he’s barely breathing, she devours him.

* * *

It is eerily silent.

As they walk down the dark, bloodstained hall, Caitlyn has never felt more scared. Not scared for herself, but for her mate. Her eyes follow the trail of crimson leading down the dark hallway, and she tries to ignore the waft of apprehension pooling off Jinx from beside her. She can feel the the omega is trembling at her side, and when Caitlyn looks down, she can see the faint trail of tears sliding down her cheeks.

Before she can speak, she hears an animalistic snarl from down the hall.

Caitlyn winces as she squeezes Jinx’s hand.

“Ready?” Caitlyn asks softly, looking at Jinx. “This is it.”

The omega takes a deep breath and nods.

Steadying her minigun, Jinx takes the lead as her boots splatter against the dirty rainwater and blood on the concrete below her. Caitlyn follows, her eyes wary on Jinx’s back as she reaches behind her to wield her rifle. She swallows thickly, her eyes twitching at the flickering light above them as they prod forward.

“Vi?” Jinx calls out, her voice slightly wobbly. “It’s us, Vi.”

No response.

Jinx continues to step forward until Caitlyn knows she smells it.

Death.

Fear encapsulates her heart as she walks closer to the last cell at the end of the hall. The iron bars are torn open and have clear indentations of claw marks around them. Caitlyn hesitates as she hears the sound of snarling increase, and she can feel the ground tremble with each step they take towards the door. As they approach, she picks up on the faint scent of flesh, and she can hear the sounds of a body hitting concrete over and over again. She prods forward until she stands still, rooted in fear at the sight before her.

Vi’s hunched form is cowered over a body—or what remains of a body. She’s foreleg deep in blood and stringy pieces of flesh, but that’s not the most terrifying part. What is the most terrifying is the way she is staring back at Caitlyn and Jinx, her eyes bright purple with shimmer and her teeth glinting in crimson. There are bits of stringy flesh coating her jowls and dangling off those dangerously sharp fangs. Caitlyn gasps as Vi’s blood-matted fur bristles and she heaves, snarling low in her throat like a rabid dog.

Beneath her, lays the headless, mutilated body of the Warden.

* * *

She pauses in the middle of gnawing at his guts and cocks her head to the side. 

She knows that scent from anywhere.

Lilac and lavender, just like the day they met.

The rage tempers but she doesn’t want it to go. She wants to stay here, mindless and lost in the senses of the beast, just as she was always intent to be. She doesn’t want to fight the sudden pulling at her bones, the voice in her head telling her to stop, that she is bigger than her desire for vengeance, that she is worthy, that she is kind—

No. She is none of those things.

But then she sees those arctic blue eyes and her heart thunders to a stop in her chest.

Finally, the voice speaks, like a call from beyond,

“Vi!”

* * *

Caitlyn screams out her name, but Vi simply stares back at her emptily.

“Fuck,” Jinx whispers beside her in shock, her gun lowering. “Vi, what—”

Before she can get the question out, Vi roars, tossing the remains of the maimed body across the room with enough force that it slams through three cells before disintegrating into a pile of flesh and bone.

And then, Vi raises herself to her full height, lumbering over the both of them while her head barely grazes the roof of the cell. Her muscles bulge and her veins pulse beneath her matted fur with the bright purple of Shimmer. She prowls forward sinisterly, looking every bit a beast spat out from hell. She has no recognition in her gaze, and she snarls louder, her claws twitching as she hunches into an aggressive position. Her scent flares, the dominant prime alpha smell now more pungent and powerful than ever.

Caitlyn tries to resist, but she tastes iron her lips and she realizes her nose is bleeding.

Vi’s power is unmatched, even for her.

Jinx trembles in front of her but somehow manages to hold herself up as she stares down her mate.

“C’mon Vi,” Jinx hisses as she steps forward, her body faltering under the pressure of the powerful scent. “You’re not this thing, Vi. I was wrong—I was wrong about everything and I was mad. I had no right to treat you the way I did, Vi, and I’m sorry, okay? I’m sorry, and it’s okay if you want to kill me but don’t kill Caitlyn. She… she did what I couldn’t and you deserve to live in happiness and peace with her.”

Tears stream down her face as she inches closer, watching as Vi’s fangs descend threateningly. Caitlyn holds back a sob at the sight of her mate looking so beastly, and she wonders for a moment if this is how Vi felt all those years ago when Vander took Shimmer. She always thought Vi would go out valiantly, like a star gone supernova. She never imagined it to be like this, to be so destructive and heart-wrenching.

“Vi,” Jinx croaks, her voice cracking, “Vi, please—”

Vi roars, making them both fall to their knees and sending Jinx’s gun clattering to the ground. Before either omega can react, Vi darts forward quickly. Caitlyn doesn’t have time to even speak as she gasps.

Vi’s massive paw strikes outward, knocking into Jinx and sending her sprawling backwards, her back slamming against the wall. The young omega lets out a gasp, coughing as dust billows up from where she had been struck into the wall. She looks up with wide eyes as Vi looms over her, snarling and growling.

“Please,” Jinx rasps as Caitlyn watches her spit out a wad of blood. “Don’t do this Violet.”

Vi raises her claws again, ready to tear Jinx to shreds, but before she can, Jinx reaches behind her.

And in a quick motion, reveals the bunny.

Caitlyn watches as Vi halts, her paw mid-air as she stares at the object as if it's foreign.

“Remember what you told me?” Jinx asks, the omega rolling to her side. “Remember?”

Caitlyn inches forward as Vi’s eyes flicker between purple and grey. That’s it, she thinks as she continues to inch forward, eying the collar around Vi’s thick neck. Jinx sees the recognition too and nods rapidly.

“That’s it,” Jinx urges as she stumbles to her knees. “We stand together. We protect each other.”

Vi looks between them, snarling as the grey flickers back to purple. She cocks her head back and howls in desperation, her claws shredding through the wall. Caitlyn blinks back the misting tears in her eyes as Jinx holds strong, the bunny held outwards like some sort of childish peace offering. Vi heaves again, but she doesn’t move, her head tilting downwards to look back at Jinx. Her lips curl back, her fangs glinting.

“Vi,” Jinx calls out as she moves from her knees to her feet. “You’re still in there. I can feel it.”

Vi shudders, shaking her head as her entire body convulses. A menacing roar leaves her lips and trembles the entire building, but Caitlyn and Jinx stay as steady as they can through it. Caitlyn slowly makes her way beside Jinx, watching as Vi’s massive claws move from the wall to her head, clawing into her fur.

Jinx nods beside her, inching closer to Vi’s hulking form as her scent pours out, soothing and gentle.

“That’s it,” Jinx whispers, “you told me to find you, Vi. I’m going to find you.”

But then Vi’s head snaps, purple eyes dancing with fire.

Before Caitlyn can warn Jinx, the omega is knocked off her feet again, slammed back into the wall. Caitlyn snarls as she leaps forward, taking aim with her rifle and firing a warning shot by Vi’s massive foot. Vi’s head darts over in her direction, her lips pulled back in a gruesome snarl as she falls to all-fours. She stalks forward like a predator stalking their prey, her ears pricked up and fur on end as she growls.

“I don’t want to shoot you,” Caitlyn says as firmly as she can. “You’re my mate. I love you, Vi.”

The words appear to be meaningless, however, as Vi continues prowling forward menacingly.

“I love you!” Caitlyn shouts, her voice quivering now. “You love me, Vi. You promised.”

Vi halts.

“You promised,” Caitlyn breathes out as she moves the hand on the butt of her rifle onto her stomach. She lowers the gun as she steps forward. “You promised that you would come back to me. That I am yours!”

Vi shudders and shakes her head, snarling as she claws into the concrete, as if holding herself back.

“Come back to me,” Caitlyn urges her through her teary eyes, “this is not the fate you deserve, my love.”

Vi hisses and claws at her head, trembling and convulsing as her eyes shift from purple to grey.

And then, she slumps over on the ground, twitching.

* * *

“You fight hard to avoid what is duly yours."

Vi shudders and seizes as she feels herself pull away from the power of the Dreadwolf. She looks over to see King Vixtrana eyeing Caitlyn carefully, her brow raised in a solemn, nostalgic way. “You bind yourself to her like I once did to my own love. I know your pain, young alpha, but you have a duty.”

Vi spits and grunts as she tries to get in control of herself. “I won’t hurt her.”

King Vixtrana chuckles, “you think you are more than the sum of your parts.”

Vi shakes her head as she claws through the tar holding her down, desperate to get to Caitlyn.

“You fight hard,” King Vixtrana says softly, “but for what?”

Vi hisses as her eyes water, desperate to use every last dreg of her power to escape the pull.

“I fight for her.”

* * *

Caitlyn nearly drops her rifle as she runs forward, sliding to her knees as she cards her fingers through Vi’s thick fur. Her fingernails catch on crusted blood and flesh, but she pays it no mind as she swallows.

“Vi,” she says as she leans her head against the massive mound of fur, “wake up, my love.”

There’s a huff, followed by a gasping wheeze.

Caitlyn moves her head backwards to look down at Vi, who’s eyes are half-open in grey slits.

“C-Cait?” 

Vi’s voice is distorted and a deep growl, but unmistakably hers. 

Caitlyn’s eyes water as she nods. “Yes, it’s me, my love. I’m here.”

“C-Cait,” Vi groans as she shudders again, “y-you h-have t-t-t-o go.”

“No,” Caitlyn says firmly, blinking away her tears. “I am not leaving you.”

“Go,” Vi hisses as her body shudders again, “I c-can’t h-hold her b-back.”

Before Caitlyn can speak, another convulsion wracks through Vi’s body. Caitlyn tries to hold onto her by gripping her fur tightly, but the force of her seizing frame knocks her onto her back. Caitlyn shakes her head to clear the daze from her mind as she looks up to see Vi’s massive head looming over her, snarling loudly. Her muscles are tensed and poised, preparing to attack. But that’s not what terrifies her the most.

It’s her eyes, a bright purple.

“Vi?” 

Vi roars, spittle flying from her jowls as she claws into the concrete. The sound sends shockwaves through the narrow hall and Caitlyn scrambles backwards in fear as Vi leaps forward, jaws snapping. 

Before she can make contact, however, a blur of blue and pink slams into her side, careening her into the wall. Caitlyn blinks to see Jinx on her hoverboard, her minigun held outright as she fires warning shots into the ground. Vi’s head jerks to the side and she growls, her ears flexing backwards ferociously.

“Come on then,” Jinx snarls as she steps on the hoverboard, “follow me!”

With a swivel, Jinx angles her hoverboard towards the elevator shaft and propels it forward. Vi roars, standing to her full height before bellowing forward, skittering past Caitlyn’s prone form. Caitlyn quickly grabs her own hoverboard and deploys it as she watches Jinx ascend the shaft, trailing a green light. Vi chases after her, but instead of ascending the shaft, she pommels through the ground, creating a tunnel.

Caitlyn is quick to follow, holstering her rifle as she follows the madness.

* * *

The power coursing through her is too great, too all-consuming for her to stop.

She is one with the Dreadwolf.

She is one with her destiny.

She is the catalyst.

Nothing can stop her now.

* * *

Eventually, Vi breaks out into the open.

Jinx is above them, mocking the beast and riling her up as she leads them back across the river to the factory. Smoke and ash billows overhead as Caitlyn looks up to the destruction of the two cities. In the distance she can make out the smoking tower of Piltover. Warwick’s beastial frame is still caught in the river between the bridge, taking fire from the Enforcers and Chembaron militias, as well as the Firelights.

It won’t be long until they won’t be able to hold him off.

Caitlyn steps on her hoverboard and follows the path Jinx is laying for Vi, watching as her mate powerfully claws through the water to the other end of the craggy shore. She can see the smouldering stacks of the factory in the distance and she thanks her lucky stars that Ekko managed to make it there and execute part of their plan in one piece. She powers the hoverboard forward and glides through the air.

Finally, they reach the factory.

Caitlyn watches as Jinx slides down, hovering above the shore. Vi climbs out from the river, her fur soaked and matted, highlighting the Shimmer coursing through her veins in the dark of the night. Caitlyn swallows thickly, fear flooding her body as she sees those claws rake into the sand and rubble powerfully..

The beast that is her mate growls and stalks onto the shore, eyes trained on Jinx. Caitlyn pulls out her rifle and takes aim, tracking her movements. Jinx hovers to a halt in front of the factory entrance before disembarking the hoverboard. Vi prowls forward, growling low in her throat, her jowls vibrating and wet.

“This is it,” Jinx says to her nervously as she steps backwards, “you and me, sister.”

Caitlyn flips up her scope as Vi steps forward again, her claws dragging against the cobblestone street. The hulking beast lets out a powerful yowl before she charges forward, claws skittering against the ground. Jinx turns on her heel and sprints into the factory, drawing Vi inside. Caitlyn quickly follows, disembarking her own hoverboard as she reaches the entrance, finally taking in the space before her.

The factory is mostly empty space, the walls lined with giant electrical bilge pumps cackling bright blue energy. There is a control panel near the back of the massive space, where Ekko is standing and frantically pushing at buttons. Over top is a narrow walkway, followed by two gaping doors. The place feels familiar, and Caitlyn closes her eyes, this time imagining bright purple fire and hoards of goons.

This is it.

This is where Vi lost Vander.

Caitlyn then feels something wet trickle onto her face.

Blinking her eyes open, she looks up to the gaping hole in the roof. The ceiling of the factory is busted open, revealing the thick clouds of smoke and tar hovering over the factory. The sheared metal curves outwards like a blooming onion, and Caitlyn knows that this is an old wound. Slowly, rain starts to plink against the metal of her armor, black as the night itself. She swallows thickly and focuses on her mission.

A growl cuts off her thoughts as she looks forward to where Vi is staring down at Jinx.

Caitlyn bounds forward as she remembers their plan, wrestling with her rifle as she spies the walkway on the edge behind the bilges pumps. She keeps her eyes on Vi and Jinx in the center of the factory as she stalks her way through the shadows. Jinx is standing with her minigun propped up, her tired eyes staring Vi down as she stands her ground. Vi is also standing on all-fours, her eyes glued to Jinx’s form.

“Is this what we are, Vi?” Jinx calls out, her voice hoarse. “Other people’s monsters?”

Vi doesn’t react as Caitlyn continues to make her way to Ekko.

“You taught me that I could be anything,” Jinx says as she wields her minigun. “And I did. I became everything you told me not to be. And look at where it landed me, Vi. You and I are no different.”

Vi growls and steps forward, but Jinx doesn’t move.

“But I can change,” Jinx says softly, glancing over to the side where Caitlyn is. “Your mate taught me that. You taught me that. You can change too, Vi. This… whatever he did to you, it isn’t you. I know you can change. I know that you’re in there. You didn’t leave me back then, and I know you won’t leave me now.” Vi growls at that, but unlike at the prison, her body doesn’t shudder or convulse violently.

Instead, only the beast remains.

Jinx stays firm, however, as she watches Vi’s muscles tense.

The rain starts to come down heavier now, splattering noisily against the empty Shimmer drums. Caitlyn looks to the center of the factory, where Vi now paces back and forth as she snarls menacingly at Jinx.

“You told Silco to end the cycle,” Jinx says as Caitlyn can see her watching Vi’s every move. “So I need you to break out of that thick skull of yours and own up to your promise, sister. You and I? We’re not like them. We’re not going to end up killing each other. Why? Because we have something more to live for.”

Caitlyn is almost halfway there when she hears a creak beneath her foot.

Just like that, Vi’s head snaps over in her direction and she growls.

“We have more to live for,” Jinx’s booming voice calls out, bring Vi’s attention back to her sister. Caitlyn quickly shuffles forward as Jinx continues to say, “we have hope, Vi. We can bring our people hope.”

Vi snarls again but Jinx shakes her head as she closes her eyes, humming fondly.

“And…,” she trails off softly, “we have love.”

Vi remains still as Caitlyn finally reaches the other end of the platform. She takes up her position above Ekko and reaches into her pocket for the vial. She reaches into her other pocket for the empty bullet she saved. Caitlyn glances down at it and then back up at Jinx and Vi staring at each other while it pounds rain. There’s no other choice left for her, but she knows this is what she must do. She uncaps the vial with her teeth, careful to not let any of the liquid spill into her mouth as she holds the bullet up. With a heavy breath, she pours the contents of the vial into the bullet before she corks on the casing as tight as possible.

“Vander taught us to fight for love,” Jinx continues, opening her eyes. “To protect each other.”

Vi snarls again and Caitlyn gulps as Jinx props up her minigun.

“You always protected us,” Jinx says, nodding her head up. “This time, I’ll protect you.”

Vi snarls once more, but Jinx shakes her head as she strongly says,

“This time, I’ll save you.”

* * *

“Let me go!” Vi cries out as she pounds against the wall of the hellscape. The Dreadwolf pays her no mind as she continues to tear at her confines, King Vixtrana looking on in the background destetutely.

“You can’t change this—”

“I can’t let them die,” Vi snarls, reeling on her predecessor. “Is that what you did?”

King Vixtrana snarls, bounding forward as she meets the alpha head on. “Don’t you dare speak as if you know me, pup. The things I’ve done, the lives I’ve taken? They are far more than you could ever fathom.”

“Then let me stop this!” Vi shouts back, desperately watching as the Dreadwolf circles Jinx. “Let me back in and let me control it. I know I can. I won’t be the one that hurts them. I know I am strong enough.”

“You know nothing,” King Vixtrana sneers, grabbing at Vi’s chest as she throws her to the ground. “You have only one purpose and that is to bring about the new age. There is no stopping fate, insolent pup!”

“Fuck you,” Vi spits out as she claws at King Vixtrana’s shoulders, “fate only binds us if we let it.”

King Vixtrana snarls. “And you think you have the power to undo the will of the Gods?”

Vi glares up at her, teeth bared in a snarl as she shoves forward, tackling the other alpha.

“Fuck the Gods.”

* * *

The beast charges forward and Jinx lets out a fearsome cry. Bullets start pooling from her minigun as Vi swipes at her, with Jinx rolling away at the last minute. The two dance around each other like they did at the cannery. Thunder booms over head as lightning cackles and lights up the sky in a flash of white. 

Caitlyn quickly shifts her focus back to Ekko, who is still pushing at the buttons which control the bilge pumps. While Jinx and Vi continue to fight, Caitlyn drops down from her ledge to him, trying to figure out how to help the young man. Ekko groans as he pulls at a lever, using the full force of his muscles to yank it down. A deep rattling sound erupts and Caitlyn looks up to see one of the eight bilge pumps starting to light up with blue electricity. Caitlyn watches as Vi’s head snaps in the direction of the noise.

“Oh no you don’t,” Jinx calls out as she leaps forward, smacking the butt of her minigun against Vi’s side viciously. “Look over here, you brute!” Vi growls again, once more chasing Jinx around the warehouse.

Caitlyn watches as Vi’s large claw slashes down Jinx’s back, tearing her skin to threads. Jinx snarls, but if she’s in pain, she certainly doesn’t show it as she quickly turns and fires off a round of shots. Vi eats the bullets easily, her muscles flexing as the wounds heal and regenerate faster than before. Jinx continues firing, knowing that her bullets won’t do much to grievously hurt the alpha. The two siblings continue their brutal and bloody fight, buying time while Ekko works on heaving down the next lever to the pump.

She’s about to help when a loud crash reverberates through the room. 

Caitlyn looks up to see Jinx’s prone body against one of the pillars, her entire side slashed up and bloody. The young omega’s scent is filled with hurt and fear, but she still tries to clamber to her feet. Caitlyn watches in horror as she slips in her own blood, her skin paling with each second that passes. Knowing that she needs to help the omega, she gives Ekko a desperate look. The boy nods and gestures at Jinx.

“Go,” he grunts as he reaches for the next lever. “I got this.”

Caitlyn shoves aside her rifle and leaps down from the platform, drawing the attention of her mate.

Vi’s head snaps up when she lands in front of Jinx.

“Vi,” Caitlyn says as she steps protectively over the injured omega. “Stop this.”

Vi twitches, her head cocking eerily to the side as her lips curl into a twisted, demonic smile.

And then, in absolute horror, she speaks.

* * *

“I have given you enough power,” King Vixtrana snarls, backhanding Vi. The alpha clatters across the void with a snarl as King Vixtrana reaches out to the Dreadwolf, closing her eyes as she starts to glow.

"Now, I will do what needs to be done.”

* * *

“You think you can stop this?” Vi’s distorted, beastly voice says. “You think you can stop me?”

Caitlyn freezes as she watches Vi cackle, her hackles vibrating as she laughs cruelly. But something is off about her tone.

This isn't Vi's voice. This is not her mate.

“You are nothing,” Vi hisses as she rakes her claws through the dirt of the factory floor. “Me, however?”

Caitlyn watches Vi’s narrow and burn bright purple.

“I,” Vi hisses as she stares Caitlyn down, “I am a God.”

Caitlyn growls as she steps forward, finding her inner omega as she takes in a deep breath and closes her eyes. She can visualize sweeping fields, a crown of gold and silver. She feels raw power course through her veins and instead of inhibiting it, she lets it in. She feels something tug in her chest and she exhales, feeling her body grow emboldened by the flame of her inner prime omega. Amongst the blinding white haze, she can see a figure in the distance, a tall regal woman with dark blue hair and eyes made of ice.

Queen Caoimhe.

You must act quickly, the Queen says as she worriedly looks over at Vi, I fear that the Shimmer has poisoned her mind. I cannot reach her spirit.

Caitlyn swallows in fear as she realizes just who the Queen is talking about. Queen Caoimhe strides forward, her elegant fingers reaching out and prodding her chest.

Embrace your power, the Queen says as Caitlyn feels her feet leave the ground, only you can save her.

Caitlyn’s eyes open, her senses alight with power as she stares at the surprised look on the beast’s face.

With a sneer, she curls back her lip and says,

“You may be a God, but so am I.”

With that, Caitlyn flies forward, her fist thundering into Vi’s jaw. The alpha snarls and sprawls backwards in surprise before she stumbles to her feet. Caitlyn heaves as she levitates, a small sphere of wind forming around her feet. She feels Queen Caoimhe’s spirit deep within her, powering her and allowing her to access a strength she never knew she had. While Vi still is stronger in her feral state, she is a fine match.

“Fight me,” Caitlyn says as she stares the beast down. “And only me.”

Vi grins salaciously.

“As you wish,” she sneers demonically, “my Queen.”

* * *

Vi barrels into King Vixtrana, causing the older alpha to stumble. 

Though her eyes still glow bright purple with the power of the Dreadwolf and the added power of Shimmer, she turns and snarls in her direction. Vi growls back ferociously, her fangs descending as she charges forward, wrapping her arms under the older woman’s torso and slamming her to the ground. She snaps her jaws around her shoulder, biting down. The older alpha snarls and rakes her claws down her face, causing Vi to snap her head backwards. King Vixtrana then shoves upwards, switching their positions so that she is straddling the younger alpha, pinning her down to the floor of the blackened void.

“Petulant child,” King Vixtrana snarls as she reaches up for Vi’s throat. “I have extended you enough damn courtesy. I see it now, plain as day, that this was not the right cycle to bring you into the world.”

Vi scrabbles against the hand at her throat, glaring up as King Vixtrana roars in her face.

“I will kill you and your mate and bring about a new age myself, if I must!”

Vi shakes her head, clawing harder into those powerful forearms as she spits out,

“Over my dead body, bitch.”

* * *

Their fight is brutal and bloody.

Caitlyn meets Vi blow for blow as she protects Jinx and buys Ekko more time to start the machine. Vi gives as good as she gets, clawing into her side. Caitlyn hisses as she allows her fangs to descend, biting down into the meat of Vi’s shoulder before tearing out a chunk of fur and flesh. Vi hardly reacts other than to shove Caitlyn away with a harsh slash to her leg. Blood runs across her frame in rivulets, but like Vi, her inner prime alpha is able to regenerate the skin rather quickly. Caitlyn continues to mercilessly fight her mate, trading hit for hit and bite for bite as they clash amongst the thunder and the rain pouring down.

Vi snarls as Caitlyn gives a powerful kick to her chest, sending her clattering backwards against the mud and dirt of the factory floor. Caitlyn hovers over her and cocks her fist back, ready to land the next blow.

Before she can, however, Vi leaps up and enslaves her jaws around Caitlyn’s neck. Caitlyn has just enough time to turn her head, causing Vi to bite down on place where her shoulder connects to her collarbone, narrowly missing the soft of her neck. Caitlyn howls in pain as blood bursts from Vi’s mouth and she’s flung across the room and into a pillar. Caitlyn collapses as she feels the warm crimson flow from the wound. She heaves as she looks up dazedly to where Vi approaches, her flesh dangling from her jowls and her blood dripping from her fangs. While her inner omega struggles to heal the deep wound, she knows that she’s trapped. She tries to apply pressure to the wound, but it comes at no avail. Vi stalks closer, her eyes dancing with fury as she spits out the pale flesh knotted between her sharp teeth.

You must get up, Queen Caoimhe urges in her ear, you cannot allow her to lose herself. 

The pain which clouds her voice brings tears to Caitlyn’s eyes. She tries to summon the inner power of her prime omega, but she isn’t healing fast enough and she knows it. She scrambles to her knees, groaning as she feels blood slide down her chest, staining her armor. No matter how desperately she tries to heal, the wound is too deep. Caitlyn gasps as she watches Vi pace in front of her like a predator stalking her prey. She can feel Queen Caoimhe murmuring for her to get up, to get ready, but she’s stuck still, frozen.

But before Vi can leap at her, she’s knocked aside once more by Jinx.

* * *

“You couldn’t possibly understand the power I wield,” King Vixtrana snarls as her eyes glow a deeper purple, her veins popping as she’s infected further by the substance. Vi shoves her off and punches her across the jaw, causing the older warrior to reel backwards, devastated by the sudden blow.

“I don’t care about any of that,” Vi growls back, “you’re letting the Shimmer control you. This isn't you! ”

“Never in my years have I ever felt this strong,” King Vixtrana hums as she looks at her arms, admiring the purple running through her veins as she stares at the younger alpha with a wicked grin. “I thought that you would succeed me, but I see it now that this is a sign from the Heavens themselves for me to return.”

Vi snarls as King Vixtrana glares at her, extending her arm outwards as she says,

“And I will start by taking your life as my own.”

* * *

“Jinx!” Caitlyn calls out worriedly, stumbling to her feet. “Jinx, stop, she’s no match for you!”

Jinx takes a deep breath and turns her head, eyes watering with tears as she whispers, “I know, but I can’t watch you die. I can’t let you lose your pup. Do what you need to do to heal. I’ll buy you time, Princess.”

Caitlyn chokes back a sob as she shakes her head watching as the omega, bloodied and haggard, stands strong and proud while wielding her minigun. Vi snarls in her direction but Jinx shakes her head tiredly.

“No,” Jinx rasps as she shifts her gun upwards, “no more fighting.”

Vi appears to disagree, however, as she leaps forward again with a snarl. Jinx is ready as she fires upon Vi, screaming as the bullets pierce through her hide. Vi’s heaving paw slashes her sister across the gut, sending Jinx flying to the other end of the room with a pained huff. Caitlyn growls protectively at the sight, knowing that Jinx doesn’t have the same healing powers as herself and Vi. She can’t fight for long.

“Kill me,” Jinx growls as she stumbles back to her feet, spitting out blood. “But I won’t let you kill her.”

Vi thunders after her, almost sickeningly playful in the way she swipes at Jinx’s head. The meat of her palm catches her in the side of the temple, sending the young omega back to the ground with a wheezing gasp. Jinx still gets back up, shaking off the daze and rolling out of the way as Vi attempts to pin her down. Caitlyn watches as she reaches for her minigun and fires more shots blindly in Vi’s direction.

“You’re still in there!” Jinx cries out as Vi swats her paw again, knocking the gun away. “I know you are!”

Finally, Caitlyn feels her skin start to patch together as she crawls to her feet hastily, summoning her inner power as she feels Queen Caoimhe’s energy flow through her once more, revitalizing her slowly and steadily.

You must hurry, the Queen says in a worried whisper, she will not be able to withstand much more.

“You told me to find you,” Jinx heaves as she’s thrown back to the ground. “I will find you, Vi.”

Vi stares blankly at her, jowls dripping blood and saliva as she lets out a powerful snarl. Jinx tries to get to her feet, but Vi rushes forward before the young omega can move out of the way. Caitlyn can only watch in horror as as Vi’s large jaws snap around Jinx’s leg, biting down and causing the omega to screech in agony. She quickly stumbles to her feet as Vi bites down harder. Jinx’s back arches as she yowls in pain.

The shattering of bone echoes through the room just as Ekko manages to turn the last bilge pump on.

Vi picks Jinx up by her leg and flings her across the room, causing her to crash straight into the beta. 

Then she looks back at Caitlyn, eyes empty and cold with purple fire.

Enraged, Caitlyn bounds forward, abandoning the pursuit of her rifle as she reaches deeper inside of herself. She finds that familiar power again and feels it run like fuel through her body. She slams into Vi, preventing her from going after the omega and the beta. The rain pours down harder now, making them both slip and slide against the slick floor. Caitlyn lands atop Vi’s frame, digging her fingers deep into her muscled shoulders. Vi’s jaws snap emptily, unable to find purchase around Caitlyn’s neck once more. 

As she straddles her, Caitlyn finally takes her in as Vi slumps backwards, staring up at her viciously.

Her purple eyes pulsate with each beat of her heart.

But then, something changes.

They flicker, for a brief moment, back to grey.

* * *

Vi manages to get the upper hand on the other alpha, her hands wringing tightly around her throat. King Vixtrana struggles under her grip as she thrashes wildly, but Vi is quick to hold her down. She slams the alpha against the ground multiple times, roaring as she channels all of her strength into the beatdown. 

She manages to get the upper hand and haul King Vixtrana up by her throat before swinging her around and throwing her on the opposite end of the void, away from the Dreadwolf. Vi’s eyes water with recognition as she feels her own strength waning. She knows that she doesn’t have much time left.

There’s only one thing she can do.

She reaches out to the mighty beast and slides her hand through its’ fur, connecting with it.

“No!” King Vixtrana calls out from the back. “Don’t you dare!”

Vi ignores her as she pulls the Dreadwolf’s spirit closer, channeling the remainder of her strength.

If this is her last chance, so be it.

* * *

Caitlyn watches as Vi’s body slumps and she stares up at her mournfully, a breath leaving her jowls.

“Kill me,” Vi whispers, her voice returning to her familiar husk. “Before I kill anyone else.”

Caitlyn thinks of the prophecy, of the Apothecary. She thinks of the vial and the bullet and her rifle. She knows what she must do but as she looks down at Vi, her mate, the sire of her pup, she can’t bear to do it. 

How could she?

“I can’t lose you,” Caitlyn whispers as the rain pelts down around her shoulders. “I love you.”

Vi shudders beneath her, eyes flickering once more between purple and grey.

“I don’t have much time,” Vi hisses as she shudders, “Caitlyn, please, I can’t hold her off—”

Caitlyn’s hand slides down from Vi’s shoulder to right above her chest, her heart.

“I love you,” Caitlyn whispers as she presses her head to Vi’s own. “You can still come back to me.”

Except she can’t, because it’s too late.

* * *

Vi is thrown from the connection in an instant, a foot pressed up against her throat.

She looks up into King Vixtrana’s angry cold eyes and she realizes that she’s run out of time.

“Now,” the King hisses, purple spittle flying from her lips, “I am going to finish this, once and for all.”

* * *

Caitlyn barely has the instinct to move to the side as the beast’s jaws snap in the empty space where her neck used to be. Before she can retaliate with a strike, Vi’s forelegs curl under her and shove at her chest, sending her flying backwards. Caitlyn soars through the air before landing with a thud on her back.

It doesn’t matter, however, because she sees Ekko at the control panel and she screams, 

“Now!”

Just as Vi leaps forward, a flash of blue light engulfs the room. The electricity from the bilge pumps sparks and forms a stasis bubble around Vi’s leaping body, attaching itself to the collar. Caitlyn stumbles to her knees, knowing that the hold won’t last forever. She struggles to catch her breath before she realizes it.

Her rifle.

She looks to the other end of the factory to see it not where she had left it.

Before she can question where it is, Caitlyn hears a cocking sound beside her.

She looks over to see Jinx holding the loaded rifle out with the bullet still inside. The omega is on the ground, having seemingly crawled her way across the floor with her bloodied leg to deliver the rifle. A trail of crimson follows her, spilling into the cracks with an alarming amount. Caitlyn's eyes well with tears as she takes in the pallid skin and bluish lips of the younger omega, knowing Jinx doesn’t have long. The younger woman simply gives her a soft nod, gesturing over towards Vi held in the bubble.

“Save my sister,” Jinx croaks as she collapses to the ground. “Please, Caitlyn.”

* * *

Before King Vixtrana can land the killing blow, electricity zaps through her form.

Vi heaves as she feels fire course through her veins, the Dreadwolf’s powers subdued and faltering.

Blackness creeps up in her vision as she looks past the beast to Caitlyn, and then to her rifle.

“No!” King Vixtrana screams in the background. “Stop her, you fool!”

Vi pays her no mind, however, because it’s over.

A faint smile takes over her lips as she realizes that this can finally end.

* * *

Caitlyn see Ekko straining against the lever holding the bubble in place and she knows she doesn’t have long. She swallows back the sob stuck in her throat as she stalks forward, her gun held up as she approaches Vi. Time seems to slow as the rain continues to splatter down, matting her hair to her shoulders. She feels the electricity of the stasis bubble prickle her skin and she knows she can’t go any further without electrocuting herself. Vi’s cold, purple eyes stare back at her from where she’s trapped.

And then, Caitlyn raises the rifle.

Vi’s purple eyes widen slightly, before she roars, the sound stuck within the bubble.

“I love you,” she says as she steadies the butt of the rifle against her shoulder. “You are no one's monster anymore, Vi.”

Then, as Caitlyn takes aim, those purple eyes flash grey once more.

In that moment, Caitlyn can see a flash of relief in that familiar glance, and her heart breaks again.

Who are you shooting for?

With a final breath, she cocks the Grayson’s rifle back and fires.

* * *

There is no pain.

There is no loss.

There is simply peace.

* * *

When the shot goes through Vi’s heart, the bubble surrounding her doesn’t explode.

Instead it burbles and cackles and goes out with an anticlimactic, quiet hiss.

Vi’s body slumps to the ground before it shudders, as it begins to transform. Caitlyn watches with anguish as she convulses as she shifts, her bones cracking and shifting back to her human form. She runs forward, ignoring Ekko’s cry of relief before he screams Jinx’s name. She runs until she finally reaches Vi, letting go of her rifle and allowing it to clatter to the ground with a loud thump of metal upon damp, bloody tiles.

Caitlyn slides to her knees and catches Vi before her slumped form can fall to the ground. 

Those grey eyes flicker open, meeting hers as Vi lets out a soft, defeated smile.

“H-Hey Cupcake,” Vi whispers, her voice cracking. “I-I missed you.”

Caitlyn winds her arms around Vi’s broad shoulders as she sobs into her neck. Vi continues to slump against her, blood sliding down her nude frame like a river, soaking through Caitlyn’s tattered armor.

They both know that the Apothecary is right.

There is no healing from this wound.

Vi’s hand shakily comes up and presses itself against her belly lightly.

“Tell them I loved them,” Vi whispers against her skin, “that I wish I could’ve been there.”

Caitlyn sobs as she shakes her head, gripping Vi tighter as she replies, “tell them yourself, Vi.”

“Mmm,” Vi hums tiredly, slumping further into her arms. “I wish I could, Cupcake.”

“Vi?”

Caitlyn turns to see Jinx propped up against Ekko, pale and bleeding heavily as she looks at her sister. Caitlyn shifts Vi’s body so that she’s propped up in a seated position against her chest, allowing her to look at her sister. It doesn’t matter that she’s fully nude. All that matters is that Jinx gets to see her sister.

“Y-You did it,” Vi rasps in a proud, weak smile. “You found me, kiddo.”

Caitlyn watches Jinx’s eyes water as she shakes her head. “It’s not over yet,” Jinx croaks as she stumbles down to wrap her arms around Vi’s prone, bleeding body. “You can’t leave me, Vi. We just found each other.”

Heavy sobs cascade from the young omega’s frame and Caitlyn can’t help but press her lips into Vi’s blood-caked hair. The rain continues to pour down as Vi weakly reaches up and cups Jinx’s jaw.

“I love you,” Vi whispers softly, her voice quieter than before. “Never forget that.”

Jinx sobs again, but this time Ekko takes her into his arms, holding her close. Vi’s eyes glaze over as she glances up at her pseudo-brother. Caitlyn knows that she’s picked up on their vibe and she squeezes her eyes shut as Vi lets out a soft, broken chuckle. “You better take care of her, Little Man. You got that?”

She hears Ekko’s voice crack as he says, “I promise, Vi.”

Caitlyn can feel the last embers of Vi’s strength start to fade and she knows that they don’t have much time left together. Selfishly, she adjusts Vi so that they’re face to face, Vi on her knees, slumped into her. Caitlyn holds her close and Vi tiredly looks up at her with that soft smirk, her bottom lip quivering slightly. They keep each other’s gazes as Caitlyn sobs, pressing a kiss to those bloodied lips desperately.

“I love you,” she whispers against Vi’s lips, “Vi, I love you so much.” 

She pulls back, watching as Vi struggles to form words as her eyelids droop. She shakes her head, willing the alpha to save her strength as she says, “I know, darling heart. You don’t have to say it; I know.”

Vi gives her a faint, crooked smile as she still rasps out, “I-I love you…”

Caitlyn sobs, watching as those grey eyes slide shut, her breathing laboring and slowing…

It won’t be long now.

Caitlyn knows this is the end.

Or is it?

Caitlyn almost jolts as she hears that familiar voice filter through her ears.

She leans back, only to see that time itself has paused. Jinx and Vi are frozen, but as she turns, she sees Ekko standing with his pocket watch clicking and swaying in the wind. Caitlyn swallows as she sees the recognition in his eyes. Behind him, she can see the silhouettes and shadows of people she doesn’t know.

Except, she does know them.

“I told you, remember?” Ekko says as he looks at his pocket watch. “You’d be the one to protect her.”

Caitlyn is transported back to that moment at the tree and she looks up at him, teary-eyed.

I saw it.

That’s when it clicks. 

Caitlyn looks past Ekko to see that those shadows were not strangers, but herself.

All of them are her, through the years, in all her different iterations and forms.

“None were ever quite like you,” Ekko says with a gentle hum, “no one saved her like you did.”

Caitlyn looks back at the frozen body of Vi, slumped over in her arms. “But she’s going to die.”

“That’s up to you to decide.”

Caitlyn turns to the sound of another familiar voice. She looks up and watches as the shadow of their past lives part to reveal Queen Caoimhe in her regal attire. The room around them fades to black, leaving just her and Vi in their forms amongst the darkness. Queen Caoimhe walks through the silhouettes and smiles down at Caitlyn. The omega Queen hums as she looks upon her dying mate with solemn recognition.

“There is a way to save her,” Queen Caoimhe says, “but you have to sacrifice something.”

“Anything,” Caitlyn breathes out as she looks back at Vi. “Please, I’d sacrifice anything.”

“How about this entire world?”

Caitlyn freezes as she looks back at Queen Caoimhe stares at her sadly. Her hand automatically clasps over her belly as she thinks about her past. She remembers what the Queen had to sacrifice for peace.

“Is this what being a God is all about?” Caitlyn whimpers as she glares up at her predecessor in anger. “Brothers killing brothers? Mothers killing their children? Mates killing mates? Devouring the world to start all over? What kind of life is that?!”

Queen Caoimhe offers her a solemn sigh before she kneels at both her and Vi’s side. She reaches out and tenderly strokes the strands of Vi’s matted hair from her face.

Her hand then reaches out to graze Vi’s cheek. “It is our world, my dear. We are Gods, after all.”

Caitlyn watches the movement and snarls protectively, earning a soft huff from the queen.

“A life of a God is all about fate,” Queen Caoimhe sighs, “it is in our blood.”

“Then let us decide our own fates,” Caitlyn says strongly. “Let us live our lives without bloodshed.”

Queen Caoimhe shakes her head despondently. “If only life could be that simple—”

“I could prove it to you," Caitlyn urges as she holds Vi tighter to her. "We both could.”

Queen Caoimhe glares back at her, lips pulled back into a tight line as she shakes her head.

“You’re young… foolish—”

“We can end this war,” Caitlyn says as she nods down at Vi. “We can stop the cycle.”

Caitlyn takes a deep breath before she whispers, “give us a chance, at least.”

Queen Caoimhe stares at her, unimpressed. “You would doom them to the same fate. It always repeats. War never changes, girl, no matter how many eons pass. This is their destiny, to fight and to forge new paths. There is no end to this cycle. We have tried many ways to make it end, to no real avail.”

Caitlyn shakes her head, determinedly biting back as she growls, “we can do it. I know we can.”

A moment of silence passes as Queen Caoimhe eyes her curiously.

But then she cocks her head and asks, “and what would you give for that chance?”

Caitlyn looks back down at Vi, and despite everything in her body telling her to take the Queen’s offer, she knows that isn’t what Vi would have wanted. She hangs her head and looks back at the Queen sadly.

“Our lives.”

Queen Caoimhe cocks her head, smiling sadly. “You do this, and you won’t reunite again. You won’t find each other in the afterlife like you did in every previous iteration. You do this, and the era of the primes and the Gods ends with you.”

Caitlyn’s eyes well with tears as she swallows down the sob in her throat.

“I know,” Caitlyn says as she looks back at Vi, “but we have to try, don’t we?”

Queen Caoimhe sighs before she places her hand on Caitlyn’s shoulder firmly. “You’re sure of this?”

Caitlyn keeps her eyes on Vi as she nods, smiling sadly. She knows Vi would do the same.

“I am.”

“Very well,” Queen Caoimhe says, “I will grant you one final chance.”

Just then, the world around them blurs and whistles as a vortex forms around her. Caitlyn holds Vi closer to her as all of the iterations of their past lives form a circle around their bodies. Caitlyn hears a hum building in the void, the space shaking and trembling as the silhouettes start to vibrate and blur faster.

And then, one by one, the shadows dart forward, thrusting into her body.

Caitlyn screams out as each one shoots into her frame, settling in her bones. She doesn’t relinquish her grip on her mate, however, as she absorbs each and every one of her past lives. Queen Caoimhe simply watches as each one flows through her. Each absorption feels like a knife to the gut but Caitlyn bears it with tears in her eyes. She holds Vi to her chest as she presses into her, holding her as close as possible.

And then, once the final iteration passes into her bones, all that’s left is Queen Caoimhe.

“You make a great sacrifice,” Queen Caoimhe says as she retrieves her bow from behind her back. “I wish for you to change your narrative, to unspin the lines of fate. I imbue my arrow with the spirit of rebirth.”

She lines up an arrow and aims it straight for Caitlyn, her gaze firm and unwavering. Caitlyn matches her stare, no matter the pain coursing through her or the tears running down her cheeks as she holds Vi tight.

“We will see if it will be enough,” the Queen says with a nod, “luck be with you, my child.”

Without hesitation, the Queen pulls back on the arrow and fires.

* * *

Vi watches as King Vixtrana falls to her knees, a look of relief on her face. 

Vi slumps against the ground, feeling the world start to darken and blur. The King's lips twist in a sad, bloodied smile.

And then she whispers, "bring me home, my love."

* * *

Caitlyn jerks upwards, her body filling with a renewed energy. 

All of the sudden Caitlyn feels the power of a million souls coursing through her bones. She keels over as her arms elongate and her legs lengthen. Her back creaks and her spine snaps as she bends backwards, feeling her skin split on her spine. And then, she feels something emerging from her shoulder blades as she kneels. It feels like extra bones as two of them slide out like a raggedy blade from her broken skin. Her body twists as from the corner of her eye she sees what’s sprouted from her shoulders and spine. 

Wings.

Ethereal blue and white feathers strike outwards, her wingspan nearly six feet in length. Caitlyn looks down at her arms, seeing them coated in a golden armor, laced with white and blue accents. The armor is thick but not heavy as it covers her arms and torso, and as she looks down to her feet, she sees gunmetal boots covering her long legs as she hovers above the ground, the tops accented with tiny silver wings. She reaches up to her scalp to feel a crown sitting atop her forehead, accented with small crosses and lines.

Guessing by her shadow, Caitlyn must be at least eight feet tall in this form.

She doesn’t need to guess to know what this is.

Like Vi had become the Dreadwolf, she has now become the Phoenix.

This is Queen Caoimhe’s final parting gift.

Caitlyn flicks her feathers, giving her wings a flap as more wind swirls around her. She turns as she levitates, staring back at the awestruck faces of Jinx and Ekko as the teenagers stare up at her. Caitlyn looks at them and gives them an assuring nod before she turns back to where her attention is needed most.

She floats over to Vi’s slumped form, noticing her dimming grey eyes staring up at her. Caitlyn looks at the collar bound tightly around her neck as she reaches out, her long, lithe fingers wrapping around the steel. She grips it firmly and the metal wanes until it snaps with a sharp twang. The pieces litter the floor but Caitlyn pays them no mind as she takes in the breath Vi inhales greedily, her eyes flashing with hope.

Vi looks up at her as the life continues to drain from her body. She slumps forward, but Caitlyn takes her into her body, the wind forming a whirlwind vortex around the both of them as she gently flaps her wings. She allows the feathers to cover Vi’s nude back as she levitates, taking both of them into the air. A bright white light follows the wind, cocooning them in an ethereal glow as Caitlyn reaches down for Vi’s head. She holds the back of her neck steadily, angling her face upwards so that their eyes can once more meet.

“Violet,” Caitlyn says, her voice imbued with the spirits of her past, “we have to do this.”

Vi’s eyes flash, recognition passing over them as she realizes what Caitlyn is really asking.

Outside, war continues to rage on, two cities caught between endless destruction.

Finally, Caitlyn whispers, “mate with me, my love. Allow our souls to join, once and for all.”

Vi shivers against her and Caitlyn allows her head to tuck into her neck. She can feel Vi’s lifeforce draining with each second that passes. Her mate takes a moment before she gives a weak nod.

“End the cycle,” Vi murmurs into her skin, “together, Caitlyn.”

Caitlyn’s eyes well with tears as the tornado whirling around them picks up in pace. She watches as Vi uses all of her energy to pull her head back before she looks up at Caitlyn with hazy grey eyes. A mournful smile plays at her bloodied cracked lips before she gives her mate a soft, knowing nod.

“I love you,” Vi whispers hoarsely, “no matter what happens, I will always love you.”

Caitlyn’s eyes well with tears as she says, “in every lifetime, my love, I am yours.”

The rain continues to pour down in droves as Vi’s head slumps back to her neck. Her fangs descend with the remainder of the power she has left, scraping over the skin of her neck. Caitlyn finds her place on the opposite side, her own fangs descending as they lightly pierce her skin, preparing for the final puncture.

“Ready?” Caitlyn breathes out. Vi nods against her weakly.

“Ready.”

Caitlyn takes a breath before she snags her teeth into Vi’s neck and bites down. She feels a familiar sting on the opposite side other neck as Vi does the same, her skin breaking under the force of her mate’s bite.

When her tongue taste her mate’s blood, the world explodes in a flash of white.

* * * 

Vi looks into the void as King Vixtrana stares back at her, her eyes a steely grey once more.

She remains calm as the King stumbles forward, placing her hand on Vi’s shoulder. Remorse dances in her gaze as she squeezes her shoulder. Vi’s eyes water as she watches as the King’s flesh starts to turn to ash, her smile turning morbidly solemn as she closes her eyes and nods her head up towards the sky.

“I return to you, my Queen,” King Vixtrana murmurs, “for the last time…”

Vi’s heart shatters a light shines from her hand, the essence of the King flowing into her like an elixir.

A new strength courses through her body and she closes her eyes.

And then, the world goes black.

* * *

Their bodies intertwine, the Phoenix rising from the sky and the Dreadwolf prowling the Earth.

The moon chasing the sun, life chasing death; it’s an endless cycle that they’ve engaged in for years. Time passes differently in this form as they each fall through each other, their blood and flesh becoming one.

There is no pain in this realm.

There is only absolution.

And then, time stops altogether.

The sky breaks open and ground splits apart as they’re revealed—their ultimate ascended form.

Four silvery cerulean and milky white wings spread out from their back like the Angels of Old. Golden armor plates the ridges of the vertebrae of the Phoenix's wings, causing them to glint in the pale light of the moon. Their body, covered in crimson red fur, stands at almost twelve feet tall. Golden and silver armor with heavy sapphire-tinted metal mates adorn their chest and shoulders. A pleated chainmail waist guard flows over their hips, leading down to iron grey steel boots. Their hands, long and covered with fur, have claws extending from their metacarpi. Finally, their head—the head of the Dreadwolf—covered with an armored helmet. Their ears stand up straight from underneath the protective metal, ever alert and sensitive to the roar of violence and war.

And then, they open their eyes.

Half-grey, half-blue irises stare back into the void of the very world they’d created.

In the looming distance, the end of the world beckons.

Only this time, they are ready.