You're a Jinx
A few days before the annual Kalstead festival
The soft glow of the setting sun, the skies over Kalstead bathed in hues of orange and lavender. In a quiet clearing, Powder crouched over a large rocket firework, its intricate designs shimmering faintly. Around her, a group of excited children gathered, their wide eyes fixed on her every move.
"This one’s different," Powder announced, her voice tinged with both pride and caution. She reached for her hextech gun, unholstered it, and deftly removed a glowing blue gem from its chamber. The gem pulsed faintly, casting an ethereal glow across her face. Holding it up for the kids to see, she declared, "No one is going to use this rocket—only I can. It requires this gem, and I’m not going to give it to anyone."
The children exchanged murmurs of curiosity, but Powder didn’t elaborate. She turned back to the rocket, carefully slotting the gem into a small compartment on its side. The soft click as it locked into place seemed to echo in the stillness of the evening.
Powder stood, brushing off her hands. "Alright, step back. Way back," she ordered, her tone commanding but filled with excitement. The kids scrambled to retreat, their eager faces peeking out from behind nearby crates and trees.
Powder lit the fuse, and the quiet was replaced with a sharp hiss as sparks raced toward the base of the rocket. With a powerful whoosh, the firework shot into the sky, trailing a brilliant streak of blue light that reflected in the children’s awestruck eyes.
As the rocket soared higher, the box-like compartment containing the gem detached, falling toward the ground. Powder lunged forward, catching it with practiced ease. The children gasped, but their attention quickly returned to the rocket, which continued its climb.
At its apex, the rocket erupted into an explosion of dazzling colors—vivid blues and golds that cascaded across the twilight sky like shimmering waves. The kids’ gasps turned into cheers, their faces glowing with wonder as the light show painted the heavens.
Tali, her expression one of pure amazement, broke the silence. "I’ve never seen anything like this in my life."
"Me neither," another child echoed, their voice filled with awe.
"Me neither," came another, and then another.
Tali turned to Powder, her smirk playful but laced with admiration. "This is going to make us the winners."
Powder smirked back, her gaze shifting to the glowing box in her hands. "It will," she replied, her voice brimming with quiet confidence.
Present Day , in the Battlefield
The rocket streaked through the air like a harbinger of doom, the pulsing purple gem at its core growing brighter and brighter with each passing second. The mechanisms inside the rocket groaned and sputtered as they fought to contain the overwhelming energy. But the purple gem was too much. The system failed, the compartment refusing to detach. The raw power built to a breaking point, crackling ominously as it bore down toward the charging beast.
Powder’s heart sank into the pit of her stomach. Her lips trembled as she whispered, “No…” Then louder, desperate, “No! No! No!”
The rocket struck the beast, and for a brief, terrifying moment, everything was still.
Then the world exploded.
A blinding flash of purple light swallowed the battlefield, its intensity so fierce it felt as though a star had been born in the heart of Kalstead. The beast disintegrated instantly, its form erased from existence, but the explosion did not stop there. A wave of destruction, raw and unrelenting, ripped outward.
The shockwave didn’t just flatten—it vaporized.
Rengar, mid-leap, was gone in the blink of an eye, his roar silenced forever. Vi, Caitlyn, Jarvan, Quinn, and Garen barely had time to turn toward the sound before they, too, were consumed, their bodies vanishing into the light as if they had never existed. The shockwave tore through the defenders, the Noxians, the beasts—no distinction, no mercy.
On the rooftop, Tali and the children who had launched the rocket froze as the light engulfed them. Their excited faces, moments ago brimming with pride, disappeared in an instant, their laughter silenced as they were reduced to nothingness.
The annihilation spared no one in its path, its fury unrelenting as it swept across the battlefield.
Far beyond the battlefield, the force of the blast rippled outward.
In Ravenhurst, Maya stood amidst the refugees, watching the horizon. When the distant rumble reached her, followed by the faint violet glow that painted the sky, her knees buckled. “What… what is that?” she whispered, clutching her chest as an overwhelming dread washed over her. Around her, people gasped, murmuring in horror as the ground trembled beneath their feet.
Back in Kalstead, when the light dimmed and the dust began to settle, the scale of devastation became clear. Half the city was simply gone—reduced to ash, rubble, and ruin. A sprawling crater marred the once-thriving streets, its edges scorched black. The remnants of what had been Kalstead smoldered in eerie silence, a broken skeleton of a place that had stood mere moments ago.
Among the wreckage, Warwick’s mutilated form twitched. Half his body had been obliterated, but the shimmer coursing through his veins worked relentlessly to mend what was left. His chest heaved shallowly, his unconscious mind clinging stubbornly to life.
Not far away, Ekko and Powder lay crumpled against a pile of rubble, battered and bleeding but alive, barely. Lux’s magic had protected them, forming a desperate barrier in the split second before the blast reached them. But it had come at a price. Lux, her golden aura now completely extinguished, collapsed motionless on the ground, her body spent and lifeless in appearance.
In the carnage, Swain stood, the air around him crackling with residual energy. His magic had shielded both him and Darius from annihilation, though even he bore the marks of the explosion—his armor scorched, his breath heavy. His eyes glowed with a mixture of awe and grim satisfaction. This was destruction on a scale even he had not foreseen.
Swain’s gaze shifted briefly to Powder and Ekko, their frail forms barely clinging to life, and then to Lux, whose faint breathing signaled she had survived—just barely. A flicker of curiosity crossed his face, but it was gone as quickly as it came. He turned his attention back to the smoldering ruin of Kalstead, his expression darkening.
The battlefield was silent now, save for the distant crackle of dying fires and the faint sound of groaning metal as the remnants of Kalstead smoldered in ruins. The air was thick with ash, and the acrid smell of destruction clung to everything. Among the rubble, only six souls remained—two unconscious and the other four barely clinging to life.
Powder stumbled through the wreckage, her body trembling as she called out desperately into the void.
“Tali!” she shouted, her voice breaking as her eyes scanned the rubble. “Vi! Where are you?!” She turned frantically, shouting the names of children, of friends, of anyone who might answer her call. "Lena? Jules? Someone, please!"
But there was no answer. Only silence.
Her legs gave out, and she collapsed onto her knees, her face buried in her hands as sobs wracked her body. “No, no, no… This can’t be happening,” she whispered between her tears. "It wasn't supposed to be like this..."
Ekko, bloodied and bruised, stood nearby, watching her with hollow eyes. He wanted to comfort her, to say something, but the weight of their loss rendered him silent. As he tightened his grip on his weapon, his gaze caught movement in the distance.
Swain.
The Noxian Grand General limped toward them, his once-imposing figure marred by injuries but no less menacing. His crimson eyes glowed faintly, cutting through the haze like embers in the dark. His steps were uneven, his limp pronounced, but his presence radiated power.
Powder looked up, as Swain closed the distance. Ekko stepped in front of her, raising his weapon with shaking hands, his body tense despite his exhaustion.
Swain chuckled darkly, his voice raspy but filled with a cruel edge. “Ah, Powder. Or should I say… Jinx.”
Powder flinched at the name, her breath hitching as the word hit her like a dagger.
Swain continued, his voice sharp and cutting, each word dripping with venom. “Destruction follows you like a shadow, doesn’t it? Wherever you go, chaos blooms, and the people you love are reduced to ashes. It’s almost poetic.”
“Shut up,” Ekko growled, his voice weak but defiant.
Swain ignored him, his gaze locked on Powder. “This… this is your masterpiece, isn’t it? A stupid little gadget you made, one you couldn’t control. And look what it cost—everything."
Powder shook her head, tears streaming down her face. “I… I didn’t mean to—”
“Didn’t mean to?” Swain’s laugh was bitter, a sound that echoed through the ruins. “That’s the same excuse you used years ago, isn’t it? When your brilliant invention killed your friends. Tell me, how many lives have you claimed with your toys? How many more will you destroy before you finally accept it?”
“Stop it!” she screamed, her voice raw as she covered her ears.
“You are destruction incarnate,” Swain said, his tone cold and unyielding. “You are a jinx. You always have been. And now, because of you, they’re gone. Vi, Tali, those children… all gone, reduced to nothing because of your carelessness.”
Powder broke, her cries turning into gut-wrenching sobs as she rocked back and forth on the ground. “I didn’t want this! I didn’t want any of this!”
Ekko stepped forward, his body trembling but his voice steady. “That’s enough!” he shouted, planting himself between Powder and Swain. “This isn’t her fault! She didn’t launch that rocket—it wasn’t her decision! Stop blaming her for something she didn’t do!”
Swain didn’t falter, his crimson gaze piercing through Ekko’s defiance. “Oh, how noble of you,” he said, his tone dripping with condescension. “But don’t fool yourself, boy. The weapon may not have been fired by her hand, but it was born from her chaos, her reckless brilliance. Wherever she goes, ruin follows.”
Powder’s sobs grew quieter, her hands clutching the ground as if trying to steady herself. Ekko crouched beside her, his voice softening. “Powder, listen to me. Don’t let him get to you. You didn’t do this. You didn’t cause this.” He gently rested a hand on her shoulder. “We’ll figure this out together. You’re not alone in this.”
But Swain’s voice cut through the moment like a blade. “Together? How long can you keep lying to yourself, Ekko? Do you think you can protect her from what she is? From what she’ll always be?”
Ekko’s eyes burned with defiance, but Swain’s words struck deep. Powder flinched, her breath hitching as Swain pressed harder.
“Think about it,” Swain continued, his voice cold and deliberate. “Everywhere she goes, death follows. Vander, Milo, Claggor, Tali—all of them gone because of her creations. And now Vi, Caitlyn, and countless others. She didn’t need to light the fuse. She is the fuse. That’s the truth you can’t escape.”
Powder’s breathing grew ragged, her body trembling as she began to shake her head. “No... no, I didn’t... I didn’t mean to...”
Swain stepped closer, his limp almost unnoticeable as his presence loomed over her. “It doesn’t matter what you meant. Intentions don’t erase the destruction you leave behind. You’re not a victim. You’re not some innocent little girl. You’re a jinx. That’s who you are.”
Powder’s mind splintered under the weight of his words. Her vision blurred as images flickered before her eyes—visions of her past, her deepest regrets, and her worst fears.
She saw Vi, her sister’s face twisted in anger. “You’re a jinx! That’s all you’ve ever been!”
Silco’s calm, insidious voice echoed in her mind. “You’re perfect, Jinx. You were always meant to be this.”
The voices overlapped, blending into a deafening cacophony. Ghostly images of Vander, Milo, Claggor, and now Tali surrounded her, their faces filled with silent accusation. Powder clutched her head, shaking violently as she screamed, “No! Stop! I’m not a jinx! I’m not a jinx!”
Ekko’s heart broke as he watched her unravel, powerless to stop the storm raging inside her. He glanced around desperately, and that’s when he noticed movement nearby—Warwick.
The monstrous figure stirred, his shredded body slowly mending itself as the shimmer coursed through his veins. Warwick’s claws twitched, his guttural growl growing louder as his recovery accelerated.
Ekko’s eyes widened. “Powder, we have to go! Now!”
She didn’t respond, lost in her spiral of pain and despair. Ekko had no choice. He sprang into action, hoisting Lux’s unconscious form onto one shoulder despite the searing pain in his injuries. Then, with his free arm, he grabbed Powder, pulling her onto his hoverboard.
“Hold on!” he shouted, the board roaring to life.
Behind them, Darius, battered and bleeding, staggered forward. His axe scraped against the ground as he tried to intercept them, but his injuries slowed him.
“Let them go,” Swain commanded, his voice calm yet firm. Darius stopped in his tracks, confused, but Swain’s attention wasn’t on Ekko or Powder.
Behind him, Warwick’s eyes snapped open, glowing with a feral light. His massive frame loomed in the dim light as he rose to his feet, a guttural snarl rumbling from his chest that shook the air.
Swain turned slightly, his gaze locking onto the fully healed beast. His lips curled into a thin, grim smile as Ekko disappeared into the distance with Powder and Lux.