Chapter Text
The arcane is a curious thing.
It is unpredictable. Chaotic.
Impossible to understand.
One might dedicate their whole life to learning of its nature, and still never find the answers they seek.
When one messes with the arcane—an unstable force to begin with—the universe does what it can to right itself.
So, when Isha sacrificed herself, she might have accepted the very likely possibility of her death, but that did not mean that would be the result.
In fact, when the universe sensed the disturbance of that powerful blast, it did not eradicate the source. It simply… transferred it to a place better suited for such power.
For magic.
•●♠︎●•
The first thing Isha noticed when she woke up was the blistering heat. The sun beat down on her skin, and when she opened her eyes, she saw nothing but rubble and debris surrounding her.
Slowly, tentatively, Isha rose to her feet. She paused for a moment to look at her hands. Yes, she decided, those were definitely still her hands.
Isha took a deep breath and began to walk.
She traversed the area with care, paying attention to each significant detail that she might be able to use as landmarks later on. An archway here, an especially large pile of rocks there, or that strange structure with the most beautiful gold peeking out between the dense layers of vines.
When she arrived at a massive building that still stood among the wreckage, she finally allowed herself a small break. Take a moment, regroup, plan.
What would Jinx do?
Oh, how she wished Jinx were here. She always knew what to do. If Jinx were here, she'd laugh, pat Isha on the head, and tell her exactly where to go from here.
But… Jinx wasn't there. Isha was alone.
And so, she pressed on. Into this grand building. She heaved the doors open with a great effort, squealing in delight when they finally swung open.
Isha looked around the room, the tall walls and high ceilings that reached the heavens, absolutely covered in books. She smiled to herself. She had always wanted to read, but never had much of a chance.
She climbed around the shelves looking for any book that might catch her attention. Giggling with glee, she pulled one from its place, a brick red cover with gold decals, elegant and perfect.
Isha dropped to the floor, book in hand. She opened it gently, carefully, allowing herself the chance to soak in the wonder of literature. She traced her finger on the slightly faded black ink of the words she could not understand but felt thrilling anyway.
Flipping through the book, she came across a striking drawing spread over two pages, depicting a dark-skinned woman with pale orange hair and an intricate crown made of gold resting on her head. She wore the most beautiful, indescribable garments of yellows and oranges and gold. When Isha looked closer, she noticed a pair of horns and pointed ears, and orange markings on her face.
She was beautiful, but she wasn't human.
Isha sat there for a long while, running the pads of her fingers over the mysterious woman in the drawing. It was peaceful, and she could almost forget how desperately she had wanted to get back to Jinx.
Then, there was a loud creaking noise as the library doors were pushed open. Isha hopped up, slamming the book shut and tucking it under her arm. She ran over to hide behind a stack of books, peeking out from the side to keep an eye on the people who had entered.
There were two people. One, a red-haired man with kind eyes and freckles scattered throughout his face. The other, a tall woman with scary amour, a shield at her back and sword strapped to her hip. There was a scar on her cheek, and her hair was brown, though the style of it was achingly familiar. Like Vi’s.
Isha watched them, carefully observing their every move. They did not speak, instead making strange gestures with their hands in order to communicate. Isha frowned. It would have been easier to gauge the level of threat if she knew what they were saying.
It was fine. Jinx always taught her to prepare for the worst case scenario, so she placed her hand over Jinx’s gun where it was tucked into her belt. The other hand gravitated to the hex gems where they were safely stowed away in their own special pouch on her belt.
She smiled to herself. Jinx wasn't there physically, sure. But her weapons would protect her. Should Isha need to defend herself from these people, Jinx's hands would guide hers and help her do what was necessary. Whatever it took to get back to Jinx.
Isha looked back at the people, and instantly made eye contact with the brunette woman. The woman turned to her friend to tell him, but when she turned back, Isha had already taken off running up the stairs.
She wasn't safe yet, though, as she could hear the thundering stomps of heavy metal boots climbing the steps behind her. Isha winced, running faster. Ducking and weaving under tables, between chairs, through piles and piles of old books.
Isha kept an ear out for the footsteps, and they never left. She ran even faster, until the state of the old library betrayed her, and she tripped on a loose floorboard with a yelp. The woman caught up half a second later, standing over Isha with a strange expression on her face.
The woman knelt down to Isha’s level as she tried to scramble away, only to hit her back on the wall of shelves. She was cornered. Isha looked around her, trying to find an escape, completely neglecting to keep an eye on the woman right in front of her.
She snapped once, twice in Isha's face to get her attention, then began to move her hands in those strange movements from before. Isha pressed her back against the bookshelves. What was she doing? Was she… casting a spell? Or was this some strange fighting technique that was all the build-up to Isha getting beat up. She wasn't sure which option she'd prefer.
And so, with hesitant, trembling hands, she reached for the gun. Isha whipped it from under her belt and pointed it straight at the woman.
Show no fear.
Jinx wouldn't be afraid.
Be like Jinx.
Isha put on her scariest face, yet the woman just blinked at her a few times before making those gestures again. She growled quietly, waving the gun around a bit to emphasize to the woman the power she had.
I have a gun! she wanted to scream. I have a gun! You should be afraid!
But she couldn't. So she just… stared.
The woman frowned, appearing annoyed or frustrated. Isha wasn't sure why. But it was of no consequence. The woman made yet another gesture, off to the side as she maintained eye contact with Isha.
Then, that red-haired man appeared from around the corner, and… Isha wasn't so sure she could fight off both of them.
The man walked over to them and knelt beside them, smiling at Isha and looking at her with those kind eyes. She did not like people with kind eyes. Those were the people whose kindness always gave way to cruel intentions.
Isha did not like this man.
She shifted her gun to point at him instead. He put his hands up in surrender, but she did not lower her gun. He could be lying, don't trust him, yes, that's what Jinx would say.
There was a soft pat on her head.
Jinx?
Jinx used to pat her head like that. But when Isha looked at who it was, it wasn't Jinx. It was that woman. She wasn't Jinx, but… it felt nice. The woman was smiling at her and stroking her hair and it was nice. Isha felt herself leaning into the touch.
These people were safe.
Jinx would want her to be safe.
Isha threw herself into the woman’s embrace, wrapping her arms around her neck. There was a sharp intake of breath from off to the side where the man still knelt next to his friend. But Isha did not care. The woman was warm and soft and she smelled nice, like flowers, and Isha buried her face in her neck to breathe it in.
The woman rose up, taking Isha with her. She cradled Isha in her arms, still gently rubbing her back in soft circles. Isha nuzzled her face further in her neck, and the woman laughed, a silent, breathy sound.
Isha allowed the woman to carry her down the stairs of the library, and back outside. She only grumbled little complaints as the woman peeled her off her chest to place her on the back of some strange animal Isha had never seen before—though she guessed it must have been a horse, like she'd heard about in some stories.
The woman mounted the horse, sitting on the saddle directly behind Isha, wrapping her arms around her to secure her and grip the reins. Isha leaned back to rest her head on the woman's chest, closing her eyes once more as she began to drift off.
Yes, she thought sleepily. I'm safe.