Arcane Anew

"Should we really be doing this if he has some kind of anger-issue time bomb inside him?" Ekko whispered to Powder as Vi and Orion wrapped their hands and fitted their gloves.

"No idea," Powder replied with a casual shrug. "But if it gets these two to make up…"

"What are you talking about?" Caitlyn asked, stepping up beside them.

To keep things neutral, Mylo was acting as the corner ref for Vi, and Claggor for Orion. It had been agreed that Powder would stay uninvolved, and Vi's Pilty goon- Caitlyn- would stay out of an Undercity matter. Ekko, meanwhile, had outright refused to take part, watching Orion warily.

Unlike the past, the robot could retract into the wall, giving them the entire ring this time.

With a quick glance and a 'Tsk' from Powder, Ekko responded instead.

"None of your business," he said curtly.

"I think it is very much my business."

Scoffing, Powder shot back, "The only reason you're even allowed here is because of my sister. Your people aren't welcome here."

"And here I thought we had a mutual understanding," Caitlyn frowned, crossing her arms as her gaze flicked to Ekko. "I help you catch Silco, lock him away, destroy Shimmer, and take out a few others along the way. Honestly, it's a one-sided arrangement."

Powder and Ekko exchanged a brief glance. After a beat, Ekko sighed and answered while Powder shook her head, turning away.

"He's got some issues after a job."

His gaze flicked to Orion for a moment, clear hesitation in his eyes before he spoke.

"Doesn't sound like the whole story."

"Yeah?" Powder muttered, folding her arms and looking away. "Then maybe you should ask him yourself."

"I will," Caitlyn replied coolly, her gaze shifting back to Orion. "After this."

"Hmph." Powder's discontent was obvious as her fingers unconsciously drifted to Isha's hair, absentmindedly playing with it like a toy.

"Nn." Isha waved her hands in annoyance, trying to shake her off, making Powder giggle.

Isha was getting amped up despite the distraction. Her eyes were wide with excitement, her small frame bouncing up and down- just like a certain Powder had once done at her age.

Powder felt something strange, a quiet recognition. Watching Isha was like glimpsing her younger, innocent self. Her gaze flickered to Orion.

What happened next shocked everyone.

The fight had started as expected, a sharp exchange of movement- Vi slipping and jabbing, Orion countering, each testing the other's distance. A few more blows were traded when, suddenly- 

BOOM!

The entire corner of the ring exploded outward, flattening like a pancake.

The shockwave sent Ekko and Caitlyn tumbling to one side, while Powder and Isha were thrown to the other. A violent indigo wave rippled outward, shaking the walls. Glass rattled but mercifully didn't shatter, sparing them from deadly shards.

Claggor and Mylo staggered backward, and after realizing what was happening, retreated backwards several more steps.

"Agh- AAAaaa…"

A series of painful, whining groans echoed from the ring.

Caitlyn groaned, slowly sitting up. As she turned her head, she caught sight of Orion- and her eyes widened in shock.

Ekko, breathing heavily beside her, muttered darkly, "There's your time bomb going off."

At the back corner of the ring, Orion was on his knees, clutching his head.

The indigo waves fluttered wildly around him, sparking bright and unstable. But within them, something darker twisted—a faint, unsettling violet that clashed violently with the Arcane energy.

Squinting, Caitlyn blurted out, "That- That looks like Hextech energy! But what is- ?"

Vi, groaning from where she had been knocked out of the ring, winced as Caitlyn rushed to help her up. But even as she pulled Vi to her feet, Caitlyn's guard never dropped, her gaze fixed warily on Orion.

"What do we do…" Powder's voice cut through, breathless with panic. Her head whipped toward Ekko, desperation flashing in her wide eyes.

"We have to help him, Ekko! Hey- Come back!"

Powder's hands clawed out at Isha desperately who ran fearlessly toward the ring.

"Stop! Come back!"

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

//Ring Fight//

The bell rang and the two started dancing with their guards up, throwing out jabs to test their distance.

'She's definitely improved, not rushing in like before,' Orion noted, slipping a jab while simultaneously countering with his own. She caught it and slapped it down, and they pivoted in sync.

More jabs and soft hooks.

Vi smirked. She was clearly enjoying this. But Orion was not. His temper was flaring in the background after everything that was said and done.

Like in the past, however, Vi was still more aggressive. Orion closed in, but so did Vi.

She slipped under his hook, and flowed into her first body hook that caught his elbow. Her body quickly pivoted though, and a second hook was delivered with her other into his side.

When his arm lowered instinctively, protect his already impacted side, his body twisted too, and an uppercut came straight up the middle- finding his face in a clean collision.

Blood trickled down Orion's nose and he stumbled backward, throwing out his leading jab to try forcing her to backup.

But an experienced, street-fighting Vi against someone who spent the last six years isolated and rotting in a cell?

The punch was slow.

She easily slipped to the outside and a short, fast right impacted his face again. He was seeing white sparks through flashes of mounting pain, and knew he had to re-adjust.

Vi wasn't going in for an immediate kill, though.

She wanted to savor this.

After all, she never landed clean blows- not even once- when they sparred as kids and this felt like retribution for all of the times she left with a stinging face and sore ribs.

It was also, as much as she hated to admit it, a stress relief. A way to show her emotions without words, but through her fists instead.

Orion's guard came back up, close and tight.

'I can't trade blows with her. My body isn't conditioned, and my reflexes aren't there.' He spit out some blood. 'I need to revert to how we did it as kids and dance on the outside to give myself reaction time.'

Sound plan, he thought. But he didn't recognize, or rather didn't comprehend a feeling that was rising inside him.

All of this adrenaline, the feeling of violence and destruction, it was causing the Void energy to stir within him.

He thought it was just his nerves, or his heart pounding away, and didn't take too much note of it. After all, he also promised not to use magic.

But how he was wrong.

BOOM.

The air split apart.

Energy erupted outward, raw and uncontrolled, sending shockwaves through the room.

The last thing Vi saw before she was hurled from the ring was a flicker of violet light, something she was going to call out. Then she was on her back, body aching, pain radiating through her core, the world spinning around her.

What was merely seconds in this reality, however, was a drawn out session for Orion.

He saw- or felt- himself losing control in his mind.

In visions, unable to control his rage any longer, his pent up resentment and anguish for the years spent in this accursed world was finally unleashed.

In a split moment, as if inhibitors were completely removed, Vi's body exploded outward with a torrent of blood from one of his fists.

Waves of violet, void energy rippled out from him. He blinked. Jinx was missing both her arms and Caitlyn's head was cleanly removed. Claggor and Mylo were staring lifelessly up at him, and Isha was cowering in the corner.

"How does it feel?"

"How does it feel getting torn apart in my stead?!" Orion's distorted, insane driven voice rippled out.

"HOW DOES IT FEEL?!"

He blinked again, the visions vanished.

He felt pain rippling through his head like a thousand needles and realized once more that the Void energy was trying to wrestle control away from him.

The pain was intense, and almost unbearable, forcing him to his knees while he clutched his head, guttural groans escaping him.

All he could hear was corrupted, haunting whispers from the beyond.

And desperate cries approaching.