Arcane: I have Plasmids F*** YEAAAAAAH!!!

Lukas had seen some crazy shit since arriving in Zaun.

He had fought Shimmered mutants, Bullshited his way into basically owning a Chem-Baroness.

Shit, he even turned Vander into a fucking Big Daddy.

But this?

This was a whole new level of 'Crazy shit.'

The rift in front of him—jagged, shifting, bleeding light from the edges of reality itself—was something he didn't even have a frame of reference for.

And then—

A woman stepped through.

Lukas's breath caught.

His entire body locked up.

Because he knew that face.

Knew those eyes.

Knew the impossible weight that came with her name.

Heck, she was a major part of the reason he came here in the first place.

She straightened, smoothing the fabric of her dress, as if stepping between dimensions was nothing more than a casual stroll.

Then—

She looked at him.

Noticed his expression.

And nodded.

"Ah Good," she said.

"You already know who I am, this should make things run smoother."

Lukas.exe stopped working.

For a long moment, he just stared.

His mind screamed at him to make sense of this.

But he couldn't.

This was Arcane.

This was Zaun, Piltover, Hextech, and Shimmer.

This was fucking League of Legends.

And yet—

Standing in his goddamn lab was Elizabeth Comstock...Dewitt, timeline's confusing.

From BioShock.

A fictional character.

A woman who should have never existed in this world.

"…What the actual fuck?" Lukas finally managed.

Elizabeth didn't react.

Didn't smirk, didn't look surprised.

She just moved.

Graceful, calculated steps.

Her sharp eyes swept across the room, absorbing every detail.

The Vita-Chamber. The rusted pipes and exposed wiring.

And then—

Her gaze landed on Vander.

His massive, armored frame lay silent in the stasis pod, the diving suit's steel plating glinting faintly in the dim light.

Elizabeth studied him.

Her expression remained neutral.

Like she had expected to see something like this.

Lukas's stomach twisted.

The fact that she wasn't shocked made this so much worse.

"What the hell is going on?" Lukas muttered, his mind still scrambling.

Elizabeth didn't answer.

Not yet.

She walked over to a nearby chair, pulled it across from him, and sat down.

Like she had all the time in the world.

She didn't.

She folded her hands neatly in her lap and finally spoke.

"Would you like me to explain, or would you prefer to panic first?"

Lukas blinked.

Then scowled.

"Oh, fuck you."

Elizabeth's lips twitched slightly.

But she said nothing.

She was waiting.

Letting him process.

Lukas exhaled slowly, running a hand through his hair.

"This day keeps getting worse..."

Elizabeth leaned back slightly.

Her gaze never left him.

"My name is Elizabeth, but of course, you already knew that."

She said, as if formally introducing herself.

Lukas gave her a deadpan look.

"No shit."

Her eyebrow arched slightly, but she continued.

"I've been waiting a long time to meet you, Lukas."

His pulse spiked.

Something cold settled in his chest.

"By the way," Elizabeth added lightly, "Fontaine? Really?"

Lukas's stomach twisted.

"Excuse me?"

She nodded. "Terrible choice for a surname."

(Bitch, you just jealous of his swagger.)

Okay. No. No, fuck this.

Lukas forced himself to focus.

His brain was still screaming at him, but he locked onto the most important part of what she had just said.

"You've been watching me?"

(It's over, she knows.)

"I've been watching you ever since you arrived in this world."

Lukas's breath hitched.

His mind reeled.

How?

How the fuck was this happening?

She wasn't real.

She wasn't supposed to be real.

And yet, here she was, saying she had been watching him since the beginning.

His voice dropped into something sharp, edged with disbelief.

"…How is that even possible?"

Elizabeth tilted her head slightly.

Her next words sent a cold chill down his spine.

"You don't belong here, Lukas."

A pause.

"At least...not this version of you."

Lukas Froze.

"Lukas Fontaine, was never supposed to exist, your fate was to die on that alley."

"Beaten to death by those kidnappers."

Lukas's stomach twisted.

The weight of those words settled into his chest like stone.

But before he could react—

She continued.

"And I imagine, given your expression, you already know that I shouldn't be here either."

Lukas's jaw clenched.

He forced himself to breathe.

"Yeah," he muttered. "I was kind of wondering about that."

His fingers curled against his knee.

"You should be dead."

Elizabeth's eyes narrowed slightly.

"…You also know about that huh?"

Lukas swallowed.

He wasn't about to tell her that he had seen her die in Rapture.

That he had played through her story, watched her bleed out, watched her fate unfold.

He kept that part to himself.

But Elizabeth wasn't stupid.

She studied him for a long, quiet moment.

Then—

She exhaled.

"The Elizabeth you're thinking of—the one who died—was locked into a single timeline, she chose to lock herself away into one single dimension."

Her expression darkened.

"That wasn't me."

Lukas felt his pulse quicken.

His throat felt tight.

Elizabeth's voice lowered.

"I made a different choice."

Her fingers curled slightly.

"I didn't give up my powers. I didn't lock myself away."

She leaned forward slightly.

"I kept moving forward."

Lukas's breath came out slow. Uneven.

"So you're…"

He swallowed.

"…Some alternate version of her?"

Elizabeth nodded once.

"Not quite...but if that makes it easier to understand, then yes."

Her eyes flickered.

"But I'm still very much real."

Lukas's fingers twitched.

This was too much.

Too fast.

Too impossible.

His head was spinning.

But he still managed to force his focus.

His voice dropped.

"…Why are you here, Elizabeth?"

Elizabeth's expression hardened.

She met his gaze.

And for the first time—

Lukas saw something else in her eyes.

Something serious.

Something dangerous.

"To correct things."

Lukas's pulse spiked.

A cold weight settled in his gut.

His instincts screamed at him, his body tensing as a singular thought slammed into his skull.

'Vander.'

His hand twitched toward his gun.

His breathing became shallow.

She wasn't here to take Vander away.

She couldn't be.

He wouldn't let her.

Lukas's mind raced.

His voice dropped into something cold, sharp, unyielding.

"You're not taking him away from me."

For the first time, Elizabeth's expression softened.

She shook her head.

"No."

Lukas stilled.

Her voice was gentle.

"I know what it's like to lose someone you love."

Her gaze flickered to Vander's stasis pod.

"And I know what it's like to do anything to get them back."

Lukas's breath caught.

She wasn't here for Vander.

Then—

What was she here for?

Elizabeth sighed.

"This isn't about your family, Lukas."

Her voice lowered.

"This is about something else."

Lukas frowned.

"What?"

Elizabeth nodded.

"Some time ago, some objects from my dimension, wich were supposed to stay in my world—Vanished."

She met his gaze.

"Weapons. Plasmids. Gene tonics. All of them... gone."

Lukas Froze again.

"And the one who was supposed to use them..."

A pause.

Then—

Her next words hit like a punch to the gut.

"He's dead."

Lukas's stomach dropped.

Elizabeth sighed.

"Jack Wynand is dead."

---

Lukas's stomach dropped.

For a second, he thought he misheard. "…What?"

Elizabeth watched him carefully. "Jack Wynand never made it out of Rapture."

Lukas couldn't breathe.

Jack.

The protagonist of BioShock 1

His second favorite game in the series.

He was supposed to be the survivor of Rapture.

The one who was supposed to escape, save the little sisters, Kill Andrew Ryan.

Defeat Frank Fontaine.

Elizabeth continued, voice steady. "Without the tools he was meant to have, he never stood a chance."

"The Splicers overwhelmed him. Fontaine was never stopped. The city was never freed."

Her voice lowered. "He died alone."

Lukas's breath came slow.

His pulse pounded.

A strange emptiness settled in his chest—like his brain was deliberately keeping him from feeling what he was supposed to feel.

He let out a slow, shuddering breath.

Then, finally—his voice was barely above a whisper.

"But what does this have to do with me?...I never left Zaun—"

The realization hit.

Elizabeth didn't look away.

"This strange ability of yours," She said, voice even.

Lukas froze.

His stomach twisted.

Elizabeth's gaze was steady.

"It's been taking things from my world,"

She folded her hands in her lap.

"Those gifts you've been receiving?"

A pause.

"They were never meant for you."

Lukas stiffened.

A horrible thought began to form.

"You're saying—"

Elizabeth nodded. "Yes."

The weight in his chest grew heavier.

His shoulders tensed.

"You mean to tell me… that I've accidentally doomed an entire timeline?"

Elizabeth didn't flinch.

"Yes."

Lukas let out a slow, shuddering breath.

His fingers curled against his skull.

His next words were barely a whisper.

"Bloody hell..."

---

His mind was spinning.

All this time—

He had thought the System was just a cheat, a tool.

one that thrived on genocide, but a tool nonetheless.

But it wasn't.

It was a parasite.

And it had fucked an entire timeline.

Elizabeth leaned forward.

"I've tried to look into the origin of this power of yours, but apparently, it's beyond my own understanding."

"'Above my paygrade' If you will."

She inhaled slowly.

"And it gets worse."

His chest felt tight. "How?"

"I've been trying to reach you for some time now. But there is something—no, someone in this dimension."

Elizabeth's expression hardened.

"Someone very, very powerful. He kept me from interfering."

Lukas's hands twitched. "What?"

Elizabeth continued. "He's like me in a way, He sees the different timelines, different outcomes, different choices. He's trying to find something."

Lukas's heart pounded. "Who?"

"I don't know his real name," she admitted. "But in some timelines, they called him—"

A pause.

Then, softly—

"The Herald."

Lukas's blood ran cold.

His breath hitched.

His voice barely came out.

"…Viktor."

Elizabeth nodded.

"And he's been watching you."

---

Lukas felt sick.

Viktor.

Viktor had been the one keeping Elizabeth out.

Viktor had been the one watching him.

His mind spun.

The Machine herald.

Or the herald of the Arcane.

'Fuck, I should've watched the second season of the show.'

The only thing I know about him, is his old lore from league, before the rework. I've been trying to avoid spoilers.

But some guy on Twitter leaked his new visual from the show.

No more Mr.Techpriest from 40k.

Now there was only the Herald of the Arcane.

Elizabeth continued.

"He doesn't need to interfere directly even," she said.

Her voice was calm, but heavy.

Lukas swallowed.

"What do you mean?"

Elizabeth's expression was grim.

"He just needs to do some small nudges in history."

A pause.

"You'd be surprised by how much just one thing out of place—a different rune, the death of a girl—could change the entire destiny of a timeline."

Elizabeth continued.

"For the longest time, he kept me at bay. Every time I tried to cross, he would push back. Reality itself became his weapon."

She paused.

Her expression darkened.

"But a few days ago, that changed."

Lukas swallowed.

His mind raced.

"Because of the explosion topside."

Lukas felt a chill crawl down his spine.

Elizabeth folded her hands in her lap, speaking slowly.

"Whatever power he used to block me, he had to divert it elsewhere."

"Something else was more important."

Lukas clenched his fists.

"I still don't get it...why is he watching me?"

Elizabeth's gaze didn't waver.

"You're an anomaly, Lukas."

"Your existence created a new branch of possibilities."

"And he plans to see where this new branch leads."

Lukas's chest tightened.

"But there are certain points—certain events—that are fixed in time."

Lukas's breath caught.

Elizabeth nodded.

"That explosion," she gestured around them, "It was a fixed point in time, across all timelines. A Nexus. And he needed to make some… adjustments to it."

"He spent a considerable amount of energy to prevent the death of three people."

"…Why?"

Elizabeth studied him.

Then, softly—

"For him to exist, Hextech must be completed."

Lukas's stomach dropped.

"You mean to tell me—" He forced the words out, "—that this was always supposed to happen?"

"That all of this was some kind of Bullshit Canon event?!"

Elizabeth didn't hesitate.

"Unfortunately, yes."

Lukas laughed.

A sharp, bitter sound.

Then, just as quickly—

It died in his throat.

"…So nothing I did mattered?" His voice cracked. "I fought, I bled, I got fucking blown up trying to change things—and it didn't even fucking matter?"

Elizabeth exhaled.

"Lukas—"

"No," he snapped, standing up so fast his chair scraped against the floor.

He grabbed Elizabeth by the collar.

"Don't you fucking give me that. Don't fucking look at me like I'm supposed to accept this."

"This isn't some goddamn scripted event," he growled. "People fucking died."

He turned sharply, pointing at the Vita-Chamber.

"Vander almost died."

His voice shook.

"Milo, Claggor, Benzo—"

He choked on the words, and let go of her.

A ragged breath tore from his throat.

Elizabeth's gaze didn't waver.

"Then change it," she said.

Lukas stiffened.

He turned slowly.

"…What?"

Elizabeth stood.

"You still have a chance," she said.

She lifted her hand—

And reality split apart.

---

The Tear ripped open behind her.

Lukas stared.

Because through the Tear—

He saw a city.

A dark, drowned city beneath the ocean.

Towering structures, neon lights flickering in the deep abyss.

Even through the warped energy of the Tear, he could see it.

Lukas's breath hitched.

He knew exactly what this was.

"Rapture..."

Elizabeth turned to face him.

"I can't change your Past," she said. "But I can sure as hell make you strong enough to change your future."

Her voice was absolute.

But Lukas was skeptical.

His mind raced, trying to catch up.

"How?" His voice was hoarse. "Didn't you just say that Nexus events can't be changed?"

Elizabeth's expression was unreadable.

"Normally, yes."

She paused.

"But there is a catch."

She stepped closer.

Her presence felt heavy.

"If you change the original timeline to such an extent that it's impossible for it to recover..."

Lukas swallowed.

"...The Nexus event collapses."

Elizabeth nodded.

"It ceases to be a fixed point. It becomes something else. Something mutable."

Lukas's fingers twitched.

The implications were massive.

"Normally, no one in this world is capable of such a thing, not without spending a ridiculous amount of energy at least."

Elizabeth continued.

Her voice was soft, but firm.

"But we are not from here, Lukas."

Her gaze bored into his.

"We can change it."

Lukas's heart pounded.

He turned to the Tear.

To Rapture.

A chance.

A real chance.

But at what cost?

Elizabeth spoke again.

"But every favor is a two-way street."

She extended a hand toward him.

"Help me save my world, and I will help you save yours."

Lukas stared at her.

At the Tear.

Then turned back to the Vita-Chamber.

Vander's massive form was barely visible through the fogged glass.

His fingers curled against the reinforced metal.

His jaw clenched.

His eyes burned.

"And what if Viktor tries to screw me over again?"

Elizabeth didn't hesitate.

"He won't be able to."

Lukas narrowed his eyes.

"How?"

Elizabeth stepped beside him.

Her gaze softened.

"The moment I managed to cross into this dimension, I placed an anchor here."

Lukas froze.

"What…?"

Elizabeth smiled.

A small, knowing smile.

"I've locked this timeline in place."

Lukas's heart slammed against his ribs.

"The moment he tries to shift things again, I will be able to hold him back."

She turned to him fully.

"But you need to make this choice now."

Lukas's breath came out slow.

His fingers twitched.

His pulse pounded.

And then—

The System pinged.

[EPIC MISSION RECEIVED]

[NEW OBJECTIVE: SAVE RAPTURE]

[MISSION REQUIREMENTS:]

[Defeat Frank Fontaine]

[Restore Rapture to it's former glory]

[TIME LIMIT: 4 YEARS]

[FAILURE PENALTY: YOU LOSE YOUR FAMILY]

[DO YOU ACCEPT THIS MISSION?]

Lukas stared at the notification.

His jaw tightened.

His hands curled into fists.

Four years.

Five years away from Vander.

From Powder.

From everything.

But if he did nothing—

He would never be able to fix this.

Vander was still here.

Vi was still out there.

Powder…

Lukas closed his eyes.

Breathed deep.

Then, slowly—

He pressed his palm against the Vita-Chamber.

A whisper.

A promise.

"I'll be back soon, big guy."

He turned.

Elizabeth was waiting for him near the tear

"So...this is the begining of my training arc, huh?"

Elizabeth arched a brow.

"?"

Lukas groaned, running a hand down his face.

"Oh for fu—"

He gestured wildly.

"You know! Like the part where the main character fucks off for a few years, gets stupidly overpowered, and comes back to completely wreck everything?"

Elizabeth just stared.

Lukas's eye twitched.

"Like—this is my pre–Lukas Shippuden arc!"

Elizabeth blinked.

"...what?"

Lukas made a sound between a laugh and a pained groan.

"Oh my fucking Janna."

He turned fully to her.

"For someone with the ability to travel through dimensions, you're severely lackin in Anime references."

Elizabeth just tilted her head.

Then, smoothly—

"And for someone with access to the knowledge of multiple worlds," she countered," How the fuck are you still a Virgin?"

Lukas froze.

His mouth opened.

Then closed.

Then opened again.

"..."

He had nothing.

Elizabeth smirked.

Lukas sighed, shaking his head.

"You got me."

Then—

His expression hardened.

He turned toward the Tear.

Toward the next step.

The next fight.

Time to save them.

Then—

He stepped forward.

Elizabeth followed.

The Tear rippled.

And they were gone.

...

...

...

[MISSION ACCEPTED]

[GOOD LUCK]

[YOU'LL NEED IT.]