End

Seraphine's eyes swept over the enforcers surrounding her, and she murmured:

"Five sing dark melodies, twelve sing of hope, the enforcers of Piltover are not so bad."

She was a smart girl. From the moment she possessed the mysterious Soul-Stealing Scroll, she had understood that her life was set on an unusual path.

Every soul, after all, carried its own essence—some shrouded in darkness, others radiant with light.

If one wished to change the world, it wasn't necessary to purify all souls. Eliminating the dark ones could achieve the same end.

Seraphine had wrestled with the test Mr. Ryan—her future mentor—had presented. Yet deep down, she knew she would face this moment eventually.

Perhaps, she thought, it would be kinder to use her songs to purify their souls first.

Holding the book in one hand, her face softened with a trace of regret.

"I'm sorry, gentlemen, but today is different," she said, addressing the five officers with tainted souls.

A gentle, haunting melody escaped her lips. Blue, ethereal butterflies emerged from beneath her floating stage, their softly glowing wings flitting gracefully through the air.

They danced toward the officers.

The enforcers froze as the song enveloped them, their limbs growing weak and heavy. Confusion clouded their eyes.

The luminous butterflies landed delicately on five officers, and then, with a burst of blue light, the air shimmered around them. The light formed a glowing dome before dissipating entirely.

When the glow faded, the officers lay motionless on the ground—lifeless, yet untouched by any visible wound.

"A strange and haunting experience," Seraphine murmured, her expression unreadable.

"I never thought my songs would do something like this."

Five faint white orbs drifted from the officers' bodies and were absorbed into the scroll in her hand as the scroll absorbed the souls, a surge of energy coursed through her.

"So... this is what it feels like," she muttered, her grip tightening on the book.

"But the performance has only begun. The stage calls me forward."

She adjusted her stance on the hoverboard—her stage—and commanded it to glide forward. It passed over the unconscious enforcers, weaving through the bustling streets of Piltover.

The city was in chaos. Sirens wailed in the distance, and fires illuminated the skyline, casting an ominous glow over the city. Fear-stricken residents poured into the streets, fleeing crumbling buildings.

Enforcers struggled to maintain order amidst the panic. Yet Seraphine moved unnoticed, her stage a quiet beacon amid the turmoil.

Her heart ached as she listened to the dissonance of the souls around her—their fear and desperation sang to her in discordant melodies.

Turning her gaze to the waterfowl perched on her shoulder, she whispered:

"Teacher Ryan... my parents will be safe, won't they?"

"They are secure," the waterfowl replied in a calm voice eerily reminiscent of Ryan's.

"They've been taken to the embassy. From now on, they will be citizens of Noxus."

A wave of relief washed over Seraphine. She exhaled slowly.

"Thank you, Teacher. It is an honor to follow your guidance and join the Noxian cause."

Today had been overwhelming. Her dream was to heal the world's pain with her music, but she quickly realized that dreams and reality often clashed.

Her first steps into this journey had already plunged her into unanticipated chaos.

Jinx, whose restless soul Seraphine had tried to soothe earlier, had spiraled completely out of control, setting off explosions that now echoed across Piltover.

Seraphine clenched her fists. She was beginning to understand that without true strength, she would never be able to help those she sought to save.

To change the world, she needed power—not just to protect herself but to make others stop, listen, and truly hear her song.

Her expression hardened as she directed her stage toward the source of the explosions.

"I won't let tonight end in tragedy," she vowed under her breath.

The streets blurred beneath her as the stage flew toward the heart of the destruction. But before she could reach the epicenter, she halted abruptly.

Her eyes widened, and her face paled as a wave of dread washed over her.

Something terrible was waiting ahead.

Seraphine heard the wild, manic laughter of Jinx's soul resonating in her mind.

"Oh no," she muttered.

"She's about to do something reckless."

"Ave!"

Without hesitation, Seraphine clutched the book tightly to her chest. A resonant sound wave emanated from her soul, rippling outward in a brilliant arc of blue energy.

Swish!

The sound waves shot forward, slicing through the air. They pierced the building in front of her and arced toward Jinx's location with unerring precision.

-----

Piltover Academy

Jayce gripped his hammer tightly while Heimerdinger stood resolute behind three of his mechanized turrets. The two men flanked Jinx, their expressions tense as they cornered her in the academy courtyard.

"You're Jinx, aren't you?" Jayce's voice was firm, though weariness crept into his tone.

"What do you think you're doing? Piltover and Zaun are on the verge of peace, and now this?"

His face was grim. The Hextech gates had been critically damaged, several key sites in Piltover were bombed, and now Jinx had come to the academy—a bomb strapped to her body, ready to unleash even more chaos.

Jinx's unhinged smile widened. "I'm Jinx, and I'm here to tell you that I'm sick of Silco's schemes and Viktor's twisted ideals. You Piltover elites? You're no better. You all deserve to burn!"

Her voice carried a dangerous mixture of glee and bitterness. Her finger hovered over the pull tab of the bomb.

She had already blown up Vi.

With her gone, her twisted sense of loyalty to Silco was repaid in full. Now, nothing tethered her to this miserable world.

As her finger moved to pull the detonator, Jayce and Heimerdinger reacted instinctively, their weapons primed to fire.

But before either could act, an otherworldly hum filled the air.

A streak of shimmering blue light surged into the academy courtyard, weaving through the air and enveloping Jinx in an instant. Her body froze, paralyzed by the magic's grip.

Jayce didn't hesitate. Dropping his hammer, he dashed forward.

He knew the power of Jinx's bombs; if they exploded, everyone in the vicinity would be obliterated.

With a swift, decisive motion, he restrained Jinx with one hand while yanking the bomb harness off her with the other.

He hurled the device toward Heimerdinger, who scurried to catch it with a look of alarm.

The yordle inspected the explosives meticulously, his small hands deftly disarming the device. Once satisfied, he gave Jayce a reassuring nod, wiping the sweat from his brow.

"Damn it!"

Jinx snarled, struggling against Jayce's iron grip. Her strength had drained away, leaving her unable to break free.

Jayce's expression was cold and unyielding.

"You're finished," he said bluntly.

"Your rampage ends here."

Jinx's wild eyes narrowed as her lips twisted into a defiant smirk.

"Why don't you just kill me already?" she jeered.

"What's the point of keeping me alive? You think you're doing the right thing, huh?"

"Kill you?" Jayce's voice was steely with anger.

"What you've done tonight warrants a hundred deaths, but we have rules in Piltover. You'll face justice, Jinx. The council will decide your fate."

Heimerdinger, who had just finished securing the disarmed bomb, nodded in agreement.

"Jayce, the matter should be handled through proper channels. She'll face a trial in front of the council, and I imagine the sentence will be nothing short of life imprisonment."

Jinx laughed bitterly. "Life imprisonment? What a joke! You should end me now. The first chance I get, I'll blow you all to pieces!"

Her voice cracked with fury and despair. She had accomplished what she came to do—the Hextech gates were in ruins, and Piltover's factories lay in rubble.

Yet, despite her destructive triumph, emptiness consumed her.

Powder… Jinx… It didn't matter anymore. Neither had a place in this world.

Jayce ignored her outburst. "Professor Heimerdinger, I understand your point. I'll follow the protocol."

He reached for a mechanical restraining device and activated it. With a soft whir, dozens of ropes shot out, binding Jinx securely.

Hoisting the subdued Jinx over his shoulder, Jayce nodded to Heimerdinger.

"There's still a lot to clean up tonight. Stay safe, Professor."

Heimerdinger adjusted his goggles, giving Jayce a solemn nod.

"Take care, my boy. Piltover needs steadfast leadership in times like these."

As Jayce carried Jinx away, Heimerdinger glanced briefly in the direction of the blue light that had subdued her.

Magic.

In Piltover, only one person had been known to wield such power. Jayce and Heimerdinger exchanged a knowing glance but said nothing.

They silently agreed to bring it up to the council during tomorrow's meeting.

Hidden in the shadows, Seraphine watched the scene unfold. Her heart was heavy.

No one had stepped in to save Jinx from herself.

No one had questioned the cost of punishing pain with more pain.

Seraphine remained silent until Jayce and Jinx disappeared into the distance.

Then, with a sorrowful sigh, she turned and slipped away, her stage gliding toward the Noxian embassy.

She would continue her journey, but the events of the night weighed heavily on her soul.

She had set out to change the world with her music, but she was beginning to understand that the path forward was far more twisted than she had ever imagined.