Arcane: Bond Beyond Death (R18)

The Sheriff and his enforcers took away the unconscious Bael, they wanted to drag away Jinx too but Silco didn't let him... He had other plans for the blue fury.

The heavy door slammed shut, and the silence that followed was broken by Jinx's shallow breaths—then, suddenly, a scream.

"NO! NO, NO, NO! GIVE HIM BACK!" Jinx shrieked, thrashing violently against her restraints. Her voice echoed, bouncing off the walls as her body convulsed with unbridled hysteria. "BAEL! BAEL! COME BACK! PLEASE! YOU CAN'T TAKE HIM!"

Her wails tore through the air, each scream growing louder, more guttural, as if she were being ripped apart from the inside. Tears streamed down her face in rivers, her wild, mismatched eyes darting frantically around the room, desperate for a sign that it wasn't real—that this wasn't happening.

"BAEL, I NEED YOU! DON'T LEAVE ME!" she howled, her voice breaking in ways Silco hadn't thought humanly possible.

Silco stood silently, observing the girl as she completely unraveled before him. Jinx thrashed so violently that her wrists bled against the restraints, her body shaking as she screamed herself hoarse.

"HOW COULD YOU DO THIS?!" she shrieked, her gaze locking onto Silco with raw hatred. "HE WAS MINE! DO YOU HEAR ME? MINE! YOU CAN'T TAKE HIM! I'LL KILL YOU! I'LL TEAR YOUR FACE OFF AND FEED IT TO THE RATS! I'LL—"

Her voice cracked mid-sentence, giving way to sobs so heavy they rattled her entire frame. Her head dropped, her tears falling freely onto the ground, her breaths coming in short, sharp gasps. Then, she looked up, her expression shifting into something terrifyingly unhinged.

"You'll regret this. You'll all regret this. Because I'll burn Zaun to the ground if I have to. I'll kill every last one of you until there's nothing left but ash. I'll make you wish you never laid eyes on me—or Bael."

Silco's brow furrowed slightly, the sheer intensity of her words unsettling even him. But he didn't respond, choosing instead to observe as she swung wildly between devastation and fury.

"Leave her," Silco said quietly, his voice low but firm. "She'll break on her own."

Jinx's head shot up at that, her teeth bared in a feral snarl. "YOU THINK I'LL BREAK?!" she screamed, her voice raw. "I'LL NEVER BREAK! YOU HEAR ME?! I'LL KILL YOU! I'LL KILL ALL OF YOU! AND I'LL GET HIM BACK! YOU CAN'T KEEP HIM FROM ME!"

Her words dissolved into another guttural scream, her cries reverberating through the room as Silco and Sevika exited, leaving her alone in the cold, empty space. But even through the walls, they could still hear her. Her rage, her despair—it was palpable, a force of nature.

...

Bael's head throbbed as he came to, the cold, metallic floor beneath him pressing against his cheek. His senses were sluggish, his body aching, and his mouth tasted of blood. Slowly, he opened his eyes, only to be met with the dull, gray walls of a prison cell.

The air was sterile, and the hum of distant machinery buzzed faintly in his ears. He groaned, trying to sit up, but his arms felt like lead. When he glanced down, he noticed the heavy cuffs on his wrists.

"Great... just great," Bael muttered bitterly, leaning back against the wall. His mind was foggy, but fragments of the ambush in Zaun began to resurface—Jinx's face, the gas, the fight... her screams. His chest tightened as he remembered her being dragged away.

"Jinx..." he whispered under his breath, a pang of guilt and anger surging through him.

The sound of footsteps echoed down the corridor, drawing Bael's attention. A guard was on the other side of the smell, smug and grinning as if he was the one responsible for his arrestation.

"So, you're the infamous Bael," the man said, his voice calm but laced with authority. "The boy who's been making weapons of chaos in Zaun. You've caused quite the stir."

Bael glared at him, saying nothing.

The man smirked. "Not much of a talker, are you? No matter. You'll have plenty of time to talk during your interrogation." He motioned to the enforcers.

Bael's fists clenched so hard that his nails bit into his palms. His chest heaved, and his breath quickened as the words hit him like shards of glass.

"Aw, what's the matter? Miss your girl?" The guard chuckled cruelly, circling the bars. "Bet she's already forgotten about you. Probably begging Silco to keep her safe now that you're out of the picture. Can't imagine why she'd stick with a failure like you."

Flashbacks surged through Bael's mind like a torrent. Jinx's laughter, her playful teasing, the way she would cling to him like her life depended on it. Her screams as she was dragged away.

His breathing turned ragged. "Shut up…"

The guard leaned closer, his grin widening. "What's that? Speak up, Shimmer boy! Or are you finally realizing how powerless you really are? You couldn't protect her. You couldn't protect yourself. You're nothing without—"

The guard didn't get to finish his sentence.

With a feral roar, Bael charged the bars. The sound of his body slamming into the metal reverberated through the cell block. His eyes burned with rage, his veins glowing faintly as his suppressed Shimmer-enhanced adrenaline fought to surge forward. If it weren't for the bars, the guard would have been reduced to a bloody pulp.

The guard stumbled back, startled by the sheer force of Bael's assault. "Whoa, easy there, tough guy!" he said, feigning confidence, but there was a flicker of fear in his eyes.

Bael gripped the bars tightly, his knuckles white, his breathing heavy. But something felt... wrong. He looked down at his mechanical hand, the one he had used countless times in battle. It was sluggish, unresponsive, as though it were disconnected from his mind.

"Damn it!" he muttered under his breath. He realized now—it had to be Singed. That bastard must have tampered with his arm during the ambush. He couldn't use its perks, couldn't even activate his Boom Tattoos without the integration. He was crippled, both physically and in his abilities.

The guard, seeing Bael falter, chuckled nervously and regained his composure. "Aw, what's wrong? Looks like someone clipped your wings, Shimmer boy. Guess you're even more useless than I thought!"

Bael's grip on the bars tightened, the metal creaking slightly under the pressure. "When I get out of here…" he growled, his voice low and venomous, "you'll regret every word you just said."

The guard laughed mockingly, backing away. "Sure you will, genius. Sure you will. Let's see if you survive long enough to keep that promise."

As the guard walked away, Bael slumped against the bars, his body trembling with a mixture of fury and helplessness. His mind raced, trying to come up with a plan, any plan, to escape and get back to Jinx.

"I'll find you, Jinx," he whispered to himself, his voice hoarse but determined. "I swear… I'll find you."

The sound of boots echoed down the hallway, and the smug guard straightened up when he saw Caitlyn approach. Her expression was stern, authoritative, and tired. "Get loose," she ordered sharply, gesturing toward the cell. "I need to have a word with him."

The guard hesitated for a moment, glancing back at Bael, who was still gripping the bars tightly, his fury simmering just beneath the surface. "Be careful, Sheriff," the guard said mockingly. "He's got a bit of a temper."

Caitlyn shot him a withering glare. "I said, get loose. Now."

Grumbling under his breath, the guard stepped back and left, leaving Caitlyn standing outside the cell. She crossed her arms and looked at Bael, who didn't bother to hide his disdain. His Shimmer-enhanced eyes glowed faintly, and his mechanical hand twitched as though it was aching to tear something apart.

"Where is she?" Bael growled, his voice low and dangerous.

Caitlyn's expression softened for a moment before returning to her usual composure. "Silco delivered you to Piltover. As for Jinx… he still has her. He refused to hand her over."

Bael's eyes widened in disbelief, and then his face contorted with rage. "What?" he hissed, stepping closer to the bars. "That bastard... he's keeping her?"

Caitlyn nodded, her voice calm but laced with a hint of pity. "It seems he sees value in her. Maybe as leverage, maybe as something more. I don't know. But he made it clear she's staying in Zaun."

Bael's breathing grew heavier, his fists clenched so tightly his nails dug into his palms. His mechanical arm, though unresponsive, still emitted faint creaks as though mirroring his emotions.

"All these years…" Bael muttered, his voice shaking with barely contained fury. "All these years I spent taking care of her, feeding her, protecting her, raising her, killing for her... And now that snake thinks he can just take her away from me?"

Caitlyn took a cautious step back, recognizing the fire in his eyes. "Bael—"

"NO!" he roared, slamming his fists against the bars so hard they rattled violently. His veins glowed purple for a moment, though his weakened body couldn't maintain the Shimmer's surge. "Everything I've done, everything I've sacrificed, it was all for her! And now that slimy bastard thinks he can just erase all of it?! That he can take her away from me like she's some pawn in his sick little game?!"

His voice cracked with a mix of rage and desperation. The image of Jinx—his Jinx—alone and vulnerable in Silco's clutches drove him mad. He could see her tears, her fear, the way she'd cling to him and beg him to protect her.

"She's not his," Bael growled, his voice dropping to a low, menacing tone. His eyes locked on Caitlyn, cold and unyielding. "She's mine. I raised her. I gave her everything. And if Silco thinks he can take her from me, then he's got no idea what I'm capable of."

Caitlyn didn't respond immediately, but she couldn't hide the slight unease on her face. This man wasn't just angry—he was consumed by his emotions, driven by an obsessive, unwavering devotion.

"Bael," she began carefully, "you're not in a position to—"

"I don't care about my position!" he snapped, his voice echoing through the cell block. "I'm getting her back, Caitlyn. I don't care what it takes, I don't care who I have to go through—she's coming back to me. And when I find Silco…" He paused, his teeth bared, his eyes glowing brighter with Shimmer-fueled rage. "...he'll wish he never laid a hand on her."

Caitlyn sighed, clearly torn between her duty and the raw emotion in front of her. "Bael," she said, her tone softening again, "I get it. You care about her. But if you lose yourself to this rage, you'll only make things worse for her—and for yourself. Let us handle this. Let us find a way to get her back."

Bael's laugh was bitter and hollow. "You? Handle this? Piltover couldn't handle a stolen wrench without screwing it up, and you think you can save Jinx? You don't even know her."

He stepped back from the bars, shaking his head. "You don't know what she's been through. What we've been through. You can't save her because you don't understand her."

Caitlyn's brow furrowed, but she didn't argue. Instead, she turned and began walking away, leaving Bael seething in his cell.

"I'll get her back," he muttered to himself, his fists trembling at his sides. "No matter what it takes… I'll get her back."

Bael's breathing grew ragged, and a strange heat began radiating from his mechanical arm. He glanced down, noticing the faint glow beneath the metal plating. The sensation was alien—an intense, searing warmth building inside the device as if it had a mind of its own. The joints creaked, and the arm began to hum ominously.

"What the hell…" Bael muttered, gripping his arm as it grew hotter, the metal turning a bright, angry red.

Without thinking, he pressed his overheating hand against the cell bars. The moment metal met metal, a hiss filled the air as the bars began to warp and melt, droplets of molten steel hitting the ground. The acrid smell of burning metal filled the room.

Caitlyn instinctively stepped back, her hand immediately reaching for her communicator. "I need backup! Now!" she shouted, her voice tense.

The door to the cell block slammed open as enforcers poured in, weapons drawn, their boots echoing loudly against the concrete floor.

Bael's senses sharpened, his Shimmer-enhanced instincts kicking in. His hand twitched toward his side, reaching for the familiar weight of his gun—but there was nothing there. His heart sank for a brief moment, realizing his weapon had been confiscated. It was instinct, a habit he couldn't shake.

The frustration boiled over as he clenched his fists. He dropped to one knee and pressed his fingers to the cold ground, his mind racing. The heat from his mechanical arm began to flow through his body, igniting a reaction. Purple veins flickered to life across his skin as the familiar, volatile energy of a boom-boom tattoo began forming.

An intricate, glowing sigil spread outward from his hand, etching itself into the concrete floor. The heat intensified, the edges of the tattoo glowing a menacing red and purple as it expanded in size. The ground beneath it began to crack and sizzle, faint wisps of smoke rising into the air.

Caitlyn's eyes widened in recognition. Her breath hitched as memories of that same tattoo flashed through her mind—of the devastating explosion that had almost taken her life not long ago.

"No… not again…" she muttered, snapping back into action. "Everyone, neutralize him now! Do not let that 'thing' grow any larger!"

The enforcers hesitated for a brief moment, caught off guard by the sight of the glowing sigil and the radiating heat. But Caitlyn's sharp command jolted them into action.

"Move!" she barked.

The enforcers charged toward Bael, batons and electrified restraints at the ready. Bael snarled, the veins in his neck pulsing as the Shimmer inside him fought against the serum coursing through his system. The tattoo pulsed violently, its glow becoming erratic, but before it could reach critical mass, the enforcers overwhelmed him.

One tackled him to the ground, others piling on top to hold him down. Bael thrashed violently, his mechanical arm sparking as it struck one of the enforcers in the chest, sending him flying. But another enforcer swiftly jammed an electrified baton into Bael's side, sending a surge of electricity through his body.

Bael roared in pain as the tattoo flickered and dimmed, the energy dissipating as his body went limp under the weight of the enforcers. His chest heaved, his face pressed against the cold concrete, but the fury in his eyes hadn't faded.

Caitlyn approached cautiously, her weapon drawn but not aimed. She stared down at Bael, a mix of anger and pity in her gaze.

"Stand down, Bael," she said firmly. "You're only making this worse—for yourself, and for her."

Bael growled low, his voice hoarse but venomous. "You don't know a damn thing about what's worse… You have no idea what's coming."

Caitlyn frowned but didn't respond. She motioned for the enforcers to secure him with reinforced restraints, making sure there would be no chance of another outburst.

As Bael was dragged out of the cell block, his eyes burned with a singular purpose. He didn't care what it took—he would find Jinx again, no matter how many enforcers, cells, or obstacles stood in his way.