Arcane: Bond Beyond Death (R18)

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...

Bael left the cafeteria and following him was Beca, she said that what he had done was reckless, the gang will surely hold a grudge against him and make his life here Hell.

"You think they'll come kill me?" He asked Becca.

Beca chuckled, shaking her head. "Kill you? Nah. Not right away, at least."

Bael narrowed his eyes. "That supposed to make me feel better?"

She shrugged. "Look, in here, it's all about power plays. You humiliated their leader, so they're not just gonna let it go. But killing you outright? Too messy. Too much attention. They'll try to break you first—jump you when you least expect it, starve you out, make your life hell until you either beg for mercy or snap."

Bael scoffed. "They can try."

Beca gave him a sideways glance, her smirk widening. "Oh, they will. Question is, how far are you willing to go when they do?"

The next moment another person rushes to them, Because takes a few steps back as she knows just how dangerous that person was, but in reality, the person didn't have any hostile intent.

"B—BAEL!!!" The person shouts.

His mind goes blank for a second, that was Vi.

Vi let out a breathless laugh, her voice cracking as she took in Bael's face. Tears welled in her eyes, spilling over as she grinned for the first time in a decade.

"Holy shit… It's really you…" she whispered, shaking her head in disbelief.

Beca, watching from the side, raised an eyebrow. Since when does Vi cry? The unshakable, iron-fisted queen of Stillwater was crying? She glanced at Bael, suddenly way more curious about him than before.

But Bael?

Bael was twitching.

His hands curled into fists. His mechanical arm whirred slightly as excess Shimmer pulsed through his veins. His teeth clenched so hard it felt like they'd crack.

Because for Vi, this was a reunion.

For Bael?

This was betrayal.

His vision blurred, memories slamming into him like a freight train. The nights he spent keeping Jinx warm, the meals he skipped so she could eat, the blood he spilled, the bodies he buried—all because Vi wasn't there.

She left him.

She left Jinx.

And now she had the audacity to cry? To smile like she was happy to see him?

A cold, bitter rage boiled inside Bael as he glared at Vi, his whole body trembling.

"…You," he muttered, voice low and sharp as a blade.

Vi's smile faltered. "Bael—"

"You left us."

Vi took a shaky step forward. "Bael, listen to me—I didn't abandon you. I was forced out of there! I tried to come back, I swear, but—"

"I don't wanna hear it," Bael cut her off, his voice sharp with venom. His mechanical fingers twitched, his whole body tense with barely restrained rage.

Vi's face twisted with frustration and guilt. "Damn it, Bael! It wasn't my choice! You think I wanted to leave you and Powder?! You think I didn't fight to come back?!"

Bael let out a bitter chuckle, shaking his head. "And yet, you never did."

Vi flinched. The pain in his voice hit her harder than any punch ever could.

Beca, arms crossed, watched the whole exchange in fascination. So this guy's past is messier than I thought.

Vi's eyes swept over Bael again, really looking at him this time. The dark circles under his eyes, the jagged scars, the mechanical arm, the way his muscles coiled as if ready to pounce at any second.

"You changed..." she muttered, almost to herself.

Bael scoffed. "And you didn't?" His eyes flashed with something unreadable. "News flash, Vi—ten years in Zaun ain't exactly a fairy tale."

Vi clenched her jaw. "This ain't you, Bael."

Bael's lip curled. "You don't know me."

And with that, he turned on his heel and walked away, leaving Vi standing there, fists clenched, eyes burning.

"Don't wanna break the vibe but... yall know each other?" She asks.

"She used to be a close friend... Until she abandoned me and her sister..." Bael reveals, a truth that broke her heart. She swallowed hard, but accepted the fact that she was indeed a bitch.

Vi's breath caught in her throat. "Where's Powder?" she asked, her voice softer now, almost pleading.

Bael's expression darkened. He took a slow breath, then met her gaze with an icy stare. "It's Jinx now." His words were final, like a door slamming shut. "And the last thing she wants to see right now… is you."

Vi took a step back, like she'd been hit. "No… she—"

"She hates you," Bael cut her off. "She even said she'd kill you if she ever saw you again."

Vi's fists clenched at her sides. "You're lying," she whispered, shaking her head. "She wouldn't—"

Bael scoffed. "You really think she's still your little sister? That the Powder you knew is just waiting for you to come back and make things right?" He stepped closer, his voice low and cold. "She's gone, Vi. You left her behind, and I'm the one who picked up the pieces."

Beca watched the scene unfold, whistling under her breath. "Damn."

"...What's the plan? You always have one... As far as I remember." Vi asks.

"Three days. That's all I need to escape." Bael responds boldly.

Vi stared at him like he'd lost his mind. "You're joking, right?"

Bael didn't even flinch. "Three days." His voice was steady, full of certainty. "I'm getting out of here."

Vi scoffed. "You can't be serious. This is Stillwater. No one's ever escaped this place—ever."

Bael smirked and flexed his fingers, looking down at his mechanical arm. It was still inactive, but the faintest warmth was returning, a sign the Shimmer in his body was finally replenishing it. "Once this babe reactivates… I'll become unstoppable again."

Something in the way he said it sent a shiver down Vi's spine. He wasn't just throwing words around—he meant it. And for the first time in a long time, Vi actually believed someone could pull it off.

She stepped forward, her voice quieter but firm. "I want in."

Bael narrowed his eyes. "Why would I allow it?"

"Because I need to see her." Vi's expression was desperate now. "Powder—Jinx—whoever she is now. I need to see her with my own eyes. And if she really wants to kill me… then fine. But I'm not letting you do this alone."

Bael exhaled sharply, considering. Three days. That's all he had. Did he really have the time—or patience—to drag Vi along?

Vi let out a breath she hadn't realized she was holding. "Yeah?"

Bael nodded. "Setting our differences aside… I'm gonna need you to help me handle those enforcers when we leave." He locked eyes with her, his voice unwavering. "So you're in."

A slow smirk spread across Vi's face. "Damn right, I am."

Beca, who had been silently watching this whole exchange, let out a low whistle. "Well, shit. This just got a whole lot more interesting." She crossed her arms, tilting her head at Bael. "Guess I should start taking bets on whether y'all actually pull this off."

Bael ignored her, already running through escape routes in his mind. He had three days to get everything in place, and now, an extra pair of fists to make it happen.

...

Back in his cell, it was nighttime and lockdown was in, Bael was drawing on the wall behind his bed everything he'd seen when he got dragged here, the corridors, guard number, rooms and all.

"...Why do you care so much about leaving?" Beca asked, resting on her bed and staring at the ceiling.

Bael didn't stop carving into the wall. His mechanical fingers scratched against the stone, leaving faint, uneven marks.

"Because," he muttered, "I don't belong here."

Beca snorted. "No one here belongs anywhere, Rockstar." She stretched, arms behind her head. "But you? You've got that fire in your eyes—like you need to be outta here. Like there's someone waiting for you."

Bael's grip on the wall tightened. Jinx.

"She needs me," he said, voice low but firm. "And I need her."

Beca sat up, suddenly more interested. "Your lover?" she teased.

Bael's jaw clenched. "She's my everything."

Beca's smirk faded slightly. She had seen desperation before, but this was something else. Something dangerous.

"And what if you evade this shithole only to find her dead?" Beca asked, curiously.

Bael gets pissed for a quick second, "Then I'll develop something so strong, it will either revive her, or destroy the entire world."

Beca let out a low whistle. "Damn. That's some real devotion."

"...What do you need me to do?" Beca asked.

Bael finally tore his gaze from the wall, his fingers coated in faint traces of dust from where he'd been sketching his escape plan. He exhaled, his expression unreadable, but his eyes were sharp—calculating.

"You wanna help?" He leaned back, arms resting on his knees. "Then listen carefully."

Beca crossed her arms, intrigued. She had seen desperate people before. People who talked big but had nothing to back it up. Bael? He wasn't like them. He knew he was getting out. The only question was how.

Bael tapped the wall behind him. "I've been mapping everything. Corridors. Patrol rotations. Guard shifts. I know how many guards are stationed at every key point, which doors stay locked, and which ones they get lazy about." His voice was steady, controlled. "Problem is, I don't have eyes everywhere. That's where you come in."

Beca smirked. "Lemme guess. You want me to play scout?"

Bael nodded. "You've been here longer than me. You know the people, the routines, the blind spots they don't even realize they have." His mechanical fingers twitched, still not fully operational, but he was getting there. "I need to know where they keep the confiscated tech. My arm isn't at full power yet, and if I can get to my things, I'll have everything I need to finish the job."

Beca clicked her tongue, rolling the idea over in her mind. "And what's in it for me?"

Bael smirked, though there was no humor in it. "You want out this hellhole, don't you?"

She let out a low chuckle. "Fair enough." Then, she leaned in, eyes gleaming with something between excitement and danger. "You're serious about this, aren't you?"

Bael met her gaze without hesitation. "Dead serious."

Beca sighed, leaning against the cold wall of their cell. "Alright, Rockstar. You want intel? I'll give you intel."

She slid onto Bael's bed, sitting cross-legged like she owned the place. "First thing you need to know—this prison is built like a damn maze, but every maze has an exit. The only problem? It's crawling with enforcers who don't take breaks."

Bael listened intently, his mechanical fingers twitching slightly.

"The tech confiscation room? That's in the east wing, two floors down. Heavy security, but get this—only one guard is stationed inside. The rest? They rely on patrols. The shift change happens every four hours. That's your window."

She smirked, eyes gleaming. "Now, the fun part. You remember those gangsters you pissed off at lunch? Yeah, they run most of the contraband trade in here. If they decide to make your life hell, good luck moving anywhere without a knife in your ribs."

Bael clenched his jaw, but Beca held up a hand. "Lucky for you, they got an ego. You take out their leader, you become the leader."

Bael exhaled sharply. "So you're saying I have to fight my way through?"

"Oh, honey." Beca grinned. "This is Stillwater Hold. Everything is a fight."

She tapped her temple. "Now, the final piece—the exit. There's an old sewage tunnel that runs under the south wall, sealed off with metal plating. No one's ever gotten through it because, well, no tools. But you? You got a goddamn walking forge attached to your arm. Once that thing is fully charged, you can melt through it like butter."

Bael's eyes narrowed. "And the enforcers?"

Beca shrugged. "You'll need a distraction. Good thing you made some very loud enemies today."

Bael smirked. "Then we start tomorrow."

Beca leaned back, folding her arms behind her head. "This is either gonna be the dumbest thing I've ever done… or the best show I've ever seen."

...

Meanwhile Vi is back in her cell, thinking about her encounter with Bael for the first time in a decade. His eyes, they weren't the same as before, his eyes were just the same as the ones she sees in these trash in Stillwater, he must've definitely killed a couple times before.

He really changed, and it was all her fault...

...

In the night, while sleeping, the bars to Bael's cell opened up abruptly as an enforcer came in. Alerted, Bael quickly get up and reaches for Beca, but she was asleep.

"You've done a huge mistake funny boy." The enforcers said.

Bael knew this guy was a connection of the leader of the 'Fangs' whom he beat up yesterday.

The enforcer pulls Bael and violently escorts him to no man's land.

Bael was yanked through a series of dimly lit hallways, his boots scraping against the rough concrete floor. The enforcer stayed silent, but Bael could feel the tension in his grip, the unspoken threat in every step. They passed through a maintenance corridor, then down a narrow stairwell that looked like it hadn't been used in years.

The air grew thick, heavy with the stench of sweat, blood, and something metallic—rust or dried-up death, Bael couldn't tell.

Finally, they reached a secluded area, far from the main prison blocks. It was an old storage room, long abandoned, now repurposed into the hidden den of the Fangs. The flickering ceiling light barely illuminated the scene before him.

The gang was already waiting. At least five of them. The leader—his face still bruised from the hit Bael gave him—stood in the middle, arms crossed, a sick grin stretching his lips. The others leaned against the walls or cracked their knuckles, the tension thick enough to cut with a blade.

"Well, well," the leader sneered, stepping forward. "Look who finally decided to pay us a visit. You made a real mess back there, funny boy."

Bael didn't respond. His eyes darted around the room, searching for exits, anything he could use to turn the odds in his favor. But with his arm still not fully functional and his Boom-Boom tattoos drained, he was at a serious disadvantage.

The leader stepped closer, gripping Bael's chin roughly and forcing him to meet his gaze. "You embarrassed me. In front of everyone." His fingers dug in. "Now, I'm gonna make sure you regret it."

Bael's eyes flickered with something dangerous, but for now, he stayed silent. His mind was already working, calculating. He needed a way out of this. And fast.