Marvel: Playing Iron Man, Falling In and Out of Love with Jinx

The dry sands stretched endlessly.

A cold, indifferent voice whispered incessantly, scratching at the corners of your mind, stirring an irritation so maddening it could drive one insane. The mist remained ever still.

"Where... am I?"

Duke looked out at the lifeless, ruined, withered land and instinctively took a step forward. Everything before his eyes rapidly faded, as if the world itself were pushing him along.

In a flash, he found himself in a dark, icy hall. Above his head swirled a vortex of countless souls, wailing, howling, cursing all they despised.

Before him stood a shattered Iron Throne, forged from black iron. Now broken into pieces, atop it rested a monstrous warhammer.

"This is..." Duke took a step back. "Nightfall!"

"Then this must be..." A chill of dread crept into his heart. If this truly was where he thought it was, he might as well start choosing flower colors for his funeral wreath.

Creak!

A cold iron grip closed around the hammer's handle. Its wielder, clad in black iron armor, stared silently at Duke.

"Enlightened one... don't forget your mission."

Duke felt a soul-deep tug as Mordekaiser's cold, merciless eyes bore into him.

"I'll be waiting."

The scene collapsed into darkness. Duke forced his eyes open, greeted by the familiar ceiling of his room. The warmth on his forehead slightly soothed the ache that threatened to split his head open.

"Why am I in my room? Weren't we just in Bandle City...?"

Removing the warm towel from his forehead, Duke sat up with difficulty. At that moment, the door opened and Orianna entered with a basin of hot water. Seeing him awake, she hurried over, set down the water, and gently helped him lie back down.

"Professor Heimerdinger said you shouldn't move yet. You overexerted your magic all at once, your body's weak and needs rest."

"When did I get back?"

Duke was startled by how hoarse his own voice sounded. Orianna handed him a folded letter.

"Professor Heimerdinger asked me to give this to you. He said it would explain everything."

"Alright."

Duke opened the letter and stared at its contents.

Oh, Duke. If you're reading this, it means you're awake. I'm sorry for bringing you to Bandle City so abruptly.

You passed out because of one of the museum's artifacts, that broken set of armor. The black magic attached to it triggered your full magical awakening.

Unfortunately, that awakening also caused your powers to spiral out of control. You really should've seen it, Jayce and Viktor were terrified.

Don't worry, I'll look after them.

Thanks to you, they've finally realized how dangerous magic can be. Hopefully, no more experiments involving volatile magical artifacts. After all, being forced into a tap-dance by a wild magic surge isn't something anyone wants to repeat!

Your magical gift is a miracle among miracles. You can bring lifeless things to life. As a craftsman and scientist, I'm sure you understand what that means. But please, don't abuse it. Use it for good.

I've returned to my hometown to take care of some personal matters and won't be back for a while. My new apprentice, Ziggs, is already at the academy, you should visit him.

Good luck, young man!

Duke read to the end, his eyes filled with disbelief. Just what had happened during his magical awakening to end their journey so abruptly?

And that dream, why did he see Mordekaiser?

"Was it because of that armor...? Or... did that armor once belong to someone slain by Mordekaiser, and the lingering aura led me to him?"

His thoughts spiraled. Pain gripped his head again, overwhelming his senses. His eyes closed, and he slipped back into unconsciousness. Orianna quietly wrung a new towel, soaked it in warm water, and placed it on his forehead.

"Janna," she whispered, clutching her azure bird charm, "please help Duke through this trial."

Bandle City – Museum

"Ugh, my old bones..."

Heimerdinger, uncharacteristically without his tools, held a mop in one hand and a bucket in the other. Circling around him, a blue-furred magical cat fluttered.

"No slacking!" the cat scolded. "Yuumi's watching you!"

"Yes, yes, I get it! Don't nag me!"

Zaun – Fogen Tavern Basement

"Mmm~ mmm~ mm-hmm~"

Humming an offbeat tune, Jinx (Powder) tinkered with one of her inventions in the basement. Goggles perched on her head, her blue hair loose behind her, she used a wrench to disassemble a broken clockwork device.

"Just the screw I needed!"

She gleefully plucked out the tiny screw and tossed the useless device into an overflowing trash bin filled with scrap.

"JINX!"

Vi burst through the door and froze at the chaos. What used to be their cozy hangout spot now resembled a junkyard. Since the incident at the old canning factory, Jinx had been constantly tinkering, blowing things up had become her daily norm.

"What is it, Vi?"

Jinx cheerfully fitted the new screw into a corner of a box covered in monkey doodles.

"Listen." Vi walked up to her. The so-called workbench was just a rickety table missing a leg. "I'm glad you found something you're passionate about."

"I'm almost done! Just like Duke's box that went boom! I'm gonna build one too! So I can protect you! Protect everyone! No one'll mess with us again!"

Her eyes sparkled with excitement.

Vi grabbed her hand with a soft smile. "I'm happy you think that way. But Zaun's calm right now. I'm here. Vander's here. You don't have to protect us, we're the ones protecting you."

"But..."

Jinx remembered that night at the canning factory.

"Leave this place!"

"You're all I have left!"

"Please! Just go!"

"Don't look back!"

Vi's desperate expression haunted her.

From that moment, Jinx began to hate her own weakness.

"I don't want to always be the one hiding behind you," she whispered. "I don't want to watch you get hurt protecting me again."

Vi knelt down and gently grasped Jinx's hands.

"But these experiments... they're dangerous. Do you know what people are saying? That there's a dragon-lizard locked in Fogen's basement, smashing the iron door when it's not fed on time."

"This place couldn't fit a dragon-lizard if it tried!" Jinx chuckled.

Vi ruffled her hair. "Stop worrying so much. Just be yourself. That's enough."

She turned to leave. "Want some juice upstairs?"

"Let me just finish this!" Jinx returned to her project.

Vi leaned on the door, watching with a fond smile.

At least I got through to her...

Jinx's hands moved fast, but to Duke, her work would've seemed dangerously sloppy. She accidentally crossed two exposed wires.

Zzzzt!

A spark surged through the circuit. Inside the box, the gunpowder solution began bubbling wildly.

"Wait, what's happening?!"

Vi saw the bubbling. Jinx dropped her wrench and grabbed Vi.

"I think the current fed into the wrong system!"

"And what does that mean?!"

"It's gonna blow. But no big deal!"

A burst of flame exploded outward.

BOOM!

The blast flung open the basement doors, knocking both sisters against the wall. Vi felt something snap in her ribs, her face contorted in pain.

"Janna!!"

Jinx immediately called for Janna. The wind spirit appeared, sighed at the roaring flames.

"You science types always push too far."

Wind surged in to shield the girls.

But Jinx's unstable concoctions all detonated. The explosion intensified.

BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!

The Fogen Tavern trembled.

Behind the bar, Vander felt the ground quake beneath him. The wind howled. His expression changed.

He dropped his mug.

"EVERYONE OUT, NOW!"

A split second later, fire followed the wind.

The tavern collapsed like a house of cards.

Dust rolled along the ground. The Fogen Tavern was no more.

Half an hour later, with help from Zaun's community, everyone emerged safely from the rubble, thanks to Janna's protection.

Vander stood before the wreckage, heart heavy.

"JINX!!!"

Vi's shout pierced the haze. Jinx crouched, holding her head, eyes filled with fear. If Janna hadn't saved them in time...

"Enough, Vi."

Vander caught Vi's raised hand. He looked at the trembling girl.

"Call Duke. We're sending her away."

(End of chapter)

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