The Soul Gambler

|Chapter 1| The Visit of the Virtuoso

 With his hands he could feel her leaning in the touch. Eyes slowly closing. "It's stunning how I've never known you until this very evening and yet, you make me feel like we know each other for a long time". She whispered with a silk-like voice. Jhin knew that she was sold for his gentle absence. So now it was finally time for his performance. His hand then reached out for Whisper who was patiently waiting in its holster. The body of the man started to heat up as the thought of blasting a bullet trough her eyes came to mind. As she would finally be one with true beauty. When he gulped a bit of saliva that was collecting under his tongue, Jhin's head leaned in near hers. "The stage is set... Now dance!" Even though he whispered,  to him it still felt like he was speaking in an energetic tone. Whisper, who was how placed against her chest, was screaming for the man to pull the trigger. And so...

BOOM

 A blow to the chest. White and blue magic collecting from the centre of the shot, now spreading throughout her entire body. Flowers starting to grow out of her skin. She screamed in harmony as the magic touched her vocal cords. Tears like crystals flowing over her cheeks. As Jhin took a few steps back, he saw how his paintbrush painted red over the canvas. She was his canvas. And Whisper, his beloved gun, the brush.

 After a few seconds she collapsed onto the ground. Jhin sighed in disappointment. The euphoric beauty of art ends way too soon. His feet took a few steps closer to the lady who was gasping for air. Jhin kneeled next to her and laid one hand down on hers. "You're in the spotlight. Shine my doll!" His voice with such passion. Making the euphoric scene settle in once more. With Jhin's other hand he held Whisper under her chin. His finger on the trigger. And just when he pulled it down, gravity started to drop. Jhin started to feel light in his arms, his legs, no. Not just that. He felt numb throughout his entire body. The scene in front of the Golden Demon started to fade, and before he knew it, he blacked out in the middle of the void.

~

 Far away Jhin could pick up a sound that seemed like nature. Birds were singing and the wind was howling. Slowly he started to open his eyes. This time he did feel his limbs. As his eyes were looking right at what seemed a ceiling, and his hands moved over the silk-like surface he was laying on, Jhin instantly knew he was located in a bedroom. But it wasn't just a bedroom. This smell, this feeling. As he sat up and looked around himself, his breathing suddenly stopped. Jhin's eyes couldn't believe it. This bedroom looked exactly like his own bedroom from his home country, Ionia. "There is no way in hell someone brought me all the way from Demacia towards my beloved Ionia.". Jhin's eyes narrowed in disbelieve. Something was off. In his head the lines didn't add up. One of his hand travelled to the holster. Whisper was still in its place. It felt good to know that his gun was by his side. Always there to fix the mistakes of this world. With a sigh of relieve Jhin stood up and walked over to the window. Even the view from the window was the same as it used to be. "Did I just really sleep this long?", he thought to himself as his head moved a bit to the side. Looking at the streets of the Ionian capital made him remember certain things. Certain memories. All of his performances and artworks that he set throughout these very streets. And then he remembered what happened before he got here. "Demacia...", Jhin softly whispered between his thin lips. An awful urge was crawling through his spine, going into his bones. "I have to get back to Demacia to finish my performance!". Disgust filled his mind. An unfinished performance. He rolled his eyes, being annoyed by the thought. Jhin placed a hand on the side of the window. "Well, at least I am home". While thinking that, he started to make his way over to the door. With a gentle swing he opened the door. Only to be face first with another one. He wrinkled his nose at the polished wooden door. A golden nameplate screwed into it. 'Sebastian', it spelt. "Sebastian, who might that be?", Jhin thought to himself as he looked around him. On both sides the hallway continued. But on the left side it came to an end after a few doors. He turned around and closed his own door. Looking up he noticed his door had indeed also a golden nameplate as well. 'Khada', it said. A cold wave crept upon his skin. Not many people know his first name. And he surely doesn't like it when it gets used. "The person who is behind all of this knows a bit too much. And I don't like it...", Jhin thought as he started to follow the long hallway. His head looking from left to right. Curious about the other nameplates.

 "Aiano, Stephen, Esther, Dr Heinz...". There were so many doors. so many nameplates. "Bendy, Monika, Aro, Undertaker, Shaco...". Jhin suddenly stopped when he red that name. "Shaco", he whispered as his eyes were locked onto the door. His eyes narrowing by the thought that spun around his mind. He let it slide as he walked further down the hallway until he stumbled upon a staircase. One went up, and the other went down. Jhin could already decide for himself that he would go down. The lower he was, the quicker he could escape if needed. Once he reached the ground floor his ears started to pick up some noises. Reassuring him that he indeed wasn't alone. Swiftly he got closer to the sound. There was a repeating melody to it. It was music! Not the type of music Jhin would usually listen to, but it did have a bit of feel to it. Now, Jhin was standing face to face with the door the music was coming from. Carefully he opened it as one hand was ready to grab Whisper. As the door opened and the music got a lot louder, he noticed a mysterious figure all in red dancing and swinging its body. Short red hair, neat red suit, and something that looked like a microphone on a stick. The figure then turned around and raised its arms high in the air. "Finally you woke up! You really need your beauty sleep, don't you?". Now that Jhin could see the creature's face, he could assume it was a male his eyes were looking at. Well, more like a demon actually now noticing the horns and the tail of a deer. The tone of which he spoke in had a radio static vibe to it. Like a robot, but not monotone. It had a lot of drama in it. Maybe even a bit too much. 

 "What is this place. And who are you?", Jhin asked carefully. He doesn't know anything about this weird crossbreed between the colour red, and an antelope. The figure came closer with a quick and joyfully pace. Putting one of his arms around Jhin's neck. "Well my friend, my name is Alastor! It's a pleasure to be meeting you. I heard about your 'performances' and I just couldn't resist to leave you be!". Alastor then let go of his neck. The sound of his tapdance shoes clicking onto the old wooden floor. For Jhin it still didn't answer all his questions though.