Seconds (Ekko x Reader)

Chapter One: A Caged Bird

As you ran, there was only one thing ringing true;

Your home was no longer safe.

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They were after your tails.

Fox Vastaya are powerful beings. Like any other of their kind, they had large ears that were taller than their head, with pointed eyes that bore into you like no other species. But unlike the rest, they had an immense gift from those before them; the Arcane.

The Arcane was an ancient sort of magic that only those born with could control. It lived in every living thing, and those species that could hone it had a reputation of being mysterious and evasive. Certain Vastaya had the Arcane held in different parts of their bodies, radiating through like a heartbeat. For a Fox Vastaya like yourself, it was held in your nine tails.

And that was well enough to put a glaring target on your back.

...

Life never was peaceful after the Noxians came.

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All you could focus on was running. At this point your feet were burning, trying to evade and hide from these brutes. They were huge, toned from years of training to become the most powerful army a region has ever had. Some say that even their land is tough, turning anything and everything lean and bitter.

But while their strength and stamina are great, their speed is held down by their massive bodies.

Lurching forward, you grabbed the trunk of a tree and hauled yourself up into the branches. You were moving fast enough to weave through the canopy without branches falling under your weight.

But it wasn't enough.

Just as you were about to jump to the next tree. A sharp jolt ran up your leg. Looking down, you realized that they snared it with a throwing net. The more you struggled, the more it sank into your skin. How could this even be rope? It cuts into your skin like a knife–

Crying in pain and clutching your leg, you fell from the tree onto the ground. The Noxian let out a chuckle.

"I'm sorry to have to do this, but it is for the better," he continued, "you'll see, once we finally take over here, you'll understand that life under Noxus is a better way of living. The strong and mighty grow powerful, and those who run. . . Well you can imagine what happens." Tossing yourself over, you tried to aim your hands in a position to fight, to use the last of your strength and propel him away. But it seemed like he knew what you'd do even before you started. His large hands took your wrists, squeezing so hard you could start to feel the tingle of lost circulation. And it was here you finally got a good look at him; his angled eyebrows, a white streak against his black hair, and a large scar running through the side of his face from his eyebrow to the crest of his pale cheek.

Dragging you to a square metal enclosure, he didn't say another word. The goons with him sneered. Not at him, but at you. It was obvious that they held a deep respect for that man, although some didn't want to admit it. They were whispering, as if they were worried that you'd overhear them. Although you could hear one word from them;

Darius.

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Edited : 2/3/2024