Of Nuggets and Magic (Arcane/League of Legends/Marvel) (2025)

Chapter One​

"… … o…!"

It began with a sudden bout of dizziness.

"Urgh…!"

He hunched in pain as if his head had been suddenly struck with a metal bat.

'Ouch! Ouch! Ouch! Ouch…! The hell?'

It was a sickening feeling—like his head was being pried open and something or someone was roughly kneading its insides.

To simply put: it wasn't some fun kind of feeling.

"C… kko…!"

He was vaguely aware that he was standing... Well, standing and spinning like some drunken ballerina trying to force some measure of equitableness into this gnawing vertigo.

'Dammit, if this's some kind of cosmic joke. Well, I'm ain't laughing."

A huge hand clasped his shoulder pulling his attention to the fact that someone… No, not just someone: multiple people were talking to him at the moment.

"What's with th... Alright...? You don't look so good."

"Hey... Some-... Check him out."

"Oh..."

Their voices hit him like a truck all at the same time.

He could clearly hear them—feel them like some kind of muted background noise; the kind in movies where people talk in crowded areas, but the raucousness of the location never seems to prevent their noise from clearly being heard.

Now if only he could make SENSE of what they were saying!

'Wait… Movie? What the hell's a movie in the first place?'

For the life of him, he couldn't seem to remember where he heard the term 'movie' from... But at the same time, he strangely felt disturbed at questioning what could be said to be called universal knowledge.

And just like that, the dam burst and his headache renewed as unrecognizable images/memories came flooding in.

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HE was an aspiring tinkerer with dreams of opening a successful repair shop in Zaun's big market... But in another, HE was an aspiring engineering college student.

HE was an orphan and at the same time, HE was the first of 2 annoying brothers and an adorable sister to a single hardworking father.

HE was a child of the Undercity and of New York at the same time.

HE was… IS a Firelight coined 'terrorists' by Topsiders and 'flying gnats' by the Silco and his budding Chembarons, who merely want a Zaun free from its current infestation...

... But in that same breath, HE is merely a student, whose greatest challenge was to maintain his current 4.8 aggregates to keep up his scholarship.

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It was like some kind of juxtaposition wagging war within him: two identities/souls fighting for the right to assume sovereignty.

But as the two identities warred within him, only one name was getting much stronger and sounding much, much louder…

And that name was;

"Ekko?! What the hell's going on with you?!"

Shaking his head, the Zaunite/New Yorker felt the world colors returning to him.

"Urgh… What… What happened?"

He shook his head as if getting rid of cobwebs only to be gently guided by soft yet firm hands that grabbed his shoulders.

"All right, make way, kids. Coming through..." A feminine voice said, before turning sideways. "What's with men and lack of consideration?"

"Screw you, I'm plenty considerate!" A deep affronted said.

"Pff, is that so?" The former voice snorted in doubt, "Then why haven't you guided Ekko to a seat instead of standing and shaking him like a crazy person?! And don't think I didn't see you raise your hand about to slap him!"

The owner of the deep voice audibly flinched.

"Urk... We-well I-I thought..."

"Nope, don't wanna hear it right now!" The feminine voice brushed off, before addressing Ekko (?).

"Let's get you tucked in, Big Boss. Hopefully, that Piltie Yordle knows a thing or two about sudden headaches and how to treat them. We can't go risking ourselves for outside help in times like this."

Shaking his head, Ekko (?) regarded the pretty rugged figure as a name suddenly came to mind.

"Kay…"

"Hmm…?" The twin-tail brunette said turning towards him, "You want anything, Big Boss?"

Ekko (?) merely regarded the girl in silence as he took in the memories he had of her and with her:

Kay was amongst the friends Ekko had made over the years and one of the earlier Firelights, even before Crow, Shomi, and the others...

... Well, except for Scar.

She was the second tech brain of the crew, developing the crystal grenade while he was still busy with the hoverboards. It had only recently been since Kay pulled back from the frontlines due to recent happenings.

'Wait, how do I know all this?'

It was like looking at a stranger you had known all your life.

And that's just crazy, right?

[A flash of blue crossed his mind, but he shook his head ignoring it… Ignoring how it made his stomach churn... And how that color made his heart clench uncomfortably]

Sighing, Ekko (?) opened his mouth and the words flowed out seamlessly.

"I thought you'd stop calling me that stupid name ages ago."

Kay paused for a second and then chuckled, "I guess old habits don't die so easily."

"You don't say..." Ekko (?) huffed hazily— "I guess that's a good thing to have these days."

—Blue flashed the corner of his eyes once again—

'Urgh, what in the Protector's name is that?'

Darkness was already creeping into the corner of his eyes when Ekko (?) was led into a familiar room and placed on a familiar bed.

"Now why don't you go get some shut-eye, while I'll go get our resident prof to come to check up on you, hmm?"

"Got it."

Ekko (?) blearily nodded and yawned as the darkness obscured his vision leaving only a hint of color...

And as Ekko (?) turned his head with eyes slowly closing, the blue color showed itself again—only this time accompanied by a pair of blue eyes.

"Urgh... Pow... der?"

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Have you ever wished for more TIME or no TIME at any point in your life?

Wish for things to just stay the way they are so that you can admire its beauty—its simplicity for all of eternity.

What about a pure desire to just destroy TIME's constraint and journey to a point in TIME? To correct your mistakes and redo things over; but better.

What about simply enjoying those precious TIMES when things were greener—hard, of course, but smiles were easier to come by and much jollier to hear?

What a wonderful feeling it would be; like living in a photograph of happiness that lasts forever.

I've wished for that once in a while with EVERY fiber of my being.

.

.

.

.

I wish for those TIMES when I was still a little brat working under Benzo.

I wish for TIMES when I can sit and lazy around with my younger sibling, arguing about stupid things.

I wish for those TIMES when Mom and Dad would take me out for a family walk on their rare free days from the mines.

I wish for those TIMES when Mom and Dad would bring leftovers from some bigshots party and how my sibling and I would be whooping for joy at the delicious servings.

I wish for those TIMES when I could simply enter the Last Drop, and Vander would be there manning the bar with Vi, Mylo, and Claggor by the corner of the room in their world talking about all the cool stuff I wasn't allowed to do.

I wish for those TIMES when I would be so embarrassed going to the podium because Mom and Dad would surely be there at the front row, cheering my name and proclaiming to the heavens that that's their son up there...

And that idiot who calls himself my best friend, Ethan would be cheering along with an annoying impish smile on his face.

I wish for those TIMES when SHE would be there; desperately and futilely trying to butt in Vi and the others talking with a pout on her face, and when she spots me, her pout becomes a smile that always made me feel real warm and funny back then.

I wish for those simpler times when I could see them smile not cry.

I wish for those simpler times when I could see HER simple smile, not HER crazed laughter.

How I wish for those TIMES.

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TIME's a gift.

A transient moment we enjoy only once. So no matter how hard we wish for those better times, there's no changing the fact that what's gone is gone...

Yesterday never comes back…

Nothing lasts forever.

But what if...?

What if there's something YOU could do about it?

Would you be willing to take that chance...?

EKKO/EKKO.

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"Hah...!"

Ekko's eyes snapped open with a gasp as he sat upright on the bed.

"Ack… What... What happened?"

"If you are referring to your fainting spell, young Ekko. I'm afraid I am unfortunately without answers to give you."

A voice said in reply as Ekko turned to see a cat-like furry creature, a Yordle, hobble down from the chair at the opposite side of the room and scuttle towards him.

"Professor Heimerdinger."

"Good to see you're awake." The Yordle said with a smile, "It is a relief to see your short-term malaise without any unforeseen consequences."

Heimerdinger's small frame stood beside Ekko beside the bed looking at him in relief.

"When young Kay came rushing with news of your sudden collapse, I had assumed the worst..."

The professor paused regarding Ekko for a second and sighed as he pulled a footrest gesturing for the Firelight Leader to bring his head forward.

"Hmm..." With a small torch in hand, Heimerdinger checked both Ekko's eyes, "It's as I suspected... Ekko, please answer truthfully; how are you feeling at the moment?"

Ekko uncomfortably shifted in a mixture of confusion and trepidation.

Despite appearances, the Firelight didn't feel comfortable sharing the fact that his soul (?) was currently in the process of amalgamating with another.

This isn't something he felt anyone—not even a long-lived Yordle—should deal with.

It's his mess and he will deal with it—he always did.

Forcing a smile, Ekko said, "Nothing really, I'm okay. Just feeling a bit tired that's all."

Unfortunately, Heimerdinger's eyes furrowed knowingly before sighing.

"I may be old and recent events may have revealed to me to be 'out of touch' with my surroundings. But I'm not senile... Young lad, I believe there's this saying that 'two heads are better than one'. So I hope in TIME you can come clean to me with what is happening. But I suppose I'll have to make do your short-term explanation... For now."

Ekko bashfully rubbed the back of his head.

'Way to make me feel like a little kid all over again.'

Since meeting the Yordle, Ekko couldn't stop instinctively comparing his presence to that of Benzo. They both may look very different, but they both carry the same uncanny air around them.

Whenever the Professor speaks it's almost like Ekko is hearing Benzo again—only this was one was primer and a tad bit more Topsider.

Ekko chuckled to himself as he could almost hear Benzo scoffing at the comparison.

"Thanks for the vote of confidence, Professor Heimerdinger." Ekko said, "So, erm, what was it you were saying about my condition?"

The look on Yordle's face, when he questioned Ekko, was a bit concerning, and considering Ekko was currently amid a life-changing—understatement of the century—phenomenon, he felt the need to know what was going on with his body.

"Oh dearie, you will have to pardon my instinctual desire to abstain from what I am about to say... It's a bit world-changing but at the same time, something I never thought I would see anywhere here. See Ekko, there are forces—"

"Professor Heimerdinger... Can you please stop beating around the bush?" Ekko interjected with a strained smile. "Is something bad happening to me?"

"Oh, no, no, no... Cease that thought, Ekko." Heimerdinger let out a shaky laugh. "My apologies, I was trying not to scare you, but my intentions seem to have backfired. In any case, it's nothing bad—merely that you've become someone or rather awakened into becoming a kind of being I never thought I would see on this part of Runeterra and that leaves me feeling a bit awkward."

"… And that is?"

Heimerdinger cleared his throat, "I believe you have awakened a certain characteristic available to a certain few. You, lad, have become what is known to the World as a Mage."

Ekko blinked once, twice—and exhaled hard.

In a way, Ekko wasn't surprised—shocked? Yes, but not surprised.

Even without the otherworldly knowledge of what a Mage is—and boy did his other-self have numerous meanings to the word—Ekko did have an idea of what it means to be a Mage.

After all, the Firelight did have something related to magic in his possession the other day.

"So..." Ekko began—he paused taking a deep breath and then continued. "You're saying I'm some kind of Magical being."

"Not something, Ekko. You ARE a Magical Being. You possess the ability to manipulate the Arcane in ways only a Hextech does—only you don't need a Hexcore or its appliances as a means of doing so."

"Is that so...?"

It was at that moment Ekko was aware of the—if he could coin it correctly—strange feeling within him. Like some third limb, he was merely being aware of.

'It feels warm in a kinda good way...'

Looking down at his hands, the Firelight half expected beams to shoot out while the other half just felt numb at the news of him being a Mage.

"Now while I'm sure you're in a hurry to try out your new gifts. I suggest you allow your body to rest first. Magic from what little I know is tied to stamina, and you're obviously out of gas. Not to mention the fact that I haven't heard of any Mage awakenings that cause a fainting spell... But what do I know? After that calamity, I made it a point not to associate myself with anything magical."

The Yordle trailed off to look at Ekko with a small smile.

"But I suppose one can't just turn their backs on one of the fundamental aspects of this planet, eh."

"But how is this possible?" Ekko asked, "I'm quite sure if my Mom and Dad were Mages; I'd know. And I've never been able to do anything magical in my life."

Nothing magical has ever happened in this life or the other one.

There were times when magic could have been really helpful to him, but it never showed up; so why here and why now?

Could it be a side-effect of his current condition?

Heimerdinger sighed and patted Ekko's shoulders.

"I've come to conclude over the years that the Arcane is a fickle concept. It's not something so easily understood—not even by powerful Mages. It doesn't follow genetics nor does it come with its set of uncontested laws." Heimerdinger laughed petulantly, "There is a possibility of the Arcane possessing sentience and we'll never know. It grows and evolves in ways mere beings like us cannot begin to comprehend."

Hopping down, the Yordle said as it headed for the door.

"In any case, your magical gifts aren't going anywhere. When you're up and fully rested, we can try to understand this new World you have been granted access to."

And with that—and a door bang—Heimerdinger was gone.

ᴥᴥᴥᴥᴥᴥᴥᴥᴥᴥᴥᴥᴥᴥᴥᴥᴥᴥᴥ

Only a few seconds passed staring at the door, Ekko sighed and pulled his jacket from the desk closest to him, a hand mechanically thrust into clothing; searching and bringing out a familiar stopwatch.

Bringing it to his forehead, Ekko shut his eyes hearing its ticking, and whispered.

"I am Ekko. I am Ekko. I am Ekko. I am Ekko. I am Ekko. I am Ekko…"

It was a confirmation and a prayer rolled in one.

Ekko was sure of the life he's lived; the joys of childhood, family, and loved ones to the immense weight of leading the Firelights...

The joys and pains were all the confirmation he needed that he was/IS still Ekko.

But...

He could see the other one inside him; remember his life; his joys, happiness, pains, sorrows, hopes, and dreams; like it was his own.

He is Ekko from the Undercity, leader of the Firelights—yet, Ekko from New York, a nondescript college student from a simple family.

Magic is surely a new territory, but with all the rising tensions in the Undercity—with Silco being gone and all—maybe, just maybe, this magic mumbo-jumbo could be an equalizer to turn the tables in their favor.

'Seek the best with every hand you're dealt with in life…'

Suddenly, Ekko felt that strange warm, and funny feeling within him move, and upon opening his eyes a single sound left his mouth.

"Whoa..."

It was the sound of awe.

His hands were glowing—no, just his hands; his entire body was emanating some kind of whitish aura.

Moving his hand, Ekko watched in fascination as it left some kind of tangible afterimage—like some kind of psychic echo.

"Then again, magic sure looks rad."

Fear of magic is dammed. The Firelight couldn't wait to be out of this infernal bed and out figuring out what kind of magic he now possessed.