Chapter Text
"Vital Instrument, Time Walk."
Enjin declared, fist near his chest as the sixth and the last piece of the Watchman Series was shown. Mymo turned his head towards him, his eyes widening in surprise and in disbelief as he looked at the watch.
"The last piece…"
but before anyone could process things, Enjin already made his move. As time began to slow in his perspective, his anima moved as his body stood still. He felt invincible, He felt unstoppable. He felt like time is in hands. As he moved, he struck Mymo by the eye, Umbreaker's tip plunging in the "god"'s eye. Then everything warpped back as Enjin's soul seeping back to his body.
The attack catches up, Mymo screeched in pain, holding his eye.
"AHHHHHHHHHHH!!! My eye! My eye…"
while he was caught up in pain, The watchman Necklace fell onto the ground. Rudo, out of Mymo's control, blinked. He rubbed his eyes, looked up and saw Mymo screaming and turning his back as he dealt with pain. Rudo sought this opportunity to strike. He scratched Mymo's back, making the "god" arch his back and screamed in pain.
"Yo, Rudo!"
Enjin called, raising his hand to signal the young man. The wolf-boy turned to his mentor, his eyes widened in shock.
"Enjin..?" He muttered, turning to him.
"YOU HAVE A PIECE OF THE WATCHMAN SERIES?!" the boy yelled
"WHY DIDNT YOU TELL ME?!"
Enjin felt his neck sweat out of the fact that he was caught. He chuckled nervously and rubbed his back.
"Ehehe….That's not the case now…" he says, clearing his throat and his expression turned serious again.
"We'll talk about that later. For now…" He rolled his shoulder and cracked his neck.
"…We need to finish a disaster." He finished, striking Mymo once more.
Rudo looked at his mentor before nodding and grabbed the Watchman Necklace and handed it to Gountess.
"Here, sir…" He muttered, looking at the man sitting, with tubes attached to his arms. Gountess nodded in approval and looked up, seeing Mymo fighting Enjin. Enjin was leading Mymo out of the area, to buy them time.
"We need to get out of here." Gountess said, wearing the necklace.He looked up at the young boy and huffed a breath. "Help me get out of this tubes." He added.
Rudo gave him a nod before carefully pulling out each tube out of Gountess' arms.
Seeing that Rudo was being careful on setting Gountess free, Enjin thought that it was a good idea to stall some time.
'I must think this carefully.' He thinks.
He activated the watch again, and time slowed down to a halt. Then he, as an animal, moved. He rushed behind Mymo and struck him by the head. Everything warped again. Mymo was sent flying at the side of the parking lot, crashing his head onto the wall. Enjin smirked and turned to Rudo.
"Alarm me when you're done!" He yelled, before rushing to Mymo, before the "god" gets up again.
Rudo looked at Enjin before helping Gountess get up. "You alright, Gountess?" He asks, concerned about the man's well being. Gountess hissed and gave him a firm nod of approval.
"Yes. Now, we have to get out of here…" He said.
Rudo lets out a hum of agreement before moving out of the truck. They were taking things slow, because Gountess couldn't move properly, but they were also running out of time. Rudo looked back, seeing Enjin striking Mymo again and again. He huffed and looked at the frail man that he was supporting.
"Hop on my back, Gountess. I'll make things a bit fast." Rudo suggests, looking at Gountess with those eyes of rightful impatience. Gountess, seeing the boy's eyes eagerness of saving up some time, nodded in agreement.
"Alright." He said. Rudo guided him as Gountess settled on his back. After everything was on set, Rudo yelled out to Enjin:
"I'll be out for a minute! I'll be back!"
Enjin heard it and turned to their direction before yelling back.
"Don't take too long! I need extra help!" He says, before getting hit by Mymo and was sent flying.
Before Mymo can spot them, Rudo fled with Gountess on his back. His goal was simple: Give Gountess to the Supporters that were still out there, and come back, fight alongside Enjin.
Enjin groaned and shook his head
"This was the second strike that my head has endured…" he mumbled, looking up.
Mymo's fist was right in front of him, seconds away. He reacted, activating the watch's power again, time slowed then halted. Enjin launched a heavy blow on Mymo's chest before everything warped back to normality. As the attack caught up, Mymo was sent back off. Before he could even slide further, he grounded his foot, halting his movement.
"You're one tough man, Enjin…I'll give you that." He says, his voice sounding like he ate a rock. "But you think you could win this? With two instruments, one activated and one not?"
Enjin stood, groaning as he held his shoulder. "Can't defeat everything all by myself, y'know?" He says, chuckling. He looked up, his gaze fierce and piercing. "Sometimes, I need a little help."
Before Mymo could say anything, his right arm, once again, got cut off. He looked down, seeing Riyo with The Ripper cut his arm. She looked at the "god", smirking.
"Like what you see big guy?!" She yelled, cutting his other one off.
Mymo screech again, before hitting her with the remnants of his left arm that she currently cut off. Riyo was sent out of his center radius.
"Riyo!" Enjin yelled, he turned to Mymo and struck the arm, fully cutting the whole limb.
While Mymo screamed in pain, Enjin rushed to Riyo, checking for injuries.
"Anything broken?" He asks, crouching down as the red haired girl sat up.
"I'm fine…" she groaned out, holding her head. Enjin looked at her before turning back to Mymo.
"Is Rudo on his way?" He asks, gripping Umbreaker's handle tight. Riyo stood up and dusted her skirt.
"Yeah, he is." She replied, picking her scissor up. Her eyes wandered down to Enjin's wrist, seeing the watch.
"…You have two—"
"THAT'S….Not the matter right now, we talk after." He says, looking at Riyo with a panicked face before shifting back to his serious one. Then they struck Mymo together while waiting for the Surebec to come.
꒦꒷⩩
Meanwhile…
"You're gonna be fine." Rudo assured as he settled Gountess down in an alleyway with Mileretta and Meriege who just finished escorting the people to evacuate.
The young boy looked at Amo who was with Fu, both of them looked at Rudo. Amo rushed first.
"Rudo! You're safe!" She says, hugging the boy.
Rudo was taken aback, but he pats her back. "I'm fine, Amo…"
"You got Amo so worked up because she's worried about you!" Amo says, giving light punches to his stomach.
Rudo sighed and nodded. "I know, Amo. But I gotta go back to Enjin. He needs my help to defeat the evil guy."
Amo, hearing Enjin's name, got her face scrunched up in annoyance. But hearing that he was also helping Rudo on defeating Mymo, softened her expression. She nodded reluctantly and held Rudo's hands for assurance.
"Promise Amo that you'll be fine and come back to her in one piece." She says, holding his hands firmly.
"Okay, Rudo?"
Rudo looked at her, her gaze filled with worry and concern. He didn't want to worry her, he was her first friend. So, he nodded firmly.
"I promise Amo. I will come back." He promised, before looking at Gountess.
"We continue with our plan." He said, letting go of Amo's hands as he walked up to Gountess. "We don't stop until Mymo is taken down."
"But how? He's a literal…Whatever he is." Mildretta pointed out, gesturing a hand.
"She tried shooting him down, you saw that." Meriege intervened, nodding in agreement in Mildretta's statement.
Rudo looked at him, his gaze blazing with determination. "We will find a way. We're Cleaners, and we don't stop until everything is finished."
That left them stunned. Amo nodded and raised her fists, showing her agreement to Rudo.
"Rudo is right. We don't give up." She says, nodding. "Amo doesn't really know what to help, but She feels like that supporting Rudo would fuel his power on defeating evil guy!"
"Yeah! What she said!" Fu said, his voice trembling but still kept it steady. Meriege nodded at the teens before looking at Mildretta. The tall woman sighed and looked at Rudo. "We trust you, Rudo."
Rudo nodded and looked at Gountess. Gountess gave a firm nod before Rudo left to help Enjin
꒦꒷⩩
Back to the parking lot below.
Enjin and Riyo were backing off the monster for the past few minutes. Both have been sent flying and got hit by the walls. Enjin couldn't even count how many times his head got hit by the walls. The good thing is, Mymo lost both of his hands again.
"Losing energy, are we?"
Mymo says, laughing. His laugh sounded so unreal, because it sounded like a fox's laugh with a hyena's sound. It was distorted too, making it a little too disturbing. Enjin huffed and tried to stand, with Umbreaker as his support. Riyo looked up, her expression says she's tired and yet wanted to end the feud.
"You can say that. But we aren't giving up."
Enjin declared, his cocky smirk appearing on his face.
"Now, let's finish this, shall we?"
Mymo was having an internal panic attack.
-✦⠂ ⠂୨୧
"What should we do? We're almost losing."
Mymo says, looking at Human Mymo.
"We're going to fight them with words. Just like how we did to Rudo."
"Ehh…It deflected by—"
"THAT'S NOT THE CASE RIGHT NOW, MYMO!"
-✦⠂ ⠂୨୧
"Rudo is just using you so that he could go back to the Sphere. Nothing more."
Mymo says.
Riyo paused and looked at Enjin. Enjin squinted his eyes and rotating his head.
"We know that. But not what you say it is."
"You're just his pawns. He just acts like he wanted to be there because he needed an answer. He'll never see you as his family."
"And that's where you're wrong."
All three heads looked at the Wolf boy, standing on a car. Rudo huffed, shaking his head.
"Yes, I want to go back to the Sphere and I needed answers. But it doesn't mean I don't see them as family."
"Oh, so you're replacing the man who raised you?"
"No!"
Rudo shouted, lunging to bite off one of Mymo's "horns". Mymo groaned and screamed, turning his head away while Rudo landed on his feet. Rudo looked back at Mymo, spitting the "horn" off his mouth.
"Regto will always be in my heart, I could never replace him."
He says, wiping his mouth.
"But I know that he'll be proud of me that I found a family in the Cleaners. Because they also feel like home."
He added, growling.
"And you taste like shit, asshole."
He declared, raising a middle finger
This action angered the "god", that he started to attack with the fury that lies within him.
"You fools! You'll know your place once this is all finished!"
Rudo lets out a huff and looked at Enjin and Riyo. Enjin looked at the young boy and his little girl, before giving a nod.
"Then we strike together."
Enjin declared, raising Umbreaker.
"To make a prideful being fall!"
꒦꒷⩩
it was already half an hour, and the fight was still going on. Both sides wouldn't give in, nor surrender. Riyo was almost losing balance, Rudo was holding his abdomen, clearly heavily injured. Enjin was holding himself as he placed his hands on his knees. Mymo close to being defeated but he always bounce back. And in the midst of their fighting, words were also being thrown like stones.
"…Give up already. There's no way you're winning."
Mymo says, letting out a huff of laughter.
"N-no…We can still do this. Just like how I always do it…"
Rudo muttered, trying to hold himself together.
"It's almost an hour, why don't you give up?"
Riyo yelled, exhaustion seeping through her tone.
Enjin was now a silent observer. He looked at the still activated watch. Time was running out. If he'd stay like this for a long time, who knows what will happen. He was too busy thinking to help Rudo, that he didn't even think about the price. But…
The price doesn't matter…When it comes to helping the son of the person who saved him.
"It'll be worth it." He thought, standing straight.
"Rudo."
Rudo's heading turned to his mentor, wondering what he'll say next.
"Yes, Enjin?"
"…Your father was a good man." Enjin started, looking at the boy
"He wasn't." Mymo interrupted
"He left you, Rudo. He didn't want you."
"And you don't know that."
Enjin interjected, pointing Umbreaker's tip to Mymo before turning back to Rudo.
"…I have never had a deep talk with your dad. But when he talks about you, a shine in his eyes appear. And I saw, that he loved you, Rudo. Very much. But he needed to leave you because he couldn't handle the punishment he was suffering. And he couldn't bare his son see him suffering."
Enjin says, his gaze softening as he continued talking.
Rudo looked at Enjin, the man who met his father, the man who dragged him with chains when he fell from the Sphere, the man who was the one who fed him, the man who looked out for him, and a man whom he looked up to (aside from Tamsy)
"Why are you saying all of this corny things?"
Riyo interjected, moving between Rudo and Enjin. Enjin averted his gaze, looking away from those green eyes.
"Enjin…"
Riyo says, her eyes were showing that she's worried, scared even.
"…I will pay the same punishment."
Enjin finally said, looking at the two teens.
Both kids were stunned, speechless. The gears in their head were still processing the whole thing, while the emotions and reactions were growing on their faces.
"You can't be serious."
Rudo blurted out, his eyes widening with fear.
"Enjin, please. Tell me this is a dream, this is one of those…Sugar Rush type of hallucination! Just please!"
Enjin didn't say anything, he stared at the two with dead serious eyes.
Riyo held his shoulders, shaking him slightly
"You can't do this. You're too young, you know that!"
"Riyo, hold yourself."
Enjin says, huffing. He felt like he wanted to say it. That this was all a dream, a game that Mymo had set. Except, it wasn't. It wasn't staged nor it was a dream. It was all real. And they couldn't stop it. He closed his eyes and sighed.
"Rudo…You're a good kid, and I believe that. You've done good deeds, despite your bratty attitude. "
That earned a scowl from the Surebec.
That made Enjin chuckle and shook his head.
"You have a lot to learn, Surebec, but we both know that you can overcome the challenges that lesson might give you. Either it's understanding what was given or fighting the trash beasts. You're still developing, Rudo and you have to accept that. And I firmly believe that you will be one of the greatest givers that the Ground would ever ask."
He says, putting a hand on Rudo's shoulder. Rudo wanted to brush the hand off, to yell at Enjin that he shouldn't do this for his sake, that this was his fight that he would finish for Gountess. But, every word he wanted to yell seemed to die on his throat.
"…You can't do this."
That's all what Rudo can muster up. He felt hot, brimming tears forming on his eyes. He wanted to cry, but he said to himself not to.
Enjin offered an assuring smile, patting Rudo's shoulder.
"This is for your sake. And consider this as my gratitude to your dad."
He says, before turning to Riyo. Riyo seemed to stare at him for too long, as if to memorize every detail of his face. She shook her head, in denial of what is to come.
"No. I won't accept this, you won't die."
She says, backing away for a few steps.
"Riyo, please. You have to understand."
Enjin says, trying to reason out with her.
"We can't defeat Mymo easily. But now that he's weakened, I need to deliver the final blow."
"Why can't we deliver the final blow together?! I'm as skilled as you!"
"Because my time is running out, Riyo and I can't risk to injure you and Rudo."
That settled a melancholy silence between the two. Before Riyo reached out to hug Enjin.
"Please don't do this. I need you…"
She muttered, burying her head on his shoulder.
"…I can't…I can't live to carry the fact that I lost another person I cared and considered family."
Enjin didn't push her away, instead, he pats her back, comforting her.
"…It's much better if you let go of that fact. You're not gonna lose me."
He says, smiling softly.
"And look, whatever I say next might be corny for you, but it's from my heart Riyo."
He added, chuckling as he pulled away just to see her face. His smile widened a little, brushing a strand of her hair.
"I'll be right here."
Enjin said, pointing at her heart.
"And here."
He added, putting a finger on her forehead.
"…I'll never leave you. My girl."
Riyo sniffed and wiped a drooping snot off her nose.
"…This isn't supposed to happen."
"But we can't stop it. So we have to find a way to get out of the situation."
Enjin assured, nodding. He turned back to Mymo and huffed.
"Tell Zanka that I'm sorry. That I tried my best to make him feel belonged and loved. And tell him that, he'll never stop being my favorite giver in the entirety of the Cleaners. And that he'll be getting better and better."
He said. He positioned, smirking.
"…Let's go berserk."
Rudo and Riyo nodded, launching at Mymo, striking Mymo. Rudo jumped and landed on the being's chest, almost knocking him down. Mymo grunted and shoved Rudo away, making him hit a car. Riyo delivered a quick slash before landing on her feet, almost spraining her foot. She looked up, gathering herself all together. She wouldn't like the ending of this fight.
Enjin took slow steps forward, removing his jacket and threw it to where Riyo stood. He adjusted the watch on his wrist while Umbreaker was hanging from his arm.
"Alright," he muttered, flicking his wrist and held Umbreaker. His footsteps halted, standing like a man on a mission.
"…Let's finish this."
˖◛⁺⑅♡ Enjin's monologue ˖◛⁺⑅♡
Maybe…
This is it…
The part where my time is running out and I have to say my goodbyes to the people who cared for me.
But…
I haven't said goodbye to Semiu.
Nor a thank you to Crovus.
I haven't acknowledged Mildretta and Meriege's efforts.
Nor Follo or Tomme.
I haven't said anything to Bro and the kids.
…I haven't told Gris anything yet.
But one thing's for sure, they'll never forget me.
I know that.
Yet I also know that they'll miss me deeply.
…I don't want them to remember me in a mournful way. Or in a negative way.
I want them to remember me in good ways. Wherein they’ll just randomly bring me up in their happy times.
Ha…
This is something I've never thought of. Saying goodbyes and thinking about what will happen next after this event.
However, I couldn't stop thinking about the things I've could've told them.
I could've told Bro that he was doing great at handling the kids, on how he has loads of patience to look out and train them.
I could've told the kids that they were doing well as a team, that despite their age, they handled the job pretty well than the rest.
I could've told Semiu how I truly enjoyed our times together. The times where we hung out at bars, the times where we'd have random conversations at places, the times where she had to scold me for my childish behavior and the times we would talk about serious stuff.
I could've told Crovus a thank you, for providing me the things I needed that I didn't have back then. And the opportunity to work as a Cleaner and as a mentor to Team Akuta.
I could've told Tomme that she was doing fantastic work by being just a recorder. That she has equal efforts as the givers. Same thing as Eishia.
I could've told Follo that he was truly growing out of his old shell and that he was doing great in changing his mentality.
…
I could've told Gris that he was the greatest guy I've ever met. I could've told him on how admirable or awesome he is. I could've told him on how much I cherished the moments we shared. Like those private, quiet and intimate ones or those loud and fun moments, with friends or the just the two of us. I could've told him on how much I loved his eyes, his touch, his scent, his voice and his personality.
Nevertheless, Fate was a cruel game. They can't hear these thoughts, these words of sincerity from me.
….
I hope I will still have time after this.
I want him to hear it. The words of endearment from my mouth. It'll be another regret, like how I regretted on not telling Zanka the words he needed to hear from me, that I didn't tell him personally and physically, and that I didn't save him in time.
It's only a matter of time…
…Teach me how to say goodbye…
So Gris, my companion, my dearest friend, and my greatest love…
Take your time…
That's all I ever ask from you…
˖◛⁺⑅♡ End of monologue ˖◛⁺⑅♡
꒰ˆ◞⸝⸝◟ˆ ꒱੭
…It was finally over.
The parking lot was a mess, but it was still worth it.
Mildretta arrived with some back up. She instructed the rest to look for some casualties. Amo was looking for Rudo, calling out his name while sitting on Fu's shoulder. And among the back up, Gris was there, along with Follo and Tomme. He wasn't looking for casualties but he wa looking for a man.
Mymo's head was on the floor, his eyes were lifeless. And not so far from him, was Rudo, with his normal appearance. But he was heavily injured. Blood streaming down from his forehead and load of scratches on his arms. Riyo was in the same side, bloodied and bruised.
Yet both teens didn't look concerned for themselves. Rudo, aside from the blood dripping from his forehead, his tears were falling too. His messy, noisy sobs echoed through the space, his arms are full as he held the person who took great care of him. Riyo was silent, staring at the body that Rudo was holding. She was quiet, unlike Rudo. She only stared, not daring to make a move nor say a word, because she was engulfed by grief.
Follo found them first. But his heart broke on what he saw. He told himself not to say anything, so it was best to alarm the others while giving them space. He gave a firm nod, but it wasn't to directed to anyone. He rushed to the rest, waving a hand.
"Guys! Over here! I found them!"
He yelled. Gris and Mildretta turned their heads and rushed to their place, along with them was Amo and Fu who were following.
Gris felt his heart race. He was filled with worry, relief and concern all at once. But when he stopped by the area,
His heart wasn't ready for the scene in front of him
Enjin was lying in Rudo's arms, bleeding and lifeless. His chest wasn't moving to breathe air. His eyes weren't moving to look around, and his hands weren't twitching.
Gris felt his whole world stop as his eyes was fixated on the scene in front of him. He couldn't hear Mildretta shouting instructions here and there. He couldn't hear Follo's words of reassurance. All of the noises that surrounded him were silenced, and all he looked at was the man in Rudo's arms.
He approached slowly, as if he found a broken glass and was afraid to step on it. Then he settled beside Rudo, who was still crying and grieving.
"This wasn't supposed to happen…" he muttered, wiping his tears, but they were still coming back.
"This isn't the ending I wanted…I kept on wishing that no one here could end up like Regto…I kept wishing that everyone here would be happy and safe but…my wish didn't work…"
Gris looked at Rudo and rests a hand on the boy's shoulder.
"Look, kid. We can't avoid—"
"Well, I could've have!" Rudo interrupted, looking at Gris.
"I could've told him to stop! I could've pushed him over! I could've told him my life wasn't worth saving!"
"Rudo, listen."
Gris says softly, grounding the young and grieving boy.
"Even if you said that to him, Enjin is a stubborn man. He wouldn't stop, even when someone tells him to. He cares for you so much Rudo. You're his student, his kid. It's his responsibility to protect you." He says, caressing the boy's shoulder. "And your life is worth saving. Your life is as precious as any gem, Rudo. And he wants you to cherish it, because life is too short."
Rudo looked at Gris for a moment, before continuing his cries and wails on Gris' chest, but not letting go of Enjin entirely.
"…Eishia can't come here, can't she?"
Riyo says, looking at Gris, who looked like he was going to cry.
Gris looked at Riyo and shook his head.
"She got worn out after healing thousands."
Riyo nodded.
"I understand. His injury was fatal, so…There wasn't much time left for him."
Gris looked at the girl and patted the space next to him. Luckily, Riyo took the opportunity and sat beside Gris, leaning her head on his shoulder as she continued crying silently.
Gris was still staring at Enjin, looking at him like he would come back to life miraculously and say it was all a prank. He wanted to convince himself that Enjin is just in a coma, that he'll just wake up years later. But the look on Enjin's eyes confirms that he is already dead. Gris couldn't help but let some tears stream down his face. He wiped them with his hand, but he couldn't stop them entirely.
After a moment, Riyo and Rudo had to go with Meriege to get treated because of their injuries. Follo, Fu and Amo accompanied them as they leave the parking lot. Rudo looked back at Gris, who was now the one holding Enjin's body. His eyes still filled with deep sorrow.
"…I could've saved him." He muttered, looking down at his feet.
Amo frowned, clearly empathizing Rudo. She held his hand and caressed it, offering comfort and quiet condolences.
"…Rudo tried his best…Don't let guilt try to eat you, Rudo. It'll only make you sick, and if you do, Amo will be very sad."
While Gris, he was letting out tears now. His sobs were too quiet to be heard.
He didn't care if the others leave him after cleaning up, he just wanted to stay with Enjin in his arms.
"…I'm sorry."
He whispered onto Enjin's ear, sniffling.
"…I wasn't in time.
I wasn't here to spend your last moments.
I wasnt here to see you in action.
I wasn't here to hear your last words.
My efforts were too little…
And I was too late."
He added, burying his face on Enjin's shoulder, not caring if he would be covered in blood. As long as it was his.
"…I could've said it earlier. If I knew this would happen. I could've told you I loved you. I could've told you that I wanted you in my life. But I was too late."
He took Enjin's hand and brought it up to his lips, kissing it softly.
"…I'm sorry, my love…Maybe in another life…I won't be too late to see you.“