The noises has stopped for the most part. The Sons and Daughters of Zaun has moved to the bridge. The air was thick with a new smell. And since it's founding, even Piltover was not spared from the smell.
Blood.
The air was thick with it. Ekko was walled in the shop by Benzo who was out there. And to his knowledge, both Vi and Powder. Are gonna be out there. All this waiting is making him restless. Judging by the scent, everything went according to canon. They all walked up to the bridge, at first to talk then Silco threw the molotov, chaos ensued and Powder and Vi are now officially parentless.
'I could have change it' But he couldn't that was just grief talking.
Ignoring the fact of just listening to a literal toddler talking about how he knew the future. Not even believing, just listening. No one would have taken him seriously.
'But If I showed my gifts. My strength-' And it still wouldn't matter. Because while he may have enhanced himself to be stronger than any kid of his age and size, even surpassing most adults, bar the likes of Vander, in Runeterra such strength is rare but not uncommon.
The land was filled with exceptional individuals. The limits of this world are not the same. With enough training and natural talent, his current level of strength is suprising but nothing to make the adults believe him.
'Maybe if I shapeshift in front of them?' They gonna think he's either a mage or got in contact with one the chemicals and mutated which happens a lot more often than you think.
There were a million ways to think of a reason for why they wouldn't believe him but...
"It's still doesn't explain why I'm still in here still PUSSY FOOTING!" He heaved not in exhaustion. But it was a kind of relief that you get after coming to terms with the truth. He was pussy footing. He was scared. Not for himself. But for the future.
Canon has already changed. Not in noticeable ways but it already had begun. First he's not the smart child that Ekko used to be. He didn't have the same talent for tinkering that Ekko had.
He learned a thing or two from watching Benzo work or helping powder with her toys but he's not the boy genius. Second; he had already made a name for himself as a successful courier and delivery man. Using either the bike he and Powder built(Mostly Powder) or just plain roof hopping and parkour.
Even Vander like to use his services, mostly to deliver messages to Benzo and vice versa. It was a job that pays decently so he kept doing it and now it was an another flap in the many of the Butterfly's wings.
He was so scared. He realized. And he wanted the perfect future. He wanted Benzo alive. He wanted Powder happy. He wanted Silco and Vander to be brothers forever. Along the way, instead of perserving the canon timelime, he wanted the things to go exactly like the alternate timeline. Instead of Vi dying of course. But he was also scared to act before things get to season 1 but along the way he made changes to the timeline without even realizing.
Just by living day to day, he changed things. Powder and himself were closer. But he still haven't gotten around to talking with Vi as much. Benzo and him didn't bond over their love of tinkering, they bond over Ekko's cooking because Benzo's terrible at it.
He was on talking terms with the likes of Vander, Silco, Felicia and even fucking Sevika.
He even delivered a package or two for them.
"The point is...
*Bam!*
*Crack*
The Door cracked as he kicked it.
"YOU'RE STILL PUSSY FOOTING EKKO!" He got through with an another kick, yelling at the top of his lungs. As soon as he got out, he beelined towards the bridge with his considerably upgraded speed yelling loudly,
"HAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA" As soon as the bridge came into view, there was a melee. It was bloody, it was gruesome, it was the most violent thing he had seen in his entireity of both lives even if he couldn't remember much of it.
And it didn't matter to him. All he saw was the enforcers gunned down those they can and as soon as they have to reload, the Zaunites closed in. But they still get shot with every two people dying for eveyone that made it close enough. It was a desperate gesture.
Zaun was taking more loss than Topside but they didn't care, they stepped over their dead loved ones and kept on fighting. One man had his hand shot off. He picked up the weapon with the other hand and kept fighting. A woman was speared through the chest but she still lunged forward pushing the bayonet deeper into her as she slice the enforcer on the throat. It was pure savagery...
And Ekko joined them. The modifications he had done to himself made him look older. At six years old he's 4 and a half feet tall but muscled in a way that is impossible for kids before puberty. At least in his old world. Here? People just say he'll grow up to be a strong man or that he's already a little man. And his muscles has been enhanced to the biological limits of their relative size. Just his muscle density alone made him weigh 160 pounds and their power?
(Pov Change)
An Enforcer saw what he thought was a short teenager with white hair taking a low crouched stance before the guy shot off from his position with a blur. And the next thing he knew, the barricade on the bridge, the one their people were shooting the sump rats from... collasped.
As he stared in dumbfounded confusion, his face got caved in by a fist the size of his face, clad in cast iron gauntlets.
Vander also stared in confusion, rage, worry and grief as he saw who he thought was Benzo's boy and Felicia's youngest's friend, barrelled into the line of enforcers on the other side of the bridge.
He hurried over and sure enough, it was him. The boy, Ekko. His white hair, smudged with red from the blood of the enforcers. His face in a deep snarl. He was in their ranks. Deep in.
It was the safest and the most dangerous position. Safe because they can't shoot you without hitting allies and dangerous because you're surrounded by people who wanted you dead from every side. Most people wouldn't survive. But Ekko was not just surviving but thriving in it.
Along the way he got his hands on a baton. The ones that the enforcers use. He smacked, punched, kicked, elbowed and kneed everyone and everything around him with just a baton to defend against bayonets and other sharp weapons. It cause a lot of worry in Vander. He couldn't bear to face Benzo if he let the man's adopted son die here, not when he was supposed to be nowhere near the actual fight.
Vander lets out a shout as he cracked an enforcer across the jaw. Another one lined up a shot behind him, he ducked with beastly instincts and reflexes honed from years of fighting. Talking hold of the gun and smacking the underside of it. Breaking it in half but he did not stop there.
*spulrt!*
The enforcer laid dead after a moment, his own bayonet sticking through his neck. Vander watch another one of his man gunned down by three enforcers. His eyes bled over with rage and he heaved the dead enforcer towards them.
During the confusion, he made short work of them, the first one got his chest caved in from a punch, the other lost consciousness from a particulary brutal back fist. And the other neck broke from his right hook.
Chest heaving, hands bloodier than before but still not out of the fight, Vander look around before remembering Ekko. When he get to the boy what he saw was not good. After thinning the group's numbers, they now have enough space to shoot. And shoot they did. Now Ekko was stuck dodging gunfire, actual fire and a whole lot of other deadly weapons.
Vander quickly look around for anything to help the boy and saw a crate. An idea bloomed in his mind.
"KID!" His yell made the boy flinched, nearly loosing his head as a bayonet swung at him from the right.
"DUCK!" That was all the warning Vander could give as he throw a crate filled with whatever goods they were transporting earlier today.
(Pov: Ekko)
Ekko certainly didn't waste Vander's chance. As soon as he heard the word "Duck" he ducked. The Enforcers thinking it's their chance closed in, surrounding him. Before getting launched off their feet by a crate the size of a Minecraft Block.
As soon as the Crate sailed over, Ekko was back on his feet and breaking bones and smashing faces again. During the slaughter, there was something going on on the side.
His power, everytime he killed someone, he gets a charge. Not every people he took down is dead but according to his charges,...it was 12 and counting.
'D-damn' he thought hesistantly with a smirk. 'Not a Gamer Power System my ass' Keeping his mind off the slaughter he's contributing to. During that time, Vander reached Ekko and snatched him by the scruff of his shirt. Ekko nearly punched the man but held back last second.
"What are you doing here kid!? Where's Benzo!? Shit! Is he dead? You shouldn't be here!"
...It was understandable. The man is riding high on adrenaline and grief. His friends died. His people died. Ekko saw Felicia body on before he jumped into the fray. They were most likely one of the first casualties.
"...I don't know. But maybe we can save this conversation after...?" He didn't finished. He didn't need to. Vander understood. Letting him down but not before blocking him when he look ready to jump in again.
"Go home kid. And stay in. This doesn't concern you." Vander said firmly as he lock eyes with the kid. Ekko looked shocked.
"Like Hell it doesn't concern me! You saw what they're doing to our people. You saw me out there. You know I could fig-" He was interuptted. Not by Vander but by the two people he saw behind. A falsh of Blue hair before she was pushed behind by her sister. Powder and Vi.
Vander also looked back and saw the two sisters. And he turned again towards the bridge, where their mother's body was just over a few dozen paces before he made his mind.
He took a step forward but Vi hides Powder behind her.
"W-where's m-mom and dad?" At that Vander looked remorseful. His rage all but evaporating with the smoke. Ekko watch is all in real time as Vander gestured behind him with a smile.
There, not even with her eyes closed, was Felicia. That's how instant her death was. Together with her is Connol. His miner hat still on as he laid there back to back with his wife.
It was too much for Vi, as she broke down crying. Powder was the most quiet she has ever been. Withdrawn. But still hugging her sister and giving her support. But it seemed like what really transpired hasn't gotton through her yet. Or she still doesn't have enough maturity to process it.
Ekko remember Vi saying Powder was too young to remember what happened on the Bridge but he later recalling Jinx saying something to her sister about Caitlyn and the enforcers shooting their parents came up during it.
*Thud* *Crack*
A sudden sound of somethings hittimg brought him out of his thoughts and he glanced over to Vander.
The man looked at the crying child and took off his gauntlets. And once again the people here proved that they are different as the gauntlet cracked the ground when they hit it.
'Those things must be like 50 fucking pounds... each' Ekko thought as Vander kneeled down to hug the sisters.
'It's time for me to move' Ekko thought. But he paused as he saw Powder looking at him. He hesitated. Long enough that, Vander took notice and remembered he was there too. The man open his arms in invitation.
Ekko's eyes darted over to Powder and saw the expectent look on her face before caving in. He joined the hug hesitantly...and it suddenly all came rushing down.
Tears and snots ran down as every emotion he thought or convinced himself that he didn't feel all came through the dam. And during it all he could do was say "I'm sorry" over and over again as he let everything go, Just for the moment.
________________________________________
Check Author's Thoughts/Notes for those who are a little confused about Ekko's actions.