so chapter 166 Enjin fans how are we doin. Streets said 167 in 20th May so I'm coping. Anyway, these are all fan theories I have seen about what the "enormous price" that Alto warned Enjin if he used Timewatch is gonna be (+Timewatch's ability itself) alongside MY own interpretations and explanation. Remember that there are fates much worse than death.
Body Horror - Physical Transformation: Enjin is going to be physically altered to turn into a Chimera (the mythological Greek monster connected to Cerberus; hinted in his original name; written directly on this car [Enjin comparing himself to a modded car - which itself could be called a chimera since it consists of different car parts]) and possibly lose control of himself and go feral (similarly to how the Surebrec bloodline is theorized to have become the Watchman). This lends to the twist of Rudo (and maybe others) having to fight Enjin to calm him down, someone he has been relying on, a mentor figure, an older brother/fatherly figure. Just a complete 180 of their dynamic. The aftermath of Enjin finding out that he hurts Rudo after he tried to protect him will make him so guilty, as if his act of help come backhanded despite his sincerity, without him wanting it to, and would be a callback to his past "crime" of accidentally/indirectly turning his orphanage into a slave market.
2. Mental confusion: This option can go two ways, following the definition of "Chimera". First, using Timewalk could lead to Enjin being "lost" in reality, trapped inside his own head, probably while his real body is in a coma. Second, it could just lead to him to be in a constant state of confusion, rendering him useless or incapable of operating for some time especially for someone who has such a naturally good intuition. The solution for this could be Amo, which could further add into her and Enjin's dynamic, explore more of her healing ability and deepen her character arc (theory source here).
3. Mental break - Insanity: Like how we have seen Mister and Follo, people who were unfit to use the Series due to not having an obsession, Enjin could suffer the same fate. Personally I doubt it, as Enjin himself stated it in the last panel (the narrative would fall flat if the desire turns out to be "not enough", making the focus on it so far feels redundant and unnecessary), and while his desire doesn't comes off as intense as the others, it's still the foundation for Enjin's entire character to build upon and his main motivation to move forward.
4. Mental deterioration: Following 3. With the other items, the Giver would be fine as long as they possess an "obsession", a hole within themselves. However, Timewalk could be an outlier (as it is the Watch in the Watchman series, maybe foreshadowing how it seems to be the strongest item in the series, and considering the sense corresponding to it is the 6th sense, usually viewed as an outlier to the other 5) and still mentally affect the user's sanity, worthy obsession or not, just at a slower, more gradual pace. This could be backed up by Alto's wrecked mental condition when Enjin found him in 166, hence the warning feeling so personal (or his state was caused by carrying too many WM items; or it's just the inevitable fate of the Surebrec line;...). With this theory, I will still cite Amo as the possible best solution (see theory 2).
5. Memory Loss - Amnesia: As Enjin's obsession and key character trait has to do with "making/having connections", it would be devastating to have that severed, even if it is more likely to be a temporary effect and not permanent (I suspect that it will last for some time though, and the severity of the loss would likely be detrimental to the person affected's worldview). If Enjin was to lose his memory after this, it will create tension as he is unable to answer any questions or be truly involved in the upcoming arc. This effect could also be put upon others and not Enjin himself in the form of having them forget Enjin/their connection with him, which would have an equally devastating effect, leading to the same result of him being alienated and having to find his way back to his own connections and reforge them.
6. Lost in time - Astral projection: With the last panel of 166, we could not only see Enjin's real reflection through the car window, but also his, I assume future, silhouette rushing ahead. While this could be simply Urana sensei's way of teasing the new WM item ability, it could be seen as Enjin physically staying in the same place while having his soul/Anima/spirit travelled through (frozen) time to attack Mymo. I guess he could take Umbreaker in this state since she has parts of his soul/Anima imbued into her. The consequence of doing this is, of course, his spirit being unable to naturally return to his body, effectively making his body falling into a coma due to not having a soul inhibiting it. I believe this sort of ability suits the 6th sense a lot. Enjin's spirit could either just lingers nearby his physical body, seeing the world but unable to interact with it; or it could be stranded amongst the possible branching timelines that Timewalk might offer the user to see/experience, perhaps trapping Enjin in a timeline where he has lost all of his connections/where he is forgotten/where he doesn't exist/where he doesn't survive at the start/where he keeps failing to protect others/where he has actually died, leading to him thinking he was dead (one of the probable reason for a fake out death twist, see 13).
7. Anima Loss: The usage of both Umbreaker (he still has her activated when he pulls out the watch, and it was the Jinki that damages Mymo) and Timewalk simultaneously/in quick sucession is most likely taxing, and the cost of such an action might come in the form of Enjin's anima being completely drained to the levels of non-Givers for some time. This is very interesting, since going with this route we can explore the chance of seeing one of the Givers being stripped of the very thing that defined them, especially one so powerful like Enjin. Even if not for defeating Trash Beast, fighting nor being actively utilized, a Giver and their Jinki's bond is sacred and intimate, so suddenly getting that taken away would definitely affect Enjin immensely.
8. Umbreaker Damage: Following the same vein as theory 7, except this time the steep price is Umbreaker herself. This concept is also equally interesting to explore, as we have yet to see in canon a Giver's Jinki being damaged to the point of irreparable, renderring them non-Giver. I feel like Rudo's ability could come into play and help fix this, and with that we could see the effect of recent events on their bond, especially Rudo's reactions. Enjin will be forced to confront Rudo and potentially having to tell him what he knows about Alto/Timewalk and why he has been keeping secrets. Rudo will have to learn how to regulate his emotions with the conflicting information he's been given thus far. Them having to communicate to solve the issue will strengthen not only their relationship but also their own characters' hangups.
9. Attachment: Perhaps the cost of using the watch simply makes Enjin dependent on it. This on its own can be just as dangerous, considering how powerful the Jinki is, how highly sought after it could be if anyone discovers its capabilities, and how vulnerable it would actually make Enjin, as it is a secret he has spent years to hide, and with it being out, would be a sign that he has broken Alto's promise/seemingly last words and also just expose how he is a man with secrets to hide in the first place. This theory could be combined with 4, making his dependence on it actually has consequence. Ultimately this could turn into a delicate balance of him being limited on having/using it but still need to have it on him at all time.
10. Curse: Perhaps upon usage, the watch will inflict on Enjin the same kind if not a similar type of curse that Rudo suffers. While this could create yet another similarity between the two, as I personally believe the origin of Rudo's "curse" comes from his genetics/the Surebrec bloodline, I can't fully see this theory happening. Perhaps this could combine with 9, that this new pain is the reason why Enjin would grow dependent on Timewalk because having it on would soothe the pain.
11. Lifespan reduction: Most guessed theory for a reason. This is the most "cliché" consequence to time powers and the most common. Narratively it could make perfect sense, how this isn't immediately threatening but would set up a high stake to be wary about in the forseeable future, especially since this kind of consequence is vague and impossible to accurately predict. We also have the clock covers in some chapters retelling Enjin's past, with the clock's time seemingly ticking down to something. This could be a reference to his final moment, "how his life would be flashing through his eyes, clock ticking down to its last second". Thematically it could be a metaphor for how he would be living on "borrowed time", with the Jinki Alto has entrusted him, with the new life/new name Alto has offered him, and with his future demise he would be paying that time back to Alto.
12. Rapid aging: Like 7, this is also one of the most common prices of time powers. Though unlikely to happen, in my opinion. While the consequence would be apparent and cause concern, I can't see it happen within the manga. There's not really any value in this twist beside comedy and I can't see it being executed well. Besides, despite his ragged appearance and declining mentality, Alto seems to be just as youthful as he was when meeting Enjin one year prior, and during that first meeting he seems young as well.
13. Instant death: Not happening. Fake out at best. Not only that it would shatter every single character in Akuta and most members in the Cleaners unnecessarily after such an intense arc, but it would be a waste to his character. With recent chapters, I feel Urana sensei has been putting so much focus on Enjin to just immediately discard him entirely. Just the fact that his backstory is shown doesn't mean that the potential to his character is over. He still has a lot more room to keep developing and grow as a character, alongside his multiple dynamics with the others and how they could moreso keep benefit from him. His death would be too permanent of a consequence for such a delicate situation like right now that it'd do them more harm than good in character growth.
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