《The Chronicles of the Eternal Clock》


 Prologue - The Dawn of a Timeless Saga

    In the infinite cosmos, a creature emerged from the very essence of cosmic energy after the Big Bang.In legends this creature is just called ,,the architect of time,,. His actions are embossed by a wisdom which no mortal being could understand. He follows a neutral but protective codex. His many artifacts are foundation of reality. One more powerful than the other. But even the mighty architect made a mistake. Or was this is biggest triumph?


    The eternal clock was his masterpiece. Forged from the rarest ores, scattered across many planets. The eternal clock was more than an artifact. It was the embodiment of time. It was able to control time streams, change the past, froze the present, and change the future. But its power was dangerous. Even for its maker. The architect hopes that the eternal clock brings freedom for the rest of existence, keep away dark forces and to close time rifts, a powerful phenomenon which can form for no known reason.


    He showed his artifact to the council of the cosmos, the most powerful beings of the multiverse.


    ,,That¡¯s amazing,, said one voice of the council member after the architect presented the clock. ,,It is perfection,, responded the architect. His voice was calm but full of conviction. ,,A tool to protect timelines from chaos.,,,,Or to get a timeline to chaos,, added an other member.,,The clock is too dangerous! He have to get rid of it.,,


    The opinion of the council was split. It needs to get destroyed demanded some. But the architect surpassed himself. Even if he wanted to he couldn¡¯t destroy the clock. At the end, the architect and the council agreed to hide the eternal clock. He brought the clock to earth, in the citadel of Vael Arun, a lost place in the dessert of North Africa. Far away from cosmic conflicts. Vael Arun used to be a highly advanced civilization but it the inhabitants vanished for mysteries reasons. Only the ruins were left.


    8 thousand years later


    ,,Mom can I please go to the forest?,, Astra asked her mother while she grabs the dress of her mother. ,, I saw star bird nest yesterday! I wanna see if they already hatched.,, ,,not too far away, Astra,, her mother said with a calmly voice while she touches Astras blond, nearly golden hair. ,,The forest is beautiful, but it can also be dangerous.,, ,,Just let her go.,, her father laughed, who sits on a small table and carved a wooden doll. ,,Our little explorer knows the forest better than anyone of us.,,


    Astra smiled, grabbed a little basket and run out of the door.Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit.


    ,,I will bring you something nice too!,, she said with joy and then she went to the forest. Astra and her parents lived in the region Elvedar, which was on a peaceful. It was place from nearly magical beauty. The trees were very tall and elegant, its leafs glitter in the sun. Astra knew every path, every lake, and every clearing. It was her world and she felt safe.


    But this day was different. While Astra inspected a tree, she suddenly heard loud screams full of fear, blazing flames and crying children. She never heard something like this. Her heart stopped for a second,


    ,,Mommy? Daddy?,, she whispered and let her basket fall to the ground. She runs as fast as her little legs could hold her, back to her Village. When she came back to her home the where no screams left to hear. Her pupils got bigger because of what she saw. The buildings, she knew where on fire or completely destroyed. Shadow like ghosts can be seen in the ruins, like living nightmares. Her parents were nowhere to be seen. ,,No¡­ No!,, she screams. She wanted to run away, but she just stands there, full of fear. A Darkness approached her, a treating whisper was noticeable.Astra screams for help and she holds her eyes closed with her hands. In this moment, Astra felt a rising warm inside her, a light shields around her little body. The shadows shrank back. Astra assembled all her courage and ran back to the forest.


    She wandered around the forest for three full days, until she collapsed at the end of the forest. When she opened her eyes, unfamiliar faces surrounded her ¨C tall, ethereal beings with eyes glowing like stars. They were tall creatures with eyes which glowed like stars. They were the keepers of the starforge.


    ,,A child?,, a deep and melodic voice asked. ,,Not an ordinary one.,, replied an other voice ,,she was touched by starlight.,,


    The keepers, mystic being, who trie to keep the balance of the cosmos, took Astra to their forge. The Starforge was a city adrift in space, its breathtaking structures glowing with cosmic light. The keepers felt that she was something special, a child with a deep connection to the stars. The forge became her new home and the keepers her family. They taught her, how to use the powers she was given at birth and gave her life a meaning. To be a guarding of the Universe.


    Buried deep within the ruins of Vael Arun, hidden beneath countless layers of sand, the Eternal Clock began to whisper. It was not a call, it was a command with a scary message : ,,Free me.,, Everyone who dares to come near the clock wouldn¡¯t just hear these words, but also the same the, which penetrates this reality. It was as if the clock had come alive, impatiently awaiting its release from its timeless cage.


    ,,Why Vael Arun? Why earth?,, used one council member to ask the architect. ,,The earth is a meaningless planet. There is no live, which is intelligent enough to flnd the clock.,, the architect replied. ,,And what if someone finds it?,, ,,That is not possible.,,


    But even tho the architect was a mighty creature, he wasn¡¯t all knowing. The universe had other plans which not even the architect could forecast. The clock, hidden in the sands of Vael Arun, waits. The ruins, lifeless yet restless, hold their breath. And far above, in the shimmering halls of the Starforge, Astra unknowingly prepares for the greatest battle of her life. A battle that will decide the fate of time itself.

 Chapter 1: The Whisper of the Clock

    After years of training in the starforge, Astra grew older and the little forest explorer became a strong woman. In Astras eyes, the Starforge was one of the most majestic places in the infinite cosmos. Its shimmering towers of starsteel and the rivers of pure energy that flowed through the Starforge had become her new home. But after all these years she still felt like an intruder in an ancient world which is to big for her to understand. Astra sat at the edge of the southeast isle of the forge. She would sit there whenever she felt unwell, thinking about her parents and the day where she lost them, where she lost everything. Eldrin, her mentor, one of the most talented keeper approaches her. ,, I knew you would be here.,, he said with calmly ,,what¡¯s wrong? Why aren¡¯t you at the training?,, Astra stands up, she wanted to talk about her feelings, that she is feels lonely but instead she just said ,,I just thought about something, that¡¯s all.,, ,,Are you ready for training then?,, ,,Yes, I am.,, Together they went to Eldrins tempel.


    At the same time, but billions of kilometers away, on earth stands the highly regarded explorer, Kael Varela, born in the year 1025 a.Chr. In front of the king of Castile. His cold eyes were staring at Kael, a man with a sharp mind who is known throughout Europe.


    ,,Mr. Varela,, the king spoke. ,,I invited you today, because I have an opportunity for you. You will lead a exploration to Africa. I heard that there are big treasures. I will reward you very well. I believe that you are the best man for this mission.Kael bowed. ,,Majesty, you know my reputation. I promise to help the kingdom of Castile to become a glory nation. I accept.,, ,,Good, I will give you a crew and ship.,,


    The journey was long and full of problems, but Kael was full of energy. The thought about exploring the secret of Africa let raise his heartbeat. But after the ship arrived, he heard a strange whisper. It was a call which hold across the dessert. ,,Are you hearing that too?,, he asked the crew, but his men just looked confused at him. ,,The wind?,, a crew member asked.


    But it wasn¡¯t just the wind. It was something deeper, something darker which waits to get found. Kael was obsessed to find the origin of this whisper. He lead his men through the hot sahara dessert without knowing when they will arrive or if they even have enough supplies.


    After 2 days of wandering around the dessert, his men started to question his authority.


    ,,Sir, this is crazy!,, a crew member shouted. ,,We have not enough water for everyone left and this treasure is not real. It is just a fantasy!,, ,,A fantasy?!,, Kaels voice was shivering with rage ,, Don¡¯t you dare to question me! You don¡¯t know what is hidden here.,, he shouted back. ,,Sir we will no longer accept this! This whole mission is crazy, we a searching a treasure which doesn¡¯t exists.,, Kael ordered to execute this man as a traitor of the kingdom of Castile. The other men who are afraid to also get executed followed him further through the dessert.


    Until they arrived at a ruin. The ruin was a long-forgotten city. Its walls jutted out of the sand like broken bones, their presence a grim reminder of a vanished past. A depressing feeling which where around the ruins were noticeable. Kaels attention was set on the big building in the center of the city. At the whisper¡¯s command, Kael ordered his men to remain outside while he entered alone.


    Kael stepped into the building, the oppressive silence of the entrance hall pressing down on him like a physical weight. Kael couldn¡¯t believe his eyes. He had never seen something like that in his whole career as explorer. He walked across the decayed floors with mixed feelings, until he arrived at a room. In the middle of the room there it was: the eternal clock.Its lights glowed a piercing blue, illuminating the intricate network of rotating gears that adorned the clock¡¯s surface. Its metal was unfamiliar shiny. Strange symbols were all round its surface and a scary whispering was in the air: ,,Free me.,, Kael came closer to the clock. He wasn¡¯t able to look at something different. ,,What are you?,, he whispered. But the clock stays silent. The whisper became louder and more urgent. Something went in Kaels mind, a feeling of hunger which made him feel stronger but it also corrupted him. ,,Free me,, the voice said once again. Kael could no longer tell whether it was his own will or that of the whisper compelling him. When Kaels fingers touched the cold surface of the clock, he felt something went through his veins. It was like a quiet voice in his head. A voice which promised him power but this voice also brought something dark. And Kael¡­ he couldn¡¯t withstand. You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author.


    This moment changed Kael forever. It was like that the clock took a part of his soul and put darkness in the place. Even tho the ruins would probably have more valuable secrets, ready to get found, Kael wanted to go back to Castile as quickly as possible. Back at the entrance his confused men asked Kael what treasures he had found but he just said ,,We are going back to ship, here is nothing¡­,,  The man, intimated from the weird aura Kael now had, didn¡¯t dared to speak against him and so they followed Kael.


    The journey back was a nightmare. When they arrived back at the ship Kael already lost men due to the big heat and a lack of supplies. From originally 25 men. Kael only arrived with 10. On the way back to Castile, Kael always spoke about the clock, but his men couldn¡¯t understand is words. They whispered behind back, they said that he became crazy.


    As the coast of Castile came into view, Kael¡¯s rage boiled over. ,,No one must ever know of this.,, He roared, tearing the map to shreds with trembling hands. This was enough for the crew and they attacked Kael. But Kael became suddenly very strong and he was able to beat all 10 men. After that he tied the men up, stapped the men in their hearts and threw them on the ocean.Back in Castile, Kael became a shadow of himself. He confessed that the killed his own men. When the King asked, why he killed them he just said ,,It made me doing this.,, The king tried to get more information out of him. He even commanded to torture Kael but still, he stayed silent. The soldiers put him in a dark jail hoping that he would tell more soon. The clock gave Kael no peace. On cold nights, as he slept on the hard floor, Kael murmured about gears and shadows. In the dark cell made the clock Kael a promise: For his whole soul, the clock would help him to get out. First, Kael didn¡¯t accept the deal, but the voice in Kaels head got louder and more unbearable. Kael finally accepted the deal and the clock started to transform him. Kaels soul intertwined with the clock, and a guttural scream tore from his throat as his body began to twist and change. His whole body started to shiver, his skin became rotten and his bone became exposed. His heart now pumped a thick, black ichor through his veins instead of blood. His hair, nails and eyes fell off. He had became a monster, a living rotten corpse. His face was unrecognizable, he looked more like a skeleton than a human. He wasn¡¯t Kael anymore. He became something different. With the memory and experience of the clock he became a powerful creature. He became Chronos, the devourer of time. With a single movement, he ripped the cell apart. ,,The time is mine now.,, He said. The echo of his voice was noticeable in the whole prison.


    Far away, in the shimmering halls of the Starforge, Astra trained tirelessly, unaware of the chaos that was about to unfold on Earth.


    With a quiet hiss she jumped backwards. A row of starlightnings exploded in front of her. Her mentor Eldrin raised one eyebrow ,,you are too rigid, Astra. The energy of the cosmos moves like a dance. Let it lead you, instead of forcing it.,,  Astra breathed and wiped her forehead. She holds her staff out of Starlight tight in her hand, but it felt foreign. ,,A dance?,, she laughed. ,,It feels more like a storm which could rip me apart any moment.,, Eldrin looked at her with his glowing eyes and nodded. ,,It is not easy to master the balance of the stars. But you have the light inside you, Astra. And you are stronger than you might think.,, Astra lowered her glaze. ,,Sometimes I ask myself if the keepers made a mistake when they adopted me. I am just a lost orphan from a destroyed village.,, Eldrin laid his hand on her shoulder. ,,The stars chooses you, Astra. You are so much more than that. We saw more in you, something you don¡¯t know. You will understand it when the time co-¡­,,


    Even tho Eldrin is always very calm, Astra suddenly felt fear in him.


    Eldrin sank to the ground, clutching his forehead as his body began to tremble. ,,The Balance¡­ it feels as though something has been shattered.,, He whispered, fear flickering in his glowing eyes. ,,No, it can¡¯t be. This power. Something on the earth happened. Something dark¡­ a harbinger of chaos.,,