Reading and writing is humanity’s most outstanding achievement. It allows even mortals to make significant contributions despite their short lives and pass their knowledge down. Even a human’s mind expands with limitless potential the more they read. Sadly, few mortals will take the time to pick up a book, and that is humanity’s greatest folly.

~Syn, Goddess of Observance and Truth

Crow snorted and shook his head. “You really can’t see the gear and number?” He even looked at it to confirm that it was still there.

“Oh! No, can’t see that. Only those invited to attend the trial can see that, and I suggest you wear a glove or something to hide it. Do you know your number?”

“My number? That thing keeps changing. Currently, it says twenty-seven.”

“No, that isn’t right.” Caed shook his head as if trying to deny what Crow could clearly see.

“Why? It really says twenty-seven. When I arrived, it said fifty-eight. What does that mean?”

“Holy hell, this trial is not going according to the rules. I don’t want to believe you because it means that fifty-eight of you arrived before the trial even started. That gives you a tremendous advantage, and the reason the numbers changed is that either you ranked higher or they died. I’m guessing they died since the only way to improve your rank is to enter the Clocktower.”

“What is the Clocktower? You’ve emphasized that twice now.”

“No need to tell you, we are here.” Caed pointed toward a building that rose above the town like a needle. All four sides had a clock face, and Crow only knew that an entire floor would rotate every fifteen minutes. Sometimes the building above that floor moved with it, sometimes not. So in the hour it took to walk the rest of the way toward town, the clock face rotated four times.

Each time a floor moved, he felt the gear on his hand shift and the clanging sound echo in his mind. Now, at least, he understood why.

“When we reach the gate, just let me handle everything.”

Crow nodded. Still watching the Clocktower. The more of it he saw, the more he found the Clockwork’s creations to be unfathomable. He could tell that most of the Clocktower’s movement was mechanical, so no formations were used. However, he still felt the distinct power of mana flowing through it.

“Do the beasts raid this town because of that thing?”

“Supposedly, the tower creates a tonal sound that we can’t hear. It is what draws the beasts. In the initial phases, they can resist it, but as the trial reaches its conclusion—madness follows.”

“Caed, you’re alive?” The guard at the southern gate called out as they approached. “Is-is that Mave?”

“It is. If Crow hadn’t stumbled over him, I’d never have found him under the ash. I’m not sure what got him, but I’m hoping the Medik can tell us.”

“Crow? Where did this guy come from?” There were four guards now, and their eyes turned suspiciously toward him.

“Believe it or not, he is here for the trial. Some fluke brought him here ahead of time.”

“That’s impossible.” An armored guard stepped forward. His shoulders were as broad as Otto’s, but he didn’t have the giant’s height or mass.

“That’s Angus,” Caed muttered from the side of his mouth.

“Show me your token!”

“I don’t have one,” Crow didn’t bother with aggression or lying. “I didn’t want to come here, but here I am.”

“Explain it, and you better convince me.”

“It was a dark and dreary night. Rain was falling so heavily that the water was like panes of glass. Visibility was almost nil. Boom!” Crow slammed his fist into his hands, startling a few guards. “Lighting struck, and the water scattered as it came down like divine retribution—”

Hahaha!

Caed burst out laughing upon seeing the other guard’s faces. They were so enraptured by the story that he couldn’t help but laugh. He held up a finger while he tried to catch his breath, and they realized Crow was pulling their leg.

“Dammit, you should’ve seen your faces,” Caed said, still chuckling. “And kid? All you had to do was mention the Astrologer."

“Wait… how did you know that?”

“Because I wasn’t looking for Mave, but you,” Caed explained. “We do appreciate you finding him, but that drunk bastard is always wandering off into the woods during guard duty. Anyway, we caught that Acco fella a while ago. He escaped our prison and entered the Clocktower. Said there was no way he was going to let his nemesis take all the good stuff.”

“So you knew who I was the whole time? All of you did?”

“I’m Angus,” the big guard said. “I’m in charge of security here. We have simple rules. Do your trial and leave. If you want to help fight the beast hordes, we accept that too. However, please limit your movements to the north of the city. There are a few hotels, manors, and various places for you to stay, as well as the market. It isn’t personal, but we’d prefer that you impact our lives as minimally as possible.”

“I understand. I won’t cause you any undue problems. Have you seen a girl? Blonde hair, broad of shoulder but moves like a panther?”

“Ha! Is that your woman?” Angus laughed and pointed at a nearby guard who sported a black eye. “He tried to flirt with her, and she knocked him out. Said, ‘This mommy only likes one man’ and then left. She too went into the tower.”

“Uh,” Crow flushed. “Yeah, that’s her.”

“That woman is a lioness. Keep her close.” Angus slapped Crow on the shoulder and then waved the other guards back. “Welcome to Pineknot.”

“I have a quick question. If I enter the Clocktower, can I return to town?”

“I’m not sure about the trial itself, but failing a puzzle only has two outcomes. Death or expulsion. It isn’t uncommon for trial-goers to enter hundreds of times during the competition. It’s why we have accommodations for you. And to prevent misunderstandings, it is why we ask you to stay in the northern district.”

“Got it, thanks.”

“Come, I’ll get you set up in a hotel.”

“That woman is staying at the Golden Shovel,” Angus said. “Please hand over Mave, and I’ll take care of him. He might have been an asshole, but he was one of ours, so thank you for carrying him back.”

Crow solemnly handed the corpse of the guard over, and all of them saw the claw marks across the man’s gut. There were three jagged lines, and when he saw them, Crow looked toward the sky.

“You recognize it?” Angus asked.

“It is a flying beast. You can tell by the three-fingered claw tore his chest open. But this is the important part. See how the edges of the wound? They are seared. I’d guess a flying creature with a high affinity toward fire. Based on those facts and the intensity of the heat that burned down your forest—I’d guess a Sunbird. It is one of the seven beasts that make up the Sky Terrors. That is just a guess, but I’d prepare for that and hope I’m wrong.”

“Shit,” Angus mumbled while he and the other guards also looked toward the sky with apprehension. Flying beasts were brutal and hard to defend against. Add in fire, and this thing was not a trifling threat—even if Crow was wrong. “Someone go conscript Shanger. That son of a bitch is on sky duty until this is over. And pass down my order—if he takes one sip of alcohol, I’ll punish the entire army.”

“Looks like I owe you again, Crow. But don’t you worry, we’ve had a lot of experience handling beasts,” Angus turned toward his men. “We have dealt with bigger threats, so calm down. Now, go and warn the other gate commanders.”

Three guards ran off in different directions, and Caed led Crow through town.

Crow checked into his room but immediately left. Since the other two already went into the Clocktower, he wanted to see what this thing really was. The building was square-shaped and made of stone. Each block looked perfectly fitted, and even the stone arches for the windows and doors looked impeccable.

It was strange to think that segments of this building rotated because it didn’t seem like that should be possible. Judging by the windows, there were maybe twelve floors, but Crow didn’t hold to that thought since this was already inside a spatial realm.

Walking up the stone steps to the large double door entryway. Crow pushed his way inside. There was a slight moment of disorientation, and he knew he’d crossed a spatial anomaly. In the past few weeks, he felt the sensation multiple times. Now that he was in this pocket world, he could feel the tattoo on his hand change. The number changed to nine.

A vast hall with glossy black and white tiles greeted him. At the far side was a desk with a Clockwork person seated behind it. Crow was feeling a bit of Deja Vu because he felt like the first time he entered the False Dawn Workshop.

“Welcome,” the Clockwork woman greeted him. Crow wasn’t sure how he knew it was a woman since they appeared to be unisex.

“Thanks,” Crow replied. “What am I supposed to do here?”

“Choose a door, but once chosen, you cannot choose again. No matter how many times you enter this trial, only that one door will be available.”

“Is there more than one Clocktower?”

“There is, but they all lead back here. So choose your door carefully. Other Clocktowers do provide different challenges, and rewards may vary. But I stress, today is the only day you’ll ever get to choose a door. In the future, no matter which Clocktower sends you here, that door will be the only one available.”

“What if I leave.”

“You must choose a door.”

“Who are the Clockwork people?” Crow randomly asked, not expecting an answer.

“We are the original creators.”

“I’m… what does that mean?”

“Time is the beginning and end of all things. Father said if the Clockwork stops, so does existence.”

“Well… let’s hope that never happens,” Crow rarely felt at a loss during research or conversations. His mind was nimble and adapted, but this short conversation made his normally adroit thoughts stumble.

“It will. Time, like all things, is a construct. One day, the Clockwork will stop, and Father will gather my people to repair it. All good clocks need to be adjusted periodically. And then time will start again.”

“Who is this father you keep referring to?”

“Father Time.”

Of course! Crow sighed in defeat. He wasn’t even sure what to say to that. Father Time was more like folklore among his people, but he couldn’t dismiss those stories as nonsense. In fact, he’s appeared in many cultures, and he was always called Father Time. If a god like that did exist, he’d have to be at least a Primordial.

“You are a librarian, yes?”

This time, it was the Clockwork woman that appeared startled. It lacked facial expressions, but with Crow’s ability to memorize everything, he noticed the small details. The involuntary twitch of its hand. The way its eyes rotated sharply and then stopped. Little details.

“What do you want?” Her voice was clipped, terse. And Crow felt he stumbled on a sort of secret.

“I want a book about doors and choices,” Crow grinned and tested the waters.

Thump! A sound boomed across the empty hall, and Crow’s head snapped to the left. Along the walls were alcoves with private seating areas. On a table, a book the size of his torso appeared. Curious, he walked over and flipped open the cover. Seeing the text, he smiled disdainfully.

“Good. I prefer untranslated texts the most. Less room for misinterpretation,” Crow said aloud, seeing that book was written in Ancient.

“I’m warning you, human. Your bloodline won’t help you memorize any of that. The book exists outside of time, so the moment I take it back is when you forgot it even existed. The content won’t be erased, so you can’t recover it. It’ll just cease to exist in your mind. That is only to assist you in choosing the door most suited to you.”

Crow nodded, expecting something of the sort. It didn’t take long for him to flip through the content and then spend the next hour contemplating. Looking at all the doors throughout the hall, he felt a headache coming on. There were even some that were hidden, and failing to read this book meant missing out on the Clocktower’s secrets.

Instead, he flipped the book back to the beginning and started reading once more. The book was dangerously elaborate with its own set of tricks. It was like reading a maze if such a thing was possible. There were things hidden—layered within other sections. He might forget all this when he was done, but he could still use his Sage’s Mind to process the information for now.