The walk to the Clocktower Gardens should have taken twenty minutes. For normal people, it would have. But Alex Lin was starting to realize that "normal" was a concept he'd left behind along with his old life, his regular clothes, and any hope of having a boring day.
"Left here," Mina said, consulting her spinning compass for the fifteenth time. The needle whirled like a confused butterfly before pointing down a narrow alley that definitely hadn't been there five minutes ago.
"Are you sure?" Sam asked, scribbling notes as they walked. "According to my map, this should be a solid wall."
"Maps lie," Mina said cheerfully. "Reality is much more flexible than most people think."
Alex tested this theory by looking at the wall Sam had mentioned. It was definitely there—brick and mortar, solid as anything. But when he squinted through his mask, he could see the faint outline of an archway, like a ghost waiting to become real.
"Huh," he said, and reached out to touch the wall.
His hand passed right through.
"Gramps," Alex thought, "is this normal?"
"Kid, you're asking the wrong question. The question isn't whether it's normal. The question is whether it's fun."
Alex grinned and stepped through the wall. Sam and Mina followed, though Sam did it with the careful expression of someone who was pretty sure he was losing his mind but was too polite to mention it.
On the other side was a street that looked like it had been designed by someone who'd never seen a street before but had heard them described by a very enthusiastic drunk person. The buildings curved impossibly, the sidewalks were made of what appeared to be crystallized starlight, and the lampposts were shaped like giant question marks.
"Welcome to the In-Between District," Mina said. "It only exists on days ending in 'y' and when someone needs to get somewhere impossible."
"That's every day," Sam pointed out.
"Exactly."
They walked down the crystal sidewalk, past shops with names like "Temporal Mechanics and Bicycle Repair" and "The Shoppe of Things You've Lost." A woman in a purple hat waved at them from behind a window display of bottled clouds.
"Is everyone here magic?" Alex asked.
"Everyone everywhere is magic," Mina replied. "Some people just forgot how to use it."
"I never knew I was magic," Sam said.
"You arrest people who break reality for a living," Mina pointed out. "That's pretty magical."
Sam considered this. "I suppose that's true."
They turned a corner and nearly walked into a man juggling fire while riding a unicycle. He nodded politely as they passed.
"Tuesday," he said by way of explanation.
"It's Thursday," Alex said.
"Not in the In-Between District."
"Right. Of course."
The Clocktower Gardens (Population: Flowers and Anxiety)
The Clocktower Gardens were famous throughout the City of Shadows for three things: their impossible flowers, their tendency to exist in multiple time zones simultaneously, and their complete inability to follow basic laws of gardening.
When Alex, Sam, and Mina arrived, they found themselves standing in front of a gate made entirely of intertwined clock hands. The hands moved slowly, constantly reshaping the entrance as minutes ticked by.
"How do we get through?" Sam asked.
"We wait for the right time," Mina said.
"What's the right time?"
"When it opens."
"When does it open?"
"When it's the right time."
Alex looked at Sam, who was writing "circular logic" in his notebook with increasingly frustrated pen strokes.
"This is like a riddle," Alex said. "But a really annoying one."
That's when Gramps spoke up in his head: "Kid, you're overthinking this. Sometimes the best way through a puzzle is to ignore the rules."
Alex nodded and walked straight toward the gate. The clock hands reached out to stop him, but the moment they touched his aura, they started moving backward. The gate unraveled itself, creating a perfect doorway.
"Show off," Mina muttered, but she was smiling.
The gardens beyond were beautiful in a way that made Alex's eyes water. Flowers that bloomed in mathematical equations, trees that grew fruit shaped like tiny hourglasses, and pathways that led in directions that shouldn't exist but somehow did.
"Stay on the paths," Mina warned. "The grass has opinions about visitors."
"What kind of opinions?" Sam asked.
A patch of lawn near his feet rustled and whispered something that sounded distinctly disapproving.
"Mostly negative ones," Mina said.
They followed the main path deeper into the gardens, past a fountain that flowed upward and a sundial that told time in three different centuries. The air smelled like roses and possibility, with just a hint of something that might have been danger.
"So where exactly is this Gate of Midnight?" Alex asked.
"Center of the gardens," Mina said. "But we have to get past the Order of Forgotten Promises first."
"What exactly are forgotten promises?" Sam asked.
"Things people said they'd do but never did. They collect here, growing stronger over time, until someone has to deal with them."
"Deal with them how?"
"Usually by keeping them."
"That doesn't sound so bad."
"It's not," Mina said. "Unless you've forgotten a lot of promises."
Sam went very quiet and stopped writing in his notebook.
The Order Appears
They found the Order of Forgotten Promises waiting for them in a circular clearing at the heart of the gardens. There were twelve of them, all wearing robes that seemed to be made of mist and regret. Their faces were hidden behind masks that looked like broken mirrors, reflecting fragments of things that might have been.
"Greetings, travelers," said the one in the center, whose voice sounded like distant thunder. "I am the Keeper of Promises Unkept. You seek passage to the Gate of Midnight?"
"We do," Alex said, stepping forward.
"Then you must first settle your debts to the realm of promises. Each of you has words left unfulfilled, oaths left unspoken, commitments left undone."
"What kind of commitments?" Sam asked nervously.
The Keeper turned toward him, and Sam saw his own reflection in the broken mask—but not as he was now. As he had been years ago, younger, full of hope and certainty.
"Detective Samuel Wu," the Keeper said. "You promised your mother you would call her every Sunday. You have not called her in three weeks."
Sam winced. "I've been busy."
"You promised your partner you would solve the Johnson case. It remains unsolved after six months."
"That case is impossible. The evidence keeps changing."
"You promised yourself you would be a better man than your father. Yet you drink alone every night, just as he did."
Sam's notebook fell from his hands. "I... I don't..."
"Your promises weigh heavy, Samuel Wu. They anchor you to mediocrity."
Alex felt his aura flare with anger. "Hey, that's not fair."
The Keeper turned to him. "Fair? You speak of fairness, Alex Lin? You who have forgotten the greatest promise of all?"
"I haven't forgotten anything. I don't even remember my old life."
"Precisely. You promised your sister you would always be there for her. You promised your parents you would make them proud. You promised yourself you would never give up. And then you did."
Alex felt something cold settle in his stomach. "I didn't give up. I'm here, aren't I?"
"You are here because you ran away. Because when life became difficult, you chose to become someone else rather than face who you were."
"That's not true."
"Is it not? Then why do you hide behind a mask? Why do you call yourself the Fool? Why do you pretend that chaos is better than responsibility?"
Alex's hands clenched into fists. His aura began to glow brighter, and the flowers around the clearing started to bend away from him.
"Because," he said, voice tight with emotion, "being responsible didn't work. I tried to be the good son, the perfect brother, the reliable friend. And it nearly killed me."
"So you became the Fool instead."
"So I became free."
The Keeper was quiet for a long moment. Then he turned to Mina.
"And you, Mina Q. The woman who has lived a thousand lives, loved a thousand men, and promised each of them eternity. How many promises have you broken?"
Mina's smile never wavered. "All of them."
"You feel no guilt?"
"I feel no regret. Promises are like flowers—beautiful when they bloom, but they all die eventually. The secret is to enjoy them while they last."
"And when they wither? When hearts break? When trust dies?"
"Then you plant new seeds and start again."
The Keeper stepped closer. "You promised him you would wait."
For the first time, Mina's smile faltered. "That was different."
"You promised him you would find a way to bring him back."
"I did find a way."
"You promised him you would not interfere with his new life."
Mina looked at Alex, and her expression was suddenly, heartbreakingly sad. "Some promises are meant to be broken."
The Test of Truth
The Keeper of Promises Unkept raised his hands, and the air around them shimmered. Suddenly, Alex could see threads of light connecting each of them to... something. Other people, other places, other times.
"See how you are bound," the Keeper said. "Each thread is a promise, kept or broken. They define who you are."
Alex looked at his threads. There were dozens of them, stretching in every direction. Some were bright and strong, others dim and frayed. A few were completely severed, their ends floating like broken spider silk.
"I see them," he said quietly.
"Then you see the truth. You are not free. You are not a Fool. You are simply a man who has chosen to ignore his obligations."
"Maybe," Alex said. "But ignoring them doesn't make them go away, does it?"
"No."
"And keeping them doesn't make them easy."
"No."
"So what's the point? We're damned if we do, damned if we don't."
The Keeper was quiet for a long moment. "The point," he said finally, "is that we choose our damnation."
Alex looked at Sam, who was staring at his own threads with tears in his eyes. He looked at Mina, who was touching one particular thread that glowed brighter than all the others.
"What do we have to do?" Alex asked.
"Make a choice. Honor one promise, break another. Or break them all and face the consequences."
"What consequences?"
"You become truly free. And truly alone."
Alex thought about this. About his sister, who he'd left behind. About his parents, who still thought their son was coming home for Christmas. About all the people he'd disappointed, all the dreams he'd abandoned, all the words he'd left unspoken.
"What if I choose a different option?" he asked.
"There is no different option."
"There's always a different option." Alex grinned behind his mask. "I'm the Fool, remember? I specialize in impossible choices."
He reached out and grabbed one of his threads—the one that connected him to his sister. It was dim and frayed, but it was still there.
"I choose to make new promises," he said. "Better ones."
The Keeper stepped back. "That is not how this works."
"Sure it is. Watch."
Alex's aura flared, and the thread in his hand began to glow brighter. "I promise to find a way to be both free and responsible. I promise to help my friends keep their promises without losing themselves. I promise to be a better Fool than I was a responsible person."
The other threads began to glow too, not brighter, but warmer. As if they were being recharged.
"I promise," Alex said, looking at Sam, "to help you solve the Johnson case. Even if we have to break a few laws of physics to do it."
Sam's threads began to glow brighter.
"I promise," Alex said, looking at Mina, "to help you find whatever it is you're really looking for. Even if it's not what you expect."
Mina's threads pulsed with soft light.
"And I promise," Alex said, looking directly at the Keeper, "to never, ever, take the easy way out again. Even when it's really, really tempting."
The Keeper stared at him. "You cannot simply make new promises to escape old ones."
"I'm not escaping them. I'm upgrading them."
"That is not a thing."
"It is now."
The Keeper looked around at the other eleven members of the Order, who were all staring at Alex with expressions of confusion and something that might have been admiration.
"This is highly irregular," the Keeper said finally.
"Good," Alex said. "I like irregular."
The Gate of Midnight
The Order of Forgotten Promises stepped aside, their robes rustling like autumn leaves. The path to the center of the clearing was now clear, revealing a structure that took Alex's breath away.
The Gate of Midnight was exactly what he'd seen in his vision—a tall archway made of what looked like crystallized darkness. On one side was a door of golden light, covered in runes that promised safety, security, and a life without surprises. On the other side was a door of pure black, marked only with a single question mark that seemed to shift and change as he watched.
"This is it," Mina said softly. "The moment of choice."
"What happens if I choose the golden door?" Alex asked.
"You become normal again," the Keeper said. "You lose your powers, your mask, your ability to change the world. But you also lose the danger, the chaos, the uncertainty. You can go home and live a quiet life."
"And the black door?"
"Unknown. It could lead to greatness or destruction. To salvation or damnation. To everything or nothing."
Alex looked at the two doors. The golden one looked so peaceful, so safe. The black one looked like it might eat him.
"What do you think?" he asked Sam.
"I think," Sam said slowly, "that the world needs more people who choose the dangerous path. Even if it scares the hell out of the rest of us."
"Mina?"
"I think," Mina said, "that some people are born to be safe, and some are born to be magnificent. You can't be both."
Alex nodded and walked toward the gates. Both doors began to glow, sensing his approach.
"Gramps? Any advice?"
"Kid, I've been waiting your whole life for you to make this choice. Whatever you pick, make sure you pick it for the right reasons."
"What are the right reasons?"
"That's for you to figure out."
Alex stood between the two doors, feeling the weight of possibility pressing down on him. The golden door hummed with warmth and comfort. The black door whispered with mystery and danger.
He thought about his sister, who had always been the brave one. He thought about his parents, who had always wanted him to be safe. He thought about Sam, who had chosen to help even when it didn't make sense. He thought about Mina, who had been waiting for him longer than he could understand.
He thought about Mrs. Park, who had been bitter for forty years until he made her smile. He thought about all the people in the city who had been a little happier, a little more hopeful, just because he'd walked past them.
He thought about the vision he'd had of himself in the courtroom, answering the question "What is the point of existence?" with "To laugh at the absurdity of it all."
And he realized that both doors were wrong.
"I have a different idea," he said.
Without hesitation, he reached out and grabbed both door handles at the same time.
The world exploded into light and darkness, joy and terror, laughter and tears. Alex felt himself being pulled in two directions at once, torn between safety and adventure, between the known and the unknown.
And then, just as he thought he might be ripped apart, he heard Gramps laughing in his head.
"That's my boy," the old voice said. "Always finding the third option."
The light and darkness swirled together, combining into something new. Something that was both safe and dangerous, both known and mysterious. Something that was perfectly, impossibly balanced.
When the light faded, Alex was standing in the same clearing, but everything was different. The Gate of Midnight was gone, replaced by a simple archway made of ordinary stone. The Order of Forgotten Promises was gone too, their robes scattered like autumn leaves.
But Alex was still wearing his mask, still glowing with his impossible aura. And when he looked at Sam and Mina, he saw that they were glowing too—not with his power, but with their own.
"What did you do?" Mina asked, wonder in her voice.
"I chose both," Alex said. "And neither."
"That's not possible."
"It is now."
Sam was staring at his hands, which were flickering with a soft blue light. "I can see the truth in things," he said in amazement. "I can see through lies, through illusions, through..." He looked at Alex. "Through masks."
"What do you see?" Alex asked.
"A man who decided to be both responsible and free. A man who chose to care about everything and worry about nothing." Sam smiled. "I see a Fool who's also a hero."
Mina was examining her red scarf, which was now glowing like captured starlight. "I can see the connections," she said. "The threads that bind us all. I can see how to strengthen them, how to heal them, how to..." She looked at Alex with tears in her eyes. "How to keep promises without losing myself."
"And I," Alex said, feeling the change in himself, "can see the possibilities. All of them. The safe ones and the dangerous ones and the ones that haven't been invented yet."
He looked through the stone archway, and instead of seeing the other side of the clearing, he saw a vast network of paths branching out in every direction. Some led to other places in the city, some to other times, some to other worlds entirely.
"We can go anywhere," he said in wonder. "Do anything. Be anyone."
"So where do we go first?" Sam asked.
Alex grinned behind his mask. "Back to the beginning. I've got a case to solve, a sister to call, and a world to save."
"In that order?"
"All at the same time."
They stepped through the archway together, and the City of Shadows spread out before them like a story waiting to be written. And for the first time since he'd woken up in that alley, Alex Lin felt like he was exactly where he belonged.
But first, he really needed to find some breakfast.