The staircase stretched upward into infinity. Every step Aelric and Elara climbed, the air grew colder, heavier, as if the tower itself were testing their resolve. The gears within the walls whispered like voices, grinding out words too faint to hear.
Elara's breath came ragged. "How… how tall is this place? We've been climbing for hours…"
Aelric didn't answer immediately. His mind was elsewhere. His wrist burned faintly with the infinite glow, but more than that — the new quest text refused to leave his vision.
> [Quest: Defy the God of Clocks.]
Time Remaining: Unknown.
Defy a god.
The words played over and over in his mind. The System wasn't sending him against mere beasts anymore. It was raising the stakes.
And that meant one thing: it had noticed him.
---
At last, the staircase ended, opening into a massive chamber high above the city. The ceiling was gone — instead, the sky itself loomed above, painted black and silver. Stars churned unnaturally, bending into spirals. And in the center of the chamber stood a throne.
Upon that throne sat a figure cloaked in flowing midnight robes, its face hidden behind a mask of glass and gold. A thousand clock-hands spun behind its back like wings. With every movement, the stars shifted, time itself ticking in rhythm.
Elara's grip on Aelric's hand tightened. "A-Aelric… is that—?"
"Yes," he whispered. His throat was dry. "The God of Clocks."
---
The god raised its head. The mask reflected infinite versions of Aelric and Elara, each living, dying, screaming, weeping. The god's voice was both booming and whisper-soft, echoing inside their skulls.
"The one with the broken timer."
It leaned forward slightly. The throne groaned as if bending under eternity itself.
"You trespass into the dominion of time. You twist what must not be twisted. Do you think you can escape the fate that binds all mortals?"
Aelric's heartbeat thundered, but his voice was steady.
"I don't need to escape. I'll rewrite it."
The god was silent for a long moment. Then it laughed — a sound like shattering glass.
"Arrogance. Defiance. How delicious."
---
Suddenly, the throne dissolved, and the god hovered above them, its wings of clock-hands spinning faster. Elara staggered, clutching her ears as the sound drilled into her mind. Her timer flickered wildly.
Aelric's eyes snapped to her wrist.
[29 Days : 6 Hours : 12 Minutes]
The numbers fell like sand through broken glass.
"Elara—!" He grabbed her, pulling her close. His glare turned upward.
"You're feeding on her life."
The god's voice thundered.
"All who stand before eternity are devoured by it. That is the law."
"Then I'll break your law."
His infinity mark blazed, defiant.
---
The System's voice chimed in his head:
> [Warning: Unauthorized confrontation detected.]
[Trial Override: Initiating "Judgment of Eternity."]
The chamber warped. The floor beneath them split into endless reflections, each one showing different futures — Aelric dead, Elara weeping, the city burning, beasts devouring the world. Some reflections showed victory, but each shattered before his eyes, leaving only failure behind.
Elara whimpered. "Aelric… what is this…?"
He clenched his jaw. "A test. Not of strength. Of choice."
---
The God of Clocks raised one hand, and three paths appeared before them. Three glowing doorways, each shimmering with strange light.
"Choose." the god intoned.
"One path leads to salvation. One to despair. One to endless wandering. Choose, and let your fate be sealed."
Elara turned to him desperately. "What do we do? Which one is right?"
Aelric studied them. His mind raced.
The left doorway pulsed rapidly, like a heartbeat. The middle shimmered faintly, but the reflection beneath it showed a corpse. The right glowed too brightly, almost too inviting.
"A trap," he murmured. "All three are traps."
Elara's voice cracked. "Then… we're doomed?"
Aelric's lips curved into a thin smile. "Not if I stop playing his game."
---
He stepped forward, ignoring all three doors. Instead, he raised his wrist and pressed the infinity mark against the floor. His veins burned, black fire crawling through his skin. But the reflections flickered violently, shattering one by one.
The god's voice roared.
"IMPOSSIBLE. THE TEST IS BINDING!"
"No," Aelric growled. His eyes burned with fury. "The moment you give me choices, I already know the answer. Because choice itself is an illusion. The only path I take—"
He slammed his fist into the floor. The infinity mark erupted in blinding light.
"—is the one I create myself."
The false doors collapsed into dust. The chamber trembled violently. The god's mask cracked, a faint hiss escaping it.
---
Elara stared at him in awe and terror. "Aelric… you… you defied a god's command."
He turned to her, forcing a smile through his pain. "I told you, Elara. I won't let anyone decide when you die. Not even a god."
But inside, his body screamed. His blood burned. His vision blurred at the edges. Every time he used this power, he felt his humanity slipping.
How much longer could he hold on?
---
The god finally rose higher, its wings spinning so fast they blurred into a halo. Its mask reformed, though cracks still glowed faintly across it.
"You amuse me, mortal." Its voice had lost some of its confidence. "But eternity does not bend forever. You may defy my test… but you cannot defy the cost."
Aelric panted, raising his pipe once more. His eyes sharpened. "Then I'll pay the cost. As long as she lives."
Elara gripped his arm, whispering, "Aelric… don't lose yourself…"
---
The System's voice returned:
> [Warning: Power threshold exceeded.]
[Hidden Mechanic Unlocked – "Corruption."]
Every use of Chrono Reversal erodes your soul.
Aelric's eyes widened briefly. His chest tightened.
Corruption. So that was the System's leash. The more he fought, the less human he became.
But if it meant saving Elara… did it matter?
He closed his eyes for a brief moment, steadying his breath.
Then he whispered, "Even if I burn away, Elara will live. That's enough."
---
Above, the god spread its wings, preparing its true strike. Time itself fractured, the stars spinning into whirlpools. The next clash would decide everything.
Elara's timer dropped again.
[29 Days : 5 Hours : 29 Minutes]
Her voice broke. "Please… Aelric… don't let go."
He looked at her — the only anchor left in a world of shifting time. His fists clenched. His body screamed.
But his voice was steady.
"I won't."
And with that, he stepped forward to face eternity itself.