The city never slept.
It only pretended.
When the fourth night ended, silence returned — but not peace. The streets still smelled of burning lantern oil and static ash from the Hollow. The wounds on Aelric's arm pulsed like living veins, glowing faintly in the dark.
Elara hadn't let go of his sleeve since the fight. She looked small, fragile against the ruined walls, yet her grip was iron.
"Three nights left," she whispered. "Just three. We can… we can do it, right?"
Aelric's laugh was dry, cracking like stone.
"Depends on what you call doing it."
Before Elara could answer, the sky groaned.
A deep sound — metal grinding against stone. The Clocktower stirred. Its gears, dead for centuries, shuddered back to life.
---
> [System Notice: Pendulum Mechanism Active.]
Trial Site: The Grand Clocktower.
Participants: 2.
Time Limit: Survive until Dawn.
---
The ground shook. From every alley, broken signs and shattered glass slid toward the tower's base, as if pulled by unseen tides. The Clocktower loomed above them, its face cracked, its pendulum swaying unnaturally fast.
Elara grabbed Aelric's arm tighter. "It's calling us."
"Then let's not be late," he muttered, forcing his body to move. Each step made the corruption in his veins scream louder. But his grin never faded. "Wouldn't want the clock to think we're cowards."
---
Inside the Tower
The doors opened without a sound. No hinges, no effort. As if the tower wanted them inside.
The first floor was a cavern of gears. Colossal cogs turned slowly in the dark, each tooth the size of a man. Chains hung from the ceiling like gallows ropes, some snapping, others creaking under invisible weight.
At the center of the floor stood a stairway spiraling up into blackness. Above, the pendulum swung. Its weight was jagged iron, glowing faintly red. Every swing made the walls tremble.
Elara's breath came fast. "This isn't just a building. It's alive."
Aelric smirked. "Then we kill it like anything else."
---
The stairway was narrow, forcing them single file. Shadows shifted as the pendulum's glow bled through cracks in the stone. At each landing, doors opened into empty chambers — but the emptiness wasn't comforting. The silence pressed against their skulls, thick as tar.
Halfway up, a sound followed them.
Tick. Tick. Tick.
Elara froze. "Do you hear that?"
"Yes," Aelric muttered, pipe already in hand. His corrupted arm twitched. "The clock is laughing."
---
The Pendulum Trial Begins
When they reached the midpoint of the tower, the stairway collapsed behind them. Stone crumbled into nothing, swallowed by the dark.
Then the pendulum swung.
Not above — but through the very floor they stood on. Its massive iron weight passed silently, as if slicing through reality itself. Where it passed, space twisted. The air screamed.
---
> [Trial Rule Established.]
The Pendulum cuts not flesh, but time.
Each strike removes years.
Avoid the swing or be unmade.
---
Elara's eyes widened. "Years… it takes years from us?"
Aelric's grin flickered, but he nodded. "Figures. Death by clock."
The pendulum swung again, this time inches from his face. He felt it brush the edge of his cheek — and his wrist timer blinked.
[12 Years : 5 Months : 3 Days] → [11 Years : 11 Months : 28 Days]
He staggered. "It's real."
Elara gasped, staring at her own wrist. "Then we can't let it touch us, not even once!"
---
First Assault
The pendulum wasn't their only enemy.
From the walls, shapes peeled free — shadows with clock faces for heads, their arms ending in broken gears. They clicked as they moved, each step a mechanical stutter.
> [Clockspawn detected.]
Aelric spun his pipe, grinning like a madman. "Finally. Something to hit."
The first Clockspawn lunged. Its arm whirred like a sawblade, teeth shrieking. Aelric ducked low, smashing the pipe into its chest. The creature shattered into sparks and broken cogs.
But two more replaced it instantly.
Elara raised her trembling hands, chanting words the air seemed to resist. A barrier of light flared — thin, but enough to deflect the next strike. Sparks flew as the Clockspawn slammed against her shield.
"I can't hold it for long!" she cried.
"You don't need to," Aelric shouted, tearing into the enemy. "Just stall them. I'll do the killing."
---
The Pendulum's Price
The pendulum swung again. This time its arc swept across the battlefield.
Aelric grabbed Elara, yanking her down. The iron weight passed overhead — and every Clockspawn caught in its glow crumbled instantly, their gears dissolving into dust.
But Aelric's chest burned. His timer blinked again.
[11 Years : 11 Months : 28 Days] → [10 Years : 2 Months : 6 Days]
He coughed blood, laughing weakly. "It's not just touch. Proximity steals time too."
Elara's eyes filled with tears. "You're losing years just by fighting here!"
Aelric wiped his mouth, grinning with blood-stained teeth. "Good. Means I'll die faster than the tower expects. And I love disappointing gods."
---
Ascent
They fought their way upward, each swing of the pendulum threatening to erase them. Elara's magic flickered constantly, breaking under the tower's pressure. Aelric's corruption grew worse, veins glowing brighter with every strike he landed.
At the second landing, the floor tilted. Gravity twisted sideways, pulling them toward the walls. Chains lashed out like whips, trying to drag them into the pendulum's path.
Aelric roared, tearing one chain apart with his corrupted arm. The infection spread, black tendrils latching onto the stone. For a moment, the tower itself seemed to recoil.
Elara screamed, "You're losing yourself—!"
But Aelric's grin only widened. "I told you. I don't lose to myself. Not twice."
---
The Final Swing
At last, they reached the top chamber.
The pendulum's weight filled the entire room now, swinging slower, heavier. Its surface was carved with runes that pulsed with crimson light. With each arc, the tower shuddered.
In the center of the chamber: a massive gear, locked in place. The pendulum's chain was tied to it.
> [Final Trial: Break the Gear. Survive the Pendulum.]
Elara's voice cracked. "It wants us to destroy the very thing holding it together!"
Aelric lifted his pipe, corruption crawling up his face. "Good. Then let's break its heart."
The pendulum swung low. This time there was no space to dodge. No safety. Just inevitability.
Aelric stood tall, corruption blazing. "Elara! Shield me!"
She screamed, pouring everything she had into one barrier of light. The pendulum struck — and her shield shattered instantly. But the swing slowed, just for a breath.
Aelric roared, plunging his corrupted arm straight into the gear. Black tendrils writhed, fusing with the machinery, tearing it apart from the inside.
The gear shrieked, metal screaming like a dying beast. The pendulum faltered, its arc stuttering.
With one final strike of his pipe, Aelric smashed the weakened gear into shards.
---
> [Pendulum Mechanism Disabled.]
Trial Complete.
Survivors: 2.
Time Restored: +6 Months.]
---
The pendulum froze mid-swing. Then dissolved into ash. The tower trembled, groaning like a collapsing giant — but held.
Aelric fell to his knees, coughing blood, his timer flickering weakly.
[10 Years : 2 Months : 6 Days] → [10 Years : 8 Months : 6 Days]
Elara rushed to him, tears streaming. "You're killing yourself, piece by piece! How much more can you lose—?"
Aelric looked up at her, eyes burning with both madness and a strange, gentle clarity.
"As much as it takes."
---
The System's voice fell silent for a moment. Then it returned, colder than ever.
> [Night 5 Survived.]
Remaining Nights: 2.
Next Trial: The Ashen Choir.]
---
Elara's sobs echoed in the broken chamber.
But Aelric only laughed, leaning against the ruined gear.
"Two nights left. The real fun begins now."