Jester tightened his grip on the old fairy tale book and the broken pocket watch. His gut was twisted with a mix of dread and exhilaration.
He hoped their bizarre objects and strange experiments hadn't been a complete waste. He hoped it was enough.
They moved. Not with the hesitant steps. But with determined purpose. Jester, tall and lean, strode towards the nearest circular platform.
The worn cover of his cartoonish book pressed against his palm. Depicting a grinning, anthropomorphic hare. The broken pocket watch felt cold and solid in his other hand.
The pocket watch was an antique trinket used to belong to his late grandfather. The book was a relic from his childhood. Telling a story about a mischievous time-traveling hare.
Beside him, Vale moved with a fluid grace befitting his athletic build. He approached the adjacent platform. His fair skin was almost glowing in the morning light.
In his hands, he clutched a battered ukulele. One of its strings had long since snapped. And a small, battery-powered electric fan.
Vale glanced at Jester. A faint, almost imperceptible smile appeared on his lips. A shared secret. A silent affirmation.
Jester offered a quick, confident grin in return.
They stepped onto their respective platforms. The rough stone felt cool beneath Jester's worn boots. The ten-segment measurement pole stood beside him. Stark and unlit. Awaiting its verdict.
The air in the stadium thickened. Charged with expectation. All eyes were on them. The other teenagers on the field, still holding their chosen objects, seemed to hold their breath. The families in the stands leaned forward. A silent, expectant legion.
Then, the ancient bell began to hum. A low, resonant sound that vibrated through the ground. Through Jester's bones. And directly into his soul.
The hum grew. Evolving into a singular, clear tone that echoed off the stadium walls. The Awakening Bell. Its sound was less a peal. And more of a sustained, omnipresent vibration that penetrated everything.
A golden light erupted from Jester. It wasn't blinding. But it was intense. Warm. Enveloping. The light pulsed. Originating from his chest and spreading outwards. Engulfing his chosen objects.
The old children's book and the broken pocket watch blurred. Softening at the edges. Their forms wavering like reflections in disturbed water. They began to twist. To converge.
The colors of the book swirled into the tarnished brass of the watch. The broken hands spun wildly. Then snapped into place. The cracked glass shimmered. Reforming. Becoming perfectly smooth.
When the light receded, it left behind a single object floating just above Jester's open palm. A classic brass pocket watch. Polished to a gleam. Its face was pristine.
There was no hint of the cartoonish book. No lingering sign of its pages or illustrations. Yet, Jester knew. He knew its name with an undeniable certainty. One that resonated deep within his newly awakened soul.
The Toonworld Watch.
He knew how to use it. The knowledge simply was implanted directly into his consciousness. A fundamental understanding of its purpose and mechanics.
He raised the watch. Examining its familiar yet utterly transformed face. It looked like a normal pocket watch. But it held three distinct, watch-like measurements.
The largest dial, occupying the majority of the watch face, was indeed a normal clock. It displayed the current time. Its elegant hands sweeping smoothly. This was for the mundane world. For keeping track of his life outside the extraordinary.
Below it, to the left, was a smaller dial. This was the Cooldown Stopwatch. It had a single, slender needle.
Jester understood its function immediately. When this needle slowly rotated counter-clockwise, it indicated a period of inactivity. When it finally pointed straight up. At the twelve o'clock position, a surge of latent energy would fill the watch.
This signified that he was ready. He could activate the watch and enter the Toonworld. Once inside, he wouldn't be himself. Not precisely. He would operate an 'avatar'. A cartoonish representation of himself within that vibrant, malleable reality.
And here was the crucial part. Any item, any power, any ability he gained while within the Toonworld... he could bring them back and use them in the real world. It was a direct transfer. A wellspring of bizarre, potent abilities.
To the right, mirroring the cooldown dial, was another small, single-needled stopwatch. This was the Toonworld stopwatch. This needle only moved when Jester's avatar was active within the Toonworld.
It ticked down, or rather, it swept in a full 360-degree rotation. Once that full rotation was complete, he would be forcibly ejected from the Toonworld. Regardless of what he was doing inside.
He calculated instinctively. The duration of one full rotation would be approximately one hour. Enough time to accomplish something. But not enough to get hopelessly lost or complacent.
And the duration of the cooldown was about twenty two hours. Almost a whole day. So, basically, he could enter the Toonworld an hour a day.
His attention snapped back to his immediate surroundings. To the measurement pole beside him. Nine segments out of the ten-segment pole were ablaze with golden light. Nine glowing bars. Stark against the steel. Nine-star power.
Jester's breath hitched. Nine stars. That was astronomically high. The highest anyone in Oakhaven had ever achieved in recorded history was a six-star gear. And that was a legendary tale passed down through generations.
Seventy percent of awakenings yielded zero-star gears. Most of the 'successful' ones were one or two stars. Nine stars was almost unheard of. Even in the capital cities.
He looked at Vale's platform. The sight made his jaw drop.
Vale stood there. Still enveloped in a fading aura of pure, brilliant silver light. The light was retreating. But the measurement pole beside him wasn't just lit.
All ten segments, from bottom to top, glowed with an incandescent light. Ten stars. All ten segments shone like a beacon.
Perfect power grade. Vale, once more, had outdone him. Even with all their shared knowledge, all their calculations, Vale had managed to pull off the impossible. A perfect ten.
They both simultaneously stepped down from their platforms. The newly formed Soulheart Gears were now bound to them. Resting comfortably in their hands.
Jester clutched the Toonworld Watch. Its brass felt warm against his skin.
Vale held what was unmistakably a lute. Not the broken ukulele. But a beautifully crafted, gleaming lute. Made of dark, polished wood. Its strings seemed shimmering with an inner light.
It looked far more evolved, more drastic in its transformation than Jester's still pocket watch form.
They met in the space between the platforms. Their eyes locked. A wide, unbridled grin split Jester's face. Vale, typically reserved, actually smiled back. A genuine, joyful expression that crinkled the corners of his green eyes.
"It worked." Jester said. The words were almost lost in the sudden surge of noise from the crowd.
"Better than expected." Vale replied. His voice was a low hum.
The stadium erupted. A roar. Not of confusion this time. But of awe and disbelief. Never in Oakhaven's history had such high-grade awakenings occurred. Two of them. One after the other.
Mayor Bardean, Vale's uncle, stood near the central bell. His usually stern face was slack with astonishment. He took a moment. Visibly composing himself. Before stepping forward.
His voice, when he finally spoke, was trembling. With a mix of excitement and profound shock. "This… this is unprecedented! Truly a historical day for our Oakhaven! Alright! Alright! Now, we will proceed with the ceremony. Next, we call to the platforms…"
He announced eight names. Jester listened closely. A knowing smirk playing on his lips. All eight names were familiar. All were their classmates.
All were part of their secretive experimental group. The ones who had trusted Jester's wild theories and Vale's meticulous calculations. They were a motley crew. From the boisterous to the meek. But they had all committed to the bizarre experiments.
The eight teenagers, looking both terrified and exhilarated, moved stiffly towards the platforms. They clutched their chosen objects. A bent spoon and a rubber duck. An old compass and an abacus. A crayon and a kaleidoscope. Each pair of items was as nonsensical as Jester and Vale's original choices.
Jester caught the eye of the one with the rubber duck. A lanky boy named Finn who usually stammered when he spoke. Finn looked about ready to bolt.
Jester gave him a confident thumbs-up. Finn swallowed hard. But straightened his shoulders slightly.
The Awakening Bell resounded again. Its hum was now familiar. Golden and silver lights flared from the eight platforms simultaneously. The crowd held its collective breath.
The lights faded. Revealing the transformed objects. And, more importantly, the lit segments on the measurement poles.
One pole blazed with nine segments. A fierce golden glow.
That was Daisy. The one who had chosen a wooden carving of a bird. And a thick, leather-bound journal. Her Soulheart Gear was a mesmerizing, mechanical hummingbird.
Three poles shone with eight brilliant segments each.
Liam, the hot-headed nerd, was clutching a polished silver sword. A transformation from his chosen plastic toy sword and a silver ring.
Maya, the aspiring artist, was holding a shimmering paintbrush that pulsed with light. Born from the fusion of a crayon and a kaleidoscope.
And Finn, the nervous boy, was now gripping a squeaky, vibrant rubber mallet. Derived from his rubber duck and bent spoon.
Two poles glowed with seven segments.
Clara, the bookish girl, now held a quill pen that dripped spectral ink. An evolution of her preferred reading glasses and a ballpoint pen.
And Gareth, the town gossiper, now possessed a mesmerizing, spinning gyroscope. Having melded from an old compass and an abacus.
Finally, two poles displayed six lit segments. Their lowest. But still formidable.
Noah, the ever-hungry eater, now held a gleaming, ornate cauldron. A fusion of a grimy cooking pot and a wooden ladle.
And Bethany, the shyest, wielded a small, polished gemstone. One that glowed with a soft warmth. The result of a smooth river stone and a silk handkerchief.
All eight had powered gears. None had failed. None had less than six stars.
Jester and Vale looked at each other. Their grins widened into full-blown, joyous expressions. They slapped a loud, triumphant high-five.
The sound echoed in the momentarily stunned stadium. Their experiment. Their crazy, illogical, two-year-long experiment... It had succeeded beyond their wildest hopes.
The successful eight were still dazed by their transformations. They slowly descended from the platforms. They converged on Jester and Vale.
Then, a bubbling wave of relief and excitement exploded. Hugs were exchanged. Hands clapped. And more high-fives resonated. The air crackled with their combined euphoria.
"It worked! It actually worked!" Gareth whispered. Clutching his gyroscope tightly.
"I have a mallet!" Finn squeaked. Brandishing his rubber mallet with a mix of awe and terror.