Professor Yaduvanshi
Yaduvanshi was only thirty-two, yet the depth on his forehead spoke of a man who had carried the weight of many lifetimes.
His room was filled with books, old maps, and dust-covered manuscripts. Since childhood, he had always felt a strange fascination for clocks. Every time a clock ticked, he believed it wasn't just counting seconds — it was whispering secrets.
His mother often said, "Son, you think the clock talks to you, but that's just your imagination."
But Yaduvanshi knew it wasn't imagination — it was a sign.
His greatest childhood fear was the dream of a broken clock.
Every night, he saw the same vision — an ancient tower, a cracked clock hand, and the ticking sound that stopped suddenly at midnight.
He would wake up drenched in sweat, his heart pounding.
As he grew up, he studied history, and now he was a professor — a man who had dedicated his life to unraveling the mysteries of time.
Although he lived by logic and reason, deep down he knew — that dream was not a fantasy.
And the day wasn't far when he would have to face it.
📰 Evelyn Kaur
Evelyn Kaur was a journalist.
At the age of twenty-eight, she had already exposed secrets that had shaken powerful politicians and businessmen.
Her camera and notebook captured the truth — and once she had it, no one could bury it again.
Her childhood had been harsh. Her father, an army officer, died during a mission. Her mother raised her alone.
Evelyn learned early that the world was cruel and that fighting for truth was never easy.
That's why she never backed down.
When news spread that the old city clock tower had stopped ticking, she grabbed her notebook, slung her camera over her shoulder, and rushed out.
Something inside her whispered — this wasn't a normal incident.
"If time has stopped, there must be a reason," she said to herself.
Her intention was clear — no matter what, she would uncover the truth behind it.
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👹 Lucian Gauda
If there was one man people truly feared, it was Lucian Gauda.
No one could guess his age — neither old nor young, but with an eerie glow on his face that never faded.
Some said that a hundred years ago, people had seen the same face wandering the city.
They believed he was a cursed traveler.
Every time the clock struck midnight — or worse, when the ticking suddenly changed — his shadow appeared near the tower.
His red eyes were so terrifying that no one could look directly into them.
In truth, Lucian was a stealer of time.
He practiced the dark art of temporal magic — the Black Science of Time.
To him, the clock tower wasn't just a monument, it was a Time Gate — the doorway to eternity.
If he ever managed to open it completely, he would become immortal.
But there was one curse:
Lucian's existence depended on the stopping of the clock.
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⏳ Silas Maurya
Seventy-year-old Silas Maurya was the last clockmaker alive in the city who had once repaired the great clock tower with his own hands.
His small workshop was filled with pendulums, gears, and dials — but he no longer dared to touch a single clock.
His trembling voice would always warn people:
"Don't meddle with the clock… it holds secrets no human should uncover."
Most dismissed him as a mad old man.
But Silas knew the truth.
He had written everything in his diaries — how Lucian had appeared a century ago, how people mysteriously vanished, and how the tower stood at the center of it all.
Silas understood what the stopped ticking truly meant —
Lucian Gauda had returned.
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👧 Rushu
Rushu was a mysterious girl.
Fifteen years ago, she had vanished without a trace.
Everyone assumed she was dead.
But the night the clock tower stopped, the city froze in shock — Rushu stood right there.
Not a single sign of aging marked her face.
The same innocent eyes. The same flowing hair.
As if time itself had stopped for her.
But deep within those eyes was a haunting fear.
Softly, she whispered, "I was there… beyond time. I've seen him. He's coming."
No one understood what she meant.
But one thing was certain — Rushu was the key to stopping Lucian…
or perhaps, she was part of his greatest game.
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🔮 End of Prologue
Five characters.
Five secrets.
And one broken clock.
The story begins on the night when the ticking of the tower stopped —
and silence swallowed the entire city.