The shadows dissipated as suddenly as they had appeared, leaving Lumis and Eili in complete darkness. The only light source was the fragment, emitting a dim glow that reflected off the remnants of the clock face.
— “They are returning,” — Lumis repeated. — Who are “they”? And why did we not know about this before?
Eili gazed at the clock face with concern, as if trying to unravel its hidden secrets.
— Perhaps this is what the system has always tried to conceal. But now… — she touched the mechanism. — We need to find out who is behind this.
Suddenly, the fragment in Lumis’s hand began to glow brighter, and a faint mechanical sound filled the air. Gears started to rise from beneath the clock face, seemingly still operational, albeit erratically.
— It’s coming to life, — Lumis said, taking a step back.
— No, this isn’t just a mechanism, — Eili interrupted. — It’s a portal.
Her assumption was confirmed as the platform beneath them began to rotate, and the fragments that had once appeared lifeless reconnected into a single structure. The space around them began to blur, blending the darkness of the forest with strange, luminous corridors.
— Get ready, — Eili said, clutching her fragment tighter.
The platform stopped, and a new space unfolded around them—a vast hall filled with shimmering spheres. It resembled the Tower of Memories, but here everything felt more chaotic, as if the space was losing control of itself.
— Is this some other nexus? — Lumis suggested.
Eili shook her head.
— No. This is another level. We crossed a boundary we should not have crossed.
At that moment, the sound of heavy footsteps surrounded them. From behind a row of columns covered in shimmering inscriptions emerged figures resembling the shadow they had seen before. Their cloaks brushed against the ground, and their eyes glowed with a peculiar, cold light.
— You have stopped time in your world, — one of the figures spoke. — But do you understand what that means?
— We seek answers, — Eili replied firmly.
— Then you will also find the price, — the voice said.
Suddenly, the platform beneath their feet began to vibrate, and the mechanisms around them came to life more vigorously. Answers were closer than they could have imagined, but were they prepared to pay this price?