The Descent Into the Clockwork Abyss
The staircase spiraled downward for what felt like miles, though none of them felt tired—almost as if the tower itself dulled fatigue, easing their bodies to ensure they reached whatever lay below.
Kai was the first to notice.
"...Do you hear that?" he whispered.
Aria paused. "Hear what?"
"Heartbeats."
Not one—but thousands.
The others fell silent.
And then they heard it too. A distant, synchronized thrum, like the heartbeat of a giant metal beast.
BOOM.
BOOM.
BOOM.
Each pulse sent faint tremors through the staircase.
Aziya swallowed. "That's… not normal, right?"
Junshin chuckled. "Normal? Nothing about this tower has been normal since we stepped inside."
But none of them turned back.
The stairway ended in a circular archway glowing faintly with a symbol—one they had seen in Kai's visions:
A crown split into three interlocking gears.
Kai stepped through first.
And the world opened.
---
The Underground Metropolis
They stood on the balcony of a colossal cavern, illuminated by lights glowing within transparent tubes that snaked across the ceiling like nerve pathways.
Below them was a city.
A city of machines, yet unmistakably alive.
Giant metal guardians walked along paved avenues. Floating cubes drifted overhead, projecting luminous symbols onto the floor. Conveyor belts moved like living rivers. Towering structures hummed with energy.
And at the center of everything—
A massive heart-shaped engine suspended in antimagic field rings.
The source of the heartbeat.
Aziya clutched Kai's arm.
"Kai… this is an ancient civilization."
Aria nodded slowly. "More than ancient. Lost. Forgotten by every world."
Junshin squinted. "No people though. Only machines."
Kai stepped forward, and the balcony emitted a soft chime—as if recognizing him.
A circular platform rose from below, carrying a hovering sentinel: a humanoid machine with a glass chest cavity containing swirling blue light.
It kneeled.
"Inheritor of the Erased Lineage," it spoke in a smooth, echoing tone. "Welcome back."
Everyone froze.
Aziya whispered, "What do you mean, 'welcome back'?!"
Kai felt his breath catch.
"Who are you?"
"I am Archivist-04 of the Ghost Machine City of Nerael. Guardian of memories your ancestors locked away."
"My… ancestors?"
"Yes. The kings of vanished worlds. Those erased from every timeline."
The robot tilted its head slightly.
"You, Kai—are the last."
Kai staggered back.
The others stared at him, eyes wide.
Aria's voice trembled.
"Kai… the tower recognizing you… the relics… the visions… this is all connected."
Junshin crossed his arms, unusually serious.
"I knew you were hiding a secret. I didn't think it was a cosmic royal bloodline secret!"
Aziya squeezed Kai's hands.
"You okay?"
But Kai didn't answer. He stepped forward, eyes locked on the Archivist.
"What… happened to the others? To my people?"
The Archivist paused, as if choosing words carefully.
"They were erased."
Kai's chest tightened.
"By what?"
The machine's eyes dimmed.
"By the Devourer Timeline. A force capable of consuming entire realities and rewriting existence. This city was built as the final refuge. But we failed."
Aria whispered, "The enemy that erased his home… could erase any world."
Junshin muttered a curse under his breath.
Kai's fists clenched.
"What do you want from me?"
The machine extended an arm. A small orb floated toward Kai, glowing golden.
"This is the Fragment of the King's Echo. A memory shard left behind by your father—the last true king before the Devourer consumed your world."
Kai froze.
"My… father?"
"Take it," The Archivist said. "You must see."
Kai hesitated, but his fingers closed around the orb.
It pulsed—
Light swallowed his vision—
And the world melted away.
---
The Memory of a Vanished King
Kai stood in a sunlit hall filled with banners bearing the gear-crown symbol.
A man stood at the center. Tall. Clad in royal armor plated with crystal. His eyes warm and familiar in a way that made Kai's heart ache.
He turned, smiled sadly.
"Kai. My son."
Kai's knees weakened.
"Father…"
"You are seeing this because our world is gone," the king said. "Erased from time, from existence, from every map and book. Even those who loved us forgot that we ever lived."
Kai trembled.
"Why? How?"
The king rested a hand on his shoulder.
"The Devourer is a paradox. A creature that should not exist, but does. It consumes timelines and uses the power to evolve."
"That monster… took our world…"
"Yes. And it will take more."
Kai felt tears sting his eyes.
His father continued:
"You cannot defeat it alone. Seek the Four Roots of Origin—Primordial forces hidden in the worlds that survived."
His expression sharpened.
"And beware… one of your companions carries a secret tied to the Devourer."
Kai's eyes widened.
"Who—?"
The vision cracked.
Light shattered.
And Kai stumbled back into reality, gasping.
Aziya caught him.
"Hey—hey! Kai, look at me! What happened?!"
Aria and Junshin stood tense, ready for danger.
Kai looked around wildly.
"My father… he told me—one of you… is connected to the Devourer."
Silence.
Cold.
Crushing.
Aria's eyes narrowed.
"That's a dangerous claim."
Junshin raised a brow.
"Kai, think carefully—"
Aziya stepped back from him.
"Do you… believe it?"
Kai shook his head quickly.
"I don't know. I don't want to believe it. But we must be careful."
The tension hung thick.
The Archivist floated forward.
"The Devourer infiltrates worlds through hosts, pawns, and corrupted echoes. It would not surprise me if its influence has already reached you."
Junshin whistled.
"So one of us might be a sleeper agent for a universe-ending monster? Fun."
Aziya looked down.
"I… don't feel like I am."
Aria crossed her arms.
"And I know I'm not."
Junshin shrugged.
"And I'd tell you if I was."
Kai exhaled shakily.
"We stay together. We trust… but we prepare."
The Archivist nodded.
"A wise decision. Now listen—this city houses one of the Four Roots your father spoke of. The Root of Forgotten Minds."
A golden platform lit beneath them.
"Step forward, Kai. The trial awaits."
---
The Trial of Forgotten Minds
The platform shot upward, carrying all four of them into a cylindrical chamber filled with suspended holographic memories—lives, faces, worlds—lost and preserved by machine ghosts.
A mechanical voice echoed:
"BEGIN TRIAL."
Panels opened.
Light surged.
And suddenly, Kai stood alone in endless darkness.
A voice whispered:
"You are the last of your kind…
Are you worthy of their legacy?"
Shadows lunged from the void—echoes of forgotten kings.
But Kai stood firm.
"I'm not the strongest!" he shouted. "Not the wisest! Not even the bravest! But I won't let my world be forgotten. And I won't let my friends die—no matter what fate says!"
Light exploded from his chest.
The shadows dissolved.
The chamber reformed.
Kai was standing with a glowing crystalline core floating before him—the Root of Forgotten Minds.
He reached out—
And grabbed it.
The chamber roared open.
Aria, Junshin, and Aziya rushed to him.
Aziya hugged him without hesitation.
"You idiot! You scared us!"
Junshin grinned.
"Congrats, King Echo."
Aria smirked, relieved.
"You passed."
Kai smiled weakly.
"Yeah… but the fight's just beginning."
The Archivist bowed.
"You have awakened the first Root. Three remain. But beware—each step forward brings you closer to the Devourer."
The lights in the city dimmed.
Sirens sounded.
A red glyph flashed across the machines.
The Archivist stiffened.
"No… it found us."
"What found us?" Aria asked.
The machine turned toward them, voice urgent.
"The Devourer's Hunter. It has breached the city walls."
Kai's blood ran cold.
"Everyone—run!"
The tower shook as something massive entered the cavern.
A monstrous silhouette stepped from the shadows—
A humanoid being with a face like cracked porcelain, body pulsing with black void energy.
And it spoke Kai's name.
"Found… you."