Centered in the tallest point in the central city, a faint ticking filled the quiet space.
The synchronized city moved in every motion below, churning its gears to their predetermined pathway.
The silver light of the moon shone through the observatory dome above, resting on the lone silhouetted.
The Maker—
Sat.
Centered in the still room.
A faint blue glow formed from the air around him, outlining his proper figure.
His left hand held a thin glass stem, swirling a glass half full of dark wine.
My control…
His gaze shifted towards the roots growing before him, watching the happenings of the city below.
…will persist with time itself.
The maker—
Reached.
Lifting his right hand.
A gear—
Clicked.
Rotating beneath his skin.
His fingers traced the rooted lines, looking towards the possibilities that grew before him.
He had—
Paused.
On a lone root.
That…failure.
The air—
Shifted.
As the root began to vibrate.
Its blue hue—
Gone.
As if it never had existed.
The maker turned his attention towards the arched window before him.
He stood to his feet, walking towards the glass.
His wine—
Rippled.
As he glanced at the city below.
The clocks—
Ticked.
All out of rhythm.
The maker's eyes—
Widened.
Looking at the frozen city.
He reached into his pocket, pulling a stopwatch out of the right one.
It's ticking—
Persisted.
Separate from the city below.
The maker's shoulders relaxed as he lifted the glass to his lips.
I need to find out what's happening.
He lowered the glass, reaching his hand into his pocket as he closed the stopwatch.
Its ticking—
Halted.
Unnoticed by the Maker.
His right hand—
Reached.
Resting the finger tips on the glass.
A gear—
Churned.
Moving the clock hands beneath his skin.
Reality—
Ingrained.
Sprouting blue roots from the air around him.
The maker followed each pathway, tracing the different possibilities before him.
His ticking increased in intervals as new roots began to take shape.
This is—
The roots—
Shriveled.
As their ends could no longer be read.
The air—
Separated.
As if it had stretched away from behind him.
The maker turned towards the disturbance, scanning the dimly lit room with his eyes.
Six pedestals ran along the far wall, having nothing on their smooth stone surfaces.
Strange…what was that?
His being—
Shook.
As if it was resonating with something.
A dark—
Veil.
Was at the door before him.
The maker's eyes—
Narrowed.
A single—
Step.
Echoed through the observatory.
…
The wasteland stretched across the horizon, moving as far as the eye could see.
Dust rose around the center of the hurricane of destruction, surrounding the two figures in the center.
Rubble softly vibrated, sounding as if it was muffled underwater.
A rapid—
Thumbing.
Echoed inside her chest.
Veera stood at the threshold of the destruction, turning her palm up as she reached for them.
Why…
She was—
Stopped.
Her being—
Shook.
Commanding her to not interfere.
…can't I reach my prey?
A swirl of emotions cut through Veera's mind, centering around her frustration.
Her grip—
Tightened.
Around the hilt of her broadsword.
It couldn't—
Move.
From the rock ground.
She shifted her gaze towards the two in the center.
Is that a…person?
Kane stood—
Distant.
As if he was a walking shadow.
His figure—
Distorted.
Looking like a moving blur.
Ruin was—
Clear.
Visible.
As he stood across from him.
Barbed wire creaked through his body, testing its tension by tightening and loosening.
It scraped the metals alongside it, stripping the wires further as flesh was cut on the inside.
His right arm floated in the fragmented form as he raised it, pointing the hand at Kane.
The fragments—
Slammed.
Locking together in a random order.
They had—
Burst.
Fracturing the air before him.
The first strike—
Reality shattered through Kane, trying to reach for anything in his being.
Nothing answered.
A crack—
Opened.
Removing the fracture from within.
Kane's right arm—
Slashed.
Like the claw of a beast.
Another crack—
Split.
Before reality could shatter again.
The opening of the purple crack faced Ruin as his fragmented arm began to float again.
This is—
It had—
Closed.
Ruin staggered back as if he had been struck by a heavy blow.
His posture wobbled as he stumbled.
Fragments—
Fell.
Splatting on the ground near him.
Wire twitched from their openings being severed from their connection points.
Kane's arm—
Lowered.
As he moved towards Ruin.
He was—
Mechanical.
Precise.
As each step wasted no movement.
Veera's grip loosened on her sword as her heart's thumping slightly slowed.
Her eyes—
Observed.
Only the aftermath.
What…
Veera's knees subtly shook as her core loosened, swirling with negative emotions.
A memory—
Flashed.
Surfacing in her mind.
Veera's legs swayed back and forth, sitting atop the tall clocktower railing.
Her body was normal, having no cuts along the skin.
Heels clicked in her direction pausing at the metal railing.
"Veera, you know this is Marco's floor, right?"
Veera's teeth seethed together as she turned her head away from Selena.
"Whatever."
Selena leaned on the railing, removing a small metal box from her pocket.
"Here have some candy."
Veera took the box, opening the top to a few pieces of dark red candy.
"Thanks."
Selena sighed, pulling out her pocket watch.
"Enjoy it…"
She flicked open the silver casing, looking at the gears turning on the back.
"...the alignment of relative convergences coming together can impact one's own advancement towards their own."
Veera looked towards the smog clouds, drifting up to the morning sky.
Nonsense.
Her teeth—
Chomped.
On a hard piece of candy.
The memory—
Crumbled.
As she fell back down to her knees.
Reality—
Broke.
Around Ruin, returning him to a normal stance.
The fragments remained missing from his arm scattered on the rocky ground.
His breathing increased slightly as he raised his arm, aiming at the approaching Kane.
This time—
The fragments—
Collided.
Slamming together out of order.
They burst—
Outward.
The second strike—
Reality shattered like broken glass, trying to break through Kane.
He was—
Gone.
Already past Ruin.
A crack—
Closed.
Consuming the fracture before it could break.
Ruin staggered as he tried to face him, flailing his torso around like he was bitten by a wolf.
More fragments—
Dropped.
As strands of wire frayed at the ends.
A piece of his shoulder fell to the ground, landing next to a piece of his right leg.
He leaned slightly forward as he tried to recover.
Veera's eyes—
Dimmed.
Only viewing the aftermath.
…just…
She watched the fragments of Ruin twitch along the ground, listening to the flesh grind against the stripped wire.
Her head—
Lowered.
As her heart's thumping slowed.
Another memory—
Surfaced.
Playing through her mind.
The observatory room was silent, having the afternoon sun shine through the glass above.
Veera had knelt down before the last pedestal, having Selena standing close by.
A hand—
Reached.
Stopping it's fingertips before her head.
Ticking—
Echoed.
From beneath the skin.
A faint blue glow grew from the palm, twisting its way to the center of her forehead.
Something—
Ingrained.
Planting itself deep within her being.
The hand—
Lowered.
As the figure turned towards the pedestal.
Selena walked over, placing her hand on Veera's right shoulder.
"The process is done…let's go get your watchman uniform."
Veera lifted her head, looking towards the back of the Maker.
Her tongue—
Clicked.
"That's useless."
Selena watched her stand to her feet, standing a head taller than her.
"YetYou might be able to reach it."
Veera glanced down at her as they walked towards the exit.
"Reach what?"
Selena's tongue glided across her lips as her finger rested along her jawline.
"The actuation mechanism for a natural convergence point in your selfbeing."
Veera rolled her eyes.
This nonsense again.
The memory—
Stuttered.
Becoming like static in her mind.
Her ingrain—
Faltered.
As she witnessed the phenomenon before her.
Veera's hand—
Released.
Slowly falling from the sword hilt.
Ruin's breathing alternated rapid and slow breaths as he steadied his stance.
Kane was—
Distant.
Looking out towards the central city.
Ruin slowly lifted his arm straining the remaining wires together.
They began—
Tightening.
Loosening.
Testing the remaining tension.
His arm slammed together taking aim at Kane's back.
The air—
Shifted.
Blurring Kane's figure from his view.
The fragments—
Stayed.
Attached in a random alignment.
The third strike—
Ruin's eyes—
Lowered.
Looking at a static arm.
Kane had—
Reached.
Touching the barbed wire scar along his chest.
Reality couldn't—
Shatter.
As the fragments had no time to burst outward.
A crack had already manifested, closing above Ruin's head.
Kane's arm—
Lowered.
Too precisely.
Ruin remained—
Still.
As his vision began to blur.
His scar—
04.
Disappeared.
As if it was deleted from his flesh.
Kane stood before him having a perfect posture.
Collapse—
Inundated.
Flowing into Kane like a tsunami.
It began—
Fracturing.
Kane was—
Shattered.
Breaking into shards like broken glass.
The crack—
Pulled.
Beginning to swallow the ensuing chaos.
Kane had—
Obeyed.
Falling into the crack one piece at a time.
His memories—
Gone.
Being deleted one by one.
…I'm—
Flashes of warm interactions flowed past the piece containing his right eye.
Kane had watched the final pieces of himself disappear.
Emotions—
Consumed.
Long before the shattered memories.
It was—
Silent.
As all the chaos was gone.
He became—
Empty.
As if he never existed before.
A simple—
Shell.
Remained for the lone crack.
His chains—
Dormant.
Never moving again.
Veera's teeth began to close as her vision shook at the sight of Ruin.
Ruin's body—
Broken.
Fragments fell from him one at a time.
His wire broke apart, stripping at the ends as the flesh hit on the rocky ground.
Veera had—
Witnessed.
The final collapse.
A pool of static parts surrounded by the stains of deep red sat in the center of the destruction.
Veera's gaze—
Shifted.
Looking towards the distorted figure.
It felt—
Gone.
Split apart from the air before her.
Her mouth—
Opened.
Separating her teeth far from each other.
…happened?
The figure stood facing the central clock tower, keeping their back towards her.
Veera's heart beat slowed to a resting pace.
A final—
Memory.
Shot through her mind.
The persistent ticking of the clocks on the hallway walls surrounded her as she moved along the soft carpet.
A door cracked open as Veera approached it.
Selena was—
Reclining.
Alone at her desk.
Veera pressed against the wall, listening to what she was saying.
The silver stopwatch rested in Selena's left hand.
"She will never attain it…"
She crossed one foot over the other as she leaned further back in her chair.
"...her vessel can never be fit for your time."
The memory—
Stopped.
As if it could no longer continue.
Dust returned to the ground, falling on top and around the remnants of Ruin.
Sounds returned to Veera's ears as a calm breeze shifted the rocks around her.
The figure—
Gone.
It had—
Ignored.
Never acknowledging Veera's presence.
Her teeth—
Reached.
Forming a smile behind quivering lips.