Darin and Mira followed a quiet river until they reached a giant building made of stone and glass. It had tall towers, endless windows, and gears spinning on the roof.
"What is this place?" Darin asked.
"The Memory Library," Mira said. "It remembers everything—every book, every person, every moment in time."
As they walked inside, soft lights floated above them. Shelves reached all the way to the ceiling. Some books opened and flipped their pages by themselves. Others whispered quietly when people passed by.
Darin looked around in amazement. "It's like the books are alive."
"They kind of are," Mira said. "And the next Time Shard is hidden here."
They followed a path to the center of the library. A giant clock on the wall showed no time—its hands spun in circles.
An old librarian with silver eyes stepped out from the shadows. "To find what you seek," she said, "you must give something up."
"What do you mean?" Darin asked.
"The library asks for a memory," she said. "A real one. A strong one."
Darin looked unsure. He had good memories—but didn't want to lose them.
Mira nodded at him. "You don't have to give it forever. Just long enough to find the shard."
Darin closed his eyes and thought of a memory: sitting with his grandfather, who used to build clocks. He remembered the old man's warm smile, his deep voice, and how he told Darin stories of a magical key.
"I'm ready," Darin said softly.
He touched the spinning clock. The memory floated out of him like a glowing string and vanished into the gears.
Then, the shelves moved.
A secret door opened.
Behind it sat the fifth Time Shard, resting on a silver book.
He picked it up, and the moment he did, his memory returned—bright and strong.
"That was… strange," he said. "But kind of beautiful."
Mira looked at the floating lights above them. "This place stores pieces of people's hearts. Not all battles are fought with weapons."
As they left the library, Darin turned back one last time.
"Thanks," he whispered.