They stood at the edge of the Divine Threshold, where the mortal world dissolved into the formless veil of divine memory. The Clock of Glory pulsed, slow and steady, as if bracing itself.
"We're entering the God's Heart," Julius said, holding Entropis tightly. "No spells will function normally in there. Not even mine."
Rael raised a brow. "Then how do we survive?"
Solas responded quietly, "By answering truthfully."
The realm beyond was not a place but a presence. Colors that didn't exist flowed across the sky. The ground whispered names from history. It was not meant for mortals.
They passed through a forest of emotions—rage made into trees, grief flowing like rivers, joy weeping like glass chimes.
In the center floated a crystal orb, suspended in a pillar of tears and stardust.
A voice echoed, slow and resonant. "You who hold the Clock, why do you seek what should remain buried?"
"I seek understanding," Julius said. "I seek to protect what was lost."
"You carry my pain," the voice said. "Then face it."
From the orb, a divine being emerged—faceless, made of swirling concepts: the Heart of Ankeirum.
The battle was not one of magic or might.
It was of truths.
Each guild member was tested:
Lyra relived her abandonment.
Rael saw the storm that destroyed his village and was asked if he'd become the same storm.
Rin faced the blade she used to end her brother's suffering.
Only by accepting—not denying—their wounds, could they continue.
Julius stood last. The God's Heart whispered, "Why do you deny your origin?"
In a swirl of memories, Julius saw it—Ankeirum's last act before the Purge. He sealed his essence in time… and placed it in a child, cast into the flow of magic itself.
Julius was not merely a wielder of the Clock—he was its anchor.
He kneeled. "I am not your reincarnation. I am your result."
The God's Heart pulsed once… and shattered.
From it, the final memory fragment drifted to Julius's hand.
"Then protect time, not as a god," the voice said, fading, "but as the one who chose to stay human."
Twilight Zone Guild – Members: 6
Julius (A-Rank Mage, Silver Guild Master)
Lyra (C-Rank Mage, Ice-Make Magic)
Rael (C-Rank Mage, Lightning Magic)
Rin Ayana (C-Rank Mage, Whispering Blade Style – Memory Awakening)
Solas (B-Rank Mage?, Unknown Magic – Seal Fragment Holder)
Bloom (C-Rank Mage, Assassin-Herbalist, Crimson Veil Defector)
F Rank Quests Completed: 70/1000E Rank Quests Completed: 10/10000D Rank Quests Completed: 15/1000C Rank Quests Completed: 16/1000B Rank Quests Completed: 6/10000A Rank Quests Completed: 1/10000
Guild Status: Silver Rank
Next Chapter Preview: Trial of the Clocksmith
The final evolution of the Clock of Glory begins. But before Julius can wield its true form, he must pass the Clocksmith's Trial—a battle against the very concept of unfinished time. And only one future can survive it.