Silence. None of the three people seated inside the shuttle said a word.
Ashfall seemed deep in thought, and the two rookie agents didn't dare start a conversation—they simply couldn't get a read on him.
"NeoTech—" Ashfall began, but both new agents flinched, startled.
He paused, confused, then shifted his gaze to the two sitting across from him, studying them again.
He was still surprised that R-220.527 had turned out to be a woman—and even R-271.011, better known as B-Day, hadn't seen that coming.
"Tell me a bit about yourselves," Ashfall finally said. Then he added, "And you, R-220.527, it's time you chose a real name. You're no longer a recruit."
"As you wish, Sir," she replied, but let B-Day speak first.
"W-well… I'm B-Day—that comes from my recruit number, which includes my birthday. I'm 20 years old and… I like rice? I live with my mom in a small apartment, building 27, Zone 3! Oh, and I like gaming in my free time, and..."
B-Day was so caught up in talking that he didn't notice the blank stares from his companions.
Shrinking back into his seat, he mumbled, "I-I'll let the next person speak…" and sank halfway into his uniform.
"R-220.527—also known as Lira, Sir. My goal is to maintain the balance of all worlds. That's why I see myself in a leadership position soon—so I can make that happen."
Silence returned. One was full of embarrassment, the other of pride, and Ashfall—unsure what to say—kept quiet.
Eventually, Ashfall sighed.
"Whatever your motivation may be—whether it's truly to maintain balance like Lira, or just because the pay's insanely good—never forget who's friend and who's foe. Here's to working together, Lira and B-Day."
"To working together, Sir!" both responded in unison, and the atmosphere slowly loosened up.
The shuttle had already left the Timer Headquarters—disguised as a regular ISD institution—and was now flying deeper into the heart of Aethra Prime.
"Wait, is the HQ really this deep inside the capital? That close to the Great Clock?" B-Day asked, confused.
"We've already left HQ behind us," Ashfall replied. "We're heading straight into a mission—Early Epoch."
He pointed out the shuttle window at a massive, unremarkable building—the true headquarters of the Timer-Agents.
"If I may ask... why are we getting sent on a mission on our first day?" Lira asked, not surprised the HQ was hidden.
"The Great Clock is currently shifting wildly between worlds. And with staff running thin, 'the higher-ups' have no choice but to throw rookies like you into the field."
"Isn't that where that cult leader—one of the demigods—is most active?" B-Day asked cautiously.
Rain began to fall heavily in the city center. Ashfall watched droplets race down the window as he thought.
"Even though the Early Epoch has fewer demigods than most eras, we still have to deal with the cult leader... and the twin demigods of Greed. It's likely those three who disrupted the balance—"
"We'll figure that out once we arrive," Ashfall cut in, eyes still fixed on the window.
Suddenly, the rain stopped. The other two turned to look out too. The sun was shining brightly now—no sign of the earlier downpour remained.
The shuttle approached a colossal, isolated tower with an enormous clock at its top. Around it: nothing but a wide park, scattered trees, and small ponds.
"Woooah… this is Zone 0?" B-Day gasped, practically drooling at the sight of the giant clock.
Lira looked impressed too, though she didn't show it as blatantly.
"Check out those details! The whole tower looks like it's built out of clock parts! And those symbols carved into the walls…" B-Day could barely contain his excitement.
"Our superior is still here, you know," Lira muttered, clearly annoyed.
"Rookies..." Ashfall thought, smiling faintly as he remembered old teammates who had been just as wide-eyed.
Instead of dropping them at the front entrance, the shuttle flew to a hidden access point beneath the massive clock.
"Why are we stopping up here?" B-Day asked, puzzled.
"There's nothing special down below. The real stuff is up here—out of sight," Ashfall said, shielding his eyes from the wind as he stepped out.
Lira and B-Day followed him through the concealed door into the enormous clock.
Inside stood the legendary Great Clock itself—tall and awe-inspiring. It displayed the balance between the different eras with its size and striking colors: black casing, golden hands, red-and-gold numbers.
The clock-like building were almost window-like—something not obvious from the outside.
Dozens of Timer agents and ISD soldiers bustled through the space.
"Man, this place is intense," B-Day said, dodging an agent.
"So this is the Great Clock…" Lira murmured, watching the hands move. The balanced digits glowed gold like the hands.
"Honestly, I expected something more high-tech. Looks like an old library mashed with future tech…" B-Day added, slightly disappointed.
Beneath the clock was a constantly shifting portal. One second a door, then a hole, then a screen—it changed too fast to track.
"That's the portal entrance, right?" B-Day asked Lira, who was too mesmerized to answer.
Ashfall walked off to speak with a uniformed woman. Whatever they were discussing didn't sound too work-related—B-Day couldn't hear it anyway.
A few Timer agents touched the portal and vanished into its black void. Lira looked even more intrigued.
"Hey, look at Ashfall! Is he flirting with her?!" B-Day whispered, scandalized.
"Mhm…" Lira replied, eyes still locked on the portal.
"Are you even listening?! I'm talking to you!" B-Day complained, stepping into her line of sight.
Ashfall returned as they bickered. The woman followed him, laughing, and elbowed him playfully.
"Those two the newbies?"
"Yeah... unfortunately," Ashfall sighed, separating the two like a frustrated dad.
"What's all this about?" he asked, forcing a smile.
"She never listens when I talk!" B-Day complained.
"I was busy. Why should I answer then?" Lira fired back.
"This isn't daycare. Pull it together—everyone's watching," Ashfall growled, dragging them toward an elevator.
Even upstairs, they could hear him lecturing them inside.
When the doors reopened, B-Day and Lira crept out, clearly scolded. Ashfall emerged looking relaxed and upbeat.
"Gear up," he said, heading to a locker for his equipment.
"Can we just grab anything?" B-Day asked, pointing at the selection of armor and watches.
"Just take a spare set—it'll adjust to fit you," Ashfall explained.
Lira grabbed the nearest gear. B-Day picked the prettiest one—visually they all looked the same anyway.
Once suited up in adaptive Timer armor and their unique time-control watches, they were ready.
"This feels way better than those ISD suits! And it changes style too?!" B-Day marveled as his armor morphed into different epoch styles.
"It adapts to your mental image—but only roughly. Your watch also takes on your design automatically," Ashfall added.
They also grabbed standard-issue weapons: a silenced pistol and a combat knife engraved with the Four Gods' symbols.
"Can this turn you invisible—" B-Day asked before suddenly vanishing. He now stood in uniform with no armor visible.
"As you can see—yes. But you don't turn invisible. So many people tried it that it's now mandatory to wear the uniform underneath."
The three took the elevator back up and squeezed through a crowd gathered near the portal area.
"Why's everyone crowding around? They were all walking around earlier," B-Day muttered, pushing forward.
Their eyes fell on a gate—called the Point of Departure—just to the right of the portal.
Three covered bodies were being carried out on floating stretchers, followed by eight soldiers of the Death Squad.
"That's the squad that handles cleanup after our intel work—those guys can even take down demigods," B-Day whispered to himself, both impressed and nervous.
The crowd parted to let them pass, then the energy in the room quickly returned to its usual chaos.
"Were those…?"
"Yeah. Three fallen Timer agents."
B-Day's face visibly changed. The sight of the bodies shook him—it could easily be his fate next time.
It was normal to feel something. Lira, meanwhile, showed no reaction—at least none she let show.
Surprisingly, despite her earlier distance, Lira stepped closer to B-Day—and slapped him hard on the back.
"Didn't you want to know what our commander was talking about with the pretty soldier?"
Both B-Day and Ashfall turned to her, stunned.
"S-so you were listening…!" B-Day clenched his fists.
The two started bickering again—oddly enough, it helped ease B-Day's nerves. His mood began to lift.
Once they calmed down (thanks to Ashfall), the trio headed toward the ever-changing portal.
"Th-this thing's safe, right?" B-Day asked, nervously chewing a fingernail.
"What kind of dumb question is that…" Lira muttered with a smirk.
"Good luck!" the soldier woman from earlier called out, waving them off.
Lira and B-Day exchanged a glance and giggled behind Ashfall's back as he politely waved back.
"Alright, let's step into the Unknown," Ashfall said, placing his hand on the portal first.
A powerful force pulled him into the void. B-Day hesitated for a moment.
"Are you—" he started, but Lira shoved him in from behind. Then she followed right after.