The Clock Tower and the Lost Past
Monday – 8:00 AM
Roko and Seiji wandered through the city for the last time before heading to the clock tower.
Roko looked up to see the clock tower, placing his left hand over his eyes to block the strong sunlight. He said in a staggered, astonished voice, with a face that could not hide his surprise:
"From afar, it looks like an ordinary tower… but four floors? This is insane!"
Roko then turned to Seiji and said loudly:
"Seiji, why do we need to explore this tower? Even if it's not dilapidated, it seems there's nothing important inside. Remember, we called out throughout the city at the top of our voices, and no one responded. That means no one is alive. So what's the point of exploring this massive tower if we waste our time, risk our feet, and then spend even more time?"
Seiji looked at Roko in disbelief, his mouth open in shock. The same person who had said yesterday that they should explore this tower was now trying to flee out of laziness. Seiji said sharply, angry:
"Stop trying to escape! Yesterday we agreed to go, and today I see you trying to run away."
Roko sighed, then spoke seriously and firmly:
"Fine, let's enter. But don't blame me if you faint halfway through."
Roko and Seiji approached the tower, which from afar appeared intact and undamaged. In reality, the lower part had been affected, and the white bricks that looked clean were stained by bloody hands that had tried to enter the tower, desperate not to become part of the sea of blood that had spilled across the streets.
Roko bit his lip, speaking with deep internal sadness and annoyance:
"Why can't I find anything intact in this city? I'm tired… I hope I won't regret entering this tower."
Seiji burned the corpses surrounding the tower with his fierce flames. Amidst the flames and the slow melting of the bodies, Seiji, whose face often displayed mixed emotions of anger and joy, showed no expression. He spoke quietly, seriously:
"I apologize for erasing your memory, but you must be burned for the mission to continue."
After the corpses around the tower disappeared and their memory vanished, the tower's gate appeared—a worn wooden gate, dark brown, stained with some blood and small handprints. Roko and Seiji fell silent. Roko opened the door, and they entered the tower.
A faint moan echoed, bouncing off the walls and growing louder, filling the entire tower.
In the darkness, Seiji summoned fire from his right hand, revealing white stairs with footprints of someone and some bloodstains.
Roko examined the scene carefully, then said calmly:
"Yes, there is someone alive. They survived this incident. Let's continue."
Roko and Seiji kept moving without speaking. One thought consumed their minds: after you die without anyone knowing you, your memory may be lost forever over something trivial—all because you died beside something you tried to hide behind.
This thought came to Roko after Seiji burned the corpses around the tower. Seiji remained silent, lost in thought about what he had done. Roko, however, had a deep, persistent question inside him:
"Will this be my fate? Could I end up like us—Seiji and I?"
Roko and Seiji continued walking until they reached the third floor, where they heard someone coughing, prompting them to hurry. Upon reaching the fourth floor, they found a man in the middle of the window, middle-aged. His feet were pierced, his hands bleeding heavily, and he had hit his head. In a faint, weak voice, he said:
"You are not from here. You are from the Kagutsuchi Empire."
Roko replied respectfully:
"Yes, I am one of the leaders—Commander Roko—and I came to investigate what happened."
The stranger looked down and answered:
"Previously, I was the guard of this tower. After this attack, I ran quickly to climb above. While running, I was soaked in my blood, crawling until I reached here, and I rang the bells to warn any survivors. Soon, I looked around and found no one left. Then I realized a spear had pierced my foot. I know this isn't important to you, and I understand you came to find the cause and eliminate it, but you are not ready."
Seiji looked at the tower guard in fear, speaking in a stammering voice:
"What do you mean by 'you are not ready'?"
The tower guard replied weakly, stammering:
"I know. Those who reached the top were defeated by that disaster."
Roko was shocked by the tower guard's words and decided to see what he would say next. The guard began coughing blood. Amidst his severe cough, he wiped the blood from his black beard and continued in a faint voice:
"Twenty days before the founding anniversary, all cities were preparing to celebrate this commemoration that has lasted thousands of years. During the preparations, some scientists went missing. We were shocked by this news but continued, thinking it was due to security weaknesses in a certain area. Two days later, news shocked the surroundings: the scientist Albert, the most important among the scholars, disappeared. Along with the news, strong waves were reported from the sea facing the capital. After three days, reports came of strong earthquakes in the capital and some cities. Nine days later, news from the capital stopped, causing all cities to prepare for what might happen. Ten hours later, I found a message within the city limits, written in blood to one of the distant guards:
'The more they laughed, the more they lost parts of their feelings. And as they lost parts of their feelings, they lost their humanity.'
No one could ever interpret this message. This message was like a curse that had to be solved immediately. We could not solve it, for an hour after its arrival, the city was annihilated."
Upon hearing the terrifying words from the dying tower guard, Roko said in astonishment:
"When I used clairvoyance, I found everything normal… then the annihilation occurred."
The guard looked at Roko and said weakly:
"The truth is, this news did not reach the city's residents, for delivering it would have caused collapse. That's what the wise men decided, and because of this foolish choice, no one survived."
Roko said:
"This mistake caused no one to survive… but did anyone come after?"
The tower guard replied, using his last breaths:
"Five days ago, a young magician treated some of my wounds. Thanks to him, I can speak with you now. After treating me, he left the city and continued his way. I remember he told me he would go to the capital."
Roko thought to himself:
"Five days ago, then."
He then said aloud:
"When did the annihilation occur?"
The guard replied:
"Ten days ago."
Then the guard passed away.
Roko screamed loudly, terrified. His pupils widened, he grabbed his sword sheath, veins bulging, sweat dripping:
"Ten days? No… we don't have any time, Seiji!"
Before Seiji could move, something happened that left him frozen in shock.
The sky turned dark green, covering the entire Old Kingdom, signaling the beginning—the beginning of the saga.
End of Chapter