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Door to the End/Door to the Beginning
It would seem like a normal enough day surprisingly. No big events or monsters rampaging through the streets as there usually was. Not even the large walls that divided Japan seemed to cause as much panic today.
For once it seemed as though things were at peace.
A door opened up somewhere. It opened up far before this day began and long after it ended but despite everything it would now be open.
A clocktower that nobody remembered existing now would stand tall out in an open field just outside the populated areas of Tokyo.
At its base was a door and any who opened it would find themself within a vast open crystal cave.
Many of the crystals in this cave that weren't hanging from the walls and ceiling hung suspended in the air.
Some even seemed to be frozen shattering against the ground but their pieces wouldn't scatter. They would hang floating near what still remained of the whole crystal as if frozen in time.
Some might see that some sections of the cave had clockwork cogs and gears sticking out of the walls as well but for the most part the cave seemed quiet aside from the ticking coming from what clockwork pieces that were around as they moved in rhythm to it.
never a fan of crowded cities, one tall, grey-haired man had taken habit to relaxing in the fields around town, never straying too far from the city, largely remaining near the fringes of society. When he found a tower that had never been, Nicola couldn’t help but walk inside
“Hello, anyone live here?â€
his gruff voice echoes through the entry room as the man himself takes a look around. Soon, he would grab one of the crystals closer to the ground in an attempt to examine it
Because of a series of unfortunate events followed by the wild goose chase a certain friend of his sent him on, a young spiky haired boy would be walking up to the clock tower. He would look it over as he looked at a map on his cell phone. This definitely wasn't here before. He would walk around the tower, looking for a door. Happy that index wasn't with him to cause trouble, he'd hoped this wasn't anything that would cause any problems. He'd had enough of the whole magician or esper trying to become go thing.
"This tower seemed to have been made by a god" a voice rang in his ear as he slightly turned his head to see a small 15cm tall woman hanging from his shoulder.
"So is it something like you?" he asked the small woman.
She shook her head as she explained "No, not like me. We govern over two different concepts. Though I won't be sure exactly what this is unless we go inside."
He eventually found a door and walked up to it. Opening it with his left hand, he walked inside and found himself in the cave. As Othinus (the 15cm woman on his shoulder) looked around she mumbled to herself.
"You say something?" the boy asked
"No, keep going and be careful."
"This is probably the work of a god of eternity or a god of time. Well, either way we'll find out as long as we forge forward" she thought to herself as they continued down the passage
Nicola in the cave opening would only see 3 paths extending past the main chamber. The left path only seemed like an extension of the cave itself leading into another opening of the cave.
The path down the middle seemed to be similar except it was flooded with a strange blue liquid that ran about a foot deep.
Finally, the right path seemed to be much more cut out like the hallway of a building. The clockwork cogs and pieces seemed to be most common around this path.
The crystal itself seemed to move easily as if it weighed nothing. The odd part about it was that whenever Nicola wasn't influencing it directly it seemed to freeze in place as if stuck there.
The crystals seemed to shine with many colors at once giving them a white appearance. The other colors were only noticable on close observation.
Nicola closely observes the crystal, noting its seemingly internal light source. The man nods, slipping the crystal into an inside pocket of his coat
“Guess today might be my lucky day.... Just need to find a mage somewhere to make sure....â€
Nicola briefly glances back, noticing the other person in the room, he breathes out a sigh
“Watch yourself, it’s a new place and you shouldn’t expect me to bail you out of trouble.â€
Without bothering to look further, Nicola heads down the left path, it seems to be lined with more crystals, so maybe he can find a better specimen, or someone who knows about them
Star, bored as hell, notices the clock tower and decides to investigate it. She enters and stares in awe at all the crystals.
Woah... pretty crystals...
Without noticing it, she walks down the middle path.
As Touma walked down the cavern he would eventually come to the fork in the road as well as the silvered head man.
"Hi, are you the one who created this tower?" he asked as he came closer to the man and the split in the path.
"No. It's not him. He seems to be merely a interloper like us." she would say to Touma, not even making the attempt to hide her presence
"Ah, is that so." He would then bring his attention back to Nicola
"I'm Kamijou Touma. Maybe we can help each other." he would suggest before having his ear painfully pulled on by the small woman
"Quit wasting time. All things will be made clear if we continue. Now choose a path."
"Ow ow ow! Fine, I get it." he sighed before looking at the three paths and choosing to go down the one that seemed to smooth out.
Nicola would find themselves walking down a path where the crystals seemed to grow thicker in consistency, losing any sign of transparency they once had and becoming more reflecting like the surface of a mirror.
The path seemed to eventually become like a maze with more branching paths. There was a simple path to the left and right with no real difference between them that could be observed.
Star would go down the path to the middle having to track through the odd liquid that seemed to flood the path. It reached up about a foot high and seemed to have a higher consistancy than water but it wasn't so thick as to be compared to sludge and neither did it seem to stick to clothing or skin.
She might notice that despite any contact she made with the liquid she would still be completely dry. Regardless, the path eventually would lead to a much larger room that seemed to contain a much deeper part of the puddle in its center. Unlike the liquid around it that was only a foot deep the deeper part didn't seem to have a clear bottom like a massive abyss in the middle of the puddle.
Touma's path would seem to go from crystal to metal quickly.
Specifically the area seemed to be made of a sort of bronze or brass.
The ticking from before seemed to grow louder and the ceiling of the hall seemed to be covered in the clockwork from before.
Ahead of them was finally a brass door with a clock on it. The clock seemed to have an open face allowing for anyone to adjust it. Currently both hands of the clock rested on 12.
Star finally notices the liquid and sees the huge puddle.
...huh... that is one huge puddle...maybe something is at the bottom? Oh, hold on, I have something for this!
Star fiddles around in her pockets for a minute before pulling out a rock with an extremely long rope tied to it. She throws the rock into the puddle and waits to see how deep it goes.
...good thing I put that depth enchantment on it. Now I wait to see how deep this ribbit hole goes... this'll probably take a few minutes...
Nicola lazily trudges down on his way, glancing back he noticed no one followed him. So he doesn’t have to worry about taking care of anyone at least. When Nicola comes across the fork, he looks between the two routes, before reaching for one of the larger floating crystals, and then striking it against the wall in an effort to break the crystal into fragments he could use as markers. If it doesn’t break, he’d simply take a few of the smaller ones and set one on the ground behind him as he takes the right pathway
"This is....pretty amazing." the boy said as he stepped forward
"Hmph, it's not that impressive. At the very least I'll praise them for the decor." she would say with a little attitude as she looked around the room
"If this sense of decor is any indication then I can assume this is a god of time. Whether its one who controls time or simply monitors it is a different story. Hopefully it's not one that does both.
"What is this?"
Orthinus would snap out of her thoughts by Touma's voice as he walks up to the door.
"It looks like a door. Think the clock has any significance?" he asked
She shook her head before replying "I don't know. For now move the hand and see what happens. Don't touch it with your imagine breaker or this entire place could come down."
He simply nodded as he turned the little hand over to the two and waited to see if anything happened.
The rock would seem to begin sinking at first into the abyss but suddenly it would stop. It would float in place a few feet down as if the liquid itself stopped its movement. There would be a slight glow around the rock obscuring any ability to see what was happening to it.
One of the larger crystals would break into several shards as Nicola smashed it against a wall. At first it almost seemed as though nothing had happened as the shards would seem to remain in place but merely moving one of the shards would cause the others to fall away from each other for a brief moment before taking on the properties of the crystal he had originally found.
Using the crystals to make a trail the right path would prove to wind and twist into different directions several times. The walk down the hall would prove to take several minutes, almost as if the path was extending just to toy with Nicola. Eventually though, the path would reach an end as Nicola came face to face with one of the reflective crystals which would be completely blank.
As the clock reached the two position it would seem to begin shaking as the ticking grew more and more intense. It would do this for several minutes before quickly stopping and seeming to unlock. Nothing else of note would happen at this moment.
...huh...well shit...i wonder what's going on...maybe this stuff is time goo or something? Well, may as well see what's going on.
Star grabs the rope and starts pulling the rock out to see what's happened to it.
As soon as the shaking began Touma braced himself in case something was coming. Even as the shaking stopped he would stay in a fighting stance for three more minutes before realizing nothing was going to attack him.
"I think it unlocked. It would seem the hand may have controlled a mechanism connected to the lock of the door. If I had to guess, each position on the clock either acts as a code or may connect the door to a different location" Orthinus stated
Touma would turn back to the door and walk up to it. He would reach for the door and hesitate with a sigh.
"With my luck, this door is going to lead me somewhere with people who want to kill me." the boy said dryly
"Simply accept the hand that was dealt to you. Even a god can't change your fate." she said in a matter of fact tone
The fact he was hearing that from an actual god really didn't make him feel any better. He took a deep breath before resolving himself and walking through the door
Nicola takes one glance back, as though reassuring himself that it’s still present, before turning his attention to the blank, reflective one. He would start by simply touching it, feeling the crystal for himself. If there’s no reaction, he would take out the shining crystal he took earlier, and reflect some of its light off this blank one.
the rope wouldn't have a problem listing the rock out of the liquid as if it had become weightless.
In the place of the rock that star pulled up, however, would be a shiny diamond about a tenth of the size of the rock in size.
The brass door would open easily to reveal a dark room with old clocks piled in stacks that seemed to reach the ceiling. The sound of ticking echoes throughout the room as each clock seemed to be set to a different time.
The stack would extend almost across the whole room but on the far right was a small opening that seemed to allow for someone to move past it to the other side of the room.
As Nicola looks back he would notice...the say back is gone, replaced by another blank reflective crystal wall. Looking back at the wall in front of him, there was now 3 distinct surfaces to the wall, all facing him directly. Oddly, none of the reflective surfaces would reflect him in them.
Nicola could suddenly hear a voice of a woman speaking directly into his ear.
"Fate has been cruel. It is always cruel to those whose curiosity shines brighter than the stars themself, to those who challenge the void and try to find order in chaos.
Have you come here hoping to seek out your own fate or that of another?"
Nicola scowls as he finds the way behind him blocked off. A trap of some kind? If so they have no idea what they’re getting into. That’s when the voice chimes in, interrupting his own thought.
“I can’t really say I’m interested in what happens to me. Though while you’re here......â€
Nicola puts one hand on his chin, thinking for a moment before he says
“I would like to know what this place is. If I like your answer I might want to know someone else’s fate.â€
(edited by Nicola)
Touma would carefully try to squeeze himself through to the other side as Orthinus continued to curiously look around. Probably interested in the constructs of other gods Touma assumed as he moved forward. He would notice the clocks all set to different times as he moved forward. He wasn't exactly the smartest so he wasn't even going to try to understand for what purpose. He would soon make it to the other end and begin looking around for anything unusual.
...HOLY SHIT!
Star pulls another rock out, ties it to the rope, and throws it into the goo to see if it'll repeat.
"You have stepped into the path towards invitability. It is here that the fate of everything is demonstrated in plain view. A limited mind though could only possibly process one existance at a time though.
So, you fail to see what lies beyond the crystals of time. You see them as simple gems but I can show you what lies beyond your own existance, the fate of anything you wish."
the voice didn't seem to posses any malice but neither did it posses kindness. It simply seemed to speak in a way that seemed factual beyond anything else.
Beyond the stacks of old clocks and on the side of the room that Touma had reached would be a clock unlike any other he had most likely seen before.
The clock almost seemed like more of a globe as its face covered a circular circumstance. All along it were multiple numbers and hand almost seemingly placed at random. Ticking could be heard all over the strange amalgamation of clocks as the hands span around sometimes at high speeds and sometimes slowing to a crawl.
Another rock would become trapped within the liquid as it began flowing like the last with a mysterious light. This time it seemed as though bubbles began forming from where the rock resides within the liquid.
Well that's new. Depending on how things go, i might be able to get infinite diamonds...which is cool. I could make them laser focuses and stuff. I'm sure nothing-nope, don't jinx it.
Star tries to pull the rock out of the goo.
Alright then...
Nicola cracks his knuckles, deep in thought. He’d heard a few rumors back at home before he left. Though he doesn’t really owe the place much of anything, as one of the five ruling guilds, he did have responsibility
“Show me the fate of Isunia, city of guilds.â€
(edited by Nicola)
Touma would look at the globe like clock in confusion as Orthinus seemed to examine its entire structure as a whole.
"What is that? Another kind of clock?" he asked to no one in particular as he moved closer to it.
"Don't touch it. There are powerful wards at work within it." Orthinus warned as she continued to look at it, scanning over it multiple times.
"Why isn't there anyone else here? All things considered I'd expect a few more people." the boy said as he walked around the clock keeping a certain distance from it while observing the rest of the room.
"The clock tower itself is hidden within a temporal phase shift. Because of that normal people probably don't even notice it. They see it as something that has always been and thus there awareness of it is minuscule." she explained as she watched the hands spin in varying speeds
"So I don't have to worry about other people just wondering in then." he said with a sigh of relief
As star tried to lift the rock out the rope would come up just as easy as before, only this time the minute it emerged from the liquid it seemed to fly upward in red fragments that seemed similar to a liquid as well.
The red liquid would glow brightly as it spread throughout the air. It began falling down over Star as smoke trailed off it. It appears that the rock had reverted to a molten state.
"Very well, fate is inevitable yet changeable. An end may not be a true end just a beginning may not be a true beginning."
The crystal walls would seem to begin glowing before the city of Isunia became visible. Flames would seem to engulf the city as in the distance people could be seen fighting one another, entire groups fighting one another.
The image would fade away as quickly as it emerged leaving only the image of a woman with pale white eyes and long black hair. Skeletal wings seemed to extend from her back and she held a golden blade covered in strings at her side. She seemed to speak as the voice did.
"That's all that I believe is necessary to show."
As Touma and Orthinus examined the globe they could hear a loud ticking from behind them. With the third tick, the air would become still as if frozen in place. It felt as though every clock in the room fell silent as if they knew better then to make a sound.
A powerful presence began to form behind them as a voice began to speak.
"Guests in my workshop? How unusual, you've been careful I hope? Any damage you cause could be disastrous. You could end an entire timeline just by stepping in the wrong place."
The voice was calm, overly so, as if the one speaking didn't truly care about the consequences he spoke of.
Turning around they would see a man holding a clock with medium length black hair and calculating yellow eyes. The oddest feature of his eyes were the gear-like pupils that seemed to spin along with each tick.
"As I suspected. A god of time and this workshop, from what you just said, I can infer that it's a observatory where you keep track of the flow of time. I would like to think you're a mere observer but I feel it would be wishful thinking." Orthinus would speak up from Touma's shoulder.
Considering his experiences with gods he wasn't exactly keen on making trouble with another one. Instead he would turn to the man.
"I'm Kamijou Touma. I'm sorry for intruding but I just wanted to make sure this place wasn't dangerous. Who are you?" he would say with a smile
“Tchâ€
Of course there was something to the rumors. He’d seen Countersolari himself after all. Though he feels nothing for it specifically, he understands how terrible a struggle would be. Worst-case the whole place would collapse. Nicola shakes his head, trying to focus back on the problem at hand. He needs to find a way back before worrying about the place too much. The man looks back up at the black-haired woman
“I need to be getting back. Fast. Can you do anything to help with that? Or at least....â€
Nicola takes out the glowing crystal he grabbed earlier from within his coat. Knowing this place, it could very well be something over his head, but only one thing really matters
“Can this thing be safely used as a source of magical energy? At least temporarily.â€
Oh shit!
Star steps back quickly before the rock can hit her.
Okay, so it's a pool of...time reversing goo? Possibly accelerating? Hmm...i wonder if i can catch a time fish in here...only one way to find out!
Star fishes around in her pockets until she pulls out a fishing rod and casts her hook into the goo.
The man showed no real facial response maintaining a completely neutral disposition. His eyes would tick slowly as he spoke.
"In this current body I am an avatar of the God Chronos but I suppose you are speaking to me directly as well. I control this form directly since I made this form directly.
I am the god who predates existence itself and the creator of time but once again I suppose you could consider this avatar nothing more than an observer.
I see you were observing the clock of this world. Dont worry about touching it, you couldn't make it any worse if you wanted to and even I can't destroy it.
It's guarded by a divine force that resists my control."
The woman would look at Nicola with a sort of curiosity.
Her pale eyes almost seemed to be look more into him rather than at him directly.
"That crystal is a fragment of my husband's power. It is broken and weakened as is the flow of time in this place but it should still posses a large amount of energy within."
Upon being submerged within the liquid Star's fishing hook would begin flowing as well.
Oh boy, what did I get, what did I get!?
Star reels in the hook, careful not to pull it in too quickly.
"Take this from a god who once changed the world at whim when I say that this boys right hand would be able to destroy it. Not that he would, he would have no reason to after all and yes, despite my current form I was once a magic god who created worlds." she said as she stood up on Touma's shoulder and gave a light bow "I am Othinus, the god of magic and wisdom."
"What I would like to know is why this clock tower suddenly appeared here." the spiky haired highschooler asked "Did something happen?"
If they are so perceptive, the woman would likely notice that, in spite of his appearance, Nicola is in no way human. It’s like his body is a shell, containing something far older within... And hungry. Nicola would nod solemnly, before replacing the crystal beneath his coat.
“Thanks for that info. I’ll.... Put it to good use. Sorry, I should have introduced myself earlier.â€
Nicola clears his throat, puffing his chest out a bit as though he’s trying to look more official
“My name is Nicola Adel, the Forbidden guild. For whatever that means here. You?â€
the hook comes flying upward, except the hook has now been replaced by a strange lizard like creature which the line would now be tied around.
The creature would land somewhere in front of Star breathing heavily. It would slowly get up and stand before looking at Star with eyes that seemed full of...bloodlust?
"C-c-cursed!!!"
The reptile would begin shooting at Star in a shrill voice, only pausing to occasionally hiss as well. Upon closer inspection the reptile seemed to be wearing a vest that covered its whole body.
The man would seem to look around as if gesturing towards all the clocks.
"Each one of these clocks is a different timeline with it's own unique laws and rules that govern it. The only consistency in most of these worlds is time yet this one defies that law.
At a point I wished to destroy it but now I believe it is more worth it to observe. It's an enigma that must be examined. But taking residence here also comes with risks, this places appearance is one such risk involved."
The woman smiles at Nicola for a moment as her image seems to begin fading away.
"I am Ananke, she who represents inevitability. We shall meet again, Nicola. Until then, fate smiles upon you..."
The pathway would return to how it once was, opening back up for Nicola.
Woah woah woah, calm down, alright? What's cursed? What did I do?
Star looks at the reptile, trying to calm it down and get an explanation as to what's going on.
Nicola closes his eyes with a sigh, he glances back inside of his coat for a moment, before walking back along the path he came in from
"well, guess its a good thing she left me alone... Still, I should probably wait until I'm somewhere... More private."
"That sounds quite asinine. Bringing your workshop here of all places. Even if normal people don't notice it, there are many who can. How would you take responsibility if something were to happen?" Orthinus spoke
"Isn't there anything we can do to change that?" he ask
Orthinus shook her head. "Unless I magically gain my True Gungnir there isn't anything I could do. As you can see, I don't have any power anymore and you don't have anything that would help this situation either." she pointed out
Touma simply turned to the avatar and spoke out "Surely you have some kind of idea to protect this place right?"
The reptile would just look at Star with uncaring eyes and continue shouting and hissing while slowly walking towards her.
"C-cursed!"
The man would seem to almost sigh but it seemed halfhearted as if the idea of sighing wasn't something they were used to.
"This place should physically manifest often but it is troublesome that it did so now.
Perhaps I should indulge a little further on the state of things. My partner has told me of a potential end for this place. It is not yet inevitable but it's almost unavoidable.
If this world were destroyed it would normally be in my favor but this particular incident isn't one I could ignore. Time I'd an impartial force that puts responsibility on those in it and never on itself. Time simply moves forward and nothing more, however this is an incident that predates time, an incident from my original conception and the beginning of existanctime is already broken in this world but soon space shall be too...
That's all I feel is needed to be revealed. Anything more is no concern of any mortal or god."
...if you don't stop I'm going to put you in a bottle and shake it, because I really have no idea what else to do. I mean, look at yourself, you're wearing clothes! Surely we can talk things out like civilized beings!?
Star looks the reptile dead in the eyes with her eyes while digging into her pockets.
"That sounds serious." Touma thought aloud as he looked at the man
"So this world would begin to unravel until it returns to a state of zero. I've actually been wondering this for a while now but had no basis to prove my theory. Maybe you can indulge me. Is the nexus really real or is it merely a crossroad made up of reflections of other worlds?" Orthinus asked causing Touma to snap his head towards her in confusion.
"What do you mean reflections?"
"I always found it strange how so many people drop into this world with abilities that work on completely different systems yet the world itself continues to allow this. There doesn't seem to be any corrections done to decrease the anomalies and contradictions caused by this and thus the world should be in a constant state of deterioration and yet it isn't. As if the world itself is not real to begin with. It shouldn't be possible under normal circumstances even if it is a crossroad. Which means there is a possibility that this world and its inhabitants are merely reflections of the original with all the memories and abilities but with no real substance. In that way of thinking it becomes possible for all the anomalies to exist in one place if the their forms are all shifted on different planes or phases. Of course its mere conjecture. Without the ability to observe other worlds and crossroads I can make the conclusion myself."
"Everything you said just went completely over my head." the boy said with a sigh
"It doesn't matter. My question wasn't meant for you to begin with. Can you give me an answer?" she said looking at the avatar that stood before her.
"Shouldn't we be more worried about how to stop this catastrophe from happening?" he asked but fell silent when he realized she wouldn't budge without an answer
The reptile would just keep approaching, eventually, once it reached Star it would jump at her, trying to grab onto her shoulder to continue shouting into her ear.
"Cursed! Cursed! Cursed!
This vest was a gift actually."
The man seemed somewhat impartial towards the question. He seemed to remain silent for a moment, his eyes ticking as the gears would turn. Finally, he seemed to begin answering.
"It depends, you ask what is real but is that not a rather contradictory question? I'll give a more direct answer though rather than wasting any more time with mere musings though.
The ones who are natural to this world are not what I believe you're suggesting to be 'real'. Merely puppets crafted by another being of immense power, the same being that keeps this place from simply being destroyed.
It's not that they don't have free will but they are very close to what you might call a reflection of another being. However, this world is in fact inconsistent. To amend that...hmmm, this is difficult to explain, even for me. I suppose the world itself is alive in a way. It has a will but not one of its own. It's a will that constantly is controlled by those who reside here and it works to try and regulate those who exist here in order to avoid deterioration.
I believe the divine who created this anomaly also created this system in order to keep it in check. I'm unsure if that completely answered your question but my power to observe the flow of time is severally hindered because of how warped time and space here is. This world will continue creating its own entities though and sucking in those from other timelines until it destroys itself though."
Oh, it was? Neat. So, are you going to explain what all this "cursed" business is about, because I'm completely lost here.
Star, not minding being shouted in the ear, hopes she'll get an answer.
Orthinus remained silent for a while as she processed what she was told.
"I see. That connects the dots on a lot of my theories but the fact it's a system that was created in order to regulate is sloppy work at best. That explains why this world will eventually destroy itself.....unless that was it's purpose to begin with. Like the hard drive of a computer continually updating and saving information until it reaches it's maximum capacity. At which point you either erase the data, upgrade the memory, or let it deteriorate and ultimately crash. But what would be the purpose of allowing that to happen. No energy can be gathered from mere reflections. Then again....." she trailed off as she went deep in thought.
"Sorry about her. She's known for asking difficult stuff. So is there anyway I can help?" the boy asked with confidence