The Glasswork Sanctum hummed softly, a mechanical symphony of ticking gears and the occasional hiss of steam. Astra sat cross-legged on the cold metal floor, the strange device Korin had given them cradled in their hands. The Tracker's needle spun wildly before snapping forward, pointing directly at a nearby workbench piled high with discarded tools and glowing shards of Aetherium.
"What is this supposed to be telling me?" Astra asked, staring at the Tracker's flickering light. The device felt alive, warm and pulsing faintly in their palm.
"It's not what it's telling you—it's what it's detecting," Korin said, adjusting a brass coil on one of his machines. "The Tracker reacts to disruptions in Aetherium flows, especially ones tied to your Core."
"My Core," Astra repeated, the words tasting strange on their tongue. "You mean the thing in my chest. The thing you're saying isn't a heart."
Korin set his tool down and walked over, wiping his hands on a rag. "It is your heart, Astra. Just not in the way most people think. The Clockwork Core is… special. A perfect balance of magic and mechanics, designed to do more than keep you alive."
Astra frowned, staring at the Tracker. "What do you mean, 'more'? What else does it do?"
Korin hesitated, his sharp eyes clouding for a moment. "That's what we're going to figure out. But first—"
The Tracker let out a sharp hum, its needle spinning faster and faster before locking onto a new direction. The device pulsed brightly, the glow spreading through Astra's fingers.
"Is it supposed to do that?" Astra asked, holding it up as if it might explode.
Korin's expression darkened. "No."
The room suddenly grew colder, the hum of machinery faltering. The soft golden light from the Aetherium shards flickered, their glow dimming like fading embers. The heavy ticking of Astra's heart grew louder, each beat sharp and erratic, like gears grinding against one another.
A metallic screech echoed through the Sanctum, followed by the sound of splintering wood. Astra spun toward the noise, their chest tightening as a shadow moved in the dim light. Something was there, looming just beyond the rows of workbenches.
"What was that?" Astra whispered, their voice trembling.
Korin grabbed a wrench from the table and stepped forward, his body tense. "Trouble."
From the darkness emerged a massive automaton, its rusted frame groaning with every step. Its joints sparked with unstable energy, and glowing red eyes locked onto Astra with an unsettling precision. Unlike the harmless scrap automatons Astra had seen in the lower district, this one bristled with menace.
"What is that?" Astra asked, their legs frozen.
"An Enforcer," Korin said, his voice grim. "They're relics from the Clockmaker's time. Designed to hunt down anything tied to his creations. Looks like it's here for you."
The Enforcer raised one clawed arm, steam hissing from its chest as it let out a piercing mechanical roar. The sound rattled the walls of the Sanctum, and Astra's heart skipped—or rather, ticked—violently out of sync.
"We need to move!" Korin shouted, throwing the wrench. It struck the automaton's head with a clang, but the machine barely flinched. Its claw slammed down, splintering the floorboards where Astra had been standing moments before.
Korin grabbed Astra by the arm and pulled them behind a stack of crates. "Your Core is what it's after. It can sense it."
"Sense it? What am I supposed to do about that?" Astra shouted back, clutching their chest as the ticking grew louder.
"Fight, or run," Korin snapped, reaching into his belt and pulling out a small orb. He twisted its base, and it began to glow with an intense blue light. "This might buy us time."
He tossed the orb at the Enforcer's feet. It detonated with a sharp crack, releasing a blinding flash and a wave of electrical energy. The automaton staggered, its movements jerky as sparks flew from its joints. But it wasn't down for long. It turned its glowing red eyes back toward Astra, its determination unwavering.
"You're kidding me," Astra muttered. Their breath came in short gasps, the weight of the moment pressing down on them. The ticking in their chest was deafening now, and with it came an odd sensation—a vibration in their fingertips, a faint warmth spreading through their veins.
The Enforcer charged, its claws raised. Korin yelled something, but Astra didn't hear it. Instinct took over. They thrust their hands forward, and a burst of golden light erupted from their palms, slamming into the automaton with a force that sent it crashing into the far wall.
For a moment, everything was silent.
"What… was that?" Astra asked, staring at their hands. Faint wisps of light lingered around their fingertips, fading like embers in the air.
"That," Korin said, his voice low, "was your Core."
The Enforcer twitched, its limbs struggling to move as arcs of energy danced across its frame. Korin didn't wait for it to recover. He grabbed Astra's arm and pulled them toward a hidden door at the back of the Sanctum. "We need to go. Now."
Astra followed, their legs moving on autopilot as their mind reeled. The burst of light, the surge of energy—it had felt like it came from somewhere deep inside them, something they couldn't control. The ticking in their chest was quieter now, but its presence was impossible to ignore.
As they stumbled into the cold night air, Korin slammed the door behind them and turned to Astra, his face pale. "That wasn't just magic. Your Core is waking up. And if that's happening, we're running out of time."
Astra stared at him, the weight of his words sinking in. "What happens if it fully wakes up?"
Korin's expression was grim. "We find out what the Clockmaker left behind. And we hope it doesn't destroy us all."