Kallan and Lyra stood frozen as the shadowed figure dissipated, leaving the marketplace eerily silent. The world snapped back to color, but something felt wrong. The people around them moved again, yet their actions seemed slightly out of sync, as though reality itself was struggling to catch up.
"We need answers," Lyra said, grabbing Kallan by the arm. "And I know just the person to ask."
They made their way to the outskirts of Aeteris, where the polished brass and marble of the city gave way to rusted metal and overgrown machinery. Nestled between two derelict factories was a small, cluttered workshop. The sign above the door read: Cyrus Vale — Historian & Relic Keeper.
Lyra knocked twice before pushing the door open. Inside, the air was thick with the scent of oil and parchment. Shelves lined the walls, overflowing with books, scrolls, and artifacts. In the center of the chaos stood Cyrus Vale, a tall, wiry man with a wild beard and goggles perched atop his head.
"Lyra," he said, not looking up from the contraption he was tinkering with. "And… oh, you brought a Mechanic. How quaint."
"This is serious, Cyrus," Lyra snapped. "Kallan found something in the Catacombs. Something big."
At this, Cyrus straightened, his eyes narrowing. "Define 'big.'"
Kallan hesitated before describing the black clock and the events that followed. As he spoke, Cyrus's expression shifted from curiosity to alarm.
"You're sure it spoke to you?" Cyrus asked.
"Yes," Kallan replied. "It called itself the Solstice."
Cyrus let out a low whistle. "The Solstice isn't just a relic. It's a failsafe. The Chronomancers created it to reset time if things ever got… too broken. But if it's active, that means the Eternal Clock is failing. And if the Eternal Clock fails…"
"The whole city goes with it," Lyra finished.
"Not just the city," Cyrus said grimly. "Time itself could unravel."