The Tower That Remembers

“Some places are built with bricks and stone. Others are built with memories and regret.”

A Sudden Shift in Reality

Viraj had experienced a lot of weird things lately.

Time loops.

Alternate versions of himself.

A collapsing timeline.

But this? This was different.

The moment the Clock Tower struck 10:13, the entire world glitched.

The air rippled like a disturbed pond. The buildings around them flickered, their edges warping, as if reality itself was being rewritten in real time.

And then—

Silence.

When the distortion settled, Viraj and Lucius stood in a completely different version of the city.

The futuristic skyline was gone.

The neon billboards, the hover cars, the advanced tech—all erased.

Instead, they were in a darker, older version of their city. A place out of time.

Lucius adjusted his coat, frowning. "Oh. This is new."

Viraj turned slowly. "Lucius… what just happened?"

Lucius exhaled. "If I had to guess? The timeline collapsed again. And instead of throwing us forward or backward, it threw us… sideways."

Viraj’s stomach twisted. "Sideways?"

Lucius nodded. "We’re not in the future. We’re not in the past. We’re in a… fractured version of time. A place that probably shouldn’t exist."**

Viraj groaned. "Of course we are."

And then he saw it.

The Tower.

The Clock Tower That Shouldn’t Exist

It loomed in the distance, stretching toward the sky like a monolith of forgotten time.

Viraj had seen it before—but only in glimpses, in moments when reality cracked.

Now, it stood right in front of him.

Lucius whistled. "Well, that’s ominous."

Viraj felt a chill crawl up his spine. "Future Me told us not to trust it."

Lucius raised an eyebrow. "Yes, and when have we ever listened to good advice?"

Viraj groaned. "Lucius, we barely survived the last time we ignored warnings!"

Lucius shrugged. "And yet, here we are. Alive. Mostly."

Viraj pinched the bridge of his nose. "Fine. But if we die, I’m haunting you."

Lucius grinned. "Deal."

They started toward the Clock Tower, the air around it heavy, like the very atmosphere was holding its breath.

Something about this place was wrong.

And the moment they stepped onto its ancient, worn steps—

They heard the whispers.

The Voices of Time

The whispers weren’t normal.

They weren’t voices of people.

They were voices of time itself.

"They are coming."

"The Tower remembers."

"You are already too late."

Viraj shivered. "Lucius… are you hearing that?"

Lucius nodded, his usual smirk gone. "Yeah. And I don’t like it."

Viraj swallowed hard. "What does it mean?"

Lucius hesitated. "I think… the Tower is alive."

Viraj stared at him. "That’s not funny."

Lucius shook his head. "I’m not joking. Look at the structure. It’s shifting, just slightly. Like it’s breathing. It’s… aware."

Viraj turned back toward the Tower, his stomach tightening.

And then, the door creaked open.

A gust of cold air rushed past them, carrying the scent of old books and something metallic.

And from within, a voice echoed—clear, deliberate, and waiting.

"Enter."

Lucius sighed. "Well, that’s not terrifying at all."

Viraj clenched his fists. "We don’t have a choice, do we?"

Lucius grinned. "Nope! Let’s do something incredibly stupid!"

And with that, they stepped inside.

Inside the Tower

The interior was massive.

It shouldn’t have been. From the outside, the Tower was tall but not infinite.

But inside?

The walls stretched forever.

Grand spiraling staircases vanished into darkness above. Thousands of clocks ticked along the walls, each showing a different time.

But the worst part?

Some of them were moving backward.

Lucius let out a low whistle. "Okay, this is officially the weirdest place we’ve been."

Viraj nodded. "And we’ve been chased by dinosaurs."

Lucius pointed at a particularly large clock, its hands spinning wildly in every direction. "That one just switched to 1492 and then jumped to 3015. What kind of logic is that?"

Viraj swallowed. "It’s not logic. It’s broken time."

Lucius nodded slowly. "That… is very bad."

Then—footsteps.

From above.

They echoed through the vast chamber. Slow. Deliberate. Getting closer.

Viraj’s breath hitched. "Someone’s here."

Lucius exhaled. "Yeah, and judging by the vibe of this place, I doubt it’s friendly."

They turned toward the grand staircase, hearts pounding.

And then—

A figure stepped into view.

Dressed in old-fashioned robes, eyes glowing with golden light, and a voice dripping with authority.

"You do not belong here."

Viraj froze.

Lucius muttered under his breath. "Oh, fantastic. Another cryptic time entity."

The figure descended slowly, each step echoing like a countdown.

"You have altered the natural order. The Timeborne has awakened. And now, it will claim what is owed."

Viraj’s mouth was dry. "Who… who are you?"

The figure stopped at the last step.

His glowing eyes locked onto Viraj’s.

And he spoke.

"I am the Keeper of the Tower."

"And you are already too late."

The Tower shuddered.

And somewhere deep inside—a clock struck midnight.

The Timeborne was here.

To Be Continued…

"The problem with time travel isn’t changing the past. It’s surviving what comes next."

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