They felt nothing. No pain. No cold, no warmth.

Were they even still in their bodies?

The light was so intense they had to squeeze their eyes shut.

When they opened them again, they found themselves standing on a large, round platform — thin as a whisper.

In front of them stretched the infinite vastness of space. Stars shimmered and blinked like scattered diamonds in the abyss.

"Wow…" B-Day and Lira both gasped in awe.

Ashfall, however, had long since grown used to the view.

On the platform stood a human-sized, blood-red statue. One hand held a clock, the other a scale.

Despite its color, it looked like something you'd expect on a cemetery — a hood drawn low over its face, draped in ancient robes.

"What is all this?" B-Day asked, pointing at the three unmoving clock hands connected to the platform.

"See those portals?" Ashfall replied, gesturing toward the distant numbers floating in the void — golden-red, shaped like the digits one through sixty.

"Those are the portals that take us to different eras. Did you even pay attention during training?"

Lira turned toward B-Day, visibly annoyed.

"You know what? Next time I'll just ask the Commander. Talking to you is as useful as talking to a wall," B-Day muttered and looked away, grumbling.

Ashfall ignored their bickering and stepped closer to the eerie statue.

The clock in its hand was identical to the design of the Great Clock — and, surprisingly, still functional.

Ashfall turned the hour hand to one o'clock.

The statue's clock now read 01:37:58.

"What are you doing, Sir?" B-Day asked, approaching the statue as well.

"I'm aligning the hand so we can head into the Era of Origins. The hour hand can only be set to the twelve major epochs. The minute and second hands, however, can point to any number."

Suddenly, the platform vibrated. The hour hand jerked from eleven to one with a loud clunk and locked in place.

The trembling stopped.

Suddenly, the platform began to vibrate.

The hour hand jerked from eleven to one — clicking into place with a heavy clunk. The vibrations stopped.

"May I ask... why that is?" B-Day waited until the hand locked into place before speaking.

"The hour hand lets us land at the very core of each epoch. The other hands would drop us at a random point in that era," Ashfall explained as he walked over to Lira — who hadn't moved an inch. Her eyes were red, completely transfixed by the stunning sight before her.

"But most importantly: don't stare too long — or you'll lose all sense of time… and become a star yourself."

"Just a little longer…" Lira mumbled, saliva already trailing down the corner of her mouth. She looked half-conscious.

Ashfall tapped her shoulder — a little harder than usual.

Lira flinched back violently, and even B-Day blinked in confusion, trying to process what had just happened to them.

"Behind that breathtaking view are beings we call 'Stars.' They warp your perception of time… and slowly seduce you, until you drift off into the void beneath us — and become one of them."

"So that's why we always go in trios… or more," Lira muttered, slapping her cheeks to stay grounded.

"Even a single hour here can feel like a minute… until you're so lost in time that you lose your mind and plunge into the endless dark," B-Day whispered, glancing back up at the stars.

And then it hit him — Lira, of all people, had made a fatal mistake.

Her usual arrogance and tendency to ignore him had nearly cost her dearly.

A mischievous, almost wicked grin spread across his face as he crept toward her.

"What's this?" he teased. "The perfect little model student making such a rookie mistake? Say it isn't so!"

He gasped dramatically and covered his mouth in mock shock.

She ignored him at first, visibly annoyed. But the more he poked at her, the more her anger boiled over — until she finally snapped and hurled him toward the statue with a single punch.

With a fake sweet smile, she asked, fists clenched,

"Want another one? Or are you done running your mouth?"

Like someone rising from the grave, B-Day picked himself up with a grin.

"Thanks," he muttered. "Now I know exactly what gets under your skin."

Ashfall had completely tuned them out and was already standing on the massive hour hand — the one pointing at the Roman numeral I, marking their destination.

"Last one to the portal pays for dinner!" he called out with a wave, now near the end of the hand.

Lira and B-Day exchanged a glance — then bolted toward the bridge without a word.

But both stopped just short, examining the rusty-looking structure connecting the platform to the portal.

Ashfall watched with amusement.

"I've met a lot of people," he thought, "but never two that fit together quite like those two do."

Cautiously, the pair edged forward — then, instinctively, sped up. Neither wanted to pay for dinner.

Suddenly, the clock hand groaned beneath them with a harsh metallic creak, and they both hit the ground in panic.

"This structure has existed for thousands of years," Ashfall said calmly, "and it's never even shown a scratch."

"Screw it…"

B-Day got up and charged across the bridge. When he reached Ashfall, he turned around triumphantly, ready to gloat — only to see Lira still curled up in fear.

"I'll get her," Ashfall said gently. He'd seen this kind of fear before.

He approached slowly, kneeling in front of her.

"You're not the first. I was terrified during my first mission too."

"…"

"I'll hold on to you. Alright?"

"...It's not the height…" she whispered.

Ashfall tilted his head.

"It's the creaking… It reminds me of something from my childhood… something I'd rather forget," she said, without going into detail. She stood up, trembling.

"Imagine a helmet that blocks out all sound," Ashfall offered, waiting for her to focus.

Her armor responded — morphing around her head into a kind of training helmet with full ear protection, like the ones used at shooting ranges.

She let him guide her across the bridge. Together, they made it to the Roman numeral I — and stepped into the portal's crimson glow.

"Dinner's on me after this mission," Ashfall said with a smile.

Lira didn't respond. She looked around, disoriented.

Though the image of the three dead Timer Agents still haunted B-Day, Lira's reactions had lifted his spirits — if only a little.

"Let's move out," Ashfall said, turning to the others.

"To the Era of Origins."

Once again, the portal pulled them in.