Tick.

The sound echoes throughout the massive circular chambers, reverberating off clock faces, hourglasses, and globes. The center piece of the room is a large, dark wooden desk with a matching chair resting behind it. Though the room is sparsely decorated, it leaves anyone who enters it with a sense of wonder. There is something strange about the air. Something thick floats through it, caressing your skin and teasing your hair. It's almost… magical.

"It would seem we have run out of time."

"Not yet, but the countdown has begun. The hourglass will soon be empty."

Two figures stand alone in the expansive office. A plethora of clocks hang on the walls, and grandfather clocks are proudly displayed underneath them. Each one is set to a different time and decorated with unique patterns and symbols. One clock stands out among the rest, the source of the tick.

This clock isn't huge, but it dwarfs the other clocks all the same. The room pulses with its power. It's a grandfather clock, and the pendulum has been carved to look like a skull with hourglasses for eyes. The face is glowing a soft green. Mist of the same color is gradually spilling out of the sides of the dark wooden frame. On this clock, the time is 12:01.

"I suppose it was too much to hope that we would not be the ones to deal with this," the first figure speaks, eyeing the deadly clock with a crease in their brow.

"We won't," the second figure says. Their expression is a mirror of their partner's. Their eyes skim the top of the desk, looking for something that is not there. "The next generation will not be so lucky."

"They're children. Not to mention they are still untrained. We can't possibly ask them to do this."

"You know as well as I do that we have no choice. They'll just have to start their training earlier than we had originally planned. I know the traditional age is eighteen, but exceptions have been made in the past."

"Yes, but never this young."

They stare at the clock in silence, as if it would guide them through this. It responds with its own silence. The silver hands remain still. Mist continues to pour out of the sides. It dissipates only a foot away from the base, but it's still thick enough to hide the floor surrounding it.

"How long do you think we have?" They try and fail to hide the tremor in their voice. To distract themselves, they twirl a silver ring around their finger. A strange alchemic symbol catches the light, briefly reflecting it onto the skull pendulum.

"A few years at least. Though the decay rate of time is more than likely exponential." They tap their chin, lost in thought. A similar ring with a different alchemic symbol rests on their finger. "We've probably already lost the Hadean Eon."

"The general population will begin to notice soon then." They let out a heavy sigh, shaking their head. "Are the letters ready to be sent out? We'll need to start training immediately. The council will want to host the trial soon."

"They were ready the moment they were born." The figure holds their palm out. Like magic, two golden envelopes fly out from behind the desk in the center of the room. "You know where to go. Find them as soon as possible."

Each envelope is embellished with one name written in green ink, but no address. Nonetheless, the two letters disappear in a puff of lime-green smoke and begin to find their way to their recipients.

"I wish we had more time."

"When has wishing ever helped? Besides, this event has been years in the making. You know the story as well as I do." They glance at a bookshelf crammed full of books of all colours and sizes with loose pieces of paper sticking out haphazardly here and there. It occupies an entire corner of the room, the only place that doesn't have any clocks or hourglasses. If any more books are added, they will need a second bookshelf.

"Do you really think they can save us? Do you think we can train them well enough for this?"

"What other choice do we have? We're running out of time, and everyone's lives depend on them."

Tick.


A/N - So this is my first dive into fanfiction. Putting this out there as a feeler to see what you guys think! Please feel free to leave a review and some constructive criticism! For more info about this story, check out my profile!