Well I planned on uploading a Clank chapter first but he refused to cooperate... so you get a very belated Orvus chapter instead ^^

Inspired by "Doomsday Clock" by Smashing Pumpkins.

Uploaded: April 22 / 2010

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"Men are but flesh and blood. They know their doom, but not the hour. In this, I am blessed to see the hour of my death... To face my apportioned fate, then fall."
~Emperor Uriel Septim, Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion

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My boys.

My dear, dear boys.

I wish I didn't have to record this message to the two of you. I really wish I didn't. But, you see, the Zoni perceive time somewhat differently from the beings native to this dimension. It's the reason we were able to build the Great Clock, I suppose. We're a bit less... linear than you. We can see the future, in a way. No, that's not right. We can see future possibilities, and we can tell which are the most probable. We're wrong sometimes, of course. The multiverse wouldn't be fun without surprises, hehehe.

...Of course... sometimes I do wish there were more of them.

You see, when the Great Clock allows you to play back this message, I will no longer be with you. I wouldn't quite call it death; the Zoni never truly die, and my soul is far too fractured at this point for it to completely dissipate. Regardless... you won't see me again, Sigmund. I am sorry. And you, XJ-0461 - no, Clank - I will never meet you. I do wish I could. You've no idea how much I wish I could. I want to meet you - truly meet you. I want to have a nice, long conversation with you and catch up on everything I've missed. I don't want to have to watch from a galaxy away as you go on another of those ridiculous adventures with your Lombax friend. I don't want to watch as you find - well. I suppose that will be in your future, won't it? I'll preserve the surprise for you, hehehe.

And you, Sigmund. I know I've been neglecting you somewhat for the past decade and I am sorry. I know it's been "XJ-0461" this and "XJ-0461" that, and I am sorry for that too. You know how I am sometimes - too caught up in my own personal projects to pay attention to other things. Don't think it's because he's my son - because you are too. I may not have designed you, I may not have convinced a finicky computer to build you, I may not have used a part of my soul to give you life... but I love you every bit as much as I do Clank. In some way, I am glad for the catastrophe in space-time that destroyed the civilization that built you. Without it, I never would have met you and you would be long gone.

The universe works in strange ways, doesn't it? Had I not found you, I would never have considered that I would someday have to leave the Great Clock in the hands of another. And, thus, Clank never would have been built, and the universe would be a very different place indeed... if it even existed at all. Even if I had created Clank despite that, the final battle for my Chamber would have yielded a very different result without your presence. I know you sometimes lack confidence, Sigmund, and I know that sometimes you feel that you are useless. I wish I had thought to tell you otherwise before now, because you are neither. You are brave and you are responsible, and without you the Great Clock would not run nearly as smoothly as it does now.

I think the both of you will get along. You both have similar personalities, after all, having been heavily influenced by my own. Still, you are your own beings, and neither of you are truly Zoni - so you won't carry our 'allergy to arguing', hehe. Just try not to bicker too much, hmm? The Clock may not react particularly well to it, I fear, and you may find yourselves in a rather precarious situation if you carry on too long. Hehehe.

...You know, speaking of the Clock...

There is one thing I'm curious about. You see, when we began construction on the Great Clock, I was the first to interact with her. We are linked, her and I, and it's affected me in ways I still don't understand completely. There is, for example, a certain... sound. I don't know if either of you can hear it... I'd never thought to ask before now. The rest of the Zoni, as far as I can tell, cannot. I can't be quite certain... which I suppose might seem odd to the two of you, seeing as we're something of a hive mind. A collective, if you will. I, however, am both part of this collective and yet separate from it. A collective of one. It is a burden I've carried all my life, one that makes me who I am. I'll admit it's a very lonely thing - being so near to others, and yet so far. The Zoni need the presence of others to survive - I'm sure both of you have learned this by now - and so sometimes I wonder how I've kept my sanity intact for so long. Sometimes I wonder if I haven't already lost it.

Especially with this... sound.

I can hear it now, you know. As clearly as I can hear my own voice and the workings of the Clock around me. It started when the Great Clock first came online, and it hasn't stopped since. In one of her rare poetic moments, she called it the heartbeat of the universe... yes, Sigmund, she does have her poetic moments. It's been three thousand, two hundred, and thirty-four years of that sound. Clear as a bell, I believe the term is. It's enough to drive anyone mad.

Tick. Tock. Tick. Tock...

It wasn't always like this. Oh no. Once, I regarded it as a sound of hope, of life. Every moment it continues, the universe lives on, and so I hope it never stops. However... I can't look at it quite the same anymore. To me, it's no longer a purely benevolent sound. For every second it continues... every cycle it goes through... I know my end comes closer. I've forseen the end of my life, and I know it will be far from pleasant. I won't give you the details; I'm sure neither of you want to hear them. When the time comes, should you wish to delve deeper... you'll know who to ask.

Of course... I've heard of the concept of destiny, and I have to say I don't believe in it. The future is not absolute; it can still be altered. I've seen things I was certain would take place, and they didn't. I've seen things I'd never thought could conceivably happen, and then they did. Perhaps this will be the case. Perhaps this message will never be played. Perhaps it will be stored in the Clock's memory banks forever. I do hope this will be the case. If it isn't...

...I must leave now. My ship is ready for the journey to Zanifar. Whatever happens, know that I love you both dearly. Take care of each other, my sons.

End recording.