In the infinite cosmos, a creature emerged from the very essence of cosmic energy after the Big Bang.In legends this creature is just called ,,the architect of time,,. His actions are embossed by a wisdom which no mortal being could understand. He follows a neutral but protective codex. His many artifacts are foundation of reality. One more powerful than the other. But even the mighty architect made a mistake. Or was this is biggest triumph?

The eternal clock was his masterpiece. Forged from the rarest ores, scattered across many planets. The eternal clock was more than an artifact. It was the embodiment of time. It was able to control time streams, change the past, froze the present, and change the future. But its power was dangerous. Even for its maker. The architect hopes that the eternal clock brings freedom for the rest of existence, keep away dark forces and to close time rifts, a powerful phenomenon which can form for no known reason. 

He showed his artifact to the council of the cosmos, the most powerful beings of the multiverse. 

,,That’s amazing,, said one voice of the council member after the architect presented the clock. ,,It is perfection,, responded the architect. His voice was calm but full of conviction. ,,A tool to protect timelines from chaos.,, ,,Or to get a timeline to chaos,, added an other member. ,,The clock is too dangerous! He have to get rid of it.,, 

The opinion of the council was split. It needs to get destroyed demanded some. But the architect surpassed himself. Even if he wanted to he couldn’t destroy the clock. At the end, the architect and the council agreed to hide the eternal clock. He brought the clock to earth, in the citadel of Vael Arun, a lost place in the dessert of North Africa. Far away from cosmic conflicts. Vael Arun used to be a highly advanced civilization but it the inhabitants vanished for mysteries reasons. Only the ruins were left. 

8 thousand years later 

,,Mom can I please go to the forest?,, Astra asked her mother while she grabs the dress of her mother. ,, I saw star bird nest yesterday! I wanna see if they already hatched.,, ,,not too far  away, Astra,, her mother said with a calmly voice while she touches Astras blond, nearly golden hair. ,,The forest is beautiful, but it can also be dangerous.,,  ,,Just let her go.,, her father laughed, who sits on a small table and carved a wooden doll. ,,Our little explorer knows the forest better than anyone of us.,,

Astra smiled, grabbed a little basket and run out of the door.

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,,I will bring you something nice too!,, she said with joy and then she went to the forest. Astra and her parents lived in the region Elvedar, which was on a peaceful. It was place from nearly magical beauty. The trees were very tall and elegant, its leafs glitter  in the sun. Astra knew every path, every lake, and every clearing. It was her world and she felt safe. 

But this day was different. While Astra inspected a tree, she suddenly heard loud screams full of fear, blazing flames and crying children. She never heard something like this. Her heart stopped for a second, 

,,Mommy? Daddy?,, she whispered and let her basket fall to the ground. She runs as fast as her little legs could hold her, back to her Village. When she came back to her home the where no screams left to hear. Her pupils got bigger because of what she saw. The buildings, she knew where on fire or completely destroyed. Shadow like ghosts can be seen in the ruins, like living nightmares. Her parents were nowhere to be seen. ,,No… No!,, she screams. She wanted to run away, but she just stands there, full of fear. A Darkness approached her, a treating whisper was noticeable. Astra screams for help and she holds her eyes closed with her hands. In this moment, Astra felt a rising warm inside her, a light shields around her little body. The shadows shrank back. Astra assembled all her courage and ran back to the forest. 

She wandered around the forest for three full days, until she collapsed at the end of the forest. When she opened her eyes, unfamiliar faces surrounded her – tall, ethereal beings with eyes glowing like stars. They were tall creatures with eyes which glowed like stars. They were the keepers of the starforge.

,,A child?,, a deep and melodic voice asked. ,,Not an ordinary one.,, replied an other voice ,,she was touched by starlight.,,

The keepers, mystic being, who trie to keep the balance of the cosmos, took Astra to their forge. The Starforge was a city adrift in space, its breathtaking structures glowing with cosmic light. The keepers felt that she was something special, a child with a deep connection to the stars. The forge became her new home and the keepers her family. They taught her, how to use the powers she was given at birth and gave her life a meaning. To be a guarding of the Universe. 

Buried deep within the ruins of Vael Arun, hidden beneath countless layers of sand, the Eternal Clock began to whisper. It was not a call, it was a command with a scary message : ,,Free me.,, Everyone who dares to come near the clock wouldn’t just hear these words, but also the same the, which penetrates this reality. It was as if the clock had come alive, impatiently awaiting its release from its timeless cage.

,,Why Vael Arun? Why earth?,, used one council member to ask the architect. ,,The earth is a meaningless planet. There is no live, which is intelligent enough to flnd the clock.,, the architect replied. ,,And what if someone finds it?,, ,,That is not possible.,, 

But even tho the architect was a mighty creature, he wasn’t all knowing. The universe had other plans which not even the architect could forecast. The clock, hidden in the sands of Vael Arun, waits. The ruins, lifeless yet restless, hold their breath. And far above, in the shimmering halls of the Starforge, Astra unknowingly prepares for the greatest battle of her life. A battle that will decide the fate of time itself.