Nine o'clock and the Hidden Hour

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The Library of Aetheric Time lay in semidarkness, its corridors filled with the quiet ticking of countless gears and pendulums. In the midst of this vast clockwork universe stood a small automaton, barely larger than a schoolchild. Its metal body gleamed in the pale light, and on its chest rested a clock face whose hands pointed unerringly to nine. They called it simply: Nine o'clock. Nine was curious, as only a newly awakened clockwork creature could be. Unlike his older relative Tiktora, who had been collecting the world's forgotten minutes for ages, he still knew little about the responsibility inherent in every ticking second. But he wanted to learn, and so he spent hours among the shelves where old books bore dust like mysterious gold. This morning was different. As Nine stood bent over an open chronicle, he heard a faint whispering. It didn't come from the pages—it came from within the walls. He carefully placed his metal fingers against the wood and felt a vibration, as if an invisible heart were beating within the masonry. His green eyes shone brightly. "A hidden hour," he murmured. Tiktora had told him of such apparitions: minutes and hours that refused to go out into the world, instead seeking refuge in cracks and shadows. Nine followed the sound. Through narrow staircases and hidden doors, the whispering led him until he reached a hidden chamber. There, wedged between two shelves, stood a tiny clock with no face, only a single hand, trembling like a flame in the wind. The hour he sought was trapped within. He knelt down, placed his small, mechanical hand on the case—and immediately felt the burden: fear, unrest, a whisper that came from the people who never lived that hour because they had rushed past it in haste. Nine swallowed as well as an automaton could. Would he have the strength to redeem this hour?"You are young, but not weak," he suddenly heard a familiar voice. Tiktora stepped out of the shadows, her large, clock-faced face shining like a rising star. "An hour doesn't always want to be found, but when it calls to you, it's because you are the right one to carry it." Nine nodded seriously. With both hands, he grabbed the trembling clock, pressed it against his own clock face—and the hands twitched. For a moment, the entire library stood still, as if even time were holding its breath. Then the lost hour slipped into him, and his eyes shone brighter than before. "She is free," Tiktora said softly. "And you have protected her." Nine felt the remaining vibration within him, as if time had now become a little more familiar. He smiled uncertainly, but Tiktora placed her metal hand on his shoulder. "This is just the beginning. Every hour saved makes you stronger. But don't forget: strength means responsibility."