Storys from the Aether Library Alindra Veyclock and the Grand Key

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In the quiet twilight of the Aether Library, where the ticking of countless clocks seemed to mimic the heartbeat of time itself, Alindra Veyclock wandered through the winding corridors. Her loose coat billowed softly, while her hat—decorated with the miniature clocks of bygone eras—gleamed in the warm light of the lamp she carried. Beside her, on polished brass feet, waddled her clockwork companion, Tock, whose body was made of an antique clock face. A steady, curious glint glowed in his glass eyes. Today, however, he seemed nervous: small gears inside him were spinning faster, and his gaze repeatedly darted to the shelves, as if listening for something unseen. "You hear it too, don't you?" whispered Alindra. Tock nodded, his small hands clanking together. A low whirring sound rippled through the air, like the fluttering of insect wings—but it wasn't the buzzing of the present, but a trembling that seemed to originate from an hour long past. They followed the sound deeper into the east wing, past the shelves of Unbidden Moments and the display cases of Near-Events. Finally, they reached a circular table on which a map lay spread out. Golden sparks danced across it, darting upward like fireflies and floating into the deep darkness of the dome. "The Starwings," Alindra breathed. "They only appear when a wing key has been found." Tock approached, his pointer arms trembling with excitement. Among the twinkling figures of light lay, indeed, a tiny key, shaped like a dragonfly's wing. Alindra picked it up gently—and the moment she touched it, the map unfolded into a landscape of light. She saw a valley filled with floating books, skimming through the air like birds, and in the distance, a tower whose clockworks were so large they parted clouds. "This is... the lost reading room of the dawn," she murmured. "It was sealed shut centuries ago when its guardian vanished." Tock looked up at her. "Then we know where to go." But before they could leave, the room darkened. From the shadows stepped a figure clad in a cloak of ticking pocket watches. Her voice was like the turning of yellowed pages. "The wing key opens more than doors, Alindra Veyclock. It can also bind." Alindra gripped the key tightly. "And that is precisely why I will not leave it in your hands." With a soft click, Tock unlocked a hidden mechanism at his side. A burst of golden sparks shot out, distracting the figure's gaze, and the next moment Alindra and her companion scurried into a side corridor. The buzzing of the Starwings led her on until a hidden door appeared—a narrow crack through which the light of a new hour filtered. Alindra slid the winged key into the lock. A single, clear click. The space beyond breathed time in its purest form. And Alindra knew she had just taken the first step into a history that no chronometer in the world could measure.