Episode 2 ~ Ticking Into the Unknown

Written by StillnessandSilence

Calliope was unsure of herself now as she wandered through the Magus Inquisitorials, a place filled with magic she wasn’t sure she even wanted. She had magic now, but even that left her uncertain. She still wondered if she wanted to go back to her old life in the non-magical world. Obscura Antiques had been her safe haven; the dusty, familiar smell of old books, the crackling of the wooden floor beneath her feet, and the gentle hum of a life that felt grounded. At twenty-three, she had been content with her simple existence, surrounded by forgotten treasures and the quiet rhythm of routine.

Now, everything had changed. She had clockwork magic, something she barely understood, and her attempts to control it were weak and unsteady. Her hands shook as she tried to show others how it worked, feeling the weight of her own inadequacy. Not long after discovering her powers, she had found herself wandering through an abandoned school, drawn there by the curse she had inherited from the bite of a shadow creature. It was either break the curse or die again, and she wasn’t ready to let go.

The group with her was a strange assortment of people—or, well, creatures. Some were young, others seemed older, but all of them were just as out of place as she felt. There was Elizabeth, who seemed eager and bright, Arlo, whose strange behavior made her nervous, and a devilish guy who called himself "Hellboy" but seemed to be hiding something. Then there was Sumit and Gideon, both enigmatic, their names like whispers in the back of her mind, faces she still couldn’t place. They were all strangers to her, and she still didn’t understand herself. Her heart ticked steadily now, almost unnervingly so, as the dull edges of magic and emotion muddled her thoughts.

As they ventured deeper into the abandoned school, something in the air felt thick with mystery. Ghosts and lost souls seemed to guide them, as though the spirits of the past were reaching out to help. In the deepest recesses of the building, they faced a massive, shadowy fiend, a creature pulsing with malice, its presence filling the room with an unnatural chill. Somehow, through a combination of magic, bravery, and sheer will, they managed to kill it and the fiends it had summoned, but the victory left her with more questions than answers.

Overwhelmed, Calliope stood there in the aftermath, feeling the weight of a world she hadn’t chosen but now had to face. Her powers—what were they really capable of? And what would they cost her? She felt herself slipping into a new world, one of magic and discovery, a world she didn’t understand, and she wasn’t sure if she was ready for what was to come.

Next Episode 3 ~ A Heart That Ticks