Steampunk: Sixth Era Epic

"I think you must be the only outsider," a soft voice whispered beside his ear.

"Why?" Shard asked.

"The appearance of an outsider is luck within luck, a miracle to find even one. A second is simply impossible," the voice explained.

"Then why does 'The Little Match Girl'..."

"In this world, there are no coincidences, only the inevitable built upon the inevitable. Besides, haven't you already guessed the reason?"

Shard smiled. If there was no second outsider, the answer was indeed clear.

Today was Wednesday, after midnight, exactly one week since he last used the Time Key:

"It seems I, as an outsider, am not without possessions," he remarked.

Again, the pleasing laughter of a woman filled his ears.

"Shard, did you hear that?"

Realizing that Miss Luisa was talking to him, Shard looked up, embarrassed, and said,

"Sorry, I was lost in thought. What did you say?"

"I said, if you don't take care of your cat, it's going to jump out of its basket soon,"

the blonde writer said, touching her earlobe.

"Meow~"

Mia made a "threatening" sound at Miss Luisa, almost managing to leap onto the dining table.

After dinner, Shard bid Miss Luisa farewell. Before leaving, he inquired about placing an advertisement in the newspaper. Miss Luisa pulled a bunch of business cards from her handbag, all from newspapers she had worked with:

"There's bound to be one that suits you."

Excited about the night's events, Shard didn't visit anywhere else after saying goodbye to the writer, but went straight home to Saint Delan Square with Mia. The usage of the Time Key needed to cross midnight, so from 6:30 pm to nearly midnight, Shard still had to wait.

Of course, he didn't waste the time but continued to help Miss Luisa translate "Chasing the Four Elements: Wind and Fire," and even took the time to keep reading "The Mad Light Chaser."

Calculating the time and confirming that he could now use the Time Key, he excitedly stood up from the chair in the study.

Mia had originally been lying on the desk beside Shard's hand, asleep. Shard's movement woke her, but the cat still lazily sprawled on the desk, just lifting her eyes to watch him.

"Since Divine Afterglow has already brightened beside me, now it's time to explore the tales of the past,"

he thought excitedly, pulling out the cracked key from the locked drawer.

Leaving all his "relics" on the table, he closed the study door from the inside, then gripped the key and whispered,

"May the World Tree bless me in this time."

The key entered the lock, and after a twist, it clicked again. Opening the study door, behind it was a Mist Gate sealed by thick fog.

The orange cat watched the scene in astonishment, but before it could rise, Shard had already stepped into the Mist Gate:

"Mia, see you in three seconds."

As his foot touched the ground, he was surrounded by white fog.

The whispering voice sounded in his ear, and after preparing himself, "the other me" received a message from the fallen Ancient God, "Father of the Infinite Tree":

"Outlander, you have stepped into the Time Corridor," the message from the Ancient God "Father of the Infinite Tree" announced.

[Fifth Era 1068, Autumn, Southern Continent, Hope Town.]n/ô/vel/b//jn dot c//om

[Event: The Old God "Creator of Innocence" has fallen.]

[Duration 10 minutes (2/3).]

[You have gained additional information.]

[The figure of the Father of the Infinite Tree continues to watch you.]

[The tests given by the Ancient God of Time will continue.]

[Witness His final wish before the fall of the Old God "Creator of Innocence".]

[The Ancient God of Time will reward you: Arcane Technique - Blade of Chaotic Time, Miracle Soul Rune - Echo.]

Apart from the addition of words like "continue" and "prolongation", there is only a two-thirds mark after the duration, but it seems the time limit is still ten minutes.

Having prepared himself mentally, Shard did not ask further questions. He wanted to step into Hope Town through the white mist. He could not afford to waste time here, but unexpectedly, the woman's voice continued:

[Manifest the Ring of Fate.]

"Why?"

Though he asked this, he did as instructed. Bells tolled, and steam whistles accompanied by steam appeared.

A brass ring rotated behind him, and as the Ring of Fate manifested, Shard was shocked to see his skin crack inch by inch, with golden Light Traces shimmering beneath those cracks.

This was a condition he had seen in the daylight, but then it was due to being in a dream, highlighting the state of his mind and spirit.

"Why does summoning the Ring of Fate here also reveal the state of Divine Afterglow on my skin?" he asked.

[The knowledge within divinity tells me that the "Time Corridor" you are now in is a special space, where divine power is more apparent.]

The murmur said, and Shard, holding up his hand, looked incredulously at his nearly shattered skin and the brilliant light below:

"That is interesting. A spiritual state can withstand invasions from the dream realm, but what use is there for such a state to appear on the body?"

[I think this time, at least, you can face Him without needing the protection of that Old God.]

Withdrawing the Ring of Fate, he then took a step back into the thick fog, which cleared as Shard returned to the street that looked like it came from a medieval town lagging in time.

Different from last time, it was deep night, and the town's people were nowhere to be seen on the streets. Looking around, the entire town stood in the deep, dark night, with distant mountains resembling colossal beasts crawling through the night.

The air still smelled acrid, and aside from the toy store in front of him, no other building had lights on.

Looking up at the sky, clouds covered the stars and moon, making it impossible to use the constellations to determine his exact location.

Shard wasted no time and walked directly into the toy store.

The interior and exterior of the shop seemed to be two different worlds. Inside, there was not the slightest change, the air saturated with the sweetness of candy, and the shelves were full of a dazzling array of toys. A young man wearing a comical jester hat stood behind the counter, woken by the sound of the bell as the door opened.

He looked up to welcome the customer, but upon seeing the young detective, he dropped the usual spiel.

The Deity of Bygone Days said with a smile:

"It seems you have indeed found the God's Afterglow?"

"Yes, and it surely wasn't easy," replied Shard.

Aside from himself, he didn't think any mortal had a chance to attain "God's Afterglow." Completing the task of the Ancient God was unimaginably difficult. Moreover, he even suspected that other investigators encountering the task given by the Father of the Infinite Tree were definitely not this challenging.

Shard scrutinized the young man. Although there was still a great sense of discomfort, as long as he averted his gaze, maintaining normal activity at least wouldn't be affected. The other party was right; without God's Afterglow, he wouldn't even have the privilege of a prolonged conversation with a deity. "God's Afterglow" was the first step in carrying out this task.