THE SKY WAS MISSING.

Lying on his back on a damp, cobbled street, it was the first thought that came to him. Smog blurred the air above him into just an amorphous sheet of white. Fog curled in the narrow passageway, shrouding the buildings with a blue-white veil. Building lights gleamed yellow through the mist, hundreds of square eyes watching their every move.

Mori couldn't tell the time of day. The last he'd remembered, it had been late afternoon.

Where am I?

With a start, everything came back to him. The tower crumbling, gears spinning out of control —

Mori bolted upright, heart hammering. He caught sight of Ren, unconscious on the ground beside him, and cursed. 

"I must say, the two of you really know how to make an entrance."

Mori spun to face the unfamiliar voice. A boy about Ren's age lounged against wrought iron railings of the stone stairs opposite him. Shrouded in fog, he looked like a ghost: spindly limbs, white hair, pale skin. His arms were covered in tattoos. Mori traced the patterns along his forearms, from beneath the rolled-up sleeves of his dark jumper, right down to the silver bands glinting at his index and ring fingers.

Mori froze. His fingers reached for a timepiece at his waist and wound the screw. He heard it ticking, felt the mechanisms turning within, but—

— nothing.

Fear curled up in his stomach. "What did you do?"

"Me?" The boy vaulted over the railings and walked towards them. "Nothing. Your timepieces won't work on other worlds."

Mori's throat tightened. "Other..."

He shook his head. It couldn't be true. Ren said she'd been trying to delay the tower's collapse...

"You didn't know?" The stranger quirked an eyebrow. "This is pretty basic stuff. Ren didn't tell you?"

Add that to the list. Mori shook his head. More importantly, if they were on a different world, how did this stranger know Ren? And about the timepieces?

Unless...

"You're a clockmaker," Mori muttered. 

The boy smiled, amusement in his dark eyes. "She didn't tell you about me either? That's just rude."

Beside him, Ren jerked upright, her wide eyes flicking around her surroundings. She hissed as she moved her leg, still cloaked in drying blood.

The stranger clapped his hands. "Ren, perfect timing! We were just discussing your apprentice's woeful lack of knowledge."

Ren stared at him for a few seconds, brow furrowed. "Argent...?"

Mori saw the realisation dawn slowly on her face. Her fingers gripped her knees. "Shit."

"Always good to see you too, Ren," Argent replied. "Would you care to explain why you're here?"

Ren's finger tapped against her knee, as if weighing up her answer.

"...The Tower of Clouds collapsed," she said, finally.

Argent froze for a fraction of a second. "Oh. So not a social visit, then?"

Ren shot him a withering look. "Like I'd be here if I had a choice."

"You wound me, Ren," Argent said. "Any idea what caused it?"

Mori froze, remembering his failed attempt to fix the tower. Guilt gripped his chest and squeezed tight. He kept his gaze trained on the floor, knowing his emotions had a tendency to show on his face.

"What do you mean?" There was a wary edge to Ren's voice. 

Argent gave her an odd look. "I mean, is the same thing going to happen here? Is it something systematic?"

"Oh." Ren relaxed a little. "I...don't know."

Mori glanced at her. She had to know. Aside from the defect, the tower had been operating fine before he'd tried to fix it.

Or was she trying to protect him? He cringed inwardly; somehow, that was worse.

"Really." Argent leaned back against the wall, one eyebrow raised. "All that time spent digging into the system and you have no idea what happened?"

Ren held his gaze, her eyes narrowed. Argent looked back at her, head tilted back, a slight smirk at the edge of this lips.

"No," Ren said finally. "I'd check the tower for anything unusual, but I doubt it'll happen again." She grabbed the wall and pulled herself to her feet. "Anyway, much as I'd love to stay and talk, we need to keep moving," added, glancing at Mori. "Let's go."

She started to limp down the passageway. Mori glanced between the two of them, then moved to follow Ren.

"Are you sure you should be walking on that?" he said quietly.

"My sentiments exactly," Argent chimed in.

Ren glowered at him over her shoulder. "Who asked you?"

"Dysis can be dangerous if you look like an easy target," Argent told them. "My workshop isn't far from here. You and your apprentice are welcome to rest there for a bit, and I'll make a timepiece to patch up your leg."

"I don't need your help," Ren said.

"Alright, I won't keep you." Argent raised his hands and sighed. "It's a shame, though. The traveller mentioned something a little odd to me last time she was here." His gaze fixed on Ren, a sly smile at his mouth. "Strange things happening on Aerelios, that sort of thing. I couldn't make much sense of it, and I've been meaning to find someone to discuss it with. But obviously the traveller's been missing for months, and now the two of you are in a hurry..."

Ren slowed to a halt, and Argent's smile lengthened.

"A night on Dysis wouldn't be the end of the world, would it?" he asked innocently.

Ren turned to face him and let out a long sigh. "No. I suppose not."

The workshop Argent spoke of seemed to double as his house. He opened the door to a small, low-ceilinged apartment, with bare white walls and greying wooden floorboards.

Ren looked around the room. "You don't work in the tower?"

"Oh, absolutely not. Can't stand it in there," Argent said. He helped her onto a flat sofa beside the door. Mori sank into a stool at the dining table, rubbing the cold from his shoulders.

"So, what's this about the traveller?" Ren said.

Argent shook his head. "Get some rest first. I'll get the timepiece ready for you and we'll chat later. Okay?"

Ren scowled, but he merely straightened up and disappeared into a side room. Ren let out a long sigh and rested her head against the wall. Some of the tension in her body softened. In the light, Mori could see how drained she looked. He didn't want to dredge up painful memories again, not while she was just starting to relax, but the question had been bothering him ever since they'd arrived.

"Ren?"

She tilted her head to face him. "Hm?"

"Back in the tower..." Mori fiddled with the edge of his cloak. "Did you really mean what you said? About trying to stall?"

She tensed, and something flickered in her eyes. Mori's fingers clenched the fabric. Something told him he could already guess the answer.

"I'm sorry," she said. "I didn't know how else to get the timepiece from you."

Mori inhaled sharply. He'd been expecting it, but the confession still came as a blow. He stared down at his hands, body taut, shoulders trembling.

"I really didn't want to lie to you," Ren said. "But there was no time to explain everything. If we'd stayed, we would have been destroyed along with the tower."

"What will happen to Arkos without it?" Mori whispered. It was a struggle to keep his voice level.

She hesitated. "Listen, Mori...we shouldn't get into this now."

His fingers clenched in his lap. "For once, Ren, I want a straight answer." He looked up, meeting her eyes. "What's going to happen?"

Ren's gaze flicked to the floor.

"Nothing," she replied, her voice hollow. "It's already happened."

Cold dread pooled beneath his skin. "What do you mean?"

"The worlds are sustained by the tower's energy," Ren said. "So if the tower falls...then the world falls with it."

Mori stared at her. "You're saying...Arkos is—"

Ren wouldn't look at him.

"I'm really sorry, Mori."