When Luana regained consciousness, she found herself in a place that felt like a dream—no, like a myth she once read in a forgotten book. She stood inside the Observatory of Time itself. Darkness stretched in every direction, speckled with distant stars. Beneath her feet, massive clockwork gears turned endlessly. Above and around her, there was only the void.
If I slip... would I fall forever? she wondered, but kept walking.
She followed the hooded man in silence. With every step, awe bloomed in her chest.
Eventually, they reached the heart of the observatory. The space looked like a home, yet unlike any she had ever seen. Books filled every corner—stacked on sofas, spread across the floors, rising in shelves so tall they vanished into the shadows. But what truly caught her breath was the massive glass wall that opened to the stars, and a ceiling that could vanish with a single snap, revealing the cosmos above.
She barely noticed when his voice pulled her back to reality.
"You're here to learn, aren't you?" he asked, motioning to the mountain of books. "Start with these. Once you've read the last one, come find me."
He wasn't joking.
"I'd love to… but I'll die before finishing all of that," she murmured, overwhelmed.
"Time doesn't pass here," he said simply. "Now read."
It wasn't a command, nor a request. Just… truth.
There was something familiar about him, something in the way he stood, in his voice. But the thought drifted away as she opened the first book.
Days, months, years—she had no way to measure them. She didn't sleep, didn't eat, didn't feel tired. There was only the reading. And somehow, she was still alive.
Whenever she needed a break, she would search for him.
"Your name isn't just 'Guardian,' right?" she asked once.
He ignored her.
"Then what is it? Your real name?"
"…Leo."
"Is that short for something?"
"Just Leo."
The name stirred something inside her, but she couldn't place it yet.
And so, she returned to the books. They spoke of duties and sacrifices. The loneliness. The price of becoming the Guardian of Time.
She couldn't help but ache for Leo. He had given up everything—his entire existence—for a wish.
Like he had never been born…
Leo… Leonardo…
Suddenly, it clicked. She dropped the book and ran to him.
"What is it now?" he sighed.
"You're him," she whispered.
"…What?"
"You're my brother."
"I knew I'd seen you before," she said, her voice trembling. "Our mother had already chosen the name Leonardo before you were even born. I could never forget it."
He froze. The silence stretched between them like a thread on the verge of snapping.
Finally, he spoke. Quietly. Carefully.
"You've read enough," he said quietly, stepping away from the wall of books. "Now, I'll teach you the rest."