Chapter I
September 24, 1467 CT (chrono thereafter )
It was 9:12 am. A clear sunny day. It's quite tranquil in all of England. Well...as tranquil as life seems to get that is. Animals prosper where they can. Forests come and go in regions. Humanity seems to live in a general manner of speaking. Within the southwest side of England is a small country called Sormest. It's a rural place. A variable population within the three to four thousands. However, the people are respectable and kindhearted. As with the rest of humanity, they use technology that resulted from the temporal reboot. Fortunately for this town, they have a Watchmaker. His name...is Milo Carter.
Within the bustling rural town, there's a shop. The only one of it's kind. A Chrono Craft shop. A place where people can have Chrono Devices repaired. There used to be two owners...but one passed away. He left it to his grandson. This grandson of his happened to be the Watchmaker mentioned.
"Milo," said a young farmer as he entered the Chrono Craft shop, "I've received your message about my fishing rod. I have the remaining half of the 100 euro payment!" Then, through a door within the shop was a man. He was around 5'10 with short, burnt umber hair in a Caesar cut style. He was casually dressed in a suit-like attire: tan casual pants, a white long-sleeved dress shirt and a black vest. That man was Milo Carter.
Milo responds, "Ah, right on time Arthur. Fortunately for you and I, the 24 hour repair wasn't as severe as I feared."
"Really? How so?"
"Well...next time you fish, I would advise not fish for 'big game' when using this specific set of gears in your Temporal Fly Rod."
"I'm at a lost..."
"It's like telling you to traverse the mountains while carrying bricks. You can get so far until you collapse."
"Oh. Hehe. Right. I'll let my dad know that we to change the gears when aiming for big game"
"Wise choice."
"Also, a message from the family. We know it's been 7 months since Corbins'...passing. We send our condolences and see that you're doing well."
"Thanks, Arthur," Milo hands Arthur the Temporal Fly Rod. As Arthur heads out, Milo finds his chair at his work station and sinks into it. Poor man. Despite being a 30 year old man, he has no blood family. His grandfather, Corbin Carter, was revered as an amazing Watchmaker in all of Europe. He was also Milo's remaining blood relative for over 20 years. His passing surely had taken a toll on the Watchmaker. Even so, he lives and makes a living as an excellent Watchmaker.
As the hours rolled by, Milo spent the day walking around town. Greeting friends, buying tools and parts, and retrieving much needed groceries. The only offset that he avoided were the O'Clock Soldiers and the Timetable Knights. These two sects were the fighters and protectors of Europe. Something that caused Milo distressed for years.
"The fluctuation of the armed forces is quite alarming," a statement made by a nearby cobbler. "It might have something to do with the crazy rumors of the so called 'Chronological Puppets' causing a ruckus. I honestly think it's a load of crap. Especially with claims of trying to find the watches of the 'Time Keepers'. I swear. One day a war is gonna breakout because of the nonsense."
As he headed back to his home in the shop, Milo couldn't stop thinking about what the cobbler said. He had only heard about the Chronological Puppets through vague references in history books and folktales. The Time Keepers, on the other hand, were only ever believed to be fictional, due to claims that they can control time through special stopwatches. To a Watchmaker, it's a gold mine. To Milo...it's a waste of time and energy. In his home, Milo has started to think about his grandfather and the other object he had left behind. By reaching into his pocket, Milo took out a silver pocket watch. It had a long chain with a clear sphere at the end. The watch had an odd insignia: an Ouroboros dragon with a single eye in the center. By opening the watch, the numbers were Roman numerals, as Milo had expected. Oddly enough, the watch has never worked as far as he and Corbin knew. Another strange feature was that it was missing the hour hand. To make matters frustrating, it can't be open no matter who attempted to open it. To a Watchmaker, this watch was filled with nothing but frustration.