Clock Tower City

It passed another five days, and without a ship, their journey continued.

Creating the ice platform beneath her feet for others to walk on, Ayuka led the way, steadily lost in her thoughts.

Timothy ran behind her next to Chiaki and followed by his younger sisters. He was holding Aurora's weak body on his back, making sure to be careful not to slip on the ice.

"We're lucky..." Claimed Cassidy, "If Tim didn't roast the fish we caught from the ocean, we would've been starving. And thanks to Ayuka, we had physical ground to move and sleep on." She explained, but despite that, Ayuka seemed depressed, lost in thoughts, and feeling uneasy.

"Ayuka... You've been creating ice this entire time without a proper break. If you need to rest, now's the time." Chiaki explained, keeping polite and kind before she turned out mean. "Aurora's the one on a time limit. I can handle freezing the water. It was my fault the ship got scorched." With each step she made, the more ice she cast.

Her energy started draining her out, but she had no reason to stop running and bring others to land.

She was getting exhausted.

She slipped into her thoughts, "How could I be so dumb? I didn't need to lose my cool. If I didn't check on Aurora, we'd be fine. I don't even know the reason why I did it. I could've focused on the cooking and let others take care of her."

While she ran at a steady pace to lessen her energy loss, she grasped her head and shook it in pain, trying to think how to apologize to them. "Instead of easing their road, I made it harder. I should've stayed behind." But while she contemplated, Trinity's voice rang behind them. "I see an island up ahead!"

Their heads simultaneously raised as they gazed far out into the distance. "Finally! I thought I wouldn't see another island for days. Let's ask around and see if we can find somebody who can share a bed with us. Aurora needs it."

Timothy smirked, others beaming with excitement.

Ayuka locked her eyes forward and began skating as fast as she could over the frozen water. The others followed suit, and the warmth filled their soaked clothes.

The first thing they spotted in the distance was an open lobby that resembled a church. It had big lights hovering over the walls and gleaming in the beautiful night.

A giant clock glowed in the dark.

It had a small park in the middle with a yellow-leafed tree growing high into the air. There were no people outside, and it looked peaceful from any danger.

They hurried to the shore and set feet on the brown tiles, with some white lights constructed in the ground.

They saw a round door at the end of the lobby, shining like every other light. "What is this place?" Chiaki questioned, looking for an answer she found on top of an electronic board. It had glowing letters, scrolling from left to right.

It dubbed itself "Anison Clock City," in short, "ACC."

They observed it in bewilderment, "ACC? I think I saw that name in the Cyber Refuge book we read. But it didn't have much summary other than being connected to Cyber Refuge in some way or another." Trinity added, gazing at its construction.

"ACC..." Everyone's eyes locked on Aurora, who spoke out of nowhere. "I can walk... thank you, Tim." Aurora slowly climbed off Timothy's back, leaning her left arm onto his.

She inhaled the fresh air and exhaled before straightening. "ACC is a city that holds the pedestal to entering Cyber Refuge. That's what the rumors say. I know, if we can find the pedestal and offer that "divine" blood, we can find Cyber Refuge." She explained, taking care to avoid coming in contact with Timothy.

"That statement again. What does it mean "divine" blood?" It sounds odd and moral." He inquired, fixing his duffel bag before it could detach from his body. "I read something about this "divine blood," and it mentioned a unique goblet to insert into the pedestal. The tale says it'll open up the path and create a typhoon to jump in. That'll take you down to the depths and bring you to Cyber Refuge. But don't take it seriously. It's just a tale. But it's worth knowing."

Aurora seemed to have had enough time to freshen up and rest in peace to lessen her fatal illness from harming her. She didn't cough as much as she used to, but there was no knowing where her condition would become unstable again.

"Aurora, I can see you're better. But I don't like that mark on your cleavage. It doesn't look safe or good." Timothy claimed, making her look at the mark. "It's fine," She chuckled, "It's only a mark to know I'm infected. It should clear up when I take a shower. The fresh, warm water should cleanse some of the bacteria." Aurora explained but still made Timothy uncertain.

"I really hope that's not one of your lies again to keep us from worrying."

She smiled cutely and shook her head, denying his thought, "I promise. Trust me on this one, Tim. Anyway, I can walk now. Let's find someone to invite us in or find a hotel to sleep in. And while we do that, do you mind if I look into that book you stored?"

Timothy nodded and permitted her to search for the book in his duffel bag. He felt Aurora's hands snooping through his bag while Ayuka observed the surroundings.

She clutched the book, "Found it," and dragged it outside. "You sure have a lot of stuff in there." Aurora giggled and put it into her purse.

Timothy folded his arms, scratched the back of his head, and answered, "Yeah. I like to be prepared in case something goes wrong."

Ayuka stepped in front of the door and placed her palm on the sensor on the wall. The sensor scanned her palm and suddenly zipped the door open, startling Ayuka a little.

Their visions got greeted by the city inside. It had thinner alleyways but a major street in the middle, leading to the clock tower in the distance.

The houses were built on top of each other, and hundreds of stairs connected them via walls. Above the roofs stood a railway linking the entrance and the clock tower.

It felt like something out of a fantasy movie.

They set their feet inside, and upon entering, they became surrounded by people who innocently observed them. They seem passive without wishing to harm them. But they were bewildered.

Timothy and everyone else looked at the sky and noticed they were standing in a glass dome.

Their faces were gleamed over by the various lights, and the city's shining reflected in their eyes. "Woah, I didn't think this city was so beautiful. It lightens my mood." Aurora called, feeling joyous and curious about its history.

"This city doesn't look like it would have a hotel. The houses are too close together... and there's uh..." Timothy's eyes became unimpressed as he noticed a neon board glossing with pink lights having white shapes of a female on it. "Nightclub... I don't really want to go in there."

Suddenly Chiaki and the girls shouted at him, "Not like we're gonna let you!"

They tucked their arms on their hips, Chiaki and Cassidy sharing puffy cheeks. "We should ask people and see if somebody knows a place to rest. Some good night's sleep could come in our favor. We struggled to sleep on the ice the last five days."

They didn't seem to have a problem with Timothy's mind and agreed, "I'm sure we can find somebody. Now, let's go before we fall into a comma." Cassidy answered and walked with the rest.

To be continued...