PUZZLE 1: THE ETERNAL STONES - ACT 2
I remember the look in my mother's eyes as she pushed me out of our car before it ran off the mountainside.
She communicated more in that one moment than in all the years I knew her.
Those narrowing pupils… those streams of tears… That image is burned into my memory like a hot branding iron to my flesh.
I wish I'd screamed out something at that moment… like, "I'm sorry," or "I'm the biggest fool there is!"
"I shouldn't have forgotten my backpack, so we didn't have to return home, then we would have reached Mount Ishizuchi a few minutes earlier and avoided bumping into that truck!"
Well, perhaps not all of that…
I wanna say "sorry" to her face. Then, she'll probably say, "No worries, Akemi," to my face with a smile.
A cleansing.
My soul desires a cleansing.
And I know EXACTLY how to make that happen.
All that I need… is that damn watch!
⧗⧗⧗
It's a beautiful morning on the university campus. So many students are lazing around on the grass.
"Hey, early bird!"
I stop and look over my shoulder to see a young, blonde woman wearing a blue demin jacket and jeans set run over to me.
"What are you doing here?" she gasps, out of breath already and resting her hand on my velvet blazer's shoulder. "Class doesn't start 'til ten!"
"And it won't wait for me," I plainly reply before walking off.
Jun soon catches up to me again and leans into my personal space, making her long straight hair slightly cover her squint. "I bet you're gonna hand in your essay early too, huh?"
"And I'll bet you're way behind in yours."
She backs away from my slight smirk. "Huh! How dare you doubt my abilities!" she cries.
"I'm wrong. You're way, way behind."
She pouts and flails her arms around. "Argh! I'll show you, Akemi Tsunagi! I'll become the top horology student before you know it! Then you'll desire my greatness! Bwa-ha-ha-ha-ha!"
As she feigns her evil laugh with her palms facing the sky, I wonder why she's always hanging around me.
Perhaps she has insecurities that I soothe?
"Come to my place this evening, Jun," I say with my eyes closed. "I'll help you with your essay."
"You will? Awwwww, thanks, Akemi! You're my hero!"
Having at least one acquaintance around here may come in handy one day.
We both walk into the department building, then enter one of its large lecture halls. Its rows of seats ascend into the distance like a grand movie theatre.
It's empty, as usual. No one ever wants to be early to class for some reason.
Jun follows me as I approach the lectern. I take out my bound essay from my jersey shoulder bag and place it onto the stand.
"Ah, more reading for me, I see!"
I turn to see an old, long-bearded man wearing a beige tweed suit entering the hall.
Jun and I bow. "Good morning, Professor Kaisen," we address together.
"Greetings, you two. And what, may I ask, did you research this time, Miss Tsunagi?"
"This is a sequel to my previous essay."
"Huh? You did more on the Hades Watch?" asks Jun. She crosses her arms and taps her foot. "Friendo, you've gotta expand your horizon! That thing's not the only thing in horology, you know!"
I stare at my essay blankly while twiddling the red rose in my short black hair. "I believe it's important. It's the only clock in the world that can reverse time, after all."
Jun shrugs. "Hmm… It's all mythological mumbo jumbo, if you ask me!"
"Oh? Explain your thinking, Miss Himari," Kaisen gently commands.
"Well, the legend of the Hades Watch states that it can open the gates of Hell. Hell ain't real, of course, but if enough bad people fight to get an aparently all-powerful watch, then Hell on Earth becomes a reality. It's basically a self-fulfilling prophecy!"
Jeez… when did she get so smart?
I also cross my arms. "I'll admit, the chance of its power being real is minute... But it's certainly not zero."
My darkened voice dampens the room, and Jun's voice suddenly becomes serious. "Hey, uh… Don't obsess over it, Akemi. There's no real proof that it exists."
I give her a slight smile. "I know."
She smiles back.
I suppose… this childish woman is worth keeping around.
For now.
⧗⧗⧗
Kaisen performs his lecture on how early 17th century watches maintained their accuracy.
The other students are spread out the hall, most of them at the back.
They're probably playing on their phones or pretending to take notes on their laptops. I grew tired of sitting at the back and watching them distract themselves. So, nowadays I'm here in the front row, with Jun quietly beside me.
However, we're not the only ones on the front row this time. On the other side sits a woman cross-legged, no older than me, wearing a black leather blazer over a t-shirt covered with small skulls. That blazer matches her long, raven hair with bright red streaks, as well as her black skirt, stockings and chunky boots. Next to her is a smartly dressed man in a black suit and white shirt, who's bald, bulky, and much older than her.
I doubt that emo rockstar chick and corporate goon are here to learn.
As the lecture finishes, the other students rush out the door, some of them laughing amongst themselves.
I don't recall anything funny about the lecture.
The man and woman turn to me, and their stare is enough to stop me from getting up.
It starts to rain outside, making the hall go a little darker.
"Jun, go back to your dorm," I order.
"Huh? What are you, my mother?"
I turn to her. "No, but I can be way worse if I'm pushed."
Her reluctance vanishes. She picks up her backpack and walks off, quickly glancing at the two strangers as she leaves.
I remain facing forward while the professor tidies his papers on the lectern.
"Fascinating essays you write, Miss Tsunagi," the woman in leather begins. "Especially your most recent work."
She stands up, walks over to the stand, and picks up my bound essay.
She flips through the pages. "While the Hades Watch has never been found… it appears that you know how to find it."
My brow tenses as I glare at her.
What the? Did she… hack into my laptop or something?
I cross my arms and look away. "My deductions are only theoretical."
"Of course, but no one can deny that your logic is deft," she responds.
My surprised eyes meet with her confident smirk.
"What do you think, Professor?" the woman asks as she turns to him. "Do the so-called time puzzles that Miss Tsunagi speaks of really blockade the Hades Watch?"
Kaisen stops tidying, and looks over his small round glasses at her. "Hmm… that could indeed be true, based on Asaya's way of thinking. He was, after all, obsessed with innovation, so the creation and use of time puzzles to block humanity's path do make sense."
"Couldn't agree more!" the woman exclaims, triumphantly slamming my essay down on the lectern. She closes her eyes as she echoes my writings. "On Asaya's observation, everyone has the ability to respect time, and yet, they all choose not to. Therefore, in his eyes, we all must be punished. But he wasn't an absolute demon. He was willing to give humanity a chance to save themselves by testing their patience and willpower through a series of grueling challenges. If humanity solves his so-called 'time puzzles', they'll be rewarded with the Hades Watch. Fail to solve them, and the undiscovered watch explodes, destroying the gates of Hell nearby and releasing all manner of evils."
"A guess is just a guess, no matter how educated it may be," I rebut. "You're a fool to think that the puzzles are real."
I snatch my bag and stand up promptly.
She's at the top of Asaya's hit list.
Suddenly, I sense an object hurtling toward me. Fast as lightning, I catch it in my hand. And then, I spot something odd.
HUH?
I pull the phone screen closer to me, as a thunder strike booms in the distance. "What the… What is this?"
"Really, sister?" The woman walks up to me as my eyes remain widened in shock. "Akemi, I need you to solve that time puzzle," she states, tapping the display. "You know the reason why."
She silently retrieves her phone from my numb hand and pockets it.
I look down. "Um… When's it gonna explode?"
"You know we can't predict that," she responds. "But obviously, we needed that watch yesterday."
I've no idea where to look as I try to make sense of all this.
"No goal can be achieved without leverage," the woman notes. "To reach that watch, we need that brain of yours."
I… can't believe this! My essays were supposed to simply be an output of my obsession. Just some hope in written form. Not some reflection of… reality!
I look up at her. "All right."
She smiles and tilts her head. "Thanks! You'll be paid handsomely of course. But I suppose money is a secondary concern, given the context." She takes out her badge, and so does the bulky man.
"I'm Detective Inspector Rina Yaeko. This is my sergeant, Tomoya Gaku. We're officers of the Hell Police."
I squint like I've sucked a lemon. "What? The 'Hell Police'? Are you… Satanists?"
"We're satanist monitors. A worldwide operation. It's cool if Satan worshippers uphold positive, productive values like they should. But if they start doing that horror movie crap like drinking people's blood and burning down churches, we step in and toss them in jail. The world of Satan worship is pretty huge, you know. Best to secretly keep it all in check," she notes with a wink.
"Asaya was a satanist," I recall. "So, finding the Hades Watch falls to you."
"Right. I'm leading the team assigned to the case. With you on board as our expert, we're ready to rock and roll and find that damn timepeice!"
