Darkness stretched endlessly.
A white void without walls.
Without sky.
Without direction.
The dimension of the Creators.
Four towering figures stood in silence.
Each nearly three meters tall, their forms blurred by shifting light, as if reality itself struggled to define them.
But one presence was missing.
The leader.
The space felt unstable without him.
One Creator paced slowly, restless energy radiating from his body.
"He's distracted again," the second one said, voice echoing strangely. "Observing lower dimensions like they matter."
A third crossed his arms.
"We cannot interfere while he watches."
The fourth remained still, gaze distant.
"…He is releasing anomalies again."
Silence followed.
The pacing Creator stopped.
"Viruses," he muttered. "He frees them like they are nothing."
The second Creator's voice carried unease.
"But we cannot oppose him. You know that."
A pause.
"He could erase all four of us effortlessly."
The white void trembled faintly, as if agreeing.
The third Creator tilted his head.
"…Then what if we act without his knowledge?"
The others turned toward him.
A slow smile formed across his distorted face.
Understanding spread instantly.
One by one—
The remaining Creators began to smile as well.
The void flickered.
Something unseen had just been decided.
The world returned with the sound of wind moving through trees.
Null still stood close to Leo after the hug, as if confirming he was truly alive.
Leo stretched awkwardly.
"Okay… emotional moment over."
Null stepped back slowly.
"…You are really alive."
"Yes," Leo said. "Very alive. Extremely alive."
Then he paused.
"…Wait."
He frowned.
Something pressed against his pocket.
Leo reached inside casually.
His hand froze.
"…No way."
He pulled it out.
A smartphone.
His smartphone.
Perfectly intact.
Battery symbol glowing softly.
Leo stared at it like it was a ghost.
"I sold you."
The screen suddenly turned on by itself.
Static flickered.
Then—
A tiny chibi version of Leo appeared on the screen, waving energetically.
"Yo, brother!"
Leo nearly dropped the phone.
"What?!"
The tiny figure crossed its arms.
"I think you have LOTS of questions to ask."
Leo blinked repeatedly.
"…Who are you?"
The chibi Leo stared at him in disbelief.
"Seriously? THAT'S your first question?"
He pointed at himself dramatically.
"I'm your smartphone, obviously."
Null leaned closer, observing silently.
Leo shook his head rapidly.
"But I sold you!"
The chibi sighed loudly.
"When distance exceeded my range file limit, I automatically teleported back to your pocket."
"…You have a WHAT file?"
"Range file," the chibi repeated proudly. "Basic survival protocol."
Leo rubbed his forehead.
"Okay… new question. How am I still alive?"
The chibi Leo grinned.
"Because I'm kinda your heart now."
Silence.
Leo blinked.
"…Explain."
"Well," the tiny figure said casually, "your biological heart got destroyed earlier."
Leo froze.
"But since I replaced its function temporarily, you remain alive."
Null's eyes narrowed slightly.
Leo pointed at the screen.
"Wait WAIT — if YOU get destroyed, I die?!"
"Correct."
Leo screamed internally.
"What happens if your battery dies?!"
The chibi rolled his eyes.
"Relax. When you sleep, I recharge automatically."
"And if your battery fully runs out?"
The chibi smirked.
"You instantly fall asleep."
"…That's terrifying."
"And stop asking stupid questions," the chibi added. "You're wasting my battery. Go face your enemy."
The screen went black.
Leo stared at his reflection for a long moment.
Then slowly placed the phone back into his pocket.
Null spoke calmly.
"…Your phone is rude."
Leo sighed deeply.
"Not kinda."
He started walking forward.
"He is absolutely rude."
Leo's expression had changed.
Confusion remained, but determination replaced fear.
He walked toward where the clock tower should be.
Null followed quietly.
Leaves crunched beneath their steps.
"…You're going back?" Null asked.
Leo nodded.
"If reality is broken, running won't fix it."
He glanced ahead.
"That assassin… this town… something is controlling the situation."
The forest gradually thinned.
The outline of the tower appeared again between the trees.
Tall.
Silent.
Watching.
The ticking sound echoed faintly.
Tick. Tock. Tick. Tock.
Leo stopped at the entrance.
"…Ready?"
Null gave a small nod.
They stepped inside.
The moment they crossed the doorway—
The air shifted.
The sound vanished.
Leo blinked.
"…Huh?"
Sunlight surrounded them.
Not darkness.
Not the inside of a tower.
They stood at a wide street entrance.
People walked casually around them.
Metal gears rotated along building walls.
Steam hissed from pipes.
A familiar sign stood above the road.
WELCOME TO CLOCKWORK TOWN
Leo slowly turned in a circle.
"…We were just inside."
Null scanned the surroundings carefully.
The tower was gone.
No entrance behind them.
Only open streets.
Citizens passed by without noticing anything strange.
The same mechanical city.
The same unnatural normality.
Leo exhaled slowly.
"…Okay."
He laughed nervously.
"Now I'm officially confused."
Null looked ahead.
"This place changes reality."
Leo nodded.
"Yeah."
He tapped his pocket where the phone rested.
"And apparently my phone is my heart now."
A group of townspeople walked past, gears clicking softly with each step.
Everything looked peaceful.
Too peaceful.
Leo lowered his voice.
"We're inside something."
Null agreed silently.
A faint ticking echoed again somewhere deep within the city.
Not from a clock.
From everywhere.
Leo smiled weakly.
"Well…"
He adjusted his jacket.
"…guess we keep moving forward."
Null stepped beside him.
Together, they walked deeper into Clockwork Town.
Above them, unseen mechanisms turned.
Watching.
Waiting.
And somewhere far beyond reality—
Four Creators smiled.