Chapter 1: The Shop That Never Closed
On the narrowest street of Alderbridge stood a tiny clock shop that no one remembered opening.
It had no signboard. No business hours. Yet somehow, it was always open.
Sixteen-year-old Noah discovered it by accident.
He had been running from the rain, his shoes splashing through puddles, when he noticed a faint golden light glowing from between two old brick buildings. Curious, he stepped closer.
The door opened before he even touched it.
Inside, hundreds of clocks ticked in perfect harmony.
Tick.
Tick.
Tick.
Behind the counter stood an old man with silver hair and sharp gray eyes.
"You're late," the man said calmly.
Noah blinked. "Late for what?"
The old man smiled.
"For your first lesson."
Chapter 2: The Frozen Second
Noah had never seen so many clocks in one place. Grandfather clocks. Pocket watches. Wall clocks shaped like moons and suns.
But one clock caught his attention.
It was small and made of black metal. Unlike the others, it wasn't ticking.
"That one is broken," Noah said.
The old man shook his head. "No. That one controls time."
Noah laughed nervously. "That's impossible."
Without another word, the old man turned a tiny silver key inside the clock.
Suddenly—
Everything stopped.
The ticking stopped.
The rain outside froze mid-air.
Even the dust in the room hung still like tiny stars.
Noah's heart raced. "What did you do?"
The old man looked at him seriously.
"I paused the world."
Chapter 3: The Keeper of Hours
"My name is Master Alden," the old man said. "I am the Keeper of Hours. And now, so are you."
Noah shook his head. "This is crazy. I'm just a student."
"You were chosen," Alden replied. "Time is fragile. Someone has been stealing it."
"Stealing time?"
Alden nodded. "People losing years overnight. Moments disappearing. Memories fading. Time is being broken—and only a Keeper can repair it."
The frozen world outside shimmered slightly.
"And if we don't fix it?" Noah asked.
Alden's expression darkened.
"Then one day, time will stop… forever."
Chapter 4: The Thief in the Shadows
A loud crack echoed through the shop.
One of the clocks shattered.
A shadow moved in the corner of the room—tall, thin, and shifting like smoke.
A voice whispered:
"You cannot stop what has already begun."
Noah felt cold fear crawl up his spine.
The shadow reached toward the frozen black clock.
Without thinking, Noah grabbed it first.
The second the shadow touched him, time exploded back into motion.
The rain crashed down. The clocks rang wildly.
And the shadow vanished.
Chapter 5: The Beginning
Noah looked down at his hand.
The black clock was glowing.
"You see?" Alden said quietly. "It has chosen you."
Noah swallowed.
His normal life—school, homework, ordinary days—felt very far away now.
"What do I have to do?" he asked.
Alden handed him a silver key.
"You must learn to control time," he said.
"Because the thief will return.