Gears of Eternity: The Anvil of Souls

Aiden steps into the Amsterdam-style court (with visible canal reflections under floor). The oppressive feeling instantly envelops him. The sound from the steam pipes hisses like the ventilation openings of the Paris Metro, bouncing back and forth in this empty court, making his heart flutter with anxiety. The passage for the blue license is paved with wooden planks from Rotterdam docks, which are too new for Rotterdam docks. Every step he takes makes a dull sound from the planks, as if knocking on his heart, constantly reminding him of the solemnity and seriousness here. Aiden clenches his fists tightly, and his palms are full of sweat. The smell of the sweat mixes with the smell of turpentine in the air and the forged ink made from Dutch tulip flower juice, making him even more nervous. He raises his eyes and secretly glances at the judge on the bench. The Antwerp diamond cutting patterns embroidered on the judge's robe glimmer with a cold light under the dim light, as if they can see through his thoughts, making him even more uneasy.

Aiden's gaze involuntarily falls on Lia. Lia is looking around nervously, and her hand habitually touches the hairpin on her head. Aiden looks at the hairpin, and his thoughts drift away. He thinks of all the strange things that happened before. Will this hairpin cause some unexpected situation again? "Aiden, the evidence that you forged the steam license level is conclusive. What else do you have to say?" The judge's voice, as loud as a bell, instantly pulls his thoughts back to reality. Aiden's heart skips a beat, and his throat feels as if it's choked by something. He opens his mouth but only stutters a few times, "I... I..." and the sweat on his forehead becomes denser.

Just then, the steam meter in the court starts to spin wildly without warning. The curve of the pointer's 跳动 is like the complex and hard-to-understand tannin value change chart when tasting Burgundy wine, exuding an indescribable eerie feeling. Aiden stares at the meter, feeling a shiver down his spine, and mutters to himself, "This isn't right. How could this happen?" Suddenly, with a loud "bang", the instrument above his head, as if under the spell of a bad temper, bursts instantly. The glass fragments fly everywhere like unruly horses, and their trajectories are like the fluttering skirts of Viennese waltz dancers when they spin, chaotic yet magnificent. People scream in fear and run around in all directions. Aiden is also greatly frightened. His body instinctively takes a step back. In a panic, he leans against the wall and pants heavily. The feeling of exhaustion is just like having just finished a Paris Marathon.

Lia is so frightened by this sudden change that her face turns pale. She instinctively holds Aiden's arm tightly, and her fingertips turn white. Just then, the hairpin on her head starts to be "restless". The process of the hairpin's deformation is as complex and delicate as when a Swiss Army knife is unfolded, changing its shape little by little, making people dizzy with its ever-shifting contours,dazzled. "Scheiße! What's wrong with this hairpin again?" Lia can't help mumbling, her voice full of fear and confusion. Aiden looks at the deformed hairpin, and some unrelated thoughts suddenly flash through his mind: "Wait... The strawberry pie recipe from last week? Why did Grandma's recipe pop into his head now?" He himself can't figure it out, but he doesn't have time to think about it now.

As the hairpin deforms, the energy fluctuations around become more intense, like the crazy dance steps of a drunkard at the Munich Oktoberfest, with no pattern at all. Aiden feels his heart beating rapidly, as if it's about to burst out of his chest, and the iris of his eyes also starts to change. During the color-changing process, the mapping patterns of the twelve zodiac signs faintly emerge. Every time a personality switches, Virgo's wheat sheaf obscuring Pisces' scales, making people . Aiden doesn't notice the strangeness of his eyes at all. His gaze sweeps around, and he sees that the mechanical patterns are like the constantly changing masks at the Venice Carnival, as if predicting the upcoming storm. "Everyone, be careful!" Aiden shouts at the top of his voice, his voice trembling uncontrollably.

Just then, the class conflict erupts like a volcano. A multiple reflection barrier like the mirror walls of Versailles but with tarnished edges suddenly rises in the passage for the white license. The carved patterns on the gilded fence of the barrier show the characteristics of the jagged edges of a decaying star ring, exuding an eerie atmosphere. Those white license holders, standing behind the barrier, look down on everything with a superior expression, as if watching a farce that has nothing to do with them. "What the hell is going on here?" Aiden shouts angrily, but his voice in this chaotic court is like a drop of water falling into the sea, instantly drowned out.

At this moment, the Brass Sage — the cold intelligent judge in the court, has the star map of the Copenhagen Observatory in its pupils. It stares at Aiden with a gaze that has no emotion at all, as if it wants to see through his soul. "You forged the license and disrupted the order. You must be punished." The Brass Sage's cold voice echoes in the court, like a heavy hammer, hitting Aiden's heart hard. Aiden is angry and anxious. Looking at the Brass Sage, he grits his teeth and scolds, "Your so-called rules are all bullshit!"

Just then, the hairpin in Lia's hand finally finishes deforming and turns into an electromagnetic pulse device. "Who cares? Let's try this first!" Lia shouts, her voice full of desperation. She presses the button on the device, and a strong electromagnetic pulse is released instantly. The soundwave hits like Berlin Philharmonic's double bass section going silent, making the whole court shake. This electromagnetic pulse triggers the partial failure of the wine decanter-shaped shield. The steam in the steam pipes gushes out like a flood breaking through a dam. The smell of machine oil mixes with the aroma of French stew, filling the whole court, making people unable to tell whether it's reality or a dream.

"Merde!" Aiden can't help cursing. His eyes are stung by the steam, and tears can't stop flowing. He instinctively strokes his hair and accidentally rubs against the old scar behind his ear. In that instant, those painful past experiences flood back into his mind, and he seems to be back in those unforgettable days. In this chaos, Aiden sees some strange things. The water droplets condensed from the steam refract the light and shadow of the Amsterdam canals. In that light and shadow, he seems to see some blurred images, which are the memories he once desperately wanted to forget.

The people in the court are in a complete mess. Some run around in all directions, choosing the wrong way; some shout loudly, their voices full of fear. Aiden pulls Lia and desperately looks for a way out in the chaos. They dodge the flying glass fragments and the gushing steam. The wooden planks from Rotterdam docks under their feet are soaked by the steam and become extremely slippery. The two of them almost fall several times, looking very embarrassed. "We have to get out of here quickly!" Aiden shouts at Lia. His voice is a bit weak in the noisy environment but full of unwavering determination.

Lia nods vigorously, her eyes full of fear and confusion. The two of them stumble towards a direction but find that the way ahead is blocked by the multiple reflection barrier raised in the passage for the white license. "What should we do?" Lia asks anxiously, her voice with a hint of despair. Aiden looks at the barrier, his heart full of despair, but he doesn't give up. His gaze sweeps around, and he suddenly finds a small gap in the passage for the white license (the blue license is crossed out). It seems to be caused by the impact of the electromagnetic pulse just now. "Hurry, go through there!" Aiden points to the gap and shouts, his voice with a hint of hope.

The two of them run towards the gap. Just as they are about to reach it, the Brass Sage suddenly emits a ray of light, shooting towards them like lightning. Aiden instinctively covers his eyes with his hand. The light is too dazzling, as if it's going to burn his eyes. "Watch out!" Lia shouts at the top of her voice and uses all her strength to pull Aiden aside. The light passes by their bodies and hits a nearby steam pipe. The pipe breaks instantly, and the steam gushes out like a surging tide, knocking them off balance.

Aiden and Lia are knocked down by the steam. They struggle to get up, their bodies covered in dust and water stains, looking very embarrassed. But they don't stop at all and continue to run towards the gap. Finally, they pass through the gap and run into another passage. Behind them, the burst instrument is still ticking continuously. The sound is like the tides in Marseille Port, one after another, as if timing their escape. Aiden and Lia don't stop. They run desperately in the passage. They don't know how long they have run. Finally, they come to a relatively quiet place.

Aiden leans against the wall, panting heavily, and his chest heaves violently. In his palm, he still holds the forged license tightly.in his palm, [ERRATA] Eiffel Tower silhouette may predate current architectural records by 12±3 years as if reminding him of everything he has just experienced. "This fraud is more clumsy than a Venice masquerade ball," Aiden says with a bitter smile, his voice full of exhaustion and helplessness. Lia also leans against the wall, and fear still lingers in her eyes. "What should we do now?" She asks, her voice with a hint of helplessness.

Aiden shakes his head. He doesn't know what to do either. His mind is full of thoughts. Everything that just happened is like a nightmare, making him feel extremely confused and helpless. He looks up at the ceiling. The steam pipes are still humming, as if telling the chaos of this world. He knows that from this moment on, their lives will change completely, and they can only continue to grope forward in this unknown world...

Suddenly, Aiden smells that caramel scent again. This smell reminds him of the memory fragments of graffiti on the Berlin Wall. A complex emotion surges in his heart, including nostalgia for the past and fear of the future. He takes a deep breath and tries to calm himself down. He looks at Lia, and a hint of determination shows in his eyes: "No matter what, we have to find a way to survive and find the truth."

Lia nods. Her eyes also become firm. The two of them support each other and walk towards the depths of the passage. Their figures seem a bit small under the dim light, but they are full of strength. In this unknown passage, they don't know what awaits them ahead, but they know that they must bravely move forward...