chapter 6 clockwork castellan

After acquiring a jade statue from a family gathering, our entire family transmigrated into a fantasy world! Follow our adventures in this new world as we learn new things, meet new people, fight powerful enemies and master our abilities. But first of all, we need to get used to our new names!

Everything that breathes is slowly turning into machines. A boy yet to fully turn sets out to sea to find the man responsible for it, the Mad Tinker. Enter the world of the Twelve Seas where clockships fly on invisible timelines and the color of your wizard hat determines your profession. The Twelve Seas are governed by the three fundamental laws of Chronodynamics. Whether it be through magic or technology these laws must be adhered to: 1. Time is a parabolic entity. It must always move forward. 2. Timelines cannot be created or destroyed. 3. The slowing or acceleration of time will result in an opposite and equal reaction.

In the bustling city of Aetheria, where steam-powered airships fill the skies and clockwork marvels adorn every street corner, a young inventor named Elara Brightwood dreams of adventure beyond the confines of her workshop. When a mysterious map leads her to the fabled Sky Islands, Elara embarks on a journey that will take her beyond the boundaries of her imagination. Joined by her faithful companion, Cogsworth, a sentient clockwork automaton, Elara sets sail aboard the Steamrunner, her newly constructed airship, in search of the secrets hidden amidst the clouds. But as they venture deeper into the unknown, they soon discover that the Sky Islands hold more than just untold treasures—they are also home to ancient mysteries and dark secrets that threaten the very fabric of their world. Amidst bustling cities suspended in the sky and hidden enclaves nestled amidst the clouds, Elara encounters a colorful cast of characters—from daring sky pirates to enigmatic sorcerers—all with their own agendas and secrets to uncover. Along the way, she must navigate treacherous skies, battle mechanical monstrosities, and unravel the mysteries of the past, all while confronting the dark forces that seek to control the fate of the Sky Islands. As Elara delves deeper into the heart of the Sky Islands, she discovers that her journey is intertwined with the fate of Aetheria itself. With the help of her friends and allies, she must unlock the secrets of the islands and confront the shadows that threaten to engulf her world. But time is running out, and with each passing moment, the stakes grow higher and the dangers more perilous.

A sprawling steampunk world where massive airships rule the skies, mechanical monstrosities lurk in the shadows, and society is divided between the wealthy elite in their sky-high cities and the lawless rebels fighting below. The world is teetering on the edge of chaos, with powerful steam-driven empires, secret societies, and supernatural horrors vying for control. Protagonist: Lucien "Drake" Graves, a daring, quick-witted rogue with a talent for improvisation, thievery, and smooth talking. He captains the Storm Reaper, a half-wrecked but extremely fast airship, and takes on dangerous jobs to survive. Beneath his carefree attitude, he’s hunting for the truth behind a mysterious artifact linked to his past—one that many factions want to claim, kill for, or hide forever. The Harem (Love Interests): 1. The Ice-Cold Engineer (Lady Evelyn Blackthorne) – A genius inventor from the Empire, cold and logical on the outside but harboring a secret desire for adventure—and possibly Lucien. 2. The Explosive Sky Pirate (Captain Rosalind "Rosie" Kane) – A flirty, gun-slinging air pirate with a love for mayhem and treasure. She teases Lucien mercilessly but secretly wants to keep him for herself. 3. The Mysterious Masked Assassin (Selene "The Phantom") – A deadly operative hunting Lucien for reasons unknown. Dark, alluring, and dangerous. 4. The Cheerful Mad Alchemist (Professor Valeria Steinbeck) – A brilliant but utterly chaotic scientist who loves dangerous experiments. She thinks Lucien is the perfect test subject—and maybe more. 5. The Noblewoman-Turned-Thief (Marion Sinclair) – A former high-society lady turned skilled rogue. She’s charming, sophisticated, and always one step ahead. 6. The Gothic Automaton (Clockwork Victoria) – A sentient mechanical woman with a tragic past. She struggles with emotions but feels a strange connection to Lucien. Plot: Lucien stumbles upon a forbidden artifact—an eerie, pulsating crystal heart that whispers dark secrets. This artifact holds the key to a long-buried conspiracy, an ancient war between humanity and an unseen horror lurking beneath the earth. As factions clash, monsters awaken, and betrayals unfold, Lucien must navigate a world of airship battles, deadly duels, mechanical horrors, and seductive encounters while keeping himself (and his increasingly jealous harem) alive. Meanwhile, a secret cult—known as The Crimson Hand—is hunting him, believing he is the "Chosen One" meant to either save the world or destroy it. And worst of all, some of his lovers might be hiding their own agendas…

"I beseech you,what did you do to him?" The whip landed against her back again and her only response was the tears.She couldn't scream because she was mute and her tongue still hurt. Again it landed on her back five,nine,eleven and twelve times but she wouldn't speak.Her only response was the tears.With that,they untied her and dragged her from the disciplinary court to the dungeons,with the queen bearing witness to all this. "Eloise," Esmeralda rushed to her cousin and hugged her tightly.She was all tears, but that was replaced with a frown as her fingers dug into the scars in her back. "W-W-What did y-you d-do to my sister?"She demanded as she turned her attention to the grim faced palace guards. "What did you do to my sister?" She turned to the queen,her eyes blazing. "We suspect she had something to do with old Davington's death" replied one of the guards."since she was found with the murder weapon and was the only one beside his figure in the room." "Lies!Lies! All are lies!" She yelled turning to Eloise,"Please tell them you had nothing to do with this.Prove them wrong,tell them!" But the girl wouldn't speak.She opened her mouth in an attempt to speak only for blood to pour from her mouth.Esmeralda was grief stricken.She wanted to see Eloise return in a happy way,but her cousin was being tortured for something she was sure she didn't do. As the queen had commanded,Eloise was dragged to the dungeons leaving Esmeralda with her tears on the disciplinary grounds. ********** *********** Esmeralda Dynevor is forced into an arranged marriage with Edward Knights - Duke of Brittania,who views her as nothing but a scandalous woman. She,however,tries to make her marriage work by giving him her heart but is only greeted with coldness. When the elderly clockmaker,Davington,is found dead in his workshop,the official ruling is that he died by hands of his assistant,Eloise. Esmeralda suspects foul play as her best friend wouldn't be engaged in such an act. Beneath the ornate clock face in Davington's workshop,she discovers clues that point to more sinister cause of death.And is meant to battle the culprit and make her marriage stand..but is she also bound for a happily ever after love?

Stuart doesn't really know why he's going to college. He doesn't know why he's in the metamorphic-science program. In fact, he doesn't really know why he's doing *anything,* other than a vague sense of obligation and persistent existential angst. But when he and two of his classmates are caught in a freak lab accident, he suddenly has much bigger things to worry about instead. (Well, make that "in addition to.") With he and his lab partners stuck trying to cope with unfamiliar new bodies, deal with angry *and* curious faculty members, re-integrate into campus life, and come to terms with their own personal issues, it's anybody's guess where it will all end up for them... The first standalone novel from the weirdo who ringled a number of long-running and highly eclectic interactive stories on Fiction Branches and elsewhere, it's a (hopefully more structured and focused) slice-of-life mad-science gender-bender dramedy full of introspection, emotional growth, and what another author in the community refers to as "gender feels" (plus some good old-fashioned mildly sexy hijinks and dirty jokes.) Don't miss it! Or miss it, whatever, it'll still be here. C'mon. You know you want to. Updates M-W-F

Jason Rami, an 18 year old high school senior keeps losing pockets of time and waking up soaked in blood without any memories of what happened the previous night. His only window of hope to understanding what’s going on with him seems to be his gorgeous classmate, Cleo. Jason soon finds out he has been roped into an eternal love curse and him and Cleo are the fated vessels for the reincarnation of a deep romance between Egyptia’s King Rami and Queen Cleophethrah. Will he be the perfect vessel to exact King Rami’s vengeance on the 21st century world?

In the Rusted City, where magic hums through copper wires and clock towers loom like silent sentinels, Astra Valen lives an unassuming life. But their world is built on secrets—secrets buried beneath the ticking streets and whispered in the shadows of forgotten history. For as long as Astra can remember, a rhythmic ticking has echoed in their chest, a sound they’ve always dismissed as a quirk of their body. Until one day, the ticking falters, and Astra collapses, revealing a truth that will change their life forever: their heart is not flesh and blood, but a Clockwork Core—a masterpiece of magical engineering created by a long-lost craftsman known only as the Clockmaker. As Astra grapples with their identity, the city begins to unravel. Machines malfunction, time bends, and the fragile balance of Aetherium—the magical lifeblood of the Rusted City—teeters on the brink of collapse. The Council of Tides hides the truth, while a shadowy force stirs, intent on harnessing Astra’s heart to reset time itself. With the help of an eccentric inventor burdened by his past and a fiercely loyal best friend, Astra must unravel the mystery of their creation. But the Clockmaker’s legacy holds more than answers—it holds the power to end or save the world. As the ticking grows louder and the stakes climb higher, Astra faces an impossible choice: embrace their humanity or become the machine they were destined to be. In a world where time can be rewritten, what does it mean to be human? And how far would you go to protect a future you’re not sure you belong to?

Iro Emmerick awakes in a trench puddle with almost no memory of who he was before the war, and a nearly-indestructible new body made of clockwork and steel. Driven by a need for answers, he sets out to discover the truth of what happened to him, and finds a world that is far different than the fragments he remembers. //Story updates at least 3 times a week, usually on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. If I can increase this further without sacrificing the quality of the writing, I will! I hope you enjoy!

Consumed by greed, man created something it could not control; it brought destruction, grief, and darkness into a world already devoid of hope. A soul, ensnared in the fabric of space, lands in this world, struggling to survive without becoming twisted.