Whitesky, Chalicegate, Autumn Street.

In the clock tower of Chalicegate, the copper bell rang loudly, echoing through the narrow streets of Chalicegate.

"Mmh…"

Snuggled under a thin blanket, Melia peeked out her sleepy-looking face, groggily waking up with her hair all messy and her eyes still half closed.

"Wakey… wakey…"

She walked across the room to her little sister's bed and shook her awake, but her little sister just pulled the blanket over her head and groaned.

"Do I have to...?"

"Yes, you have to get up. Go wash your face and take a bath, and I'll make you look all pretty to show off to your classmates, yeah?"

Melia said gently while still rubbing off the sleep from her eyes.

"…Mhm."

Her little sister took off the blanket, sat up like a perfect little doll, and smiled up at her. She reached out her arms to her, as if asking for a hug.

"Carry me?"

"I have spoiled you."

Melia giggled, lifted her up, and took her to the bathroom, where they both washed their faces, brushed their teeth, and took a quick bath.

She then went to cook some breakfast in the little apartment of theirs.

It was really small, with just one bedroom, a bathroom connected to it, a tiny living room with a kitchen attached to it, and a narrow walkway that led to the front door.

When she finished cooking, her little sister sat down on the table, and dug into the cheap breakfast.

It was only some scrambled eggs and toast. It's all they could afford at the current moment.

"I have to get to work, so finish eating and put the plates on the bucket at the corner. I'll wash them when I get back home."

Melia said and put on a buttoned long-sleeved navy jacket. It had a high collar that covered all of her neck, and the sleeves were slightly too long, hanging over her hands.

She then added a brooch to the lapel of the jacket—it looked like a gate hanging open with a tiny keyhole in the center.

"Mhm!"

Her little sister quickly devoured the food, took the plate to the bucket at the corner, and then walked to Melia to give her a smooch on the cheek.

"I am going now!"

Her little sister waved her hand, grabbed her backpack, and then rushed out of the house to join other school walkers at the street.

Melia looked at herself in the cracked mirror. She put her hair into twintails. When she smiled, she looked really beautiful.

With that, she grabbed her own bag but noticed that there was a doll mask peeking out of the top.

"…"

She stuffed it back inside, zipped the bag shut, and then stepped out of the house.

In the distance, the tall Chalicegate stood, its rusty arches gleaming in the sunlight. It was almost as tall as the sky.

Everything looked small under it. Especially the City of Chalicegate under it. Its black-roofed buildings looked insignificant in front of the gate.

'…Oh no, I am late!'

When she checked her timepiece, she noticed that she was running late and quickly took off into a run.

She headed in the direction of the massive Chalicegate. Used narrow alleyways as shortcuts. In the end, she made it to the gate just in time.

The guardsmen let her inside the compound, and she looked up at the gate with a sigh of relief after seeing that four massive chains, keeping the door shut, were still intact.

Those chains were as big as the door itself. It was unreal to think that someone actually built this gateway.

'…It truly makes one feel small.'

Melia thought, and then she entered the Chainkeepers' break room, where she put her things into the locker.

Cling!

"Hey, Melia. How's the princess feeling this morning?"

In that moment, Jaquel walked in, stuffed his things inside the locker, and made sure that his navy jacket was buttoned correctly.

"Hey, Jaquel… And don't call me that, it's corny."

Melia smiled at him, sat down on the bench, and put on some knee-high boots over her navy trousers.

"Hehe, my bad. It looks like we have another twelve-hour shift in our hands. I fucking hate this job, but someone has to do it, I guess."

Jaquel checked the shift schedule for the week and then slammed his locker door shut.

"At least I have good company…"

He looked at her teasingly, and Melia just rolled her eyes before standing up and taking her whistle from the hook on the wall.

Jaquel did it as well, and they went back outside—the cold air hit them like sharp knives—and they then started walking towards the Chalicegate.

They walked deep into the compound. It was barren empty ground. There were no people around close to the Chalicegate.

In the end, they arrived so close to the gate that they saw people standing there. The people standing there were dressed in same clothes as them and had solemn expressions on their faces.

Leaning against the Chalicegate's massive doors, two Chainkeepers were yawning and smoking their boredom away.

"Finally… Night shifts fucking suck!"

Misha cried out and stomped his cigarette under his booth with the whistle hanging around his neck.

"Good luck in your shift~"

Misha's Chainkeeper partner, Sophia, waved her hand to the two and left for the break room to get her stuff and head back home to sleep her drowsiness away.

Misha was pretty much running away. He didn't want to stay here even one second longer than necessary.

"Yawn~"

Jaquel tapped his fist against the door of the Chalicegate and then leaned against it with a yawn and a sigh.

"Yawning already? It's going to be a long day ahead for you."

Melia said with a smile and looked up at the massive Chalicegate—when she tried looking way up, she almost lost her balance and fell.

"I stayed up late."

Jaquel said, speaking no more of that, and then turned to her.

"How's your sister? Is she still top of her class with every boy in her class chasing after her skirt?"

"Yep. A cute little sister of mine is currently having trouble with every boy chasing her hand."

Melia said with a chuckle.

"You must've had the same experience back in your school days. I'm sure you were quite popular with the boys too."

Jaquel said.

"…I don't think so~"

Melia giggled.

In that moment, Jaquel saw a serious-looking military man walk over from the Chainkeepers' operations room.

"Fuck… It's General Cross."

Jaquel and Melia straightened their backs. They looked as straight as trees.

"Operations room, now."

General Cross said to them with a serious look.

"W-What about Chalicegate, sir?"

Melia asked.

They were never allowed to stop guarding Chalicegate. They were allowed to go to bathroom quickly one at a time, so there was at least somebody guarding it.

They would never leave it unguarded.

"This is important!"

General Cross shouted, and the two Chainkeepers nodded hurriedly and started running over to the operations room.