Marvin woke up to the sound of… birds?
He frowned.
"I don't remember there being birds here."
The ceiling above him shimmered faintly, like water reflecting light. For a moment, he forgot where he was. Then the memory rushed back—the Guest House, the system, the guests, the glowing tea disaster.
"…Right," he muttered, sitting up. "Not Earth anymore."
DING!
System Notification: New Area Unlocked — "Garden of Time."
Access Granted to Host Only (Initial Phase).
Marvin blinked. "Garden of Time? That sounds… dangerous."
Still, curiosity won.
It didn't take long to find it. At the end of a hallway he was sure hadn't been there before, a wooden door stood slightly open. Warm golden light spilled through the crack.
Marvin pushed it open.
And froze.
The world beyond was… wrong.
A vast garden stretched endlessly before him, filled with trees that shimmered in shifting colors. Some leaves were green. Others were silver. A few flickered between seasons—blossoming, wilting, and regrowing in seconds.
A single petal fell from the sky.
Marvin watched as it drifted slowly… slower… slower…
Then suddenly sped up and hit the ground with a soft tap.
"…Nope," he said immediately. "That's not normal."
He stepped forward anyway.
The moment his foot touched the grass, a ripple spread outward, like he had stepped into water instead of land.
DING!
System Warning: Temporal Instability Detected.
Host is advised to proceed with caution.
Marvin swallowed. "You think?"
Behind him, a voice spoke.
"You walk where time forgets itself."
Marvin spun around.
The Whispering Shadow stood at the entrance, its glowing eyes watching him silently.
"I thought this place was for guests too?" Marvin said.
"The door was open," the Shadow replied simply.
"…Fair enough."
Before Marvin could say anything else, another figure rushed past him.
The Flameborne Wanderer.
It stepped into the garden—and immediately froze.
Then… something strange happened.
Its fiery body flickered.
For a split second, it looked smaller. Weaker. Like a younger version of itself.
Then it snapped back to normal.
Marvin's eyes widened. "Did you just—age backwards?"
The Wanderer didn't respond, but its flames flared uneasily.
DING!
Emergency Quest Assigned: Guide Guests Safely Through the Garden of Time.
Failure Condition: Temporal Displacement of Guests.
Reward: Temporal Room Control.
Marvin groaned. "Why do all your quests sound like disasters waiting to happen?"
The system, as usual, did not answer.
Suddenly, a soft splash echoed nearby.
Marvin turned.
Glimmerfin had somehow entered the garden—and was now floating upside down in midair, its glowing body drifting like it was underwater.
"…Okay, that's new," Marvin said.
He rushed over, waving his hands. "Hey! Uh—don't panic!"
Glimmerfin spun slowly, completely unconcerned.
Meanwhile, the Star-Kind Traveler stepped into the garden—and instantly began to glow brighter.
"Fascinating," the Traveler murmured. "Time here flows like a broken river."
Marvin threw his hands in the air. "Of course it does. Why wouldn't it?"
Another ripple passed through the garden.
This time, Marvin felt it.
For a split second, everything slowed.
His heartbeat.
The movement of the guests.
Even his thoughts dragged like heavy chains.
Then—
Everything snapped back.
Marvin stumbled. "Okay… okay… think."
He looked around, trying to understand the pattern.
The garden wasn't random.
It had zones.
Some areas sped things up.
Some slowed them down.
Some… reversed them.
"…So it's like a puzzle," he muttered.
DING!
System Hint: The Host may influence localized temporal flow.
Marvin blinked. "Wait… I can control this?"
He focused.
Nothing happened.
He frowned harder.
"Come on… system powers… do something cool for once."
For a moment, nothing changed.
Then—
The air in front of him shimmered.
A small patch of the garden stabilized. The shifting colors slowed, settling into a calm, steady green.
Marvin's eyes lit up. "Oh! Oh, I did that!"
He quickly guided Glimmerfin into the stable zone. The floating creature gently dropped to the ground with a soft splash.
"One down," Marvin said, breathing faster.
Next, he turned to the Flameborne Wanderer, carefully creating another stable patch.
The flickering stopped.
The Wanderer stood still, its flames steady again.
Finally, the Star-Kind Traveler stepped into the last stabilized area, its glow dimming slightly.
Silence fell over the garden.
For the first time, everything felt… normal.
Marvin collapsed onto the grass, breathing heavily.
"I'm… definitely not paid enough for this."
DING!
Quest Completed: Guide Guests Safely Through the Garden of Time.
Reward Unlocked: Temporal Room Control (Basic).
Marvin let out a tired laugh. "At least I get something out of almost dying."
The Whispering Shadow tilted its head.
"You bend time now," it said softly. "Be careful… or time will bend you."
Marvin stared at it.
"…You really don't do normal sentences, do you?"
The Shadow did not reply.
Far in the distance, beyond the trees, something shifted.
Just for a second.
Something… watching.
Marvin didn't notice.
But the garden did.
And the Garden of Time had just begun to awaken.