[Soon after Runefather's Arrival – John Harrison's POV]
John Harrison was a man of science, a watchmaker by trade, an engineer by passion. His hands had crafted mechanisms of unparalleled precision, guiding sailors across treacherous seas with the promise of unfailing time. And yet, for all his understanding of gears and levers, of balance springs and escapements, nothing—nothing—could have prepared him for this.
It all began with a letter. An invitation, if one could call it that, written in a hand that felt almost unnatural in its precision. Damian Sunblade. No title, no crest, yet the weight of the words carried the authority of kings. And why not? If the rumors were to be believed, the man was the closest thing to a god. He sought the finest minds from all over the world—men of engineering, metallurgy, and mathematics.
Compensation? He would build any tool of their desire—within reason.
The challenge? It just said to finish a monumental task.
