Chapter 207: The Heartbeat's Defense

The rift gapes like a wound in the fabric of the Chronometric Chorus, its edges crackling with static. The tallest Temporal Tuner reaches the void, its hand outstretched toward the frozen clock face of the Heartbeat of Eternity. As its fingers brush the rusted gears, a shriek of tortured time echoes through the hall—the sound of centuries collapsing into silence.​Echo slams her peace drum, the beat reverberating like a thunderclap. "Stop!" she cries. The sound wave hits the Tuner, sending it staggering back from the rift. Li Wei seizes the moment, channeling energy into his charge until it glows like a violet star. He hurls a beam of light at the Tuner, which explodes into a shower of clockwork fragments. But the pieces reform mid-air, reassembling into a dozen smaller Tuners, each with eyes blazing.​"Time is malleable," the closest one sneers, its voice a child's giggle overlapped with an elder's croak. "You cannot destroy what you cannot outpace."​The smaller Tuners fan out, summoning time loops that twist around Echo and Li Wei. One moment, Echo is facing a Tuner with a sword of 凝固的旋律;the next, she's back in the village square, the drum heavy in her hands as the riot threatens to consume her. Li Wei's voice pulls her back—"Echo! The present!"—and she stumbles, gasping, as the vision shatters.​Li Wei fights off two Tuners, his charge slicing through their time winds. "They're using our memories against us!" he shouts. "We need to anchor the Heartbeat before it's too late!"​Echo spots a lever beside the rift, its surface etched with musical notes. "That must be the rewind mechanism!" she yells. She darts toward it, but a Tuner blocks her path, its robe billowing to reveal a timeline where she never found her peace drum—a life of silence, of fear. The vision wraps around her like a blanket, warm and tempting. For a heartbeat, she hesitates.​A blast of purple light sears through the vision. Li Wei stands behind the Tuner, his charge smoking. "No detours," he says, grinning despite the chaos. Echo nods, gratitude flooding her, and slams her drum against the lever.​The Heartbeat of Eternity sputters. Its gears creak, and the frozen hands twitch. A river of golden light—stronger than any they've seen—bursts from the clock face, washing over the hall. The smaller Tuners scream as the light touches them, their forms dissolving into sand. But the tallest Tuner, now reformed into its original size, roars and lunges at the lever, determined to reverse Echo's action.​Li Wei intercepts it, their weapons clashing—his charge against the Tuner's staff of cracked hourglasses. "You can't rewrite the multiverse," Li Wei growls. "Harmony isn't a mistake to be erased."​The Tuner sneers. "Harmony is chaos with a melody. We're simplifying." It shoves Li Wei backward, sending him crashing into a pillar. The impact jars his charge, which skitters across the floor. Before he can retrieve it, the Tuner grabs Echo, its hand clamping over her mouth to silence her drum.​"Silence the girl, silence the drum," it says, dragging her toward the rift. "Then the Heartbeat dies."​Echo struggles, but the Tuner's grip is iron. As they near the void, she catches a glimpse of the Heartbeat's gears—one, slightly larger than the rest, is etched with the same symbol as her drum. A memory flashes: her mother pressing a chisel to the drum's surface, carving the mark. "For when the music needs a home," she'd said.​Echo bites the Tuner's hand. It howls, releasing her, and she dives for her drum. She slams it against the largest gear of the Heartbeat, the symbol glowing as they connect. The Heartbeat roars to life. Its gears spin, the clock hands whirling forward, and a symphony erupts—every melody they've fought to protect, every memory they've saved, all woven into a single, perfect chord.​The Tuner shrieks as the music hits it, its form unraveling into a cloud of dust. The remaining Tuners dissolve, their time winds scattering into the air. The hall stabilizes: the rivers of light flow freely, their melodies clear and strong. The rift closes, leaving the Heartbeat of Eternity pulsing at the center, a beacon of time and music.​Li Wei retrieves his charge, smiling as he joins Echo. "We did it," he says.​Echo nods, but her gaze lingers on the Heartbeat. "For now," she says. "But the multiverse's symphony… it's always in need of guardians."​As if in response, a new note hums through the air—low, resonant, unfamiliar. Nova's voice echoes: "Another dimension, another threat. The 'Sonic Sanctuary' is under siege."​Echo and Li Wei exchange a look, their instruments ready. The next movement awaits.​