The figure of the skeleton on the Old Town Astronomical Clock was never a mere mechanical toy to amuse the crowds. Legend tells that when the blind youth, in his anger and sorrow, damaged the clock’s mechanism, he instilled a mysterious and dark power into the figure of Death. From that moment, it was believed that when the skeleton moves again after a long silence and nods its skull for the first time, it will signal a great misfortune for the entire Bohemian land.

According to this ancient prophecy, that nod of the skull is the sign for the start of the final bloody battle. It is said to be a conflict so terrible and devastating that the Czech nation will be nearly wiped off the face of the earth, with only a handful of survivors remaining. This terrifying prophecy hung over Prague for centuries like a shadow whenever the clock stopped or faced the threat of damage.

Yet, a hope for averting this doom exists, though the path to it is immensely difficult. The skeleton’s destructive power can only be thwarted during a single, magical night. This must happen on the very night when the clock, after a long repair, begins to run for the first time. Against destiny must stand a young boy born on New Year’s Eve, in that sacred moment of transition between the old and the unknown.

This boy must stand before the Týn Church, and at the exact moment the tower clock begins to strike midnight, he must dash across the Old Town Square at full speed. His task is superhuman – he must reach the clock before the final twelfth strike fades. If he succeeds in this race against time, he must hurl a stone at the skeleton’s skull with all his might. If he shatters it, he destroys all its dark power and averts the prophesied disaster from the Bohemian land.