The air inside the frozen pocket of time felt thick as cold grease, every movement dragging against an invisible, static weight.
Selena's fingernails scraped against the cold, iron plating of the landing ridge as she scrambled toward the falling brass artifact. Her immaculate gown was ruined, soaked with her own crimson blood where the Chronos Core was leeching her vitality to sustain the temporal stasis. Every second this domain held, years of her youth melted away into nothingness.
"Give it... back!" she rasped, her eyes wild, blood running freely down her chin.
Before her trembling fingers could touch the spinning silver rings of the hourglass, a heavy black boot slammed down directly onto the artifact.
Kyle stood over it, clutching his bleeding shoulder where her stiletto had bit deep. His leather coat hung in charred tatters, and his breath came in short, ragged gasps that left grey, motionless clouds in the frozen air.
