The chain shivered. The ticking reversed. The watch's hands began to spin backward — slowly at first, then faster, until the glass blurred like a spinning blade.
Zarius had the bottle tipped to his lips, eyes half-closed, when the air around them shifted.He paused, glancing sideways toward Moriana standing off to the side.
"Hm…?"
But something was off. The cups on their table toppled and rolled off it. Hyran's eyes went wide as his drink spilled across the floor.
"No! my drink!"
Gord stayed quiet, focused — his gaze locked on Moriana's hand, the chain of the watch trembling between her fingers.
A faint hum filled the air. Heads turned from nearby tables — a few drinkers mumbling, a chair creaked
Moriana clenched her forearm with her free hand, holding it steady as the surge rippled through her. Her breath grew shallow; the world around her began to bend, air pulling toward the fragment.
The fragment didn't react. It just sat there, stubbornly still, refusing the flow of time around it. Moriana's arm trembled violently now, veins bright under her skin, her eyes narrowing and flickering bronze.
Yulia reached across the table, her thin fingers wrapping around Moriana's trembling hand, gently pressing it down.
"That's enough, Mori," she said, voice soft but firm.
Moriana's gaze was still locked on the fragment, the reflection of the spinning watch filling her pupils. Then, slowly, the hum faded. The hands of the watch slowed, stuttered… and stopped.
Yulia lifted her head, meeting her eyes.
"Thank you, you didn't have to push it this much."
Moriana dropped into her chair, breath running fast. Sweat clung to her skin as she grabbed a handkerchief, wiping her face, her chest, and her armpits.
Her voice rose with each word, full of air.
"Damn it… what's wrong with this thing? Did it just drop out of the sky or something?"
Yulia sank back into her seat, taking the piece back to her pocket.
"Who knows… Whatever that was—it only made me more curious."
"Exactly. Now this piece of junk is really getting my attention," Zarius said, crossing his arms.
"You owe me a drink, witch!" Hyran roared at Moriana.
On the other side of the tavern, Veda paid the bartender and took the bottle. As she turned, her eyes met those of a large man sitting to her right.
He didn't just look at her; he seemed to weigh and measure her, his stare lingering in a way that made her skin crawl. His voice was a low rumble, seeming to vibrate through the floorboards.
"Hey, woman... I know that shape... You're from Mornaveil, right?"
The name hit her like a physical blow. Veda froze, dread widening her eyes.
A slow, cruel smile twisted his lips as he rose from his stool, his sheer size blocking her path. The reek of cheap liquor rolled off him as he moved closer.
"Well, well... what's a pretty thing from Mornaveil doing in a place like this?"
He leaned in, his mouth so close to her ear she could feel the heat of his foul, liquor-laced breath as he whispered:
"Don't tell me you ran off... that it?"
He pulled back to look her over, his thick cracked hand sliding from her shoulder down her back.
"If you came here to earn a living, you really have what it takes."
The room thinned on her and her fingers tightened around the bottle., and an image from her memory flashed in her mind: hiding under a bed in torn clothes.
She took a step back, the bottle in her hand, but the man snatched it from her and opened it. He hooked his fingers into the top of her pants, pulled her close. Before she could even cry out, he poured the whole bottle straight down into her pants.
His voice a low sneer that grew into a shout.
"Maybe this will cool down the heat of the shame you live with… you fucking useless thing!"
Veda gasped and stumbled back as his words brought a horrible memory rushing back. The cheap liquor from the bottle soaked the lower part of her body. Tears pooled on her cheeks.
In that same instant, he kicked her in the stomach. The force sent her flying backward, crashing onto a table. Chairs toppled around her as the impact sent a stray bottle cracking against the side of her head.
The noise everyone's attention, silencing the tavern for a moment. Her friends were on their feet as the drunk bellowed down at the fallen Vida:
"Get the fuck out of my face, you worthless bitch! Go back where you belong or become one of Valdar's whores… At least make your miserable life useful for once!"
Blood and tears streamed silently down Veda's face. She stared blankly at the tavern's wooden ceiling.