Chapter 4: The Price of Time
Elias woke up on the cold floor of the shop. The old man was gone, but the golden pocket watch remained on the counter. It was clicking backward.
Elias realized the truth: the shop wasn't a business; it was a prison for those who tried to cheat time. To bring Maya back, he couldn't just watch the past—he had to trade his own present. Every tick of the watch felt like a year being stripped from his bones. His skin wrinkled, his hair turned white, but the shadow doorway in the corner of the room began to glow.