Mori whirled in mid-air as stone walls crumbled to dust. He grasped at the gears, freewheeling through the empty space, but his hands passed straight through them. A rumble rose in his ears and grew until it become deafening.
He managed to right himself, slow his frantic descent. Scattered shards of the fallen tower hung around him, like a frozen hurricane.
And ahead of him, Ren stood in front of the gate that led to freedom, disdain in her dark eyes.
Ren— he called after her, but darkness filled his mouth, thick and heavy and acidic, like warm metal. He felt cool fingers around his arms, his neck. Tugging him into the endless gloom below. I'm sorry, I never meant for this—
Ren turned away, stepping into the light, leaving him stranded in darkness.
And as it closed in over his head.
Stay, it hissed in his ear. Your power belongs to me, always.
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Mori woke with a groan, guilt heavy in his throat. His head spun. Clammy heat clung to his skin. He looked round the room, moving his head slowly to stave off his dizziness, trying to make sense of his surroundings.
The realisation came to him slowly: he was back at Argent's house. Ren sat at the dining table, while Argent perched on the edge of the sofa he was sleeping on, arms folded. The tension in the air shimmered between them, a palpable thing.
Something burned in his hands. Mori unclenched his fingers, revealing a small pocket watch. It had been hastily made, with no effort to engrave the cover or polish the metal. Dried blood smudged its façade. Yet it brimmed with energy — raw, untamed power, a kind he'd never felt before.
"You wouldn't let go of it," Argent said, a note of amusement in his voice.
Mori stared at the watch, then up at him. "What—"
"We found you in the Tower of Storms," Ren said. "What happened to you?"
"I don't..." Mori said, frowning. "There was..."
The world swayed for a moment, the mere effort of remembering enough to drain him. He forced himself to focus. Images filtered through his mind: climbing into the abandoned tower, piecing together the timepiece. The churn of the gears in the system room. And—
He froze. "The traveller."
Argent looked at him. "You're saying she did this to you?"
Mori struggled to put together the details. His head felt hazy, weighted down. "Yeah," he mumbled. "She wanted...the watch, I think."
Argent glanced at Ren, one eyebrow raised. Ren shook her head.
