### Chapter 2: *The Weight of a Choice*
Mia stood trembling in the ruins of the shop, the brass clock throbbing in her hands like a beating heart. The air was thick with salt and rot, the sea growling closer as dark clouds swallowed the moon. The shopkeeper's laugh echoed, fading into the wind. "Tick-tock, girl," his voice lingered. "You're running out." Her breath hitched - every tick had stolen more of her world, and now she held the power to stop it. Or destroy it.
She studied the clock. No dials, no clues, just that eerie hum growing louder. Her fingers brushed a tiny ridge on its side - a hidden latch? She pressed it, and the top popped open, revealing a tangle of gears glinting red, like they were soaked in blood. A sharp tick jolted her, and she glimpsed a new future: fire raining from the sky, her brother's voice begging for help. She slammed it shut, chest tight. Could she rewind it? Break it? Or was every move a trap?
Footsteps crunched behind her. She spun, heart pounding, to see a girl - pale, wild-eyed, clutching a shard of glass. "You have it!" the stranger hissed. "Give it to me, or we're all dead!" The clock ticked again, louder, and the ground cracked beneath them. Time was tearing apart - and someone else knew its secret.
Mia stood trembling in the ruins of the shop, the brass clock throbbing in her hands like a beating heart. The air was thick with salt and rot, the sea growling closer as dark clouds swallowed the moon. The shopkeeper's laugh echoed, fading into the wind. "Tick-tock, girl," his voice lingered. "You're running out." Her breath hitched - every tick had stolen more of her world, and now she held the power to stop it. Or destroy it.
She studied the clock. No dials, no clues, just that eerie hum growing louder. Her fingers brushed a tiny ridge on its side - a hidden latch? She pressed it, and the top popped open, revealing a tangle of gears glinting red, like they were soaked in blood. A sharp tick jolted her, and she glimpsed a new future: fire raining from the sky, her brother's voice begging for help. She slammed it shut, chest tight. Could she rewind it? Break it? Or was every move a trap?
Footsteps crunched behind her. She spun, heart pounding, to see a girl - pale, wild-eyed, clutching a shard of glass. "You have it!" the stranger hissed. "Give it to me, or we're all dead!" The clock ticked again, louder, and the ground cracked beneath them. Time was tearing apart - and someone else knew its secret.
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