The speakeasy's clock struck midnight—then kept striking. Seventeen times.
Zara groaned, her raccoon ears flattening. "Either I'm drunk, or time's broken."
"Both," Lilith muttered, her quill scratching furiously. "Mammon's partnered with Chronos' Loan Sharks. They're accelerating our existential debt."
A notification burned in the air:
[ TIME DEBT INCOMING: 10 YEARS COMPOUNDED ]
[ EFFECT: Rapid aging, memory loss, bad haircuts ]
Seraphina's armor creaked as she aged mid-stride, her platinum braid streaking silver. "Fix. This. Now."
Nishanth cracked his neck. "We're robbing Time's Vault. Steal back our years—with interest."
Zara lunged for a time crystal on the table—only to freeze as it morphed into a giant truffle.
"What the fudge?!"
Lilith snorted. "Karmic blowback. You stole from a Candyland warlock last week."
"It was one gummy dragon!"
"Now everything you steal turns to sugar." Nishanth tossed her a chocolate dagger. "Sweet, right?"
