Charlotte woke the next morning with fragments of a dream clinging to her mind—
The stranger's eyes, the shimmer in the air, and the sound of rushing water.
She tried to shake it off, but as she stepped outside,she noticed something strange: the clock tower's hands were
moving backward.
A cold wind brushed her cheek, carrying a whisper—a voice that sounded like her own, yet older.
"Find the knots… before they find you."
Her breath caught. Across the street,
the stranger stood again, watching her as though the entire world
was balanced on the words he had yet to speak.