The hour arrives like any other.
Then it refuses to leave.
At first, no one realizes time has been touched.
Not in the way people expect it to be touched.
There is no freezing.
No looping chime.
No visible fracture in the sky.
The sun continues its slow crawl. Breath fogs and fades. Hearts beat.
But nothing finishes.
A bell rings—and never fully stops ringing.
A step lands—and never fully completes its weight transfer.
A sentence is spoken—and the last word refuses to settle into the air.
It feels like standing on the edge of a thought that never concludes.
Rowan’s voice trembles across the network. “Something’s wrong. Our clocks don’t agree with themselves.”
Kael’s expression hardens. “Explain.”
“They’re advancing,” Rowan says slowly. “But… they aren’t resolving.”
The shad
