The passage through the hollow felt endless. The air grew thicker the further Selene crawled, and the light from her flashlight flickered wildly. Panic clawed at her chest, but she forced herself to keep moving, the clock clutched tightly in one hand.

When she emerged, the world around her had changed.

It wasn’t the forest anymore—it was something else entirely. The ground beneath her feet was soft and luminous, like walking on light itself. The air shimmered, carrying a faint hum that resonated deep in her chest.

Selene turned slowly, her breath catching at the sight of the sky above. It wasn’t blue or black but a swirling expanse of colors—gold, violet, silver—moving like water.

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And then she saw him.

The man stood a short distance away, tall and composed, his presence commanding. His clothes were strange, neither modern nor ancient, and his eyes gleamed with an unsettling familiarity.

“You made it,” he said, his voice smooth and calm.

Selene’s grip tightened on the clock. “You’re E, aren’t you?”

The man inclined his head. “I am.”

Her heart pounded as she took a step closer. “What is this place? Why did you bring me here?”

“This,” E said, gesturing to the endless expanse around them, “is the Seam. A place where time converges, where its threads intersect and unravel.”

Selene frowned, her mind struggling to grasp the enormity of his words. “And why am I here?”

E’s expression softened. “Because your thread is part of the unraveling, Selene. And only you can decide what comes next.”