The shop settled into a tense silence as the clock’s ticking returned to its steady rhythm. Finn exhaled, feeling the weight of what had just transpired. Clara’s face remained serious, her eyes lingering on the clock as if expecting it to act up again.
"Elias needs to know," Finn said, breaking the silence.
Clara nodded, but before they could move, the back door creaked open. Elias emerged from the shadows, his expression unreadable. "I know," he said quietly, his voice filled with a weariness that Finn hadn’t heard before. "I felt the shift in time."
Elias approached the clock, his hand hovering over its face. "You’ve done well to correct it," he said, looking at Finn. "But this clock is more dangerous than you realize. It’s not just a key to time—it’s a doorway, and others will want to use it."
Finn’s heart sank. He had always known the clock was powerful, but the idea that it could be sought after by others for nefarious purposes hadn’t occurred to him. "What do we do?" Finn asked, his voice tinged with worry.
Elias sighed, looking both at Finn and Clara. "We protect it. But we can’t do it alone. Clara, you’ve helped us twice now. It’s time you knew the full truth."
Clara looked at Elias, surprise flickering in her eyes. "What more is there?"
Elias motioned for them to sit. "This clock isn’t the only one of its kind. There are others, scattered across the world, each tied to different points in time and space. Together, they form a network, a web that keeps the fabric of reality intact. But if even one of them falls into the wrong hands..."
He let the implication hang in the air, the gravity of the situation settling over them. "We need to find these clocks before others do. It’s the only way to ensure time remains stable."
Finn and Clara exchanged a glance, both realizing the enormity of what lay ahead. They weren’t just guarding a clock—they were now part of a larger, more dangerous mission.
Elias stood, his voice resolute. "We leave at dawn. There’s no time to waste."
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