Kallan stared at Cyrus, the weight of his words sinking in. "Unravel? What does that even mean?" he asked, voice trembling.
Cyrus walked to a cluttered shelf, pulling out a scroll. He unrolled it on the table, revealing an intricate diagram of the Eternal Clock's mechanisms. "The Eternal Clock doesn't just regulate time—it anchors it. If the Clock destabilizes, time will splinter, fragmenting into endless paradoxes. Past, present, and future will collide."
Lyra frowned. "So why haven't the Chronomancers fixed it? They built it, didn't they?"
"The Chronomancers disappeared centuries ago," Cyrus said. "But their disappearance wasn't natural. They left something unfinished, something dangerous. And if the Solstice activated, it means that danger is now awake."
Kallan swallowed hard. "Can we shut it down?"
"Possibly," Cyrus replied. "But I'll need to see the Solstice myself."
As they prepared to leave, Cyrus handed Kallan a small, glowing vial. "Keep this on you," he said. "It's a Time Stabilizer. If things start… unraveling around you, drink it. It'll buy you a little time. Literally."