This chapter always felt like a turning point to me. They’re no longer just testing the clock’s pull—Lira is testing him, too. The question she asks, “What’s it cost?” isn’t just about time anymore. It’s about them. About what they’re willing to risk to keep the moment alive.
Writing this, I wanted the sense of the world tightening around them—each turn of the key a small theft, a small thrill. The air thickens. The silence feels loaded. And neither of them really in knows how deep they’re already in.
Chapter 3 is live.
—Eric Ross