"The labyrinth of time points the way home..."
These words left behind by her grandfather acted like a key, unlocking a floodgate in Lin Xiaoxia's mind. She began re-examining the diary's passages about time—those seemingly random dates and numbers that now pulsed with hidden meaning.
She noticed her grandfather had repeatedly mentioned an old standing clock in the house. It was the only timepiece in the old residence that still worked, though it kept inaccurate time. Yet, it held countless childhood memories.
Lin Xiaoxia hurried to the living room, where the antique clock stood against the wall. Its wooden casing bore the marks of age, but the intricate carvings remained exquisite. She studied the clock's hands—hour and minute, both frozen at a specific number.
A thought struck her. Flipping back through the diary, she found the pages where her grandfather had recorded the pocket watch's hiding place. Certain dates and times were circled in an unusual script. What if she aligned the clock's hands to match them?
Carefully, she turned the clock's hands to the first marked date and time. A dull click echoed from within. Lin Xiaoxia held her breath, watching for any change—but nothing happened.
Undeterred, she adjusted the hands to the next sequence. When they aligned with the third marked number, a tiny hidden compartment sprang open at the base of the clock.
Her heart pounded as she reached inside and withdrew a small, ornate wooden box. Delicate runes were carved into its surface. With trembling fingers, she lifted the lid—and there it lay.
A vintage pocket watch, its edges adorned with faint, shimmering engravings like scattered stardust.
This was it. The watch from the future's warning.
Lin Xiaoxia clutched it tightly, its metal cool against her skin, humming with an ancient energy. Though weathered by time, its hands remained starkly visible—and as she watched, they moved.
Not forward.
Backward.
The hands were turning counterclockwise.
Reversed time? Her mind reeled. This watch didn’t just measure time—it altered it.
Her phone buzzed again. The future Lin Xiaoxia was calling, her face grave on the screen.
"You found it?" Her voice was urgent.
"Yes!" Lin Xiaoxia held up the watch.
"Don’t touch it recklessly!" The future her warned sharply. "That watch can rewrite time itself. One wrong move, and the consequences could be catastrophic." A flicker distorted her image. "Li Mingzhe is hunting for it too. He wants to twist the past for his own ends."
"What is he trying to change?"
"I don’t know—but it’s dangerous. You have to stop him. Before the timeline collapses completely." Static clawed at the screen. "Remember... there’s no time left—"
The call cut out. Silence swallowed the room.
Lin Xiaoxia stared at the watch, its gears whispering secrets of time.
And the hands kept turning.
Backward.
ns3.145.135.237da2
