Elias spun around. Standing by the door was a man who looked like a walking shadow. His clothes were modern, but his eyes were ancient.
Elias looked back at the tear. Through it, he saw his younger self look up, as if sensing a ghost. The colors in the current room were fading, turning the grey of old newsprint. His own hands were becoming translucent. Rip in Time
With a roar of effort, Elias grabbed the pendulum. The brass was searing hot, smelling of burnt lightning. He forced it to a standstill. Elias spun around
The clock gave a final, agonizing thud . The tear widened, beginning to swallow the workbench. Elias felt the pull of the past—the warmth of his youth, the smell of his mother’s cooking, the sound of a first love's laugh. It was a beautiful, seductive gravity. Elias looked back at the tear