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Chapter 1 — The Blind Spot
Lior Kade had always thought the world moved too fast for him to notice its subtleties.
Yet, today, something was different.
The street was quiet—too quiet. The usual chatter, the distant hum of engines, even the flutter of pigeons seemed suspended in a peculiar stillness.
He reached out instinctively, and the air around his fingers seemed to hesitate, as if time itself had taken a deep breath.
What is this? he wondered, eyes widening.
A small shop window reflected his face, but the reflection seemed delayed by a fraction of a second—like it was unsure whether to follow him or remain frozen.
Lior's heart raced. This was no ordinary lapse in attention. Something had shifted. Something unseen.
As he stepped forward, the world felt heavy, yet strangely weightless, as though he were moving through a moment that belonged neither to the past nor the future.
And then, as abruptly as it began, it ended. The city returned to its normal rhythm. Cars honked, people shouted, and the pigeons scattered.
Lior stood still, breathless, knowing that he had just glimpsed something extraordinary. Something that no one else could see.
He wouldn't tell anyone. Not yet.
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Chapter 2 — Echoes Don't Bleed
The next day, curiosity pulled Lior back to the same street. The world seemed normal again, but he could still feel the faint echo of yesterday's event—the one he now thought of as The Pause—vibrating under his skin.
He wandered into a narrow alley, drawn by an unusual glint at the far end.
An object rested atop a wooden crate—a small, metallic cube etched with strange runes. It pulsed faintly, almost like it had a heartbeat.
Lior's fingers hovered above it. The moment he touched the cube, the air stiffened. The city noises dimmed. His heartbeat synced with the artifact's pulse, and for an instant, the world paused—but only for him.
It's reacting to me, he realized.
A voice, soft and distant, whispered in his mind:
"Not everything should be touched. Not everything should be seen."
Startled, Lior withdrew his hand. The cube's pulse slowed, almost disappointed, but it remained.
He tucked it into his bag, heart pounding. Whatever this was, it was the key to something hidden—something that would change everything he thought he knew about reality.
And somewhere, in the shadows of the world, eyes watched him. Waiting.
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Chapter 3 — Where Time Refuses to Settle
After school, Lior wandered the alley again, curious and cautious.
A shadow moved just beyond the alley entrance.
He turned.
A girl stood there, dark hair loosely tied, eyes sharp and alert. She looked around his age—maybe slightly younger—but something about her stance—cautious yet confident—made him pause.
"You shouldn't be here," she said.
Lior frowned. "Why not?"
Her gaze flicked to the crate. "Places like this remember people."
He blinked. "What do you mean?"
"Don't linger," she said, voice quiet but firm. "History notices."
Before he could ask more, a distant click echoed—a clock, though there was none in sight. The sound was wrong, slow, deliberate.
The girl stiffened.
"We need to leave," she said. "It's aware of you."
Lior's heartbeat raced. "Who—what is aware of me?"
She met his eyes for a moment. He saw something ancient in her gaze, though she was his age. "Not everything that watches has a name," she said. "And the ones that do prefer not to be spoken of."
Then, without waiting for him to respond, she turned and walked away. The crowd swallowed her instantly.
Alone, Lior glanced at his phone.
12:17 PM.
The shadows moved again.
Somewhere, far beyond the alley, the world subtly adjusted itself—like it had been waiting for him to act.
Lior finally made his way home. The city felt heavier now, the alleys narrower, the shadows longer.
His small apartment was quiet. His mother hummed softly in the kitchen while preparing dinner; his younger sister was drawing at the table. His father was reading in the corner, glasses low on his nose.
"Dinner in ten minutes," his mother said, glancing at him.
Lior nodded, trying to appear normal. The cube rested in his bag, heavy and pulsing faintly against his chest.
No one else could sense .