The crack in the sky widened, casting eerie silver light over the Sands Below. Juno's skin prickled time wasn't just bleeding here anymore. It was being hunted.
From the rift emerged a figure draped in shifting shadows, a silhouette crowned with floating clock hands spinning erratically in all directions. The air thickened with a presence both ancient and unforgiving.
"I am the Chronodebt," the figure intoned, voice layered with countless echoes. "Collector of owed moments, bearer of unpaid futures."
Juno swallowed hard. "You're the one after the Prime Moment?"
The Chronodebt's eyes, like fractured timepieces, narrowed. "You disturbed the flow. You borrowed time you could never repay."
Milo stepped forward, baton glowing defiantly. "We don't intend to let you take her."
The Chronodebt's smile was a shard of cold glass. "You misunderstand. I do not take—I claim. And the ledger must be balanced."
Juno's Divider vibrated wildly in her hand. The weapon seemed to sense the presence, humming a warning.
"Then consider this your notice," the Chronodebt declared. "The next time you interfere, I will come to collect your life's interest."
Before anyone could react, the Chronodebt vanished in a cascade of ticking echoes, leaving behind a swirling storm of temporal fragments.
Idris gritted her teeth. "This just became bigger than we thought."
Milo glanced at Juno, eyes sharp. "They're watching your every move. And it's not just a warning. It's a countdown."
Juno clenched her fists. "Then we'd better make every second count."
Outside the Sands Below, the Tockbox trembled. The war for time was only beginning.