Clark threw another punch and—
"BOOM!"
The domain shattered once again, the air rupturing with the sound of breaking glass as the world around them collapsed into countless glittering fragments.
Like shards of a cosmic mirror, the pieces spun violently through the void—each one reflecting distorted images of the woman, of Clark, and of endless possible realities.
And then, as they always did, the shards began to swirl inward, pulled by the unnatural force of the artifact, slowly trying to reassemble the domain into its original, perfect form.
But this time… something was different.
Something refused to let it happen.
"What?" the woman whispered, her voice strained.
The fragments halted.
Not slowed. Stopped.
The pieces hovered in the air like frozen stars, each one perfectly still.
The shattered domain remained broken—stuck between destruction and rebirth—and for the first time in eons, time within the mirror… did not move.
No wind. No breath. No heartbeat.
