Morning light spread quietly across the house.
Soft.
Ordinary.
The faint clatter of utensils came from the kitchen.
Yokina moved between the stove and counter, humming under her breath, the rhythm slow and familiar.
Juson stood near the sink, drying his hands. His movements were automatic, his mind elsewhere.
"Did you check his medicine?" Yokina asked without turning.
"I did," Juson replied. "He's sleeping."
A pause.
"Still?"
Juson glanced toward the hallway.
"Yeah."
Something about that answer lingered a second too long.
Then—
A faint flicker.
The kitchen light dimmed for a split second before returning to normal.
Yokina noticed it.
"Power again?"
"Probably," Juson said, but his tone lacked certainty.
Silence settled back in.
Almost normal.
Then—
A sound.
Soft.
From the bedroom.
A dull click.
Both of them froze.
Yokina turned first.
"…Did you hear that?"
Juson didn't answer.
He was already moving.
They stepped into the hallway.
Another sound.
This time clearer.
Metal shifting.
The bedroom door.
Yokina's pace quickened.
"Herik—"
She reached the door and pushed it open—
And stopped.
Juson arrived just behind her.
"What happened—"
He felt it immediately.
The air.
Wrong.
Heavy.
Like stepping into a place that didn't belong to the house.
Herik lay on the bed.
Restless.
His small body shifted against the sheets, fingers twitching slightly. His face was tense, strained—like he was fighting something in his sleep.
The lights above flickered violently.
Light.
Dark.
Light—
A low sound filled the room.
A faint whirling.
Constant.
Unnatural.
Juson's eyes lifted slowly.
Searching.
And then—
He saw it.
The clock.
Mounted above the bed.
Its hands—
Were spinning.
All three of them.
Not ticking.
Not moving normally.
Running.
Fast.
Too fast.
The numbers blurred as the hands circled endlessly, overlapping, collapsing into each other like time itself had lost control.
Juson stepped forward.
His eyes locked onto it.
He couldn't look away.
The sound grew louder.
The spinning faster.
Behind him—
"Juson…?"
Yokina's voice felt distant.
Muffled.
As if something stood between them.
But he didn't respond.
Because the clock—
It was going to—
Stop.
And then—
It did.
Instantly.
Dead still.
Silence.
The lights stabilized.
The sound vanished.
Everything—
Normal.
Juson blinked.
His chest rose sharply.
He turned.
Yokina stood there, confused.
The room looked fine.
Nothing unusual.
Nothing wrong.
"Why are you staring like that?" she asked.
Juson didn't answer.
Because something tugged at his shirt.
He looked down.
Herik stood beside him.
Awake.
Quiet.
Looking up at him.
Juson's breath slowed.
Because for a moment—
Those eyes didn't feel like a child's.