Leo pried it open. Inside, nestled in crushed velvet, lay a single, dull tooth. No—not a tooth. A gear. A tiny, cog-like thing no bigger than his thumbnail. It was cold. Dead.
The junkyard was quiet, save for the drip of condensation off rusted girders. Leo, a scavenger with quick fingers and a broken watch, hated the quiet. It meant the other scavengers had already picked the place clean. spark 7 t
He took a step forward.
He slipped it into his watch.
He saw a factory floating in a nebula. He saw seven forgemasters hammering seven sparks—the original gears of time itself. Spark 1 made beginnings. Spark 3 made endings. Spark 7? Spark 7 was the moment of choice . The instant a decision split one future from a thousand others. Leo pried it open