Elias's fingers brushed the silver. The world around him began to peel away like wet wallpaper, revealing a sky made of violet lightning. He gripped the locket. "Bob, initiate 'Snap-Back.' Now!"
"Sequence initiated," the watch responded. The steel grew searingly hot against his wrist. "It has been an honor, Elias." There was a sound like a heavy door slamming in a vacuum. Watch bob-E61B
The watch face didn't have hands. Instead, a holographic needle flickered over a circular scale. It was hovering dangerously close to the red zone marked Desync . Elias's fingers brushed the silver
The watch didn't tick; it hummed—a low, rhythmic vibration that Elias felt against his radius bone. On the brushed steel casing, the designation was etched in a utilitarian font that suggested it had been built in a lab, not a boutique. "Bob, initiate 'Snap-Back