Time seemed to flow backward. The clock on the wall started ticking in reverse. Slowly at first, like flower petals swaying in the wind, then faster and faster, as if pulled by an invisible force that blurred the line between past and present.
As the speed increased, Airi felt a growing pressure in her head. A sharp pain flared at her temples, creeping down to her neck. Her vision flickered—blurry one moment, then suddenly razor-sharp, almost too sharp, making the past feel disturbingly real, as if she could reach out and touch it. But her body felt drained, as if her energy was being sucked away by the journey itself.
