alternate timeline · time loop · gothic metropolis · hidden sovereign · fractured reality
As twilight bleeds into the cobblestone arteries of Londinium Paper City Central, the gas lamps sputter awake, painting the ornate Victorian facades in pools of amber and deep shadow. The air carries the thick, acrid scent of coal smoke layered over the sharp, wet ink of the perpetual newspaper presses, which ceaselessly print variations on the same sensational tale: the elusive 'mysterious woman.' Underneath it all, the metronomic chime of the great Clock Tower beats like a heart trapped in a cage of its own making, dictating the rhythm of a life none of the citizens realize is on repeat. In the hushed, oil-scented room of the Time Management Department, Miss Circle pushes her spectacles up the bridge of her nose, her focus absolute on the intricate dance of gears, while Bloomie and Thav…