prologue

Prologue

Year 2042

The clock on the wall ticked with a rhythm that seemed almost alive, each second reverberating like a heartbeat in the stillness of the room. She stood in the dim light of the archive, her fingers trembling as she held the worn, leather-bound journal. Its cover was cracked, the pages aged and yellowed, but the words written inside burned with a passion that transcended time.

Elena traced the name scrawled on the first page—Julian Montgomery, 1842. She had stumbled upon the journal in her grandmother's attic, buried beneath forgotten relics of the past. It had been fate—or at least that's what she told herself. Because as she read the words written in a bold, elegant hand, it was as though they were meant for her.

"To the one who finds this, know that my love reaches across centuries to find you."

Elena couldn't explain why she believed him. But from the moment she opened the journal, dreams of another life flooded her mind—images of a man with piercing eyes, a time long past, and a love that felt achingly real.

Her heart raced as the journal's final entry spoke of a key, hidden beneath an ancient clock tower, that could open the gates of time itself. She knew it was impossible—just the ramblings of a lonely soul lost in history. Yet, the dreams persisted, growing stronger with each passing day.

Until tonight.

Now, as the moonlight poured through the cracked windows of the abandoned tower, she realized the journal's promise wasn't a fantasy. It was a calling.

And when she turned the key, the gears groaned to life, the air thickening with the charge of something extraordinary. A flash of light consumed her, and the world fell away.

When Elena opened her eyes, the journal was gone, replaced by the unmistakable scent of fresh rain on cobblestones. The clock chimed, its haunting melody echoing through the narrow streets of a city she didn't recognize.

And there he was—standing beneath a gaslamp, his eyes as vivid as her dreams had foretold. Julian.

Her breath caught as he took a step forward, his expression a mix of wonder and disbelief.

"You're real," he whispered, his voice like a fragment of a forgotten song. "You came for me."

Elena knew then that this was only the beginning. Time had brought them together—but it would also be their greatest adversary.

In a world where seconds could rewrite destinies, would their love be enough to stand the test of time?